bump - just found this thread!

So what's the opinion on March Madness 1/2 in march? I'm normally in the Multisport fourm, prepareing for 1/2 Iron distance this summer, but i want to do a couple of 1/2 Mary's ahead of time.

doing Indy 1/2 mary in May. Want something earlier

any thoughts? Got 2 little ones so can't travel too far

March Madness is a stern test most years. The course is hilly and demanding. The weather is very often diabolical, with snow, horizontal rain, ice on the road all being common occurrences. Of course there have also been 60 degree days.

It's well organized, though a little pricey on the entry fee as I recall.

The course has changed a few times as the subdivisions and congestion grow, north and east of Cary-Grove HS. Pay attention when you run this course, sometimes (if you're running the tangents) you have to cross the road while climbing a hill with a turn at the top - and this course is open to traffic.

Hopefully everybody along the course will keep their pit bulls locked up. They had quite an incident in Cary recently (not during a race). Several children were mauled, and the last I saw at least one was still critical. The owner tried to bring his animals under control and got his thumb bit off.

pcsronbo,

There's a little half in March (it was March 13, 2005) that I really enjoyed running last year. It's in a small town called Delavan, IL which is near Peoria. The race had excellent volunteer support and was run by a small, but loyal bunch of runners. Overall, it was a great experience and I actually set my HM PR there. The course begins about a mile from the finish line. The organizers drive two busloads of runners out to the start, from which you'll run two ~6 mile loops in the country, mostly around cornfields and farmhouses. After completing the second loop, you'll head back into town and finish at the local HS, where packet pickup and parking is located. Here are last year's results and pictures if you want to take a look.
http://www.ivs.org/Results/2005/frostbiteresults05.pdf[/URL" target="_blank">
http://www.ivs.org/PhotoAlbum/2005%20SlideShows/Delavan%20Half/index.htm[/URL" target="_blank">

Hi EM!

I've missed the Illinois thread. I thought we fell off the map!

Anyone have races coming up? The only one near here in the near future is the Siberian Express. I think I'll sit that one out. I am going to focus on training exclusively for the next two months or so. I had a foot injury leading into Chicago that I continued to run on, so after a month off from running (replaced by a month of dreadfully boring cross training) I am working my way back.

My EZ pace is about where it always has been, but my tempo pace is very sluggish. I am a tad worried about that... I guess it will come with time. I have my sights set on running Boston 2007, but I am not 100% certain that I'll do it. I really, really want to though!

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...on your left![/URL" target="_blank">
Positive thoughts--negative splits!

Thread resuscitation time again!

I'm attempting Second Wind's Clinton Lake Ultra this weekend, despite being grossly undertrained. kspowell, are you running or volunteering by any chance?

comet, I have not been to the DesPlaines River bridge yet, and indeed have not actually been able to verify that it opened. When last I checked, the online references to it kind of trailed off to nothing last fall. I should re-join the IPP, it would be good to be more current.

comet, have they completed their work on the Aurora branch below Arbor Ave. yet?

What else is new w/me...finished the Shamrock Shuffle in a not-too-exciting time. Went to Indpls. with the family to visit in-laws over spring break for a couple days, and had an opportunity to sample yet another great new recreational trail being put in by the parks department there in Indy. This is called the Fall Creek Greenway. I'm really impressed with the trail system they're creating down there. They're thinking the right way, taking care to figure out what are going to be the link-ups between different trails, always trying to keep things contiguous, and providing commute possibilities besides just recreation.

Well, I think I can honestly say that was the hardest race I have ever done. I've only done a few 50K's before, and the only trail ones have been the OPSF and the Huff, and this was MUCH harder than either of those.

I still can't believe I went out to do that third loop instead of dropping. It was mostly due to the aid station people (at both aid stations) that I even thought of finishing. During the second lap I had already resolved to drop out.

Check out these gruesome splits.

10 miles 1:57:41 (six-hour pace at that point, which would have had me in the top 20 - ha ha ha)

20 miles 2:37:29/4:35:10

30 miles 2:53:56/7:29:06

If it had been just the mud or just the hills - maybe no big deal. But the combination of mud and hills kind of got to me mentally after a while. Kristy, I think it was probably apparent already at the end of my first lap when you saw me, that I was finding it much harder than expected.

On the third lap I just wanted to stay under twenty-minute miles. I still ran a little, in a very, very few places, mostly on the dry downhills and a very few of the flats. Thankfully I was consistently around two to four minutes under that, even for the fifth mile which had the aid station.

Took a most ungraceful fall on the second lap on a long downhill with mud and water flowing down it, just kind of sat down when my feet went out, better that than a face plant. Luckily there were no stumps or anything because I slid for five feet or so after landing.

Later on I was being passed (again) and the woman coming up behind me says "Ha Ha, you fell!" (She was being silly, not mean - my whole back, legs and water belt were caked with half-dried mud.) Less than five minutes after she went by, I was still running just a little ways behind, and on a sharp, mud-filled right turn at the bottom of a hill, yep, SPLAT! I did the gentlemanly thing and made sure she was up and OK, instead of saying "Ha Ha, you fell too!"

OK, done whining. I'm very pleased to have finished this one.

It was nice to meet you, Kristy. Let me know how your pictures turned out; and I hope your husband had a good day out there.