Hillstriders March Madness Half Marathon - 03/16/2008 This event is one of the more challenging half marathon road races around the Chicagoland area primarily because there are a number of long climbs on this paved course in comparison to other ones in the area. It's a pretty popular one too with registration closing in just a week or so.
My approach to this race is going to be a bit different than in the past. In fact, I am using it strictly as a training run for the Clinton Lake 30 mile at the end of the month; therefore, I'm not trying to set any new PR here, but of course if that happens, I'll take it. I'm actually going to be at the Clinton Lake course the day before the half marathon doing an organized 20 mile training run.
Illinois Trail Ultra Grand Slam (ITUGS) 
This is not a single race, but rather a ultra series consisting of 4 races here in Illinois: Clinton Lake 30, McNaughton Park (50)/100/150, Rock Cut Hobo 50K, and Farmdale 33. I am participating in this slam and my results will be
posted here as I complete each event.
I'm quoting in 3rd person here, but Chris Migotsky thought it would be fun and encourage more people to run ultras in Illinois. The four trail ultras already existed and he spoke with the other RDs, which he hopes the Slam increases the number of participants at each race and also hopes it creates an impression of Illinois as a state with great trails and ultra races.
More information about what the
Grand Slam is about can be found on
Chris Migotsky's blog; however, here is a
direct link to the post.
I've labeled the grand slam races below with (ITUGS)
Clinton Lake 30 Mile (ITUGS) - 03/29/2008 I'm looking forward to doing this race. I've run on the course twice now, both single 10-mile loops. It's lots of fun; hilly, but lots of fun. I'll run on the course a 3rd time on March 15th as part of an organized training run of 2 loops (20 miles) 2 weeks before race day. I will need to make sure I strength train, as well as, do hill interval training.
Race Website
Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K - 03/30/2008 This year the race starts in waves and I'll be part of Wave 1 and in Corral B starting with approximately 10,000 other participants. For me, this race will be a recovery run from my previous day's 30 mile race at Clinton Lake. I probably wouldn't be doing this race otherwise, but my employer is paying my entry fee into it. Nonetheless, it will be nice to get out and do this as a recovery run and see some familiar faces.
The course map is not yet available as of this posting, but the
race website can be checked periodically for updates.
McNaughton Park 50 Mile - 04/12/2008 (ITUGS) This race will be a true challenge of my abilities. While the cutoff time is pretty generous (34 hours), the difficulty of the course will sure test me. The farthest I've gone to-date is 50 miles at the "flat as a pancake" Chicago Lakefront 50 mile race last October. Being on hilly trails for the same distance won't be a walk in the park, or will it ;-)? I really don't know what to expect results-wise with this race, but considering I'm typically mid-pack, perhaps a finishing time between 13 and 14 hours might be realistic. We'll see.
Race Website
Miwok 100K - 05/03/2008 Oh boy, this is where I'm really stepping it up this year with respect to distance. I'm making the attempt at a race over 50 miles. It's a bit nerve racking, but will be a true testament to my endurance abilities that I am building this winter and spring. I do have confidence that I can do it, so that's a start. I'm shooting for a sub-14 hour finish, which is good enough to qualify for the Western States 100 mile the following year (Actually, I would like to qualify for WS100 in all my races as a good indication of my capabilities at that distance).
I've seen a
video and a number of photos of this course and it's beautiful. I will be out in California for a week making a vacation out of it.
Here is a description of the course from the
website: Very hilly (approximately 10,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain) with spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Tamalpais, Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes National Seashore. Modified out and back. Mostly fire roads and single track trails with approximately three miles on roads.
Race Website
MC 200 Mile Relay - 06/06-07/2008 I'm organizing a 12-person team for the Madison, WI to Chicago, IL (via Milwaukee) relay race. This will be a fun and different type of race than what I'm generally used to running. The team will consist of several runners from my online running group (ChiADeads) and some honorable mentions. We will each run 3 legs and a total mileage between 15 and 25 miles over the duration of the race. I'm looking forward to the camaraderie and challenge of us through the day and night to the finish line.
Race Website
Leadville Marathon - 07/05/2008 Unfinished business!!! This is the race in which I had a stress fracture during and wasn't able to finish in a suitable time. I am going to run this again hopefully injury free this time. I'll have some course knowledge this year and will know what it feels like running at high altitudes. I will be better trained too and hope to get a time around 6 hours.
Race Website
Niketown Bastille Day 5K - 07/10/2008 Back in 2005, this race was my first race I ran and I've run it each year since then. Also, my employer pays for our entry fee, which is an added bonus. This year, like the Shamrock Shuffle will be just a recovery run after I get back from Leadville. It will also be nice to see a bunch of people I work with out there running it. Last year, they screwed up on distancing the course and it was only a 2.9 miles. I walked it in 48 minutes with my boot.
Howl at the Moon 8 hour - 08/09/2008 This will be my first timed run event. According to the website, it appears that this is the largest timed race in the country and from what I understand it sells out fairly quickly. We'll see if I even get in, but if so, this should be a hot one on a 3.1 mile looped trail down in Danville, IL. I really don't know what to expect from this type of race, but I guess I'll find out. As far as mileage, I'm not sure what my goal is yet, but depending on whether the trail is flat or hilly affects the number of miles I can run, as does the heat. I'll go out on a limb and say 40-45 miles.
Race Website
Badgerland F/X 12 hour - 08/30/2008 As if the 8 hour race at Howl wasn't enough, there's always this one. I think this will be a true testament to one's ability to go in circles. The race takes place on a 1/4 mile loop on a high school track. Like Howl, I don't really know what to expect out of a race like this yet. I suppose that for a 12 hour race, my goal mileage might be between 60-65 miles, but this is a total guess right now.
Race Website
Rock Cut Hobo 50K - 09/21/2008 (ITUGS) This is the 3rd race part of the ITUGS and will be my first time running this race. It's held in Rockford, IL at the Rock Cut State Park. I don't know what the trail is like, so I'm not able to comment.
Race Website
Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon - 10/05/2008 A group of us have decided to run a different marathon other than Chicago. We wanted a change of scenery and to give another marathon a shot. The Chicago is fun to do, but Milwaukee will offer less crowded streets and is a week earlier than Chicago, offering 2 weeks between it and the Farmdale. Last year, I did the Chicago Heatathon and Farmdale in back-to-back weekends. Doable, but a bit much. This will be a nice training run for Farmdale and the Chicago Lakefront, plus it will be nice to run with people in my running group at this race. Just know that I'm not looking at setting any Marathon PR this year.
Race Website
Farmdale 33 Mile - 10/18/2008 (ITUGS) The final race of the ITUGS. I ran this race last year undertrained in 7:23. I hope to finish stronger this upcoming year in a time more in the range of 6.5 hours. Hopefully, I won't get lost again adding a mile to my overall race distance. After this race, they will present the awards to all the "Slammers", which I hope to get. The requirement is to finish all 4 races before their respective cutoff times.
Race Website
Chicago Lakefront 50 Mile - 11/01/2007 My last race of the year and I hope to go out strong. Last year, I was undertrained and finished in 10:15. My original goal last year was to finish around 8:15, but after running it once, I think that may be a bit aggressive at this time. It might be safer to set a goal for a time around 8.75 - 9 hours. Even this might be aggressive, but heck, we'll try anyways. I just want to finish strong without any excuses of me not training enough, so I can get a true finish time for this ultra.
Race Website 
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