Training has begun

Training for the Clinton Lake ultra has begun. For now it is "unofficial"--just me and friends running the trail on a regular basis. In the early spring, the club will post official training runs on their web site. I ran the north fork trail yesterday (1:37 pace) with 10 buffalo and again today (2:09 pace) with two more buffs. The race course is in fantastic condition. Rains earlier in the week have softened the trail, but not to the point of making it muddy or slippery. We have just over 5 months until race day. Twenty-four people are already registered and I "recruited" 5 more this weekend--it pays to carry race entry forms in your car trunk. It also helps to go to breakfast right afterwards in Farmer City. If you run beautiful trails, grab some good grub, and have the application form pushed under your nose by the race director while enjoying fresh hot coffee, you find yourself agreeing to do almost anything! Feel free to join me and my friends as we train for one of the best ultras in the Midwest. You may fall in love with the trail and register for the race...I know where to find a registration form. Heck, you may end up doing the full Illinois Trail Ultra Grand Slam! More discussion of the slam later.