I grew up amongst the corn and soybean fields of Central Illinois, and this past Sunday included a 10-mile fun run around Lake Mattoon, just outside of Neoga, IL, which is about 12 miles from my childhood home in Mattoon.

Ten miles of fun, you ask? Yep! Well, for me it was fun until mile 8, when I sorta crashed, but I do that often, so I’m kinda used to the feeling. Still, it WAS fun. It was a beautiful day, great weather, and certainly different scenery than I and my running partner, Carl, are used to in Mid-MO. Let’s be honest, 10 miles in the middle of the Central Illinois landscape pretty much all looks the same…mile after mile of black dirt, flat roads that are a mixture of broken asphalt and gravel, and very big sky. But there’s something very soothing about the area, the horizons, the sounds of the trains on the Canadian National Railway. It will always be “home.”

Here’s a sense of the run, in pictures. Ten miles done, and it was fun. I feel lucky to say that. I’m enjoying running again.

Barns in this state of disrepair at once draw me in and creep me out. Hawk keeps watch.

Miles to go…

Black Dirt

My (second) attempt to get the arrows to come out CG’s ears was a little off. I sucked at that.

NYC is 852 miles *that way.*

Mid-Illinois Angst.

Natarajasana at mile 6.5.

Lake Mattoon