I live in Chicago but find myself traveling a lot to Northwest Indiana to run the trails there because Chicago lacks trail races.

I showed up for this race about 15 minutes before it started (I got a little lost) and had no problem signing up and making it to the start line on time.

This was a double loop course in a park. The terrain was grass and there were some rolling hills. I was thrilled that after the winter we've had there was no snow on the ground. Still, it wasn't a very scenic course.

It was small group of racers. I was surprised it was chip timed. Results were posted quickly. For the $25 entry fee, runners received a technical shirt.

This was an easy race to refine cross country skills.

I have a goal to run every half marathon in Illinois at least once. I've found only one half-marathon in Illinois in February: The Fly with the Eagles Half Marathon.

I tried to run the race last year but my train was very delayed due to weather so I ditched the idea.

This year, through, I had no problem taking the Amtrak to Carbondale, which is about 10 miles from the race start. Since I arrived the night before the race and after the car rental place closed, I ended up taking a taxi to the start line.

I had no problem getting a taxi but the race was in a wildlife refuge not near much of anything. My biggest complaint about the race is the packet pick-up, which is in a barn near the start line.

The barn wasn't heated at all. Since I didn't have a car, I had to stick out the temps in the 20s. I saw some runners using disposable hand warmers as they waited in the barn.

A few heaters would have gone a long way to make packet pick-up more enjoyable.

The race itself was well managed. It was not very crowded and I didn't feel like I was fighting for space. There were a few different terrains: road, dirt trail, gravel.

Since the race is in February, much of the foliage was brown and some of the mud on the trail was icy. There were rolling hills.

The race swag, a hooded sweatshirt, was well worth the $25 entry fee. It's hard to find $25 5Ks these days, much less $25 half marathons.

I was looking for an outdoor race before my half marathon the following week and options are limited in the Midwest in January.

I chose this race because it's not too far from Chicago and I guessed that registration would be a breeze because it was a small race.

Sure enough, parking was very easy and I was able to walk right up and register that day. Unfortunately they ran out of the gloves they were giving out as swag.

The race was your standard suburban 5K. You go through a couple of roads near the community center and then through a subdivision. A couple of hills. Not much scenery.

I was glad that the roads were clear and not slippery. No time clock at the finish and it took awhile to get race results posted.

I was looking for an out-of-state race and the city of Wildwood, Missouri, puts on a trail half-marathon not too far from St. Louis.

The logistics of the race were easy. Parking was at a school and spots were plentiful. I walked right in and paid the $35 entry fee, which included a race sweatshirt.

When you sign up, you guesstimate your pace and you are assigned a start corral by color sticker. I have used this sticker system in other races but I don't think the race officials did a good job announcing which color corrals were getting ready to leave.

The race was a combination of asphalt and dirt trail. There was very little technical trail, which is my favorite type of trail.

Most of the race is flat, except for miles 7-9, which is one long winding uphill trail. Since the trail was winding, it's difficult to see where the top was. The hill was very tough but it made miles 9-11 very easy since it was a steep downhill.

Once you crossed the finish line, a big breakfast awaited. Results were posted quickly.