Sam Thompson’s quest to run 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states is herculean, to say the least. But it has gotten a whole lot easier over the last week or so.

With the worst part of the schedule behind him, the Vicksburg native is enjoying the short trips between runs on the midwest portion of his schedule as he approaches the halfway mark.

Thompson ran in Madison, Wisc., on Thursday and will venture through Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis this weekend. None of the cities are more than six hours apart.

&#8220It’s so much nicer to get in at 6 o’clock and sit at a table and eat a real dinner. It definitely puts a lot more in my favor,” Thompson said.

The short trips are a welcome relief from the western portion of his epic journey. In one stretch, Thompson ran in Phoenix, Ariz., then hopped a plane to Hawaii before coming back to Phoenix the next night and driving to Albuquerque, N.M., for another run. With little sleep, he ran 26.2 miles there and then drove all night to Wichita, Kan., and Okoboji, Iowa for the next two runs.

A record heat wave that baked the nation the same week didn’t help matters any. His run in Phoenix finished up around noon, when the temperature was a brisk 116 degrees.

He ran through temperatures hovering near 100 degrees in Wichita a few days later before the heat finally broke.

&#8220We were really blessed with good weather in Brookings (S.D.) and Minneapolis. It was miserably hot in Kansas,” he said.

The shorter trips between runs and cooler weather have allowed Thompson to get more rest and lower his times. Among the first 17 runs, he completed only one in under four hours. This week, he bettered that mark twice.

&#8220I’m feeling stronger every day. I ran a 3:42 today,” he said on Wednesday as he rode in a van from Minneapolis to Madison. &#8220I didn’t expect the times to get better, but I expected to feel better each day.”