Welcome to Miami! I made sure to shovel the sidewalk right before I left for the airport Sunday, just so I could fully appreciate being in Miami a few hours later. I would be excited to be in Miami under any circumstance, but to be following the team I have been following since I was a kid as they get ready to play in the Super Bowl is really a memorable experience! I'm trying to soak it all in right now.
So far we've been able to meet with a number of Bears fans who have made the trip to Miami and seem just as thrilled to be here. We checked in with the media center and saw the awesume assembly of reporters from around the country. And we drove around South Beach for a while and took in some of the glamourous side of Miami.
I'm here to do stories on the fans and other interesting parts of the trip to give folks back in Chicago a taste of what it is like here. Most of the other media here are sports people focused on talking about the game. I'm just as interested in that talk, but I get to view it more as a fan, than a reporter. It's really a unique experience. I try to be objective about the Bears professionally, but I also am a season ticket holder in real life. So it's the best of both worlds.
Regular readers to this site know that my focus for Writing this blog is on running. And because I am training right now for the Boston marathon in April, I have to keep up the training even though I'm working 16 hour days here in Miami. I don't expect sympathy. It is difficult to find time to run, but it's worth it. Today, I had given myself license in my training schedule to take the day off, but I looked out the window of our hotel, and saw the ocean and the sun, and realized I really wanted to get out and go a few miles. So I did, and sacrificed breakfast.
Running is one of the best ways to acquaint yourself with new surroundings when you are out of town. I almost always make it a point to pull on a pair of running shoes when I get to a new place and get out the door. I don't know the area here very well, but It's hard to get lost if you stay along the beach.
Suffice to say I had a nice run this morning and I'm looking forward to getting out more in the next few days. Saturday I need to do 16 miles, and I would imagine it will feel pretty easy compared to running in Chicago's chilly temperatures and snow on the ground. It is nice to be able to leave the sweats at home for a few days, and run in shorts and a t-shirt like it was summer in Chicago. Now I understand why some snowbirds have winter homes here!
And for some of those Chicago natives, it is really a great time right now in Miami because, of course, the Bears are here! I can really feel the excitement around the city. And I'll tell you more about it in the coming days.
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