A year ago at this time I was nervously waiting for the weekend so I could get on the plane bound for Boston. Months of training had me ready to try my first attempt at the storied course.
This year, I'm registered, but have requested to defer my entry til next year. I've had some nagging injuries and sleep deprivation (from a certain 10 week old baby). But I remember the feeling well, and I'm really excited for my friends who are going. I've done a few training runs with Boston groups, and from what I can tell, they are ready.
Last year, the weather was pretty awful. It was cold and rainy. I was reminded of it running on the Prarie Path over the last weekend. Boston's weather can't help but be better this year. I wish everyone luck!
Meantime, I'm now focusing on several other runs, and hoping to be healthy enough for them. One of the most fun is coming up in early June. It's the MC200. The Madison to Chicago relay goes through Milwaukee and down the lake front to Montrose Beach. It is 200 miles. I will be part of a 12 person media team with other members from other televison, radio and print outlets in the city. We are also honored to have Bart Yasso, from Runner's World, join us. You may recall he is the originator of a marathon preparation workout named for him: the Yasso 800's. I expect I will have lots of chances to pick his brain over the 24 hours of the race. And I will share those thoughts with you.
We had one of the race organizers on the ABC-7 morning show this last weekend. Meteorologist Phil Schwarz will also be part of the team. He and I got to ask a few questions, and hopefully encourage a few more teams to enter. You can watch the interview here if you like.
The basic idea is to have a dozen runners who each do three legs of the run. Each leg is different, but they average about 6 miles. They have set up exchange points along the way, with plenty of support at each stop. The slower teams leave Madison earlier on Friday, June 6th. The faster teams leave later, and the idea is for everyone to arrive in Chicago within a few hours of each other..
I have done this race before a couple times. It used to be called the Great Midwest Relay. The team from CNA was nice enough to invite me to run with them. They did very well. The media team, I believe, is hoping to finish in one piece!
The new owners of the race have changed the name, and added ten miles to the course. 
One of the highlights they have mentioned is a lap around "The Milwaukee Mile" race track. It should be fun, although you generally hit Milwaukee sometime during the overnight hours, when it's dark, and you are pretty much sleep-running.
For a dedicated runner, this is a great experience, and a lot of fun. It should also be a great opportunity get to know some of my colleagues from other outlets better. Some of the team are friends already, and others I don't know too well. I'll share much more about our team in the coming months.
In the meantime you can check out their website if you like. www.mc200.com
See you on the roads.
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