It'll be my first Chicago Marathon tomorrow. Have I gotten pre-race jitters? No. I've been marveling at the contrast between last year's Madison run, and tomorrow's extravaganza. Madison's field is capped at 1500, which is the size of oh...two or three Chicago Marathon corrals?
This year's Chicago field is 45,000, which is equivalent of two or more suburbs of Madison, I guess.
After picking up my packet, and a few other things, I one of the shuttle busses back from McCormick to Roosevelt & State L station. Before heading home, I....wait a minute - that's a contrast. In Madison, I strolled over to Monona Terrace from the hostel, picked up my packet, and then maybe wandered over to Capitol Square to watch them set up the race. Today, before heading home, I wandered East on Roosevelt Road to Columbus Drive. This is the end of the Chicago course. Everything was fenced off, the P.A. system was being tested, and a bunch of other last minute activities were taking place. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve looking at the presents under the tree. Couldn't touch them. Couldn't shake them. But I knew it was for me.
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