The racing season has finally arrived!

It seems as if a few weeks ago, the running world was in relative silence after the conclusion of the World Cross Country Championships, the NCAA Indoor Championships, and the New York Half Marathon, and it felt like I would be waiting forever for the first wave of big outdoor races.  Next thing I know, and we're less than 24 hours away from some serious track racing in California, along with the Boston and London Marathons this weekend, and less than 2 weeks until an outdoor debut for me.
In California, some of the world's top talent will be coming from far and wide to compete at the Mt. Sac relays.  With guys like Chris Solinsky, Matt Tegenkamp, German Fernandez, and Miles Batty, it's almost a given that there will be something big to talk about the next morning. But let's be honest, it wouldn't be much of an event unless us Canadians got in on the action.  Among the bunches of Canadian athletes heading down south for a fast race, are a couple of my training partners who will both be racing the 10,000m tomorrow.  It should be an exciting race, but I'm afraid I will have to wait for the flotrack video the following morning, as the race is scheduled for 10:40pm PST which is almost 2:00am in Toronto.
Then we have 2 of the most anticipated marathons of the year both in one weekend!  London is always one of the best shots a marathoner will get at a world record, and with 6 guys in this year's field under 2:06, you can expect a quick race.  While the North American contenders may be lacking in London, the Boston marathon is quite the opposite.
Most notably, Ryan Hall will be making his coach-less marathon debut in Boston, and the running world is waiting in anticipation to see what he has up his sleeve.  He didn't fare too well in his first half marathon in New York, finishing well back of the main pack, but he insists that the marathon is a whole different ball game, and that he is ready to rumble this year.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
And finally, I am slowly approaching my outdoor season opener, which is scheduled for the 24th of April.  I have only run one race this year, which was a sub-par 3k run indoors.  I did spend most of this winter visiting schools for next year, but now that I have got that out of my way, it's time to rip up the outdoor track!