Yeah, it's spring again. The signs are everywhere. I've felt the warm, putrid breath of Lake Ontario tickling my exposed quads. And already the sun has etched a line just above my ankle marking the highest point my running socks will reach.

Spring - when a runner's fancy turns to Boston. That wonderfully historic, enchanting and oldest continuous marathon in the world. The one that demands you meet certain standards before they'll let you part with a wad of cash to feel the fleeting thrill of 3,000 shrieking college students cheering you on, only to find out a little later why a series of hills can break your heart.

It's a race that has been calling out to me for years - long before I was able to put one foot in front of the other for more than half an hour at a time. I ran this race in my head hundreds of times, giving high-fives to imaginary fans crowding sidewalks - even while I was struggling to chug twice around the block.

The press releases from the Boston Athletic Association have been clogging my inbox as the folks who organize the race crank up their media relations machinery. That machinery will be in overdrive by April 17, when the 110th Boston Marathon is run. It is the second-most covered sporting event in the United States - trailing only the Super Bowl.

So far, Boston's PR folk have told me about their first-ever wave start: two groups of 10,000 runners will head to the starting line half an hour apart. The change is supposed to ease the congestion in those first few miles down the two-lane highway that makes up a good chunk of the course.

They've told me about a slight change in the last mile of the route that's supposed to help the city's traffic flow a bit better. And they've told me about this year's elite competitors. Defending champion Hailu Negussie faces last year's runner-up Wilson Onsare of Kenya, as well as 2004 Olympic silver medallist Meb Keflezighi of the U.S. and 2004 and 2003 Boston champions Timothy Cherigat and Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, both of Kenya.

Taking a pass on Boston

Among the women, Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, Ethiopia's Derartu Tulu and World Championship silver medallist Reiko Tosa of Japan will be battling it out. Tina Connelly of Port Coquitlam, B.C. will be in there with the elite women. Her qualifying time was 12 minutes behind the top seed, but, hey, on a good day you never know what can happen.

But not everyone who can go will go. Four-time champ Catherine Ndereba of Kenya is taking a pass on Boston this year.

Me, too. For the first time in four years.

It wasn't an easy decision, not signing up for this race. Qualifying for Boston is tough enough. Qualifying and not going? Well, that's like passing up a date with the prom queen to get a head start on a book report due next month.

I'm missing it for a number of reasons - including a decision to see just what this body can do before I start sizing up rocking chairs, front porches and herds of goats in the old country.

March 22, 2006 was a difficult day for me. That's when the Boston folks assigned this year's bib numbers. The faster your qualifying time, the lower your bib number. The lower your bib number, the closer you are to the front of the pack. And in the past three years, I had been assigned progressively lower bib numbers.

But Boston is no place for mere mortals to take a shot at a personal best. Mississauga, four weeks later? Maybe.

Just under 1,900 Canadians have signed up - the largest contingent of any country outside the U.S. - including about two dozen people from our regular Sunday group in Mississauga.

Following the race froma distance

The guy who plots the routes for our Sunday long runs - we'll call him Gord - once told me he feels like a kid at Christmas every April he goes to Boston. It's still a privilege, he says, just to get to run it.

He's missing it too this year because of a long recovery from a nagging injury.

I will be following the elites - online - on April 17. But I'll be more interested in the elites who don't have a shot at the laurel wreath and bowl of beef stew the winners traditionally receive. Elites like bib number 14345 - John D. MacDonald - who, after falling just short of qualifying for Boston in his younger days, will be there for the first time at the age of 55. And he'll be toeing the line with bib number 3361, his 21-year old son, Evan.

I'll be watching bib numbers 11656, 11643, and 14007 - Kerry Walker, Lori Bellerby and Andrea Taylor. They all gave birth last year - within weeks of each other - and later found time to train together for a marathon and qualify for Boston.

And bib number 2456 - Lori's dad, Derm Holwell - who at 51 will be running his 50th marathon and his 16th Boston. The vast majority of them were under three hours.

Ah, spring. You weigh on me heavily.