Week 14: But it's dry heat

I spent most of Week 14 at a spa in Arizona, where the temperature was in the 90s and I added to my sunburn. Despite my intention of getting up early to beat the heat, I ran most of my miles in really hot weather. I kept thinking about last year's Vermont marathon when it was well into the 80's and the runners were dropping like flies. What are the chances the weather will be unseasonably hot again? Hmmm...

Spa benefits for runners:
First, as I explained (somewhat defensively) to a group of friends, I don't go to spas as a regular habit. I'm taken to spas by my mom, to whom I'm grateful. And since this one was a health and fitness spa, it was the perfect tune-up one month before the race:

An exercise physiologist told me I'm doing everything right. Just the answer I was looking for! He also told me to eat more during the race - 300 calories an hour, at least twice what I've been eating.

Massage therapists are wonderful, wonderful people.

The cold dip: this is an excruciating, supposedly healthful tank of 40-degree water. After 10 miles in blistering heat - and more hills than I was expecting - I resolved to stay immersed in this cold hell for 1 minute. At 40 seconds I started to question what permanent nerve damage felt like and whether I really would recognize the warning signs.