Countdown to Marathon: 6 Days

This coming Sunday I’m running a dinky little marathon in Goodyear, Arizona. It’s the IMS Marathon, and this is only the second year of the race (last year they scheduled it the same day as the Phoenix Rock ‘n Roll, so turnout was ridiculously low). I can think of no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to drag my stubby legs 26.2 miles through the arid southwestern heat. The marathon will be my second ever — I ran the Vancouver Marathon a few years ago with a scant amount of training and no knowledge of proper race day nutrition/hydration. I finished in about...