I’m done. No more beer.

Are those the last words you thought I’d utter?  Surprised?  Concerned? Don’t be.  It’s only temporary.

The Missoula Marathon is six days away.  It’s an exceptionally well run event with a scenic course, great crowd support and a whole weekend of fun. That well deserved praise is my feeble attempt to forget the race is still 26.2 miles.  (“Because 26.3 would be crazy!,” read a sign along the course last year.)

Eighteen weeks of training are in the books and I’m staring down at Marathon number two.  Literally. As you can see from my photo, I’ve got a nice panoramic view of the upcoming torture fun.

Since running doesn’t come easy to me, I need every tip, trick and advantage under the sun. Really hot sun, as it turns out.  The forecast for Sunday is 93 degrees, the hottest day of the year so far.  Great.

Good hydration is vitally important. For all of craft beer’s deliciously good qualities, fostering good hydration isn’t one of them.   Thus, I spend the week leading up to the marathon forsaking this liquid heaven in an all out attempt to reach the start line as hydrated as possible.

Overkill? Maybe. Probably. Plenty of this year’s training runs ended with a pint or two.  We shared a couple growlers after some long runs.  But in a test this tough, figuring out what works best for you is critically important. For me, that means plenty of water – even if it marginally screws up the 4th of July holiday. I don’t just want to “finish.” I want to enjoy the journey.

Rest assured (is there a pun in there?), plenty of celebratory craft beer will be waiting at the end.

What: Missoula Marathon
When: Sunday, July 8, 2012, 6:00 a.m.
In the Cooler at the Finish Line:  TBD