Train Smart Now, Reap the Rewards in the Fall

Melisa Christian, a dentist and a 2:41 marathoner, has qualified for two Olympic Marathon Trials despite—or perhaps because of—training in the heat of Dallas. To log her 80-plus miles per week through the summer months, when overnight temperatures rarely drop below 75°F and the humidity wraps around her like a blanket, she gets up before dawn and drives her running route, dropping bottles of water and electrolyte mix every few miles. The payoff comes when she runs a fall race, often the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis. Going from the intensity of the Dallas heat to the cool northern climes, Christian gets an instant boost, both physically and psychologically.
"You feel a lot more fresh and vibrant," she says. "You're not drenched in sweat just toeing the line. It seems so much easier."