Basically, the run sucked. I spent the first half of the run just wanting to get to the turnaround so I could at least be almost done. I was working far too hard for 11:30-12:00 miles. By the halfway point, I was sucking wind, hard-core. I was stopping every mile for a walk break during the second half. I'd jog a half-mile and feel like I'd just sprinted through a 5K. I was hungry. I was tired. I was cranky. And the last thing I wanted to be was 3 miles from my car. It wasn't even close to being a fun experience, and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

At first, I panicked. There's nothing like feeling that out of shape on what should have been an "easy" training run to make you wonder what the hell you're thinking, especially when that feeling hits 4 weeks before your very first marathon. I wondered if my body was saying, "Dude, screw this running shit. I've had enough. I'm done. You're on your own, crazy lady. What the heck were you thinking, running a marathon? We don't run marathons! Stick to 10Ks and halfs and give up the ghost, already." When I got back to the car and couldn't get the damn bottle of Gatorade open, I just about burst into tears. (I didn't. Instead, I opted for swearing at it until it opened. In the end, I won, but not before I lost a chunk of skin off my finger. Why do they make those stupid 20-oz bottles so hard to open?)

But then, I sat down and thought about it. I thought about the last really good long run I had, and about this one, and tried to figure out what was different. I started with the weather - sure, it was nice and cool (for a change), but it was also incredibly humid. That had to be at least a factor in why I had such a hard time getting enough air. I've done lots of running in hot weather this summer, but not so much in humid weather. I just need to get used to it.

Then there's the issue of sleep. I just didn't get enough of it this week. I was up later than usual on Monday, Wednesday, AND Thursday. I was out incredibly late on Friday, and didn't get to bed as early as I wanted to on Saturday. So I ignored by bedtime 5 nights out of 6. No good. No wonder I was tired.

Last, but certainly not least, the issue of fuel. I made two mistakes here. Mistake number 1: not eating enough before the run. Sure, I had a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter for breakfast that morning. At 9. But I didn't go running until after church, which means by the time I hit the trail, it was almost 11:30. One bagel + 2.5 hours does not equal enough fuel for 12-mile run. I should have had a snack (granola bar, Clif bar, oatmeal, ANYTHING) before heading out to run. That probably would have been a huge help.

There's also the matter of what I ate on Saturday afternoon - I had intended to do my run on Saturday morning, but scrapped that idea when I wound up being out until 1 a.m. Friday night/Sat morning. There was an Oktoberfest party Saturday afternoon that I was invited to. Now, if I had done my long run on Saturday morning as planned, spending Saturday afternoon stuffing myself full of bratwurst and beer wouldn't have been a problem. However, for a late lunch/early dinner the night before a long run? Bratwurst and beer are not good options. I did attempt to sort-of adjust the plan - instead of pigging out completely, I limited my self to 2.5 beers and, um, still had lots of bratwurst. The plan was to have a nice carby dinner before bed, but I just wasn't hungry. Oops.

So here's what I've learned:

• Sleep is important. If you're not well-rested, nothing else can fall into place. Getting a good sleep base is just as, if not more, important as getting a good training base in right now. Don't skimp on the sleep.
• Any run that will take me longer than an hour requires serious dietary planning for 24-48 hours before the run. I've got a lot of big runs this week (my mileage is hitting a record 40 miles), so that means lots of water, lots of healthy carbs, little-to-no red meat and dairy, and no drinking.
• If the run is going to take more than an hour and a half to finish? It's not an easy run. Prepare for it just as you would a regular long run, even if you don't think it's all that long. It still is. Really.