I had planned to do my long run on Monday and I took the day off from work to do it.

However, the weather on Monday was predicted to be hot and humid and it would only be 6 days before the half marathon.

So I decided not to go boating and to run 12 miles.

The weather was perfect… breezy and not too warm (but sunny).

I got up early but still got a late start.

But finally headed to the Nisky bike path where I like to do my long runs.

I intended to run 6 miles out and then 6 miles back.  I even carried water and put 2 Gus in my belt.

hint?? – this is the race I am training for.

I was feeling very sluggish.  My legs were already dragging during the first mile.  I knew this was going to be a long day. (At the time I didn’t know how long!)

view of the Mohawk

Then around 2.5 miles, I looked down at my belt.  My Gus were gone!!

I have carried them like this during my last 2 half marathons and never lost one.  I guess I didn’t put them in all the way.

So what was I to do?

• Run 12 miles with no fuel?
• Run back to my car, go home and do my long run instead on Monday like originally planned?
• Run back to my car, go buy more Gu and finish the 12 miles today.

I decided on the last option since FleetFeet was only 15 minutes away.

As I ran back to my car, I was hoping to find my Gus on the road so I could just continue my run here.

No such luck. Someone must have found them and taken them. Boo!

So I bought more Gu in FleetFeet and was offered their new flavor Salted Watermelon for free. (I didn’t particularly like it but it was one less Gu to replace.)

After chatting with my friend’s daughter-in-law who works there, I headed to the Crossings to continue my long run – 7 more miles to go!

My luck, there was a Farmer’s Market and book sale going on and it was packed.

Luckily I found a spot on the lawn to park and I started running again.

It was warmer than before and my mojo was almost gone but I persisted.  It was a beautiful day.

As it got warmer, I tried to find shady paths.

I love this park.  I don’t know why I don’t run here more.

After about 4 miles, I got thirsty so I went back to my car to get a drink. (I hate carrying water so I didn’t.) This was a mistake because I looked at the time and realized that I was running so slow and the farmer’s market would close before I was done running. So I decided to take another running break and check out the market.

There were lots of fruit, plants and healthy food. I bought a gluten-free cookie and then went to the book sale where I bought 6 books for $3. (It was worth the run break.)

Enough of that, I needed to drag myself through 3 more miles.

So I went back to my car and found it alone on the grass.  Kids were playing football nearby so I though best to more it to the parking lot since many people had left.

I finished running (or run-walking) on the other side of the park.

Even got to listen to music by the guy below:

Ugh! Done! The longest run ever.

Since this run took so long, I had to rush home because I was meeting my old college roommates for a late lunch/early dinner.

we ate in a restaurant along the Hudson

At least I could justify eating all the food!

I surely hope I get some adrenaline from the other runners or next week’s half marathon will not be pretty.

Tomorrow, I am going boating and will try to forgot about this training run.

Happy Running!  Do you ever break up your long runs?