I finished my second-to-last long run Monday evening and I felt a little bit like I had been hit by a truck. It was only (ha, only) 11.5 miles and I somehow managed to keep a 9.5-minute pace; but it felt so slow. When mile 3 felt like mile 8 I knew that it was going to be a long afternoon. It was hot. I was thirsty. I have never been one to drink water while running–at Cooper River Bridge I was frustrated by how every water station slowed me down with people pit-stopping–and by the end of mile 9, a Corona commercial on the radio had me longing for anything–even a beer. I now understand the runner fanny packs and water-bottle belts.
But, 11.5 miles. Only 1.5 miles to half-marathon distance. I’m fairly confident in the “I can finish this” part — now it’s just the “I can finish this in under 2 hours” part that I hope to make come true. Since I’ve had that finish time in my head all along, I hope that I don’t wind up disappointed if I still finish and it’s in 2:02:35 or something crazy.
Yesterday I experienced the woes of long distances though. Oddly swollen feet. A knee that seemed to catch. I definitely needed rest. So, instead of the usual workout I did a leisurely 3.5-mile walk and hung out with elevated feet and frozen peas for the night. I was still able to close out the day happy though.
13.1 miles is happening and, you know, I actually feel pretty ready.
actually on the line 
You should definitely carry water on your long runs if you are annoyed or don’t like stopping at water stations. You could find that little sips of water along your run will help you avoid hitting the wall sooner than you would otherwise. And you might think about refueling on distances over 8 miles with a gel of some sort — if you haven’t tried them you might be surprised at the difference it makes in how you feel running. Just my own thoughts. I’m not an expert. Good luck at your half!
Good luck on your half! I have my first in June and I am already so excited to push myself to be ready for it. I have worked up to nine-miles and I’m eager to hit the double-digit milestone. I agree that carrying water and fuel (gels, shot blocks) are important over that long of distance and it might make you feel a bit better.