Two Weekends, Two 5ks

The last two weeks have been quite busy - if you hadn't already guessed that from my recent post on my busy day.  I don't know how I got through it all without losing it. 

Let's start by saying I don't think I will be doing this again.  Two weeks of 50 hours work weeks, two races within 8 days of each other, traveling halfway across the country, and a best friends wedding.

But its over and done with and I finally feel like I can relax.

My first 5k race was a bit of a blur.  The Friday night before the race I was delayed in Detroit and didn't even know if I would get home to race at all.  I finally arrived home at midnight and made it to bed only to wake up at 7am for the race.

The morning was super cold but sunny and throughout the race I was just hoping my legs didn't give out on me.  Somehow I managed to run a 5k PR and earned 5th woman and 1st in my age group.  The course is flat and fast and I love racing this race even if I was very tired.

My running buddy even came out to the race to cheer me on (and even held my sweat pants for me too).  She is the best supported anyone could ask for.

First 5k finish time: 19:43

I felt really good during the race but I was tired.  Tired from flying, tired from working a lot, and tired from running a lot.

The next week, I continued to run a lot and work a lot and not get much rest.  I had a tough interval workout on Tuesday and then followed that with a mini tempo workout on Thursday morning.  I really don't know why I pushed so much during the week when I knew I had another 5k race coming up the following weekend.

I think I push myself to run more when I am stressed. I know it may seem weird but running more while I am stressed I think actually helps me to deal with the stress.

My best running friend was getting married on Friday but I still made time to get up and run.  I knew it would be a long day but I needed to clear my head and a good day (for me) usually starts with a run.  During my run I saw two shooting stars which I thought was a very good sign since I haven't seen any shooting stars during my dark morning runs.  I usually see a great deal of shooting stars during my August morning runs because that is when they are most common but not this year.  Seems October is the month of shooting stars.

The wedding went without a hitch and I was so honored to be a part of my running buddy's day.  We looked quite different in dresses than in running clothes.  Here we are with our running coach...

Saturday I made sure to sleep in late, drink plenty of water, and rest on the couch to hopefully be ready for the 5k the following morning. 

Sunday dawned a little chilly but sunny again and I actually wore shorts since it was supposed to be over 50F by the start.

This second race was held at my college and is basically a race for students and alumni.  I try to run this race every year since I get to see my college track coach as he is the race director.  I wasn't sure how the race was going to go this year but hoped that I could pull out a time under 20 minutes, just like the week previous.

I started right at the front of the race and when it was time to go all the men flew past me.  I knew most of them wouldn't be able to hold on for the whole race.  The wind was brutal for most of the first mile and then again at the end of the race.  I was regretting that interval workout from the previous Tuesday during the second mile but hung on to come in just under 20 minutes. 

Second 5k finish time: 19:53

It is a pretty small race and I ended up being first female which was an added bonus.  After the race I chatted with my college track coach.  He asked how my marathon in the spring had gone and I told him I didn't think I would run another marathon again.  In response he said that he had only run one marathon as well and it just wasn't the thing for him.  He then said that he thought that 5ks were my best race distance.  I am not so sure he is right about that but I do love 5ks.  They are just so fast and fun!

Only one more 5k to go in two weeks.  That will most likely be my last race of 2012 so I hope it is a good one!

Rochester Half Marathon Race Report

Well I had a big fail over the weekend but it was not with the race.  I only have two good pictures from the half marathon on Sunday.  Opps.

Also after racing on Sunday, I was on a plane Monday morning to Michigan for work.  I didn't return until midnight Tuesday so it was a pretty exhausting trip.

So finally, without any further delay, let me tell you how my half marathon race from Sunday went.


Saturday it rained all day - I took it easy, ran 3 miles early in the morning in the rain then kept myself busy with some cleaning, baking and grocery shopping.  I set out my running clothes and went to bed at my usual time.

Sunday morning I woke up at 5:20am, way before my 5:50am alarm.  I tried to get back to sleep but I couldn't so I got up and started my routine.  First I visited the bathroom and then downstairs to start the coffee pot.  Back upstairs to change into my race clothes and wake up Brian.  Downstairs to heat up my brown sugar oatmeal, back upstairs to wake up Brian.  Downstairs to eat oatmeal and drink coffee.

As you can see, Brian had a hard time waking up before the race.  He did not want to get out of bed and when he learned that it was only 45F outside it made matters worse.  At about 6:15am he was finally out of bed and eating breakfast while I scurried around making sure I had everything.

The time to leave was fast approaching and I was waiting and waiting and waiting.  And I was getting antsy.  The race started at 7:45am, it took about 20 minutes to get to the race start/finish area from home and my planned leaving time of 6:30am had come and gone. I packed everything in the car while I waited for Brian to get dress and then I sat in the car.  I double and triple checked to make sure I had everything and then realized I had forgotten my bib.

My garmin had been acting funny since I took it off the charger that morning - it would not go into power save mode while it was on the home/time screen.  I wasn't really worried about it but I didn't know why it wasn't working right.  Finally Brian was ready and we left the house around 6:50am.

I drove like a madman to the start and was not happy when a slower car got in my way. Brian tried to get me to relax but I was freaking out.  I hate being late, I hate not being at a race early enough.  I felt rushed and uncomfortable.

When we reached the race parking area it was 7:10am.  I jumped out of the car and started getting my stuff together and looked to meet my running buddy.  I strapped on my garmin and when I looked down at it, I froze.  The time said 6:59AM.  It was NOT that time, it was well past 7.  By garmin had frozen and I had no idea how to fix it.  I saw my running buddy and basically lost it, I started to cry because I was just upset about being late and then dealing with my garmin.  Even though she wasn't racing, she had brought her garmin as well but because she is awesome and so helpful she actually knew how to reset my garmin and she saved me from having to run garmin-less.

We took off after that did a short warm up.  The nerves started to melt away as we did a quick loop around the start area.  I needed to go to the bathroom though but the lines were so long since it was very close to start time.  I had no other choice so I found a deserted parking lot and got behind a truck, pulled my spandex aside and peed.  It wasn't the best idea but I had to do what I had to do.  We then met up with Brian - I gave him all my warm ups and headed to the race start.

My running buddy was able to secure bikes for her and Brian so they could bike around the race course and see me.  I was very  happy to have a few spectators around the course plus I knew my parents would be at the finish line.

Soon we were off.  The sun was shining and although it was cold I was happy to be out there.  I tried to remember to smile the whole way because I was happy to be running.  But I was focusing so hard on running as well.  The wind was there at certain parts of the race but I was in a pack for the first few miles that I didn't really feel it.

The first few miles just ticked right off.  I held a steady pace and made sure not to start off too fast.  I knew there were two hills at around mile 3 and 4 and I wanted to get through them before I started to pick up the pace.  The first hill came and went - nothing too crazy or hard.  The second hill came and I just ran up it.  I didn't even feel that tired at the top and I just felt so much more in control of the race after that.  There were some rolling hills between miles 5 and 7 but I knew I would be okay.

I saw my running buddy and Brian at the top of the second hill and of course seeing them made me smile.  After I left them I saw a runner from my running group so I started to speed up a tiny bit to catch him.  After I caught him we chatted for a bit and then ran the next two miles together. It was good to have company even if it was silent.  At mile 7 we started running on the canal and I saw a woman in front of me.  A mile or so ago a few spectators had told me I was the 9th woman which I was so surprised about but so very happy.  I passed that woman on the canal and decided I would try and hold onto that 8th woman place.

As I ran along the canal, a younger high school boy passed.  I left him go but then he started to slow down and I caught up to him.  Then he would speed up and I was I just maintaining my pace.  We played this little cat and mouse game for the next 4 or 5 miles.  He was taller than me so he made a pretty decent wind block and I enjoyed having someone to run with for the slightly lonely miles on the canal since there was not much crowd support in that area.  I knew I was supposed to see Brian and my running buddy but they never appeared.

I was taking my GU chomps every few miles (3, 5.5, 7.6, 9.5, 11.5) and I was feeling good although I was starting to feel more and more out of breath even though my legs felt good.  As I exited the canal and headed into the university campus I heard yelling behind me and knew that Brian and my running buddy had finally caught up to me.  As they rode by they said that I was running too fast for them and they kept missing me at the previous spots they had planned to spectate.  That made me smile as I ran along - at that point I was still trailing the high school boy.

Brian stopped about half a mile ahead and handed me a GU just in case.  The high school boy actually tried to take it from Brian because he thought it was for him for some reason.  I took the GU and just held onto it, I was feeling slightly sick to my stomach and wasn't sure if I could hold a GU down.  I had one more chomp to take which I hoped would hold me to the finish.

We finally made a turn and the finish was 1.5 miles away.  Brian had stopped and took one picture of me as I crossed the bridge.  At this point I really had no idea if I would reach my goal of sub 1:34 - I knew I was going to PR but my garmin was off with mileage that I didn't know if I could trust it.  Usually my garmin is ahead in races because I don't run the tangents that well but as I crossed mile 11, my watch read 10.98mi.  I ended up running the last 6 miles almost with out a garmin since it seemed to be off.

As I made another turn, a girl came out of no where and passed me and I was once again in 9th place for females.  I tried to stay with her but she was moving so I just let her go.  Brian and my running buddy caught up to me on their bikes then and I started to smile as they chatted and tried to get my mind off the race and the pain.  My left lung was started to cramp up as I went through mile 12.  I crested the final hill and could see all the runners ahead of me.  Off in the distance about 100m ahead was a girl in a bright orange tank top.  I started to try and catch her since she looked like she was hurting a bit.

Brian rode beside me for a bit and encouraged me to catch her and to control my breathing since it was out of whack due to my lung feeling horrible.  Slowly I was reeling this girl in, my stomach was revolting and my lung was not working right but I kept going.  My running coach saw me as I was about 100m from the finish and told me to catch the girl in front of me.  I made the final turn and forced my legs to run as fast as they could.  And then I heard a voice I had heard so many times in high school.  It was the mother of the girl in front of me and at the point I realized it was my high school teammate who was in the orange shirt.  She has always been faster than me so I knew the race had not gone as she wanted but I still tried to catch her.

I was one step and one second behind her as we crossed the finish time.  I gave her a hug and asked how she was.  I was so grateful that she had been there because I had focused on catching her that final stretch instead of thinking about the pain.  And if I hadn't tried to catch her in that final half mile, I am not sure I would have run a sub 1:34 half.

It was such an unbelievable day - so amazing to run another PR by about 3 minutes, come in 9th female over all and 3rd in my age group.  After all the choas of the morning before the race, I somehow was able to push past it all and just let my legs do what I had trained all summer for.  During those last few miles I kept telling myself..."This is why you ran 60 mile weeks".

Time: 1:33:42 (7:09 pace)
Place: 51/1729
Female: 9/983
AG: 3/169

Thanks for reading!  Happy Thursday!

Boilermaker 2012

The Boilermaker 15k - the race that will suck out your soul and make you beg for mercy on the hills.

 Ok so it wasn't that bad. And since it was my 7th time running it in the last 8 years I knew what was coming.  Except that I had this idea in my head that it would be easy.  I thought to myself days before the race "I can run this race just as fast as my PR from last fall" but I was just ignoring the facts.

This race is hilly and my PR was from a pretty flat course.  I tried to reason with myself that I had run a 1:09:16 back in April during marathon training so I thought I could at least do better than that, but a PR would most likely be out of the question.

Below is the elevation chart from the HILLY 15k I ran in April during marathon training.

And this is the elevation chart from the Boilermaker on Sunday.

Hills = Death.  Downhills = fun.

Anyway, just wanted to prefice my race report with those details.  Now onto the rest of it.

Saturday around noon we rolled into Utica, NY and arrived at my college roommates parent's house.  There were a total of 18 people staying in one little house with one bathroom.  13 runners and 5 spectators.  It was a little insane.  It wasn't long after we arrived that we piled back into the car and went to get our race bibs at the expo.  Every other year the expo has been outside, but this year it was inside at a local college.  It was cramped and crowded and just not as fun as it used to be.

We arrived at the area to pick up bibs and I wandered over to the correct letter for my last name.  I told the guy my name and then he proceeded to look and look for my bib.  I was slightly scared because they changed the bib colors for the corral starts and I didn't see the color I was expecting.  But the guy finally found it and I was excited to see that I was a teal bib.  I wouldn't learn what this truly meant until the next morning.

Then we piled back into the car and headed to the Brewery that sponsors the race.  In all the years of running this race, I had never been inside the brewery and the tour was tons of fun plus the 2 free beers post tour was awesome.  The brewery has a bar inside it and you can taste any beer and drink they make!  I shared with Brian and we got the Blueberry Blonde beer (also the beer served at the post race party) and a Shandy (Lager and lemonade!).  I also got a water - had to stay hydrated for the race.

By the time we finally got out of there it was close to dinner time and I was starving.  A home cooked pasta dinner with meatballs never tasted so good. After inhaleing dinner, I had my fair share of cookies and then settled in to relax the rest of the night.  We watched a few TV shows and then set up bedding arrangements.  Brian and I were in the living room on the air mattress.  Soon everyone was asleep - I woke up twice to use the bathroom which wasn't ideal but good that I was hydrated.

5am came too soon, actually 4:30am came too soon when my bladder woke me up.  After using the bathroom, I settled back into bed to try and get a few more minutes of sleep.  By 5:20am I was up and in line for the bathroom.  Shortly after that I was dressed and ready to go.  I heated up my pre race breakfast of maple brown sugar oatmeal and waited for the rest of the runners to get ready.  We headed out around 5:50am with the spectator crew leaving shortly after that.

This was most likely the earliest we had gotten to the shuttles in a long time.  I remember the last time I ran this race I was worried we wouldn't make it to the start in time.  We parked at the finish and took the shuttles to the start.  The start area was so deserted and there was no one around.  No lines for porta potties or anything.  We were definitely early.  All 13 runners settled in our usual spot (in the last corral by the stop light) and waited and waited.  Slowly the area around us began to fill with runners.  At 7am the announcer started to talk and count down the time until the race started.  At 7:15am I did a little warm up with one of the other runners (this was a first for me, I usually never warm up for this race since there is no room), hit the bathrooms one more time and then said good bye to my friends.

The boilermaker is so packed with runners (14000+) that they have a pretty nice corral system set up.  This year they changed the color system, but from my experience with times for the race, I think it goes like this:

White/Pink Bibs - Elite runners (white for men, pink for women)
Brown - Fasties but not elites, running fast than 60 minutes
Teal - Runners who will take longer than an hour to run, but less than ~68 minutes
Purple - Slower than 69 minutes but faster than ~73 minutes
Navy Blue - Slower than ~74 minutes but faster than 79 minutes
Golden Yellow - Everyone else

In the past I have always been in the Navy Blue corral (formally the yellow coral) and I thought I would be moved up in to the Purple corral (formally the Green coral) so I was very surprised to see my teal bib.  I don't even know what the teal color bib used to be because I never even looked that far up in the starting area.  I never thought I would get there.

So I was pleasantly surprised and also felt really special.  Especially when the officials pointed me in a special direction for getting to my coral.  I walked and walked and walked and finally was near my teal corral.  And then off to the side I saw a glorious site.  There were special porta potties for the fast people! I had no idea! there were no lines.  You could just walk right up and go! 20 minutes before start time and no porta potty lines for the fast kids. I was impressed - too bad I had already stood in line and gone in the other area.  And on top of that there was an big open area to do strides and warm up! I had really been missing out all these years.

Being in the fast corral also was nice since I saw a lot of my running club teammates who happen to be faster than me.  It was great to see a friendly face when I was slightly nervous about this whole running fast uphill. Soon it was time to go, and the cannon sounded.  30 seconds after the cannon and I was on my way to finishing my 7th Boilermaker.

I had forgotten that the first 4 miles are up hill.  My pace hovered right about 7:25 for those first miles.  My legs felt tired and I was dripping in sweat by mile 2.  Awesome.  Only 7 more hilly miles to go.  We reached a slightly flat area just after mile 2 so I picked it up and tried to recover a bit of my breathing before the next hill.  Mile 3 and 4 were brutal and I dumped water all over myself at the water stops. Once I got to the top of the hill and mile 4, I just started going faster and charged down the hill.  My pace was picking up and I was still feeling good (as good as you can for a hilly course).  I took my Gu chomps at mile 3, 4.5, 6 and 7.5 and I think this really helped to keep my legs moving.

The crowd support really picked up during mile 5 and 6 and I was happy about that because it has seemed really sparse during the first 4 miles.  As I rounded the S curved area before the 10k mark, it was exhilarating hearing all these people shouting and cheering for the runners.  There were still 2 hills to go.

The mile 6 hill is pretty deceiving - you think it goes on and on but you just have to get to the stop light and the turn and its pretty much over.  So I kept my legs moving and happily maintained my pace and reached the top.  Mile 7 was right there and then I began flying down the downhill. This was the point where I wanted to go faster but my legs wouldn't.  I don't think I am a good down hill runner, I am better at the uphills.  I took my last chomp here and hoped that it would help propel me through the torturous mile 8 hill.

Mile 8 is the absolute worst.  You start mile 8 continuing on the downhill and then as you reach the bottom you turn the corner and see this steady incline stretching in front of you.  It can't be more than a half mile of uphill but after 8 miles its the toughest thing ever.  This is where I want to QUIT every single time. Every time.  I hate this part.  I just want to never run uphill again.  But I made it and I didn't quit and once you finish this hill you are just waiting to see the mile 9 marker.  Its always hiding and when you finally see it, you think you are almost done.  But that last 0.3 miles is long.  Thankfully it is down hill.  This is where I see Brian every year and he always makes me smile.  Although he usually catches pictures of me before I see him so he catches my death faces.

This year I guess my death face wasn't as bad as previous years.  I didn't feel too too bad coming down the hill to the finish and I was happy to be done.  My secret goal was to come in at 1:07:59 but I missed that goal by just a little bit.  It was tough race with lots more hills than I remember but I am happy with how I ran it even if I didn't meet my time goal.

Chip Time: 1:08:08 (7:19 pace)
Overall: 818/11359
Female: 109/5378
Age group: 23/965

And the post race Beer, cookies, coconut water, and Popsicles never tasted so good!

Buffalo Marathon Race Report

The whole week before the race, I checked the weather.  Last year, this race had been super steamy and I was hoping that we would catch a break.  Work consumed my life the week before the race which actually worked to my advantage because I hardly thought about  the race until the weekend snuck up on me.

Saturday morning I did a super easy run with my running buddy before packing up and driving to my in laws.  We planned to stay with them the night before the race so we wouldn't have as far to drive on race morning.  Brian and I went to packet pick up which was very small so it was just a quick in and out before we headed back to relax for the rest of the day.

My mother in law made the most delicious pre-race meal of pulled pork. homemade baked beans and salad.  It was a pretty low key night as I went to bed early since I was waking up at 5am for the race.

Race Morning

I slept great and when my alarm went off I just felt good.  I had my usual pre-run/race breakfast of oatmeal and coffee.  Brian was a little slower to wake up and with 15 minutes before we had to leave, I dragged him out of bed.  He had breakfast and then disappeared upstairs as I waited and waited at the door to go.  I finally gave up and went upstairs to find him shaving! We were already late by 10 minutes.

Once we finally got on the road, I started to get a little bit nervous.  We were running late and I hate being late.  The good part was that the weather was perfect! Cloudy skies with temps barely touching 60F.  We stopped to grab Brian some Tim Horton's coffee (of course!) and that put us even more behind.  I had wanted to get to the race and be parked around 6:15am but it was getting closer and closer to 6:30am before we even arrived at the race area.

I headed for the start line and the the port-a-potties.  The lines were so long but I knew I would need one potty break before the race.  I met up with my running buddy and we waited in the lines for the bathrooms.  I was getting more and more nervous as it was about 10 minutes to race time.  Finally I got in to go the bathroom, did my business and met back up with Brian.  I gave him the last of my stuff, kissed him and headed for the start.  The start was so crowded - there were so many people because it was literally about 2 minutes from 7am (official start time), but my running buddy and I squeezed through the people and made our way to just in front of the 3:30 pacer.

After both national anthems (Canadian and US) we were off!  Even though it was crowded, we did not have to weave around people.  We just took it slow and let our legs warm up during the first mile.  The plan had been to warm up during the first 6 miles but of course we were feeling good so after the first mile we were already close to 8:00 minute pace which was our goal. 

We passed Brian for the first time and headed into the first section of the half marathon course.  The half marathoners and relay runners were running with all the marathoners for the first half of the race.  This part contained some weaving around the city, one short out and back and then one long 6 mile out and back before the half way point of the marathon.

Everything was feeling good, legs were happy and we were feeling pretty good.  We saw Brian again around the 3 mile mark and you could tell we were feeling good.  We had to focus to not go to fast. I remember really enjoying this part of the race.  I was running with my buddy, we were happy, lots of people cheering and the weather was perfect.  I had decided to wear my visor because I knew if I didn't then it would become sunny - sort of a superstition thing I guess, but it worked out because it never got sunny!

As we headed into the second out and back portion of the first half, my running buddy started to not feel as well as she had  hoped.  She had a cold the previous week and it had taken it toll on her.  She decided to slow down a bit and I pushed on.  By this time the 3:30 pacer had passed us but we were only about 15 feet behind him.  I kept him in my sight as we ran along.

The next 6 miles were still pretty crowded with half marathoners but I just kept plugging along and enjoying the race.  My breathing was good, but my hip flexors were hurting a little bit.  I tried to not think about my legs because I knew they would be fine, I just kept going.  Around mile 8, I started running with another girl who was trying to stay with the 3:30 pacer.  She was running her second marathon and it was nice to have the company.

As we approached the 13.1 miles, the half marathoners began to split off and finish.  I wasn't really paying attention, just kept looking and following the pacer.  The pacer actually followed the half course and I almost went with him.  I don't know why he did that, but thankfully a volunteer steered me back on course because he saw that I had a marathon bib on.  From that point on, I never saw a 3:30 pace group again. 

The pacer had been quite a bit ahead and as I ran through the half, I was right on where I wanted to be.  (See bottom for splits) Before I rounded the corner to the 13.1 mile marker, I stuffed GU chomps in my mouth and of course around the corner was Brian snapping pictures of me.  It was hard to smile and chew at the same time!

The second half of the course was a full out and back - 13.1 miles of twists and turns before rounding back into the marathon finish. I was still running with a few people and I was feeling good.  My knees would hurt and then feel better but otherwise I was doing really well.  The first part had been mostly flat, while the second half had a few hills - mainly around mile 14 and mile 22.  I just pushed on.

I ran with a few men who asked about the 3:30 pacer - no one knew where he had gone.  My legs started to hurt more and more as I entered the 18th mile.  I took another gu chomp at mile 15.4 but then got a little absorbed in my thoughts and didn't eat again until mile 19.  I think this is where I started to lose it mentally during the race. 

I had been running so strong and feeling so good that around mile 21 when my legs started to not listen to my brain, I didn't know what to do.  I wasn't out of breath but my legs just kept getting slower and slower.  I started walking through the water stations because I was so thirsty.  I started to give up more and more.

At the beginning of all this marathon training, I had decided to run this race with my running buddy.  She is the one who loves the high miles, she is the one who has always wanted to run a marathon.  I knew that if I had a buddy to run with, I would train for it - otherwise I most likely would not. So she was my motivation to do this and she was my inspiration to run.

Out on the course, I started to wonder why I was even running this marathon.  Why was I putting myself through this when I really didn't want to.  My goal had been to run 3:30 for the marathon and qualify for Boston but this was when I thought I would be running the whole race with my buddy.  Out there on the course all alone, I started to give up because I didn't want to qualify for Boston without her.  I didn't want to run without her.  If I went to Boston, I wanted to go and run with her.

I know it may seem silly, and of course my mind was not thinking straight when I was at mile 21 and 23 and 25.  But I just could not bring myself to keep going and running the same pace.  My dream had been to do this with my friend, this wasn't about my goals, it was about her and being together.  My dream had been that we would cross the finish line together.  I know this is the excuse my brain came up with during the race to allow myself to slow down.  It was my mental way of saying its ok to not meet your original goal.  I know I hit the wall and fought with my own demons for the final 6 miles.  It felt like the race would never end and even though my brain was telling my legs to keep going, to keep moving, they just did not want to.

I walked through all the water stops from mile 21 on.  My legs were in so much pain - I can't even describe it.  My right hamstring started to feel a bit funny as well.  It actually hurt more to stop so by mile 25, I just pushed on and kept going until I saw Brian at mile 26.  He snapped a bunch of pictures as I ran by. Although my legs were hurting more than ever in my life, I don't think my face showed pain (or my usual death face) because I wasn't breathing that hard.  After 26 miles, I was hardly out of breath - it was the weirdest thing ever.  

As soon as Brian stopped taking pictures and lowered the camera, I started to lose it.  I almost started to cry, my eyes teared up - I didn't even want to run the last 0.2 miles.  I wanted to stop right there.  But he said to me "I am so proud of you" and even though that made me tear up more (and still does now as I write this), I kept going.

When I got to the finish, I tried very hard to smile and actually my finish photos came out really nice.  I stopped immediately after crossing the finish line because there were people in front of me.  I tried to take a step forward and my legs almost gave out.  A volunteer grabbed me, handed me some water and started walking me back into the finishers area.  My legs were in so much pain - more pain than I can ever remember after any race.  They ached and throbbed and no matter what I did, I could not get them to stop.  When I was finally stable, the volunteer let me go and I immediately went for the table of oranges and began stuffing my face.  It wasn't until I was about 4 oranges in, that I saw Brian standing off to the side waiting for me.  He had seen the whole thing and was worried but I told him I was ok but that everything hurt.

I expected to feel more at the finish line.  I expected to feel this great sense of accomplishment but I didn't.  I felt defeated.  I felt like the marathon had owned me.  Over the last year, there have been so many races where I have controlled the race, the speed, everything.  But this race, it took control of me at the end and it took everything I had to hold on.  For having so much mental toughness in so many other races, I really just gave up mentally in this marathon.  And that is a hard thing to deal with.

After the race, I got a quick mini massage which helped my walking immensely.  In my head and out loud I kept saying that I would never do this again.  And to be honest, I don't know if I will.  Now that is has been almost three days from the race of course I feel like I want to run again and do better, but I can't see myself doing it again.  Maybe some day in the future but not for a while. I enjoy the shorter races too much and I also enjoy the shorter recovery time :)

Today, my quads are still sore - better than the previous few days but still sore.  My left leg especially for some reason, although I am not sure why. I am proud I did the marathon because its a freaking marathon.  Everyone at work is so amazed I ran 26.2 miles this weekend and I am actually walking normal and not a total cripple.  It is an amazing accomplishment, it still doesn't feel totally real and I can't believe it was only a couple of days ago.  It all just feels like a dream.  But I did it.  And I am glad I did.



Chip Time: 3:38:55
Place: 217/1045
Female: 45/479
Age Group: 9/102


Splits

Flower City Half race report

Sunday I raced the Flower City half marathon as part of my marathon training schedule.  This was the second year in a row I had run this race.

The morning dawned a cool 30F but sunny.  I made a judgement call and decided to wear less layers since I seem to always overdress for running/races.  My running club racing singlet, arm warmers and capris with gloves and sunglasses were hopefully going to keep me warm enough for the entire 13 miles.

I met up with my running girls and we did a quick mile warm up before removing our sweats and heading to the start line.  I was chilly at first in my skimpy outfit but once we were in the mass of people at the start, it was actually warm.  Soon we were off and running.

As I mentioned before this course was very flat for the first 6 miles and then hilly from mile 6-9 and then flat to the finish.  I had planned to try and keep at 7:20-7:25 pace for the first six miles.  The miles slowly ticked by and we weaved around the empty streets.  I was being passed by a lot of runners at this point but I knew the hills were coming so I held back and didn't push myself.  The sun was shinning and I was just enjoying being out on the course.  I passed Brian around mile 2.5 and made sure to smile!

Around mile 3 I started to feel a little bit fatigued and that worried me.  I had done a small mini taper for this race but there was still a lot of fast miles on my legs.  After about a mile or so I started to feel stronger and better and just pushed on to the hills.

The crowd support going into the hilly portion was awesome and it gave me a little extra boost and I started up the hill.  I tried not to push the pace and just maintain my effort from before.  I lost about 4 seconds on my over all pace on the first large hill.  We entered a steep downhill and I picked up speed as I braced myself and tried to recover before hitting the second hill.  At this point I seriously got confused about the course.  I thought they had changed a section because I didn't remember it from the year prior.  About 2 minutes later I realized where I was and that things had not actually changed.

With three hills left to conquer, I entered the cemetery portion of the race.  I saw Brian again but didn't really acknowledge him because I was focused on not tripping on the cobblestones that lined the hill.  The last thing I wanted was to fall!

At the top of the cobble-stoned hill, I tried to recover quickly but the next hill came fast.  I don't really remember thinking about much at this point except trying to just get through the hills.  Finally I reached the flat portion and tried to pick up speed.  I was feeling great and this point and had actually gained back a second that I had lost through the hill portion.

I was surprised at how good I felt and how good my legs felt.  I had no pain in my legs what so ever, while last year at this point I started to have trouble.  The cemetery portion of this course can get very lonely and boring and although it was not as bad as last year, it still was pretty desolate.  Definitely my least favorite portion of the course.

Once out the cemetery, the crowd support picked up and as I made a right turn I thanked a very cute police man.  Always nice to have some eye candy while running!  At this point I continued to try to pick up my pace without going all out and burning out.  I was seeing my pace slowly drop back closer to 7:20 overall and I was happy.  I was feeling good and continued on until I finally made it to the mile 12 marker.  I couldn't believe that the race was almost over - my legs were still feeling good and my pace was dropping.

The final mile I did my best to smile because I was happy to be racing.  I had enjoyed running the race and knew I was going to PR.  As the finish line came closer and closer, the crowds began to grow and get louder!  Although I had my garmin time, I wasn't really looking at it in the final mile - I was just trying to get to the finish line.  When the clock finally came into view I was very happy to see a 1:36!  My favorite part had to be running with the streets lined with people and finishing while the announcer called my name.

Brian happened to catch me close to the finish - I didn't even see him.  I think this is my favorite photo that he took.  It just shows how good I felt and how strong I finished.  My goal had been to run under 1:37 and I did that and I ran about 5 minutes faster than last year's race and PR. 

Monday and today (Tuesday), I am feeling really good.  I have no soreness and only minimal tightness in my legs.  I think all this high mileage marathon training is actually paying off to help me run faster at the shorter distances and recover faster too!

Post race, I met up with my running girls and we all had brunch together with our significant others.  I had muffin bread french toast and it was the best thing ever.  A great way to refuel after a fun race!

Final Stats:
1:36:30 (7:22 pace)
Place: 166/2252
Female: 37/1299
Age group: 15/280

Running of the Green

Today I ran my first race in 2011, my first race since September 2010 and my first race in the 25-29 age group.  I haven't run a 5 mile race since the summer of 2007 so I was hoping for a PR and also to find out what kind of shape I was in. (Previous 5 miler time - 38:08)

The race didn't start until 10:30am which was nice because then I got to sleep in and leisurely eat my breakfast and coffee before picking up Brian and heading to the race.  I planned to meet up with two other girls from my running group who I usually workout with.  We warmed up together and then waited for the race to start.

The course was great - a mostly flat out and back.  The plan was to run the 5 miles as evenly as possible.  I still have not totally figured out how to use my garmin, so I don't really know my exact splits but we were able to keep a pretty consistent pace for the whole race which was great.  I felt strong for most of the run except for the last mile when I just wanted to be done running.

And to my surprise I finished a whole minute faster than I planned.  It felt good to race again and run with my teammates.

The good news is that I now have a new 5 miler PR!  YAY!  But the bad news is that now I am in the age group with all the FAST girls!!  The second, third, and fourth place finishers were all between 25 and 29! 


Finish time: 36:26
Pace: 7:17/mi
Overall: 221/1655
Females: 33/???
Age Group: 8/132

My 5k Report (and Brian's Too!)

Friday dawned hot but not too humid, but still hot non the less.  I hadn't really been thinking when I packed my running clothes the day before and packed a black tank top which was horrible to run in.

 All smiles after the race!

We arrived at the race at 5:30pm on Friday to pick up our bib and t-shirts.  There was still quite a bit of time before the race actually started, so Brian and I sat down on the grass in the shade.  That wasn't a very good idea because my legs became really itchy.

Around 6pm we started warming up and stretching although since the temperature was 85F, I was already sweating.  As we ran, I saw lots of other women wearing running skirts and I told Brian that I must have missed the memo to wear a skirt! I really want to try and get a skirt to run in but the stores near me don't offer too many options and I am weary of buying on online because of possible sizing problems??

With 15 minutes to go before the race started, Brian and I lined up close to the start line.  Soon we were squeezed in with lots of people, mostly sweaty, shirtless men! EWW...that had to be my least favorite part of the whole race.

The gun went off and I started running.  I tend to get really competitive right about at the start of a race and pick out other girls and just start trying to track them down.  There was a girl in a pink sports bra who had elbowed her way passed me at the start and I worked to catch up to her.   I hit the first mile and past that girl; she obviously had gone out to fast and was dying.

Mile 1: unofficial man standing there yelling 6:22, my watch said 6:28

Right about 1.5 miles in I wanted to quit.  The rest of the race was a mental battle to maintain a decent pace.  The heat had caught up to me and I felt like I was going to throw up.  Since we were running through the neighborhood behind the church (St. Greg's) there were a lot of spectators from the houses who had also set up sprinklers.  Every time I would try not to run through the sprinkler but often it couldn't be avoided and the shock of the cold water would cause me to catch my breath and not be able to breathe.

Then there was a boy in front of me, he must have been in his teens, and he had an iPod on and since he was listening to his music he couldn't hear my labored breathing right behind me and decided to cut me off, almost causing me to fall over.

Mile 2: unofficial man standing there yelling 13:22, my watch said 13:35 (I think)

I knew there was a hill coming and then it would be pretty much flat to the finish.  I thought that a PR was still in reach at this point and tried to pick up the pace but couldn't.  The heat was killing me and I was still feeling sick.  I passed by some spectators who said "Keep it up Ladies" so I knew there was a woman behind me.

Mile 3: my watch said 20:54 (I think)

I started hauling it to the finish.  I really thought I could PR by a few seconds at least if I started going faster.  I must have looked like a mix between someone suffering and trying to run fast with her arms.  I had been passed by the woman who had been behind me, but then I re-passed her and ran to the finish.

Finish time: 21:41
Overall: 120/1085
Female: 13/450
Age Group: 3/40

I hobbled through the finishers shoot, trying to breathe normally and allow the volunteers to remove my timing chip.  Although it wasn't a PR, I am still happy with my time in the race.  The minutes ticked by as I waited for Brian to come in.  As he came to the finish he looked tired; the heat had really hurt him (and maybe also the lack of training...??)  His finishing time was 26:32, slower than last year but still good for him!

Now for Brian's Race recap (in his own words) -
We are NOT doing this race next year, it was too hot.  I ran, then I felt dizzy so I walked, then I ran again, then I felt dizzy again so I walked, then I saw the finish so I ran to the end.  My first mile was in 7:10 and then I passed mile two at 15:10.  It was just too hot.

His recap was much shorter than mine! It was hard to run at 7pm since I have been training in the mornings...I guess I need to start running after work a few times a week.

This race really got me thinking about why we race the same distances over and over again.  Is there a point where we stop PRing and getting faster??

Anyway - I have rambled on enough about this race! Here are some after photos!

Talk about a cheesy picture!  I got a beer mug for my 3rd place age group finish!

 Brian and I after the race!

Thanks for reading! Hope everyone has a great weekend and a good Father's Day!!

Corporate Challenge Race

Last night over 400 companies gathered at my old college and ran/walked the 3.5 mile Corporate Challenge!  There were so many people there, over 9,000 in fact and it looked like it was going to be a perfect run!  It started out sunny but soon the dark clouds rolled in and opened up on all the runners and walkers just as the race started.  Here is Brian and I before the race!

It poured through mile 1 and 2 and then began to taper off.  By that time I was soaking wet.  The worst part was that I wore my Nike Tempo shorts and they were like stuck to me and for the first time in my life I chaffed on my leg!  Here are some pictures of all the company tents and the finish line.

I felt great for the first mile, despite the rain.  I ended up running in between two other women who I knew - one the mother of a track teammate from college and the other a girl who was a few years ahead of me at my high school.  I passed the first mile at just under 7 minutes.  Just after that my right lung started to cramp up just like it did in the 5k I ran back in April.  It was quite painful and I probably sounded like I was dying to all the men around me but I just kept running along.  I passed the second mile mark at about 14:14.

The third mile was such a mental struggle.  I wanted to quit because my lung hurt so much but I knew I was so close and still on track for a huge PR!  As I approached mile 3 I saw a co-worker and tried to catch up to him and pass him but I couldn't.  I think I rolled through mile 3 at about 21:43 and just kept on going.  The last half mile of the race is the worst because you can see the finish line but you have to run all the way around this circle before actually crossing it.  I pushed to the end and finished in 25:16 (my secret goal was to finish in 24:30). 

This is a big PR from previous years.  The last two years I ran it in the same exact time of 27:21 so I feel like my overall running endurance is better.  I just don't understand why my lung seizes up on me in races.  Maybe I need to do more tempo running at my race pace?  Any ideas???

Brian and I after the race - soaking wet!

Overall it was a fun race! I guess the rain was better than it being 90F and humid!  Running at 7pm at night is hard - I think I need to start running before and after work.  I think I may have been the fastest woman from my company but I am not sure.  The first woman overall won the race in 20:02! Super fast! 

Today is a much needed rest day - I just have to make it through the work day and then I can go home and take a nap!

Happy Friday!

Pink Ribbon 5k Race Report

Sunday dawned COLD and snowy with a temperature of 32F!!  I didn't think it would be that cold so I hadn't brought any warm clothes with me, as I was staying at my parents.  My mom and I made a quick stop at my apartment to pick up my pink under armour top and then we headed to the race around 8am.

We arrived at around 8:30 with the race set to start at 9:05am (not sure about those extra 5 minutes...)  The parking lot was filled with women all dressed in every shade of pink!  We quickly found the registration table and signed in but the people couldn't find my mom's name.  I had accidentally signed my mom up to run the 5k instead of walk...opps!

We made a bathroom stop and then huddled together for warmth while we waited for the race to start.  I didn't even warm up before the race but I knew that I would be ok since I had been practicing running 2 miles fast in the morning with no warm up!

The start of the race was also the finish as it was an out and back course!  Soon it was almost time to start but not before every important person got to say a few words! I was freezing, my feet and fingers were cold and I just wanted to get started so I could warm up!

Before I knew it we were on our way.  I followed a few women and just tried to stay with them as I wasn't sure how fast they were going. I could barely feel my feet because they were numb from the cold which really is the oddest feeling while running!  In the past I have always started out way too fast on the first mile but this race (and in the other 5k race I ran 2 weeks ago) I started off at just the right pace.  I actually ran the same split for my first mile as my last 5k which was awesome.  I was happy I was able to control the pace right from the beginning and not start too fast.

Soon we passed the first mile marker and there was a nice decline but I knew I would have to climb it on the way back.  I slowly picked off two runners and felt strong.  I did feel a little crampy in my stomach but just kept focusing on moving my arms in the correct form and soon I felt better.  We made a left onto a side street for the loop around and I passed another runner.  We finished the loop and came out on the street for the final part of the race.  By this time there were many runners going the opposite way as me and they cheered as they saw the leaders go by.

As I passed mile 2 I still was feeling good.  Legs were moving, arms felt good and breathing was under control.  I just keep chugging along.  A little after 2 miles I crested the uphill and a volunteer yelled to "Keep going - it's all downhill from here"!  I was not happy about that - I knew it was not downhill from there!

As I was about a half mile away from the finish I saw my mom walking.  She stopped and quickly snapped some pictures before continuing on her way!  The walkers had taken a different route than the runners - kind of odd but she said she enjoyed it.  As you can see we had the whole road to ourselves by this point as most of the runners were on the way back.  The girl in front of me was in my age group and I just couldn't stay with her.  She ended up beating me by about 15 seconds.

My shoulder had started to ache and I had lost all control of my form.  I felt like I had slowed down a lot but tried to pick up the pace again once I saw how close I was to the finish.  We turned back into the park for the final stretch and I just kept lifting my legs and sprinted in.  I was out of breath and dying but I knew I was within reach of  PR so I pushed it!

I came in 16th place and I was second in my age group with a time of 21:37 which was a 10 second PR!  I wasn't able to get my splits but I know that my first mile was 6:51 and I passed the second mile marker at about 13:56.

After finishing I started walking back out to the course to find my mom!  She was really moving and even sprinted the final straightaway from the finish! She was moving so fast that I missed her and didn't get a picture of her finishing!  I did make her stand and pose after the race thought!

I really enjoyed running this race with my mom on mother's day! I just wish it had not been so cold and windy!  I can't wait for the summer weather when it will be warm for races!  This was my first women only race and I loved it!  I really hope that I can do this race again next year with my mom!!

Better Life 5k Race Report

Sunday morning I woke up at 6:15am and looked out the window.  Sprinkles were just starting to coat the sidewalks.  I stepped outside to guage the weather - The forecast had said low 40s but it was actually 51F so I put on my light spandex and a long sleeve.  I ate a bowl of oatmeal before heading over to pick up Brian to head to the race.  At first Brian wasn't going to race since it was rainy but when I shower up he was dressed in his running gear. 

We picked up my dad on they way and planed to meet my mom there since she decided to walk the short 3.1 miles to the race.  We arrived at the golf course around 7:45 and checked in to get our bibs, goodie bags, and t-shirts!  The rain continued to sprinkle as I warmed up with Brian and we checked out a little of the course.  The whole thing was run on the golf course which had some pretty crazy rolling hills.

I was nervous before the race because I wanted to PR but didn't know if it was possible because the whole course was either uphill or downhill.  All of my previous PR's for a 5k had been run on fairly flat courses.  Brian and I stood near the front and soon we were off and running!

The start was downhill (see above picture) and then after about 0.2 miles we made a left onto the grass, up a small hill and onto the golf cart path.  The course wound its way around the holes and stayed on the path.  I was feeling pretty good, didn't want to start too fast so just tried to stay with the people around me.  We would run this path/loop twice before heading onto a new area.  We climbed two bigger hills before a steep downhill and then circled around to where my mom was standing and the start of the second loop.  The first mile was just before the end of the first loop.

Mile 1: 6:51

We headed back up onto the grass as we circled back to the golf cart path and went for another loop.  I was still feeling ok - there was one girl WAY out in front of me, one older women who was running with me and 3 girls behind me.  The hilliness of the course was starting to wear on me and my legs just slowed down in this mile.  I saw my mom again as I finished the second loop and she told me about the three women right behind me!  Just past seeing my mom, I came to mile 2.

Mile 2: 7:29

 Brian coming into mile 2

I slowed down a lot for that second mile but I thought it was a good move.  For the two miles I ran a 14:20 which was pretty much where I wanted to be.  My goal had been to run the first two miles in 14:14 and then just hold on and maybe speed up for the last mile.  After Mile 2 there were rolling hills and I started to feel horrible.  I got a cramp in my right lung/abdominal area and couldn't breathe.  It felt like someone had stabbed me and I wanted to stop and walk.  I was upset that I had to slow down just so I could stop from making wheezing/dying noises and actually feel ok.  Eventually the pain became bearable and I continued on but I had been passed by three women, going from second place to 5th. 

It was a disappointment that I was unable to hold on.  I really wanted to finish strong and run well for my first race back but the hills of the golf course did not agree with me.  I really wanted to quit on that last mile, it was the most pain I have ever felt - almost as bad as my hip flexor strain that I had from college track.

Mile 3 + 0.1: 8:41  

 At the finish line

With Brian and my mom at the finish!

 Brian and I after racing in the rain!

Overall it was a fun race - it was a new experience to run on a golf course, just not ideal to PR.

Time: 23:08 (7:28 min/mile pace)
Place: 20/114
Age group: 1/6
Female place: 5/52

After the race, we went back to my parents to clean up.  I basically laid around all day yesterday, I just felt so tired and my right ab/lung was sore from the cramp.  I tried to think about why this had happened - it wasn't like I had gone out too fast for the race.  It just seemed the up and down hills were too much for me.  I have been running on hills but I was not used to or ready for the terrain of a golf course.

My next race is the Pink Ribbon Run 5k for the Breast Cancer Coalition on May 9th.  The race is on Mother's Day and I will be doing it with my mom.  It is also a women ONLY race which I am excited about because this will be a first for me!

Thanks for reading! Happy Monday!!

Indoor Triathlon Race Report

Sunday morning I woke up at 6am and got my stuff together. I had my bathing suit on and then brought a small towel to dry off with during the first transition along with my shoes, water bottle and bike/run clothes. I knew going from the swim to bike would be the hardest since I would be soaking wet.

The Tri started at 7am with heats of 10-12 people going off every 20 minutes. I was set to start at 7:40 in lane 7 of the pool. I got to the YMCA just after the first heat started. Each person had a score card that followed them throughout the tri and was used to record laps and distances for each portion.

As soon as the second heat had cleared the pool we were allowed to get in. I was in the same lane with a boy who looked like he swam for a local college. On the other side of me was a teenage girl who I knew swam. I did a few laps to warm up and then we set to go.

As soon as the horn sounded to start, the girl and guy on either side of me took off! It was hard not to start out fast with everyone around you swimming fast but I forced myself to slow down after the first lap. My legs were burning by the 5th lap but I just kept going. I could see the clock as I swam so I knew how long it was taking me to swim down and back in the pool.

I settled into a good rhythm and just kept going. There was once or twice where the college kid in my lane almost hit me! He may have been a swimmer but he did not know how to stay on his side of the lane! With just under 2 minutes to go I was determined to get in two more laps and so I picked up the pace. I came in with time to spare (6 seconds) and jumped right out of the pool. The guy who was keeping track of my laps yelled the number out to me and I scampered off to the locker room to change.

In the locker room I changed out of my bathing suit and tried to dry off as quickly as possible. I had some trouble getting my clothes on but somehow made it out to the bikes with 2 minutes left in the 5 minute transition time. I had totally forgotten that I would need to change the bike seat height and also strap my shoes in. I barely got one sneaker in when it was time to start.

About 30 seconds in the one shoe that was strapped in came out and I lost some momentum getting it back in the strap and then started peddling again. The guy who had swam next to me was also next to me on the bike. He was rocking the bike and I was trying to stay with him.

The bike had to be my least favorite part. My shoe ended up coming out of the strap again with about 9 minutes left so I just put it on top of the peddle and kept going. The seats were uncomfortable and I just wanted this part to be over because my legs were so tired. The best part of the bikes was that the YMCA people had pulled out the spinning bikes and put them right near the enterance so that we had a good crowd cheering us on and some good music playing!

When the bike was finally over, I grabbed my water and headed up the stairs to the treadmills. They had reserved a full row of treadmills for us to run on and of course the super fast college kid was once again next to me.

This was the easiest transition because I didn't have to change at all and just waited for the run to begin. When the 15 minutes began I cranked up the treadmill to a 7:30 min/mile pace and just set in. I wanted to get comfortable and so I stayed at that pace for about 0.5 miles. Then I just kept increasing it every few tens of a mile. My goal was to get in 2 miles in the 15 minutes.

I hit the one mile mark a little before 8 minutes. At this point I was at about a 7:13 min/mile pace. I felt good, my legs weren't tired and I slowly increased to 7:06 min/mile and then 6:58 min/mile. They had TV's on and I just zoned out and focused on them. When I run on the treadmill I focus on reading the captions to get my mind off the pain of running and it worked well this time too.

The guy who was keeping track of my distance for this part was so nice. He kept encouraging me and telling me I was doing great! When I finished he said to me "That was great Joanna, very impressive!" I could not beleive he had said that to me and it really made my day!

My IT band didn't really bother me too much which was nice. With about 2 minutes left I seriously thought I was going to throw up. I just kept moving my legs and I hit the 2 mile mark with about 20 seconds to spare. The college kid next to me was running SUPER fast and ran 2.9 miles in the 15 minutes!

Once it was finished I jumped on a elliptical to cool down. I think that was the best choice because the next day I was not sore at all. I really enjoyed doing the indoor tri. I know that my college sponsers one in March and I will consider doing it. As for outdoor tris - I don't see any in my future...

Final Stats:
Swim - 36 laps - 900 Yards in 15 minutes
Bike - 7.3 miles in 15 minutes
Run - 2.05 miles in 15 minutes
2nd place in age group
23rd overall out of 97 (men and women)

The girl who came in ahead of me for my age group beat me in the bike by 0.4 of a mile but I beat her in the run by 0.04 and we tied in the swim. The points were based on a percentage with the highest person getting 100 pts. I didn't really think it was fair because the men and women were all together and so my points were based on how far the men went.

I did enjoy doing this tri but I did not like having to rush from one event to another. It was a good experience and maybe I will do one again but I know that my favorite and my strength is running! I went to this alone so I don't have any pictures although there was this one guy who kept walking around and taking pictures but I have no idea if they were going to post them for people to see.

Yesterday I did yoga with kaylie and it kicked my butt. Today I hope to get some strength training in and cardio at the gym. This week I am just taking it easy as I woke up with a sore throat this morning.

Thanks for reading!! Happy Tuesday!

Boilermaker Photos!!

I got the race photos in an email yesterday and they are horrible. I mean I look ok in them but they are just horrible pictures! Oh well...thank goodness for Brian and his camera! Enjoy and have a good weekend!!

Me, Kim, Kims sister, Kims dad

(All these photos are from the end of the race or post race!)