i want adventure in the great wide somewhere - running journal! (comments welcome)

Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 1 (7 Weeks To Go)

Week 1 is in the books! Let's hop to it (get it? Easter pun?)

Week 1 Plan:
Tuesday 3/27: 45 minutes
Thursday 3/29: 45 minutes
Saturday 3/31: 5 miles

Week 1 Actual:
Tuesday 3/27: 4.37 miles • 41:43 • 11:49 min/mile avg. pace
Thursday 3/29: skipped (I got rained out)
Saturday 3/31: 5.25 miles • 1:02:06 • 11:50 min/mile avg. pace

Tuesday Splits || 12:30 • 10:01 • 12:39 • 11:35
Saturday Splits || 11:58 • 11:49 • 11:52 • 11:53 • 11:42


I think I mentioned last time that I've decided to increase my weekly maintenance runs to 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes. On Tuesday after work I hit the road since there was still about an hour until it got dark. It felt like a pretty good run, but I was pretty sore the next day, my calf in particular. A few weeks ago I was stretching before bed and tweaked that muscle, so it's probably related. Looking at my splits is weird. I didn't quite find my pace the way I usually do, and I have no idea where that 10:01 mile came from. My endomondo app also says I ran my fastest mile during this run at 9:48.

On Saturday I switched to using RunKeeper. I'm still toying with the idea of buying an apple watch and I think RunKeeper has apple watch capabilities. Endomondo might, too, but Runkeeper does the intervals. Regarding the run, it felt really good and the pace per mile was on point. It was nice to only run one running-related app instead of running both the Jeff Galloway app and Endomondo. And there are tons of stats on this app, too.

Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle:
Week 2 • 4/7: 9.5 miles
Week 3 • 4/14: 6 miles
Week 4 • 4/21: 11 miles
Week 5 • 4/28: 6 miles
Week 6 • 5/5: 12.5 miles
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!
 
Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 2 (6 Weeks To Go)

Week two recap time!

Week 2 Plan:
Tuesday 4/3: 45 minutes
Thursday 4/5: 45 minutes
Saturday 4/7: 9.5 miles

Week 2 Actual:
Tuesday 4/3: skipped
Thursday 4/5: skipped
Sunday 4/8: 8.38 miles • 1:40:35 • 12:01 min/mile avg. pace

Sunday Splits || 11:29 • 12:19 • 12:35 • 11:58 • 12:01 • 12:03 • 11:44 • 11:54


Guys, I struggled the first two miles of this run. The splits don't show it, but I was not in my groove at all. I felt much better during miles 3-5 and then again toward the end I struggled a bit. My honest thought is that I'm struggling on a long run because I'm missing the weekday runs.

Here are my excuses: I wake up to run in the morning, but it's 19 degrees and I am so burned out by winter I can't make myself go run in that. So I decide to go after work and it's either raining or snowing (still! in April!) or I get a text from friends about grabbing dinner/drinks somewhere or I had a long day and I text them about dinner/drinks and before I know it, we've hit the weekend and I haven't run all week.

I. Need. To. Stop. That. My life will hopefully be balancing out soon. Spring should be arriving, the weather should be warmer, and I have some opportunities on the table and potential changes in my life that may change things. The change in temperature would be the best for getting into those morning runs, which I truly do miss. Winter needs to GO. NOW.

Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle:
Week 3 • 4/14: 6 miles
Week 4 • 4/21: 11 miles
Week 5 • 4/28: 6 miles
Week 6 • 5/5: 12.5 miles
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!
 


Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 3 (5 Weeks To Go)

Happy Marathon Monday! I wish it weren't such a terrible day for weather, otherwise I'd be watching from Beacon Street, instead I'm stuck inside. An old friend is running with the Martin Richard Foundation and she's estimated to finish in about an hour. I'm thinking of running with a charity in 2023, the tenth anniversary of the bombing. Now... onto the week three recap!

Week 3 Plan:
Tuesday 4/10: 45 minutes
Thursday 4/12: 45 minutes
Saturday 4/14: 6 miles

Week 3 Actual:
Tuesday 4/10: skipped
Thursday 4/12: skipped
Saturday 4/14: 6.01 miles • 1:07:24 • 11:13 min/mile avg. pace

Saturday Splits || 11:25 • 11:21 • 10:50 • 11:33 • 10:50 • 11:19


This week's excuse is that I've accepted a new job and spent the week in emotional turmoil trying to decide if it was time for me to move on from my current families to this new job. Long story short, I've chosen to take it, but instead of going for runs I went home and cried and/or went out to meals with friends and cried. My hope is that this week is April vacation and I have a modified work schedule and can go for some runs before or after work, then the following week is my last week at my current spot and I hope to get some runs in, then I start at my new job and I'm going to have to get used to my new schedule and commute, so I might need to figure out when/where I can run. On the bright side the weather is getting warmer (besides today...)

As for Saturday - this was a great run! Clearly Jenna and I were super fast and I think it has to do with the fact that the weather was beautiful. We hit the road around 8:45 and it was in the 50s. I was wearing a quarter length sleeve shirt and thought I'd be okay, but I was boiling by mile 3 and ended up facing one of my biggest fears and did the last three miles in just my sports bra. Jenna has been working on her speed during her weekly runs and it shows - I had to work to keep up with her. I need to work on my speed during the week as well.

Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle:
Week 4 • 4/21: 11 miles
Week 5 • 4/28: 6 miles
Week 6 • 5/5: 12.5 miles
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!
 
Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 4 (4 Weeks To Go)

Happy Marathon Monday! I wish it weren't such a terrible day for weather, otherwise I'd be watching from Beacon Street, instead I'm stuck inside. An old friend is running with the Martin Richard Foundation and she's estimated to finish in about an hour. I'm thinking of running with a charity in 2023, the tenth anniversary of the bombing. Now... onto the week three recap!

Week 4 Plan:
Tuesday 4/17: 45 minutes
Thursday 4/19: 45 minutes
Saturday 4/21: 11 miles

Week 4 Actual:
Tuesday 4/17: 2.77 miles • 32:02 • 11:33 min/mile avg. pace
Thursday 4/19: skipped
Saturday 4/21: 9.28 miles • 1:54:02 • 12:18 min/mile avg. pace

Tuesday Splits || 11:09 • 11:48
Saturday Splits || 11:27 • 12:12 • 12:20 • 12:41 • 12:44 • 12:27 • 13:01 • 12:46 • 11:34


Tuesday I went for a run after work and before grabbing food with friends. Because I had to meet people, I cut the 45 minutes down to 30.

Saturday was a late night run - Jenna and I hit the road around 7:15. The original goal was 11 miles, but it was dark and she had to get to her aunt's house since the hot water at her house was out, plus she had work the next morning, so we decided loop number 3 would be the last one for a 9 mile run. The beginning of the run was tough - I had spent my morning at a work event, then I went to a Mary Kay party a friend hosted where I ate all the food and had a couple glasses of wine. My side was cramping pretty bad, but I ended up rallying. I felt fast toward the middle and end of my run, but my splits don't look super fast.


Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle:
Week 5 • 4/28: 6 miles
Week 6 • 5/5: 12.5 miles
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!
 
Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 5 (3 Weeks To Go)

I honestly just plain forgot to update yesterday because I was busy doing other things, like finishing up projects for work because - big life change - I resigned from my job so Friday was my last day and I start a new job on Tuesday! I was also enjoying the sun and playing outside with my niece and nephew and catching up on TV when it started to rain and get cold. Spring is sort of here, but it's also still very cold and that is frustrating to me, because it turns out that running in heat when you're used to cold is HARD. See recap below for proof.

Week 5 Plan:
Tuesday 4/24: 45 minutes
Thursday 4/26: 45 minutes
Saturday 4/28: 6 miles

Week 5 Actual:
Tuesday 4/24: skipped
Thursday 4/26: skipped
Saturday 4/28: 5 miles • 1:00:42 • 12:08 min/mile avg. pace

Saturday Splits || 11:34 • 11:40 • 12:04 • 11:48• 13:35


The two skipped runs were because I was running like a chicken with her head cut off all week. I had my regular week of work responsibilities + social responsibilities + last week of work catch-up on that mega long to-do list. Everyone kept asking me if I was sad to be leaving my job and my response was literally, "I am too busy to be sad, right now. Ask me on Friday at 6:00 when I am no longer too busy to be sad."

Spoiler alert: by Friday night, I had plenty of time to be sad.

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Four gorgeous bouquets from families who will miss me and who I will miss very much.

Now, onto the one time I actually ran this week: Saturday. Jenna and I had planned on 6 miles, but then it was a million thousand hundred degrees outside so we decided to call it quits when we hit 5 miles/reached the car. The run itself felt like crap and I did not feel as fast as those splits are indicating I was. I felt like I was running slower than a turtle in molasses, but it turns out I was running as if Chris Pratt was waiting for me at the car.

Now, I have NO idea what this week will bring. I have at least one, if not two social engagements. I'm starting my new job tomorrow and have no idea what the commute will look like each day and when I'll be getting home/needing to leave. Right now I plan on an early morning to get ready for work and then going for a run when I get home. Thursday I have plans after work, so that might be a skip day or maybe I'll run on Friday and then Jenna and I will do 12.5 miles on Sunday. This is the forecast for the week:

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Looks like, more or less, great weather!


Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle:
Week 6 • 5/5: 12.5 miles
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!
 


Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 6 (2 Weeks To Go)

Good news! I survived my first week of the new job and my last long run of this training cycle. Let me tell you all about it.

Week 6 Plan:
Tuesday 5/1: 45 minutes
Thursday 5/3: 45 minutes
Saturday 5/5: 12.5 miles

Week 6 Actual:
Tuesday 5/1: 3.o1 miles • 34:04 • 11:19 min/mile avg. pace
Thursday 5/3: skipped
Sunday 5/6: 12.02 miles • 2:23:50 • 11:58 min/mile avg. pace

Tuesday Splits || 11:51 • 11:25 • 10:40
Saturday Splits || 11:34 • 12:18 • 12:30 • 12:15 • 12:04 • 11:31 • 11:55 • 12:16 • 12:07 • 11:50 • 11:24 • 11:54

I almost skipped both runs this week. After my first day of work, I was very sleepy and had even changed into lounge clothes, but Jenna texted me when she was out of work and we went out for a quick 3 miler. On Thursday she texted me again, but this time we went out for dinner (I got a Cobb Salad).

This morning we hit up the bike trail and did 12 miles. The first two miles felt like concrete blocks were strapped to my shoes. After that, I got into my groove and felt much better and like I could actually life my feet and move. The end was TOUGH and I was TIRED, but I powered through for my post-run milkshake! And because I needed to shower before the nephew's soccer game (he scored!).

I'll do a weather report next week after my 4 miler (potentially a 6 miler).

In other news, we've decided to do shirts that say "this run feels like i'm getting brunch" and then maybe shirts for after the run that say "run all the miles // eat all the brunch."

Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle:
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!
 
Solid training! The race is getting really close now. Can't wait to hear all about it.
 
Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Week 7 (1 Week To Go)

We are officially a week out from the race! I got an Apple Watch on Friday and I'm super excited to use it with the RunKeeper app. I went for my first run with it today and I'll talk about that later. Also a weather watch!

Week 7 Plan:
Tuesday 5/8: 45 minutes
Thursday 5/10: 45 minutes
Saturday 5/12: 4 miles

Week 7 Actual:
Tuesday 5/8: skipped
Thursday 5/10: skipped
Sunday 5/13: 4 miles • 46:55 • 11:42 min/mile avg. pace

Saturday Splits || 12:00 • 11:28 • 11:59 • 11:23

I skipped both runs. Let's move on. (Oh wait, my excuses... ummmm... Tuesday I probably got dinner with friends because I tend to do that on Tuesdays and Thursday was my mom's birthday and we went out for Italian and I ate my body weight in ravioli.)


This morning, Jenna and I were on the path around the pond a little after 7:00 a.m. And this is fitting because my mom shared the following photo from Facebook with me:

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I guess we're psychopaths. We did a quick four miles, which is two laps almost exactly. This run was fine. We did four miles because that's what the last run is in the Galloway plan and Jenna had to get ready for her 10 am shift. It was nice and quiet around the pond, a little foggy and cool.

Speaking of weather...

Screen Shot 2018-05-13 at 5.03.05 PM.png
Saturday, right now, is predicted to be in the low 60s which is perfect, but there's a chance of rain. I'm hoping that this changes in the next week, but it is what it is. I'll probably go to lululemon this week and pick up a black, sweat-wicking ball cap to wear in the event that it rains. Thankfully our lodging is all set and so we'll have somewhere to go and shower after. My only concern is that we don't have a toaster at our apartment, so I might have to bring the one from my house so that I can have an english muffin with my peanut butter and banana on race day morning so that I'm not starving early on in the race the way I was at Princess 2k18.

And of course I know that you are all dying to know the outfit planned... As usual it'll be black leggings and my black and white nike sneakers, but the top is going to be this tank top from Old Navy with "this run feels like i'm getting brunch" on it. (Shout out to Jenna's sister for making the iron on with her fancy cricut machine!)

Screen Shot 2018-05-13 at 5.21.52 PM.png Screen Shot 2018-05-13 at 5.21.34 PM.png

Finally, the long run plan for the remainder of the cycle... SIKE! Saturday is race day!
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day
 
Quick update from the apartment we’re staying in!

Made it to Martha’s Vineyard and took a Lyft to the rental. Biked down for bib pick up and then did some shopping and eating. About to head to bed and in the morning we’ll walk to the start line, about a half hour walk from our rental. A good way to warm up.

We’ll stick to Lyft for the remainder of this trip. The bikes weren’t our best idea. Oops!
 
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Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Race Recap
Half marathon number two is in the books, everyone (and I might be planning number three... but that's another story). Once again thank you all for the unconditional support and advice. I did not feel very prepared for this race. With all the change in my life and the poor weather, I had low motivation but there was no judgement here. For that, I am appreciative. Let's get into this recap!

Friday & Bib Pick Up
This race is a bit unique due to the island location. Bib pick up was on Friday for a Saturday race and the morning-of pick up was possible if you paid a fee. With the location and the time of year, we were hopeful for a beautiful spring weekend on Martha's Vineyard and chose to do the Friday pick up and make a weekend trip out of the race. Instead we got cold, gloomy weather. Either way, we drove to the cape late Friday morning and caught a ferry to Vineyard Haven, then I called a lyft to our rental, which was conveniently about 1.5 miles from the start line.

We thought it would be fun to bike the 3-ish miles to the finish line/where the bib pick up was. A long story short, that was a bad idea. The Vineyard is definitely bike-able... if you are someone who bikes regularly. Bib pick up was painless, the bib numbers were assigned alphabetically. I got my bib, then went over for my t-shirt, backpack (which doubled as the gear check bag) and buff. After grabbing all of our things, we went over to the other tent where we could buy additional march, but we decided not to get anything and instead did some biking and boomerang-ing at the finish line. I thought there would be more of an expo with some vendors, but it was literally just bib pick up and race merchandise.

We ended our day by biking up to the town center and walking around to shop and then grabbed dinner at the tavern and ice cream at a small shop. And of course took more instagram photos and boomerangs.


IMG_1693.jpg

The ice cream shop was (clearly) carousel themed as Martha's Vineyard is home to the oldest platform carousel in the US. Pretty cool. The ice cream was yummy, I got moose tracks + cookie dough.

After ice cream we biked back to the rental (turns out when you bike somewhere, you have to bike back) and got ready for the next morning.


IMG_1700.jpg
This run feels like I'm getting brunch after.

The flat version of me. Our wake up was for 6:30 am so we could eat breakfast and get ready before walking to the start line. Our goal was to get there at 8:00 for an 8:30 race start.

Saturday Race Day
I didn't sleep well because I was too cold (turns out the heat was turned off in our rental) and being in a new bed. But what I did sleep was enough and I woke up just before our alarm. We ate breakfast and got dressed and began our walk to the school for the start line. It was quite cold, and we had some time before the start, so we decided to go into the school, which was heated, and wait there. We went outside just as they were starting to send waves and we hopped into the back of the pack to go with wave 3.

Mile 1: 11:49
Mile 2: 11:31
Mile 3: 11:49
We got off to a good, strong start. Mile 1 went by really fast. This was mostly along sidewalks, which in the Vineyard run parallel to the street but are separated by small bits of forest. Jenna and I wanted to stay right in between the 2:45 and 2:30 pacer, since our finish goal was 2:45 with a reach goal of 2:30, we easily kept ahead of the 2:45 and did a lot of leapfrogging with the 2:30 pacer. Right between mile 2 and 3
is where the out and back happened right along the airport. You ran up along a paved path, then did a u-turn onto a sandy path that wasn't super fun to run on. Not too slow, considering.

Mile 4: 10:56
Mile 5: 11:34
Mile 6: 11:27
Mile 7: 11:36
Mile 8: 12:27
Mile 4 had honey stinger for fuel. This seemed really early in the race, so I pocketed it and decided to save it for when I started feeling hungry (which was just around mile 7 or 8). At this point we had actually gotten ahead of the 2:30 pacer. We couldn't see her and her group for some time (side note: the pacer had four in her group and they took up the entire path. When they were running it was fine because our ratios were timed so that we were walking when they were running, but when we started to run they'd be five across and it was hard to get by them.) and felt pretty good. I was also starting to tire, which I feel is clear by the pace. I also felt pretty safe being ahead of the pacer and had less urgency to run fast.

Mile 9: 11:59
Mile 10: 11:33
They didn't have a mile 10 marker, which was weird. They also didn't mark mile 13, but that makes sense. I'm not sure why some markers weren't up. Either way, this was a fin part of the race, started to speed up again after having my honey stinger. I got a fruit punch flavor which sort of tasted like an antibiotic I would take for strep throat as a kid and would need to mix into my pudding in order to take... so not exactly a glowing review.

Mile 11: 12:17
Mile 12: 12:26
Mile 13: 12:05
Mile 11 was tough. From mile 10 or so on we were on a narrow road with water on either side, so it was very windy and starting to spit. Even then, I had taken my coat off and tied it around my waist and was running in my tank top. Actually, I was in my tank top very early on, I swear I run warm (which is weird because my feet are always FREEZING - maybe because I keep my heat in my core). Anyway, at this point someone beeped at us and it was our friends, Eric and Bridget! They had taken the ferry down to surprise us! It was so good to see them and gave us a bit of a renewed energy, mentally. As we came to the end, Jenna wanted to walk a little extra so she would have more energy for the finish, and we finished strong! Bridget and Eric were at the finish line after we crossed. Also, remember, they had a car! Suddenly getting around the island was feasible for us that day.


Post Race
After the race we grabbed peanut butter crackers, bananas, water and gatorade (oh, and we got our medals! duh!). It was kind of chaotic and no one was there to hand out the post-race snacks and drinks. It was also really difficult to carry it all because we had no box or bag that it came in. Disney spoiled me. We went over to gear check and got our bag, which had our chocolate milk inside and some warm clothes in case we were soaked. Luckily, it didn't start to rain until literally the second after we crossed the finish, so we were dry and just put our shells back on.

We met Eric and Bridget and walked to their car so we could get a ride back to the rental to shower and change, then the four of us explored the town. Jenna and I are so lucky our friends came for two reasons, the first obviously being that we have amazing friends who care about us and we love. The second is because they brought their car and if they hadn't come with the car then Jenna and I 100% would have just taken a lyft back to the rental and stayed inside all day.

Instead, we got changed and headed out to Vineyard Haven to explore and shop and have brunch at the Black Dog Tavern where I also bought a big, cozy quarter-zip.


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Next year's shirt idea: "Crushing Miles & Crushing Mimosas"

I'm wearing the buff in that photo and oh my goodness I wore it all weekend. Obsessed. Also, for any Survivor watchers, I managed to shove my body into the buff the way the girls on Survivor do. The headband look is way comfier and easier.

After breakfast we did more shopping, then did some driving around the island. Eric used to go every year with his family, so he brought us to 3 of the 4 lighthouses on the island. That carousel ice cream from the day before inspired us, so we bought a ticket to ride the real carousel. Jenna won a free ride and tried to give the ticket to a bride she saw walk in, but the ticket was already purchased, so instead we gave it to the kiddo who was sitting on the horse next to me. (A ride after a half marathon - this is just like Disney!) We also stopped to pick up some delicious fudge and spent some time wandering the famous cottages area where I found my favorite cottage name and also the name of my mix tape, dropping on sound cloud next week.


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"Lil Bit" - coming to soundcloud and iTunes and music stores near you.

Overall, it was a great race. I wish the weather had cooperated, but it is what it is. Anyway, to make a long story less long than it already is, after our exploration of the island the four of us grabbed nachos at Sharkys Cantina and then Eric drove us back to the rental where we were dead asleep by like, 9:00 pm. The next morning we quickly packed up since we were up earlier than our alarm and took a lyft to Oak Bluffs for breakfast at Linda Jean's. Our plan was to take the 10:45 ferry from Oak Bluffs, but we were done with our food by 8:45 and instead took a lyft to Vineyard Haven for the 9:30 ferry. The end.

ETA// OH MY GOODNESS! I never even mentioned.. this is a personal record/best for half marathon at a total of 2:37:45!


FINAL TIME: 2:37:45
 
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Newburyport Half Marathon Training Journal
So... the last time I ran was the half marathon in May... the last time I did anything even resembling exercise was the half marathon in May. Let's not talk about it.

Want to know what we should talk about? I've signed up for another half marathon! I know, I keep saying that the last one was the last one, but apparently I'm a sucker.

When: October 21
Where: Newburyport
Who: Jenna & Me
What: 13.1 miles (again! x2)

I currently have no plan, to be honest, but I figured I would start with a 30-45 minute run this Tuesday, and then I'll go from there. I'd like to adjust my ratio to 2:1 (run two minutes, walk one minute) and the goal for this race is to run 2:30:00 or under. I have 15-ish weeks to train, too, so I feel like I can hit my time goal.

In fact, let's revisit my goals from post number 1...

1. Run 3x a week (twice during the week and once on the weekend)
2. Cross-train 2x a week (do some yoga and lifting)
3. Complete my first 10k (I'm registered for a race on 10/21 in Foxboro) DONE 10/21/2017
4. Complete my first half marathon DONE 2/25/2018
5. Raise $500 for Girl Power 2 Cure DONE 11/28/2017
6. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.
7. Lose those 20 pounds I found in grad school.

So, I met goal number 1 for quite a long time, and then started finding 1,000,000 excuses not to run during the week and basically just ran on the weekends. I need to get back to the weekly running.
I never cross-trained... maybe this time? My first 10k and half were done, I raised the $500 for GP2C. Hydrating wasn't really measurable... but I always carry a water bottle with me. And I can't really measure the last goal considering I don't weigh myself. Ever.

So let's look at some new goals?

Goals:
1. Run a half marathon in 2:30:00 or faster
2. Begin a yoga practice
3. Begin strength-training (barre)
4. Drink 36 oz water/day
5. Run 3x/week

And again, I reserve the right to change these because I can.

Excited to get started again!
 

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