Week 2 of my get back into it plan with the coach and I am geeked to report that I had a workout!
Goal was 1.5 miles at 6:50, 90 sec rest, 1 mile at 6:45, 2 minutes rest, 1.5 miles at 6:50
I am so out of it on pacing sense that it definitely took some adjusting to get in a groove on these. Instinct incorrectly told me I was too slow so I had to do some micromanaging to slow myself down a few times (my tri buddy DM joined me and he had no problem forcing me to back it off, which was good!) but otherwise felt great into the wind and up some minor rollers. It felt good to pick up the pace and it was conversational so I am excited that this indicates my aerobic fitness hasn't gone anywhere, but I am glad we are easimg the muscles back into any speed or tempos.
Followed the workout up with my whole PT routine and I am feeling super fit today. It's pretty nice, I can't lie!
After that I headed in for my x ray. Fingers crossed for good results in the next few days, though I am not sure a positive or negative result on the bone spur will be positive exactly as that heel just wont let go of that little pin point pain either way! Thankfully it doesn't hurt at all in general, just when getting rolled on a ball or if i step on something sharp...
The Road Back: Week 1!
Instructions from coach G for the last week were: 40 miles at 7:30 or slower, run every day, Friday 4*30 second striders!
And that is exactly how it went down with a tiny bit of cross training, (1 swim and lots of house work) some good PT sessions, as well as an ART session, and a massage session.
40 miles for the week went like this:
8.25 at 8:02 pace with my new fleet feet crew!
AM Massage. Evening 4 treadmill at 7:43 pace followed by PT routine
8 at 7:30 solo on sidewalks, ART after
4 on treadmill at 7:36 followed by PT routine
AM Swim easy and PT with ED. Lunch run 7.5 at 7:56 with 4* 30 strides
3.25 easy solo at 8:18
6 easy on towpath with friends at 8:40
Spent the weekend moving furniture and ripping up carpet in the house so I did not cross train. Bruises everywhere and my hands are tore up! But the body feel good still and I don't seem to have tweaked anything!
Everything feels pretty great. But I am still going to schedule an xray this week, because we are pretty sure there is a tiny bone spur in my left heel and though there is nothing I can really do about it other than be aware etc. it will be good to know for sure what I am dealing with!
And that is exactly how it went down with a tiny bit of cross training, (1 swim and lots of house work) some good PT sessions, as well as an ART session, and a massage session.
40 miles for the week went like this:
8.25 at 8:02 pace with my new fleet feet crew!
AM Massage. Evening 4 treadmill at 7:43 pace followed by PT routine
8 at 7:30 solo on sidewalks, ART after
4 on treadmill at 7:36 followed by PT routine
AM Swim easy and PT with ED. Lunch run 7.5 at 7:56 with 4* 30 strides
3.25 easy solo at 8:18
6 easy on towpath with friends at 8:40
Spent the weekend moving furniture and ripping up carpet in the house so I did not cross train. Bruises everywhere and my hands are tore up! But the body feel good still and I don't seem to have tweaked anything!
Everything feels pretty great. But I am still going to schedule an xray this week, because we are pretty sure there is a tiny bone spur in my left heel and though there is nothing I can really do about it other than be aware etc. it will be good to know for sure what I am dealing with!
Safe and Sound
I've been in a real feel good place on pretty much every run since the Columbus marathon in October despite my bodies woes. While it was refreshing to find out the past few months that I can be a happy person without running it is also exciting to truly realize that my happiness reaches even higher heights with a good (or mediocre) run!
Just in general I have been feeling cheerier than I have in a long time and I have been grooving to a lot of feel good music these days. (I still appreciate a dose of The Shins or Mad World ala Gary Jules as much as the next girl though)
On a sounds eclectic kick again and sadly most of the great tunes on there do not have groovy videos but this one is a little fun if somewhat morbid in spots. I'd love to get out a bit more often for some official dancing but I most certainly have been caught dancing around the house, office, locker room these days when a good tune is on!
Hope you enjoy!
Just in general I have been feeling cheerier than I have in a long time and I have been grooving to a lot of feel good music these days. (I still appreciate a dose of The Shins or Mad World ala Gary Jules as much as the next girl though)
On a sounds eclectic kick again and sadly most of the great tunes on there do not have groovy videos but this one is a little fun if somewhat morbid in spots. I'd love to get out a bit more often for some official dancing but I most certainly have been caught dancing around the house, office, locker room these days when a good tune is on!
Hope you enjoy!
The Fabulous Life of a Sub Elite Gal in Cleveland
I have been a pretty spoiled runner the past few years. I have been fortunate to be coached by a wonderful friend who has a knack for spotting talent and getting a runners best out of them quickly and I have been sponsored by a great local running shop in edition to having had the elite/VIP treatment at a few big races the past few years. As exciting as that has been all of my local training buddies have been in agreement that something was missing and that we wanted our group to be a bit more defined and that we really wanted to have an opportunity to support our fast runners in a better way.
So it is with huge delight that I get to announce a new elite development group started up by my coach Glenn Andrews. Cleveland Elite Development is a group of athletes trying to take it to the next level all coached by Glenn and now sponsored by Fleet Feet, Nike, and Tim Keyes. Added bonus all of these amazing runners are my close friends.
The sub elite level is not always easy to pursue. We all have full time jobs and we are committed to training hard and putting in more hours than most sane people want to put into anything let alone a sport that doesn't really "pay." We are all driven because we want to get faster every day and we genuinely love the sport. Having a team like Fleet Feet, Nike, and Tim Keyes behind you is key to getting to that next level!
I know I personally have benefited so much from Tim Keyes work and I am beyond grateful that he is supporting the team now and myself. I would not be able to train at this level right now if it was not for his help.
I am an avid supporter of all our local running shops and have been sponsored by Nike through Second Sole Akron the past two years. I love my Nike shoes and schwag and am very grateful for the two years Nike and Second Sole has supported me. These guys are some of the good guys and genuinely want to see the local elites get far.
While it is sad to be leaving my current team I am genuinely excited to be working with Fleet Feet this year. Jody and Heather are two of the nicest people around and they are huge supporters of the local running scene and athletes. I am very grateful that they are including me in this awesome sponsorship deal and can't wait to do my Monday runs from the store!
2012 is going to be a very exciting year for all the CED athletes! Keep an eye on this group and what Glenn is doing with all of us!
So it is with huge delight that I get to announce a new elite development group started up by my coach Glenn Andrews. Cleveland Elite Development is a group of athletes trying to take it to the next level all coached by Glenn and now sponsored by Fleet Feet, Nike, and Tim Keyes. Added bonus all of these amazing runners are my close friends.
The sub elite level is not always easy to pursue. We all have full time jobs and we are committed to training hard and putting in more hours than most sane people want to put into anything let alone a sport that doesn't really "pay." We are all driven because we want to get faster every day and we genuinely love the sport. Having a team like Fleet Feet, Nike, and Tim Keyes behind you is key to getting to that next level!
I know I personally have benefited so much from Tim Keyes work and I am beyond grateful that he is supporting the team now and myself. I would not be able to train at this level right now if it was not for his help.
I am an avid supporter of all our local running shops and have been sponsored by Nike through Second Sole Akron the past two years. I love my Nike shoes and schwag and am very grateful for the two years Nike and Second Sole has supported me. These guys are some of the good guys and genuinely want to see the local elites get far.
While it is sad to be leaving my current team I am genuinely excited to be working with Fleet Feet this year. Jody and Heather are two of the nicest people around and they are huge supporters of the local running scene and athletes. I am very grateful that they are including me in this awesome sponsorship deal and can't wait to do my Monday runs from the store!
2012 is going to be a very exciting year for all the CED athletes! Keep an eye on this group and what Glenn is doing with all of us!
Last week of "Freedom" Rundown
I am happy to report that starting this week I will be back working with my coach! The body is (knock on wood) feeling really good. I'm still doing the PT/Massage/ART thing but it is more for maintenance now rather than fixing any specific problem. The foot feels good and genuinely the PT has my core feeling much stronger and I am hoping that will soon lead to a left side that is doing its fair share of the work while running! Added bonus I have a super slim stomach going on ;) Still haven't reached that elusive 6 pack yet!
Did my first official long run since Philly. Well I am calling 12 a long run for now :) Pushed the pace a bit the first 5 miles around 6:50s then took the back half of the course easy catching up with my SERC buddies after the water stop. I gotta say I much prefer tackling the Solon hill at 8 minute pace to those 6:30s we were rolling at last summer ;) Body felt good after the run and no residual foot pain!
I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things! 45 miles this past week with one day off, all around 8 minute pace with one 45 minute trainer ride and a few PT sessions on my own as well as an ART appointment. Slacked off on swimming and yoga yet again! But super busy at work and around the house so I am keeping fit even when not officially training.
So to recap my time off to recover after Philly went like this :)
Week 1- 0 miles
Week 2- 5 days cross training, no runs
Week 3- 5 runs 24 miles, 1 cross training day
Week 4 - 3 runs 15 miles, 2 days cross training
Week 5- 3 runs 20 miles, 1 day cross training
Week 6- 3 runs 17 miles, no cross training
Week 7- 6 runs 37 miles, one cross training day
Week 8- 6 runs 38 miles, no cross training
Week 9- 6 runs 45 miles, one day cross training
I want to look back and remember this for sure. In the past I have gotten very caught up in the log and not taking time off. I honestly feel better than I have in ages and I genuinely believe this down time is going to pay off big time for me in 2012! This is the least amount of training I have done in probably 3 years plus. And I am so glad that I took this period easy and took the time to really heal my body and get healthy mentally and physically so I can toe the line a stronger woman this year!
Did my first official long run since Philly. Well I am calling 12 a long run for now :) Pushed the pace a bit the first 5 miles around 6:50s then took the back half of the course easy catching up with my SERC buddies after the water stop. I gotta say I much prefer tackling the Solon hill at 8 minute pace to those 6:30s we were rolling at last summer ;) Body felt good after the run and no residual foot pain!
I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things! 45 miles this past week with one day off, all around 8 minute pace with one 45 minute trainer ride and a few PT sessions on my own as well as an ART appointment. Slacked off on swimming and yoga yet again! But super busy at work and around the house so I am keeping fit even when not officially training.
So to recap my time off to recover after Philly went like this :)
Week 1- 0 miles
Week 2- 5 days cross training, no runs
Week 3- 5 runs 24 miles, 1 cross training day
Week 4 - 3 runs 15 miles, 2 days cross training
Week 5- 3 runs 20 miles, 1 day cross training
Week 6- 3 runs 17 miles, no cross training
Week 7- 6 runs 37 miles, one cross training day
Week 8- 6 runs 38 miles, no cross training
Week 9- 6 runs 45 miles, one day cross training
I want to look back and remember this for sure. In the past I have gotten very caught up in the log and not taking time off. I honestly feel better than I have in ages and I genuinely believe this down time is going to pay off big time for me in 2012! This is the least amount of training I have done in probably 3 years plus. And I am so glad that I took this period easy and took the time to really heal my body and get healthy mentally and physically so I can toe the line a stronger woman this year!
Weekly Rundown!
You know you are busy when you're weekly rundown doesn't get posted until Friday ;)
I am running more, and the body is getting better/stronger every day! Yay! I am mentally ready to get back after it, but trying to be patient and ease the body back in.
About 38 miles last week with one day entirely off. Had a kick ass PT session that left my body wrecked so I took Friday off as I was sore as hell and traveling to Houston. I also got in for an ART session but didn't get in any real cross training unless you count marathon spectating and dancing ;)
High on life and the post trials experience. But expect a lot of fun posts from me as soon as I catch my breath and get my voice back ;)
I am running more, and the body is getting better/stronger every day! Yay! I am mentally ready to get back after it, but trying to be patient and ease the body back in.
About 38 miles last week with one day entirely off. Had a kick ass PT session that left my body wrecked so I took Friday off as I was sore as hell and traveling to Houston. I also got in for an ART session but didn't get in any real cross training unless you count marathon spectating and dancing ;)
High on life and the post trials experience. But expect a lot of fun posts from me as soon as I catch my breath and get my voice back ;)
Wishing Well
I've been grooving to Airborne Toxic Event for the past few months. They keep cropping up on my car rides curtsey of Sirius, on a few friends blogs, and I loved the Sounds Eclectic show they did.
Heard this song this morning on the way to work. I like the polished radio edit better, but I like the strings/drums/piano and live performance too and I love how into it they are on all of their live videos I have watched.
Heard this song this morning on the way to work. I like the polished radio edit better, but I like the strings/drums/piano and live performance too and I love how into it they are on all of their live videos I have watched.
Houston Bound
Amidst all my current life crazy I decided that I just could not miss the opportunity to see so many dear friends race the trials on Saturday. Budget be Damned I am headed to Houston! Really and truly Boston and watching the women's trials 4 years ago inspired me to go from a 3:30ish marathoner to a 2:50ish marathoner, I am very much excited to see what inspiration this event will hold for me this year! In 2008 I knew one or two women in the field and I was still amazed. I am now a much more avid fan of the sport and it's elites, on top of having met many of these women personally at Boston this year and through my training in Ohio. I am Beyond ecstatic about this trip and the spectator friendly course and the enticement of seeing the men's and women's races on the same course.
In case you aren't following me on facebook or twitter here are some links to some great write ups on local runners who have made it to the trials!
http://runnersfeed.com/nicole-marie-camp-employs-the-three-day-rule-to-stay-healthy/
http://www.runohio.com/index.php/news/203-us-olympic-trials--marathon
http://runnersfeed.com/sarah-flaments-sacrifice-and-perseverance-will-carry-her-through/
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2012/01/10/brookside-grad-gets-third-try-at-olympic-marathon-trials/
http://www.runblogrun.com/2012/01/becki-michael-a-personal-trial-houston-2012-by-dave-hunter-note-by-larry-eder.html (Her blog here)
http://runnersfeed.com/jason-ordway-is-chasing-the-dream/
Molly Pritz
In addition to those local and close runner buddy's of mine, I have been pretty avidly following the trials pursuits of the following bloggers and I am sure they would all appreciate any well wishes the internet wants to give them!
Camille Herron
MRN
Red
Jaymee
Caitlin Smith
You can "meet" some other great gals who qualified through the Miles & Trials site too!
My personal faves from the top elites that I haven't actually "met" like Molly P. are Jen Rhines and Blake Russell in addition to Katie McGregor I think, but I expect Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davilla, and Deena Kastor are going to be the front runners and you can't leave out Magda. I can't wait to see how it all plays out! (Note I have not done my research at all as I have been swamped, this is all personal bias, and for all I know some of these ladies opted not to run the trials. Check out this article though!)
And let's not leave out the men! My faves are definitely cuties Meb and Ryan Hall (And would love to see a dark horse like Sell make it again) We are pretty much besties as they both waved to me while doing pre race shakeouts for Boston the past few years ;)
My personal good lucks go out to in no particular order:
Nicole Camp
Melissa Rittenhouse
Mandy Yates
Sarah Flament
Becki Michael
Molly Pritz
Amy Hauswirth
Jacklyn Rzpecki
Jackie E. Pirtle-Hall
Meghan Arbogast
Caitlin Smith
Ryan Kienzle
Jason and Josh Ordway
Leo Kormanik
I hope to get a ton of great photos and document my whole trials watching experience this weekend! I can't wait!
In case you aren't following me on facebook or twitter here are some links to some great write ups on local runners who have made it to the trials!
http://runnersfeed.com/nicole-marie-camp-employs-the-three-day-rule-to-stay-healthy/
http://www.runohio.com/index.php/news/203-us-olympic-trials--marathon
http://runnersfeed.com/sarah-flaments-sacrifice-and-perseverance-will-carry-her-through/
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2012/01/10/brookside-grad-gets-third-try-at-olympic-marathon-trials/
http://www.runblogrun.com/2012/01/becki-michael-a-personal-trial-houston-2012-by-dave-hunter-note-by-larry-eder.html (Her blog here)
http://runnersfeed.com/jason-ordway-is-chasing-the-dream/
Molly Pritz
In addition to those local and close runner buddy's of mine, I have been pretty avidly following the trials pursuits of the following bloggers and I am sure they would all appreciate any well wishes the internet wants to give them!
Camille Herron
MRN
Red
Jaymee
Caitlin Smith
You can "meet" some other great gals who qualified through the Miles & Trials site too!
My personal faves from the top elites that I haven't actually "met" like Molly P. are Jen Rhines and Blake Russell in addition to Katie McGregor I think, but I expect Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davilla, and Deena Kastor are going to be the front runners and you can't leave out Magda. I can't wait to see how it all plays out! (Note I have not done my research at all as I have been swamped, this is all personal bias, and for all I know some of these ladies opted not to run the trials. Check out this article though!)
And let's not leave out the men! My faves are definitely cuties Meb and Ryan Hall (And would love to see a dark horse like Sell make it again) We are pretty much besties as they both waved to me while doing pre race shakeouts for Boston the past few years ;)
My personal good lucks go out to in no particular order:
Nicole Camp
Melissa Rittenhouse
Mandy Yates
Sarah Flament
Becki Michael
Molly Pritz
Amy Hauswirth
Jacklyn Rzpecki
Jackie E. Pirtle-Hall
Meghan Arbogast
Caitlin Smith
Ryan Kienzle
Jason and Josh Ordway
Leo Kormanik
I hope to get a ton of great photos and document my whole trials watching experience this weekend! I can't wait!
Song For You
I have been totally neglecting my weekly video search even though I am listening to tons of amazing music, shame on me!
I heard this tune the other day and love his voice, very pleasant, and I love the guitar.
I heard this tune the other day and love his voice, very pleasant, and I love the guitar.
On the Mend?
Well despite traveling back home Tuesday last week and lots to do back here in Ohio I actually managed to get in a decent week's training (relative to the last few weeks!) I am clearly not ready for heavy training yet, but it feels good to have gotten in more than 2 or 3 hours of exercise for the week and I am hopeful I will be back up and getting in 50-65 miles here soon!
I think it was a Kara Goucher post about healing from injuries or it may have been Lauren Fleshman and I am sure a gazillion other folks have noted that coming back from injury you wait until you feel good again before ramping back up... and then you wait a few more days to be sure. So I am trying to be cautious and not getting my hopes up too high that I am closing in on 100%, but I just feel really good and it seems like things are going to start lining up. I am committed to getting in massage twice a month, getting in for ART once a week if needed, and to keeping up the PT routine to make sure I do not relapse! I am also committed to only doing base mileage until my body is ready for harder training.
Aerobically I feel fantastic. Saturday was the first longish run I did since Philly where I pushed the pace a bit and it felt fantastic. But I need to be careful as clearly my muscles need some time to ease back in even though I am still aerobically super fit. I can tell when I run hills etc that the strength just isn't where it was before Philly, but I am hopeful it will come back quickly with the help of the PT routine until I can do real workouts!
The quick rundown:
6 runs totaling 37 miles
1 trainer ride for an hour
1 20 minute/900 meter swim
1.5 PT sessions
1 massage
Most of the runs right now are around 8 minute pace and it feels fine. I hit up the trails Saturday on my own and just had so much fun getting wet and muddy and laughing in the sun. Taking it one day at a time and when a PT exercise gets a little tough instead of pushing through I just back it off on reps etc. Really hoping to grow from my 2011 experiences with overuse etc. and be a better more healthy athlete this year!
I think it was a Kara Goucher post about healing from injuries or it may have been Lauren Fleshman and I am sure a gazillion other folks have noted that coming back from injury you wait until you feel good again before ramping back up... and then you wait a few more days to be sure. So I am trying to be cautious and not getting my hopes up too high that I am closing in on 100%, but I just feel really good and it seems like things are going to start lining up. I am committed to getting in massage twice a month, getting in for ART once a week if needed, and to keeping up the PT routine to make sure I do not relapse! I am also committed to only doing base mileage until my body is ready for harder training.
Aerobically I feel fantastic. Saturday was the first longish run I did since Philly where I pushed the pace a bit and it felt fantastic. But I need to be careful as clearly my muscles need some time to ease back in even though I am still aerobically super fit. I can tell when I run hills etc that the strength just isn't where it was before Philly, but I am hopeful it will come back quickly with the help of the PT routine until I can do real workouts!
The quick rundown:
6 runs totaling 37 miles
1 trainer ride for an hour
1 20 minute/900 meter swim
1.5 PT sessions
1 massage
Most of the runs right now are around 8 minute pace and it feels fine. I hit up the trails Saturday on my own and just had so much fun getting wet and muddy and laughing in the sun. Taking it one day at a time and when a PT exercise gets a little tough instead of pushing through I just back it off on reps etc. Really hoping to grow from my 2011 experiences with overuse etc. and be a better more healthy athlete this year!
Amazing
This has been sitting in the drafts since September and will have to suffice for today as I am totally swamped! An oldie but a goodie ;)
I'm late I'm late
We will return to regularly scheduled programming here soon I promise! I totally thought I had lined up videos to post while on vacation etc and found that I have been blog slacking even in my intended absence to not blog slack :)
Life has just been busy busy busy despite the lack of training!
Last posted I was dealing with some serious neck/shoulder issues and the lower back/hip/core was severely agitated, so I backed off of everything and focused on enjoying the holidays and a mini vacation from life and training. The body seems to be responding well to the rest and I am sincerely hopeful I can get the mileage back up here in the next few weeks once I settle into my 2012 routine.
PT numbers, running numbers, cross training numbers were dismal last week, but walking numbers, fun numbers, beer drinking numbers, and relaxation numbers were at an all time high and the body and soul appreciated it!
3 runs around 17.5 miles total. All on the east coast. Lovely fun run with RVRR in New Brunswick, awesome run around Rutgers' Cook, college, and Douglas campus', and finally ran the main loop at Central Park! Central Park loop was 55 degrees and sunny on December 30th. Have to love running in the shorts and bra to end the year on a fun note!
Lots of walking around New Brunswick, Princeton, and New York so I got in plenty of exercise and managed not to gain any holiday weight despite sampling many new beers the past two weeks! And of course there was dancing at least 3 of the nights on vacation last week to break in the new year! (that has to count for cross training!)
Only managed to do the PT routine once and had to bag any exercises that involved the shoulder. I had to take some naproxen to ease things up, didn't want to, but did not want to miss out on the fun runs I had planned. Off the drugs now and things feel good knock on wood! (despite a runny nose that will hopefully fade soon!) I have a massage tonight and will be scheduling ART and PT appointments for next week!
One day at a time and really trying to do everything, including the PT in moderation. I have the tendency to overdo everything so I am trying very hard to behave on all fronts!
Coaches instructions right now are just to focus on getting healthy, no mileage goals, no workouts. This is the perfect time to do that as I have no goals for 2012 that I absolutely have to have done. I want to be 100% before I commit to anything, though I certainly have some ideas and hope that I will be healthy and can reach them and I will post about those soon!
Life has just been busy busy busy despite the lack of training!
Last posted I was dealing with some serious neck/shoulder issues and the lower back/hip/core was severely agitated, so I backed off of everything and focused on enjoying the holidays and a mini vacation from life and training. The body seems to be responding well to the rest and I am sincerely hopeful I can get the mileage back up here in the next few weeks once I settle into my 2012 routine.
PT numbers, running numbers, cross training numbers were dismal last week, but walking numbers, fun numbers, beer drinking numbers, and relaxation numbers were at an all time high and the body and soul appreciated it!
3 runs around 17.5 miles total. All on the east coast. Lovely fun run with RVRR in New Brunswick, awesome run around Rutgers' Cook, college, and Douglas campus', and finally ran the main loop at Central Park! Central Park loop was 55 degrees and sunny on December 30th. Have to love running in the shorts and bra to end the year on a fun note!
Lots of walking around New Brunswick, Princeton, and New York so I got in plenty of exercise and managed not to gain any holiday weight despite sampling many new beers the past two weeks! And of course there was dancing at least 3 of the nights on vacation last week to break in the new year! (that has to count for cross training!)
Only managed to do the PT routine once and had to bag any exercises that involved the shoulder. I had to take some naproxen to ease things up, didn't want to, but did not want to miss out on the fun runs I had planned. Off the drugs now and things feel good knock on wood! (despite a runny nose that will hopefully fade soon!) I have a massage tonight and will be scheduling ART and PT appointments for next week!
One day at a time and really trying to do everything, including the PT in moderation. I have the tendency to overdo everything so I am trying very hard to behave on all fronts!
Coaches instructions right now are just to focus on getting healthy, no mileage goals, no workouts. This is the perfect time to do that as I have no goals for 2012 that I absolutely have to have done. I want to be 100% before I commit to anything, though I certainly have some ideas and hope that I will be healthy and can reach them and I will post about those soon!
2011 Race Reports
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