Hai is the most hilarious incarnation of hi to me! Mostly because it's used for snark purposes in conjuction with someone doing something of or related to a previous decade. Example... I saw a man in a Pelle Pelle sweatsuit. Oh. Hai 1998! LOLOL You know it's been too long since you posted when your husband who hasn't posted in over a year taps you on the shoulder. (He should be quiet on that front, though.)
1) I started to blog about the girl who flashed Rashan at a Cinco de Mayo party but the story was too ridiculous for blogging. I felt too old for what I typed. She was drunk so I completely ignored her. Not worth my effort. But it was a very strange situation. It bothered me more the next day than it did at the time.
2) I ran a free "5K" on Friday. Those "" are so necessary. First, it was at most 2.9 miles versus the 3.1 it should've been. 2nd, it was an obstacle course complete with ropes, tires, fire fighters with a hose on hills, running on trails and grass. If you had told me that I would've stayed at home. Not a happy camper.
3) Reminder: Bitterness is not a good look at any time. It is worse during a holiday.
4) My mom and sister took this Mother's Day to let me know they'd like me to have some babies. Exit stage left.
5) I'm running 10 miles on Tuesday. It's surreal. A year ago I'd never run so much as a mile without stopping.
6) I want to take an adult ballet class. I loved ballet as a kid. I took tap and jazz too but ballet! So elegant. Le sigh.
7) It rained and rained and rained here over the last almost 24 hours. We had a roof leak about a year ago so I kept praying it wouldn't return. It didn't. Yay!
8) Our wretched fighting neighbors vacuum even more than they fight. Bizarre, n'est-çe pas?? Last week one of them started vacuuming in the middle of a fight. ????
9) I still need to edit our wedding video... I should probably get that done before our first anniversary, huh? 6 more weeks!
10) SIL and future BIL are sickening on facebook professing their love for each other. Rashan and I make retching noises every time. I still haven't decided what I'm cooking for their wedding dinner. Though she's vegan, no one else is and she didn't specify what she wanted. I told twitter I'm doing a bacon ice cream with honey butter sauce on leather plates. LOL I kid I kid. But I'm going to cook whatever I feel like cooking + these three way gingersnaps (ground ginger, crystallized ginger & fresh ginger) my MIL stans for.
11) The show "Girls" is hilarious! "Veep" is less enjoyable for me but still watchable.
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
4.16.2012
10K #2: Cary Road Race Recap
When last we meet I had prepared for myself a training schedule after a disappointing first 10K. I wanted at least a three-minute improvement over my first 10K. I knew I could get under 1:18:00. In training even with walking segments I had done a little over 1:18:00. My secondary goal was 1:15:00. I had added some new speed workouts and hill training into my preparation hoping I would be able to see some relatively quick results. I knew I wouldn't be able to run the course prior to the race so I also needed to do some research.
A quick google search yielded a runner's forum about the race so I knew there was a big hill in the first mile. Since it was a modified loop, we would hit it again in mile 3. My strategy was to go out relatively slow in the first mile or two to pace myself, then pick it up in mile three. In the previous race, I picked it up in mile 4 and that was way too late to make enough of a dent in my time.
Thursday I gathered all of my running gear to pack for my trip up there. My mom picked me up on Friday so we could make this a dual purposed occasion. I would run my race and we'd also hang out with my sister to celebrate her birthday! I was very excited! The girls would be back together! And Rashan really hates getting up for races. It turns out he was up before 8:30 (the start of the race) anyway without me waking him up.
Friday night, I'd decided to cook Thai. But both of them were not interested in the coconut milk. Seriously? So I made my old stand-by of angel hair pasta with diced fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion & crushed red pepper. I switched it up a little by adding spinach and mushrooms. It was delicious but everything takes longer in an unfamiliar kitchen so my feet were hurting by the end. Ugh.
I don't usually sleep well pre-race but I had slept terribly the entire week previous so I knew I'd be able to get some decent sleep. Except... I went to sleep around 10 knowing I'd need to be up at 6 to eat. When I woke up before my alarm, I felt extremely rested but hungry and a little thirsty. I decided if it was 5 something, I'd just get up and eat. Except when I looked at the clock, it was 1:18!!! Are you kidding me? Before my last 10K, I used that mid-sleep hunger and ate something at 3 a.m. It worked pretty well. So this time I got some pasta and did a load of laundry. I know!! I'm nutty. I finally got back in the bed around 4 but couldn't fall asleep until about an hour later. That made me a little groggy when it was time to get up but like I said, it's become a race morning ritual so I'm used to it. And I'm in good company. Lots of people share the same inability to sleep pre-race.
Race morning, I had to corral my mom and sister to get them out of the house on time. The bad thing about racing is that I have all of the energy and excitement of the race and sometimes it's just another morning of being up way too early for the people who are with me. I need them to be way more excited. Plus they were moving too slowly and I wanted to be out of the house at 7:30. We were 9 minutes late and I had an attitude. This wasn't going well. When we got in the car, I was cramped into the back seat of my sister's tiny G5. THEN there was some radio "discussion" foolishness about snitching. I can't. I requested music and she always has fast-paced stuff so my spirits picked up immediately.
We get to the race site and I get my timing chip then go to the bathroom. We are now 5/5 in non-portable toilet race bathrooms!!! I was quite happy! There were bread samples pre-race so I got some Great Harvest cinnamon chunk deliciousness to knock off the pre-race hunger I often get. I had brought tangelo slices as well just in case. This was the first time I was running with a reusable chip that attaches to your shoe. Every other race, I've had the foam chip attached to my race number. I decide to do a little warm-up then get my mind right so I leave them about 12 minutes out. I had written the times I wanted to hit each mile on the inside of my forearm so I reviewed those again as well. Organization was bizarre here. There were signs for registration/chip pick-up/packet pick-up but none for the start of the race. What?? So I asked one of the chip volunteers and he had no idea. I had to just follow the other runners. Usually there are bullhorn or microphone announcements prior to the start. It was even set up for that with a podium & mic but nothing. The horn went off and we started moving. I was in the back so it was really the guy who was calling out the countdown clock who helped me know the race was starting on time. Umm... I guess.
I wanted to hit 12:30 in my first mile. I started off a little fast as race day can do to you but I knew I needed to conserve in case there was something crazy happening on that first hill. There were multiple people who were ahead of me and two or three behind. I was in a little pocket of Jameil by myself. And I heard the end of the race sweeper cart way too close. Like I turned around like what is that??? I was like okay I'm really not going THAT slow for you to be doing all that. I started to catch the group of 8-10 people who had sprinted past me so as not to be last but 1) we weren't to the hill yet, 2) I didn't know how fast they were going, 3) I have to run my own race. I had to remind myself that some of those people may be running their first 10K and they will burn out. I don't want to be burning with them.
When I hit the first hill, it was long and steep. The group in front of me was walking up it. I decided to run it but then I realized I was expending a little too much energy and could get up it faster by walking. I still passed several people in the :10 or so it took me to get to the top then started running again as I would do the rest of the race. I knew there would be volunteers to call out times at each mile so I was looking forward to 1) hearing how close I was to my projected time and 2) seeing how off my Runkeeper GPS was as far as mileage. Pretty close. This time my GPS was behind. That's very unusual so I wondered what was up. I took a little hit in my time and ended up hitting the first mile at 13:04... my official average pace for my first 10K. Ummm... NO. I knew I felt like I was barely moving even while running at some points but that's just unacceptable for me. I kicked it up and decided to count my steps per minute. You pick a foot and count the steps on that foot for one minute and you should hit 90 or more. It gives you a short stride and helps you be more efficient in your running. It was like magic when I tried it on Tuesday so I knew I'd be pulling it out for the race.
When I hit mile two, I had made up that time and was right around my target time of 24:30. By the time we rounded into mile three, I was seeing my family. Yay! I love seeing my people on the course! (I have no idea why in that picture it looks like I'm running alone! LOL I was also about 1:30 faster than where I needed to be and still feeling strong. I was ecstatic! I spilled water on my already finicky headphones (shout out to Apple for those God awful headphones that have the controls on them) and they shorted out around this time. Because I do at least every other run without music anyway, I was prepared. I was also coming up on the second hill. I saw people walking again and had already picked out two nominees for the next people to pass. They were walking up the hill together and talking. It was time to attack. I took that hill just like I do in training... WITH GUSTO!! I chanted to myself, "Kill the hill! Kill the hill!" As I was about to pass the nominees, one saw me coming and said, "Let's run again." They were doing a run-walk pattern so I knew even if they were running now, by the time they started walking, I would pass them. I decided to ride their pace for a minute or so to give them the false sense of security they apparently needed since they started running when they saw me but also so as not to waste too much energy on passing two people I knew I would eventually pass anyway.
I dropped them heading into mile 4. And I didn't see them again. I had lost a tiny bit of time though so I knew it was really REALLY time to kick it into gear. I looked at my mile 5 goal and decided I was still on target to crush my sub-1:18:00 goal and in a good position to beat my sub-1:15:00. I found my next nominees. They were separate. One woman started running again when she heard me then raced on the downhill. I was chasing her hard at first then I remembered what I read about downhills seeming fun but having the ability to trash your quads so I slowed down a bit. I knew I would catch her. I also knew I was still picking up some good speed and making great time to hit my own goals. At the end of the hill, the lady who was racing was exhausted. I passed her easily when she began walking. I had a lot left so I kicked it back into gear for what I knew was mostly flat from here on out (the best part about a loop on an unfamiliar course). By mile 5 I was ahead of my now set sub-1:15 target by almost 2 minutes. I dropped the other girl who also started walking. We both did a cheer at our mile 5 times and got around the lake. (You might think running around a lake is pretty and scenic... but you could be wrong. It was brown and kind of murky-looking. But it wasn't a big deal.)
I left them behind and set my eyes on the next nominee. I got a little water to drink (not from the lake) and bore down. Did I mention the weather was PERFECT??? It was a little chilly pre-race but once I was moving and the sun was up a little more, the temperature was right around 60 degrees. Your performance can begin to suffer for every degree over 60. I was feeling great! I love running in that weather! You don't need a whole lot of clothes and can just strip off the layers plus the cool air keeps the sweat in check. My next nominee was doing a good job with her pace and still looked strong but I was closing in. We were about 3/4 of a mile from the finish and I wanted to gun it at the end. There was a small but steep hill right in front of us that I thought I could attack and push past her and I was right! I caught her right after the hill! Then I saw my family again and I must've looked very serious and determined(/worried???) because my sister asked me if I was okay. SURE AM!!! I saw two more passing nominees. I thought, can I really pass two more people??? Hmmm... This is the last quarter mile! GO FOR IT!!
Right before we hit 6 miles, one nominee (ringing a cowbell!!! LOL) turned and said to the other, you can do it! I used it for myself and pushed past them. You should have seen the encourager's face. I basically came out of NOWHERE and shocked them! I hadn't been less than 1/4 mile near them all race. At mile 6, I heard, "72:12" and thought "OMG!!! I CAN GET SUB-1:14:00!!!" .05 later I was starting to fade a little but refused to be caught in the last .2 miles!! As I rounded the last corners (it was really winding in this portion), I saw the finish line clock was at 1:13:30. WHAT?!?!? I kept pushing and crossed at 1:13:46!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OVER. THE. MOON!!!! More than 7 minutes off of my previous time, I paced myself better AND I beat 1:18 AND 1:15!! I would like to thank all of the many articles I read on the subject of 10Ks and running in general, speed work & hill repeats! How was the water container empty when I got to it, though??? That's a fail. I had my own but I was still not pleased. I got a piece of bagel then got in line for the free Tijuana Flats chicken tacos! Yes! That was the first restaurant Rashan & I went to when I moved to Gainesville so it has a special place in my heart. I also won a frisbee but a kid won a free dessert and asked to trade with me. Um of course! LOL I also got free stretching. When the dude cracked my back, I yelped and mom heard the crack 100 yards away! Insane!
For some reason at this race, the fun run is AFTER the main races. What??? My sister was running it so we had to wait until almost 11 for the start. You know I was ready to eat 8 or 9 horses, right? I had burned 847 calories! Yeah... After that, we went back to my sister's apartment and my mom cooked breakfast while I made bellinis then promptly fell into a deep sleep. I am usually awakened by everything. They left and went to the mall and I didn't hear them until they returned. Then my sister took a nap. I went back to sleep for another hour or so until it was time for dinner.
A couple more things about the race: they announced it was short on the first turn so it wasn't technically 6.2 miles so the course record, which a guy hit by 7 seconds, wouldn't count. How awful is that? Poor thing. He passed me twice running his little heart out with the closest competitor two minutes behind at the end and a simple mistake cost him a course record. Not cool. I hope he gets free registration for next year. It's only $13 but still. If you didn't want them to keep time for you it was only $10. That meant I passed more people than were on the race docket. Cool with me! And of COURSE I'm counting this PR!
Overall, I had a great time! I now know I can run a little faster at the outset and go a hard pace and probably be even faster. I'm going to take it a little easy this week. I'll clock no more than 10 miles of running versus my usual 12+ and next week I'll begin training for a half marathon!!!! I'm so geeked! I expect to have at least two months before my next 10K should I run another one so my goal for that one will be sub-1:12:00 with a secondary goal of sub-1:10. If I'm even faster in training, with continued speed work & my long runs getting to be so much longer than a 10K, I might adjust even more! Wheeee!
A quick google search yielded a runner's forum about the race so I knew there was a big hill in the first mile. Since it was a modified loop, we would hit it again in mile 3. My strategy was to go out relatively slow in the first mile or two to pace myself, then pick it up in mile three. In the previous race, I picked it up in mile 4 and that was way too late to make enough of a dent in my time.
Thursday I gathered all of my running gear to pack for my trip up there. My mom picked me up on Friday so we could make this a dual purposed occasion. I would run my race and we'd also hang out with my sister to celebrate her birthday! I was very excited! The girls would be back together! And Rashan really hates getting up for races. It turns out he was up before 8:30 (the start of the race) anyway without me waking him up.
Friday night, I'd decided to cook Thai. But both of them were not interested in the coconut milk. Seriously? So I made my old stand-by of angel hair pasta with diced fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion & crushed red pepper. I switched it up a little by adding spinach and mushrooms. It was delicious but everything takes longer in an unfamiliar kitchen so my feet were hurting by the end. Ugh.
I don't usually sleep well pre-race but I had slept terribly the entire week previous so I knew I'd be able to get some decent sleep. Except... I went to sleep around 10 knowing I'd need to be up at 6 to eat. When I woke up before my alarm, I felt extremely rested but hungry and a little thirsty. I decided if it was 5 something, I'd just get up and eat. Except when I looked at the clock, it was 1:18!!! Are you kidding me? Before my last 10K, I used that mid-sleep hunger and ate something at 3 a.m. It worked pretty well. So this time I got some pasta and did a load of laundry. I know!! I'm nutty. I finally got back in the bed around 4 but couldn't fall asleep until about an hour later. That made me a little groggy when it was time to get up but like I said, it's become a race morning ritual so I'm used to it. And I'm in good company. Lots of people share the same inability to sleep pre-race.
Race morning, I had to corral my mom and sister to get them out of the house on time. The bad thing about racing is that I have all of the energy and excitement of the race and sometimes it's just another morning of being up way too early for the people who are with me. I need them to be way more excited. Plus they were moving too slowly and I wanted to be out of the house at 7:30. We were 9 minutes late and I had an attitude. This wasn't going well. When we got in the car, I was cramped into the back seat of my sister's tiny G5. THEN there was some radio "discussion" foolishness about snitching. I can't. I requested music and she always has fast-paced stuff so my spirits picked up immediately.
We get to the race site and I get my timing chip then go to the bathroom. We are now 5/5 in non-portable toilet race bathrooms!!! I was quite happy! There were bread samples pre-race so I got some Great Harvest cinnamon chunk deliciousness to knock off the pre-race hunger I often get. I had brought tangelo slices as well just in case. This was the first time I was running with a reusable chip that attaches to your shoe. Every other race, I've had the foam chip attached to my race number. I decide to do a little warm-up then get my mind right so I leave them about 12 minutes out. I had written the times I wanted to hit each mile on the inside of my forearm so I reviewed those again as well. Organization was bizarre here. There were signs for registration/chip pick-up/packet pick-up but none for the start of the race. What?? So I asked one of the chip volunteers and he had no idea. I had to just follow the other runners. Usually there are bullhorn or microphone announcements prior to the start. It was even set up for that with a podium & mic but nothing. The horn went off and we started moving. I was in the back so it was really the guy who was calling out the countdown clock who helped me know the race was starting on time. Umm... I guess.
I wanted to hit 12:30 in my first mile. I started off a little fast as race day can do to you but I knew I needed to conserve in case there was something crazy happening on that first hill. There were multiple people who were ahead of me and two or three behind. I was in a little pocket of Jameil by myself. And I heard the end of the race sweeper cart way too close. Like I turned around like what is that??? I was like okay I'm really not going THAT slow for you to be doing all that. I started to catch the group of 8-10 people who had sprinted past me so as not to be last but 1) we weren't to the hill yet, 2) I didn't know how fast they were going, 3) I have to run my own race. I had to remind myself that some of those people may be running their first 10K and they will burn out. I don't want to be burning with them.
When I hit the first hill, it was long and steep. The group in front of me was walking up it. I decided to run it but then I realized I was expending a little too much energy and could get up it faster by walking. I still passed several people in the :10 or so it took me to get to the top then started running again as I would do the rest of the race. I knew there would be volunteers to call out times at each mile so I was looking forward to 1) hearing how close I was to my projected time and 2) seeing how off my Runkeeper GPS was as far as mileage. Pretty close. This time my GPS was behind. That's very unusual so I wondered what was up. I took a little hit in my time and ended up hitting the first mile at 13:04... my official average pace for my first 10K. Ummm... NO. I knew I felt like I was barely moving even while running at some points but that's just unacceptable for me. I kicked it up and decided to count my steps per minute. You pick a foot and count the steps on that foot for one minute and you should hit 90 or more. It gives you a short stride and helps you be more efficient in your running. It was like magic when I tried it on Tuesday so I knew I'd be pulling it out for the race.
 |
| Waving at my family! |
 |
| Putting on the game face |
 |
| About to overtake some people nearing mile 6 |
Right before we hit 6 miles, one nominee (ringing a cowbell!!! LOL) turned and said to the other, you can do it! I used it for myself and pushed past them. You should have seen the encourager's face. I basically came out of NOWHERE and shocked them! I hadn't been less than 1/4 mile near them all race. At mile 6, I heard, "72:12" and thought "OMG!!! I CAN GET SUB-1:14:00!!!" .05 later I was starting to fade a little but refused to be caught in the last .2 miles!! As I rounded the last corners (it was really winding in this portion), I saw the finish line clock was at 1:13:30. WHAT?!?!? I kept pushing and crossed at 1:13:46!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 |
| Basking in the glow of my PR! |
For some reason at this race, the fun run is AFTER the main races. What??? My sister was running it so we had to wait until almost 11 for the start. You know I was ready to eat 8 or 9 horses, right? I had burned 847 calories! Yeah... After that, we went back to my sister's apartment and my mom cooked breakfast while I made bellinis then promptly fell into a deep sleep. I am usually awakened by everything. They left and went to the mall and I didn't hear them until they returned. Then my sister took a nap. I went back to sleep for another hour or so until it was time for dinner.
A couple more things about the race: they announced it was short on the first turn so it wasn't technically 6.2 miles so the course record, which a guy hit by 7 seconds, wouldn't count. How awful is that? Poor thing. He passed me twice running his little heart out with the closest competitor two minutes behind at the end and a simple mistake cost him a course record. Not cool. I hope he gets free registration for next year. It's only $13 but still. If you didn't want them to keep time for you it was only $10. That meant I passed more people than were on the race docket. Cool with me! And of COURSE I'm counting this PR!
Overall, I had a great time! I now know I can run a little faster at the outset and go a hard pace and probably be even faster. I'm going to take it a little easy this week. I'll clock no more than 10 miles of running versus my usual 12+ and next week I'll begin training for a half marathon!!!! I'm so geeked! I expect to have at least two months before my next 10K should I run another one so my goal for that one will be sub-1:12:00 with a secondary goal of sub-1:10. If I'm even faster in training, with continued speed work & my long runs getting to be so much longer than a 10K, I might adjust even more! Wheeee!
4.02.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 136
1) Instagram is a tool, not a magician. It can not make your ugly pictures pretty. And please stop using 18 filters on every single picture. Love, everyone you know
2) When I meet another Jameil (Jamel, Jamelle, Jemele), I'm always excited! What do you do when you have a common name? Other than compare unusual spellings. I'm so used to having a relatively rare name that the idea of the opposite fascinates me. Any rarer names ever met anyone with their name? Do tell!
3) Ummm... Good Reads? Rating and getting book suggestions??? Yes, please!
4) I got Rashan GOOD for April Fools yesterday! Love it! LOLOL He was like, "You got me." And then he laughed bemusedly.
5) I hate what Time Warner Cable On Demand did to exercise on demand. How can I take something seriously that's called "Exercise Sportskool" and looks like it was filmed in a grandma's basement circa 1987? It. is. TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!
6) I boycotted the Muppets movie because it was over promoted. I felt like they were trying to MAKE me see that movie. So I refused. I'm sure I'll see it eventually but I'm still not over it.
7) I still haven't seen a lot of the best pic Oscar nominees after seeing all of them before the awards show the previous two years. This must end! And soon!
8) Rashan and his brother geek all the way out over Wrestlemania. I sit here with the stone-faced.
9) Know what I love about our moms? They are not even the least bit pressuring us about having children. They are excited by the prospect but not pressuring us. Know what else I love? My mom's saving her sabbatical for my first born. Awwwww!
10) I've given up on saying I have no desire to run a marathon. The more I read about it, and knowing myself, the more I believe it's inevitable for me. Half-Marathon 2012. Marathon 2013. Triathlon 2014. Wow.
11) I got carded twice at the same store this weekend. Who wants the over under for when I stop being regularly carded? I'm 29 now. I'm going to say 34. Laaaawd it's gonna be a long 5 years!
12) Have I told you lately I love the first of the month? 9 months of marriage as of yesterday! Woot! Our first 9 months of living together were way more annoying than our 9 months of marriage. I also love that we're 9 months in and have 900 (or so LOL) more months to go! Yaaaaay!
2) When I meet another Jameil (Jamel, Jamelle, Jemele), I'm always excited! What do you do when you have a common name? Other than compare unusual spellings. I'm so used to having a relatively rare name that the idea of the opposite fascinates me. Any rarer names ever met anyone with their name? Do tell!
3) Ummm... Good Reads? Rating and getting book suggestions??? Yes, please!
4) I got Rashan GOOD for April Fools yesterday! Love it! LOLOL He was like, "You got me." And then he laughed bemusedly.
5) I hate what Time Warner Cable On Demand did to exercise on demand. How can I take something seriously that's called "Exercise Sportskool" and looks like it was filmed in a grandma's basement circa 1987? It. is. TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!
6) I boycotted the Muppets movie because it was over promoted. I felt like they were trying to MAKE me see that movie. So I refused. I'm sure I'll see it eventually but I'm still not over it.
7) I still haven't seen a lot of the best pic Oscar nominees after seeing all of them before the awards show the previous two years. This must end! And soon!
8) Rashan and his brother geek all the way out over Wrestlemania. I sit here with the stone-faced.
9) Know what I love about our moms? They are not even the least bit pressuring us about having children. They are excited by the prospect but not pressuring us. Know what else I love? My mom's saving her sabbatical for my first born. Awwwww!
10) I've given up on saying I have no desire to run a marathon. The more I read about it, and knowing myself, the more I believe it's inevitable for me. Half-Marathon 2012. Marathon 2013. Triathlon 2014. Wow.
11) I got carded twice at the same store this weekend. Who wants the over under for when I stop being regularly carded? I'm 29 now. I'm going to say 34. Laaaawd it's gonna be a long 5 years!
12) Have I told you lately I love the first of the month? 9 months of marriage as of yesterday! Woot! Our first 9 months of living together were way more annoying than our 9 months of marriage. I also love that we're 9 months in and have 900 (or so LOL) more months to go! Yaaaaay!
3.26.2012
30 Before 30 #15: Run A 10k
To the 10K! Friday night I picked up my race packet with my number, the shirt you see to the right (ain't it cute?? Of course I don't like the orange on it but since I'm a Florida Gator I happened to have some orange ribbon) and gobs of advertisements and coupons from sponsors. My favorite? Free Chick-fil-a Chik-n-minis!!!!! That place has my favorite fast food breakfast. Those buttery biscuits! Yes, Lord! Evidence of your will and your way!
When I walked in to pick up my packet just 15 minutes after packet pick-up started, the line was wrapped around the gym. INSANE! Then someone said that was the 5k line and the 10k line was over there... aka the table with one person in line. Yes! I felt so proud walking over there! But when I left, despite there being well over 100 people in and around the school, not one person greeted me, or said hello. The sign out front says all welcome, this is a Catholic school and my participation directly helps your cause. OPEN YOUR MOUTH. People not speaking to me is my BIGGEST pet peeve when I'm spending my money. And most of all, this is my fourth race. I'm used to the excitement from volunteers. It's usually a very festive atmosphere. This was not. But I chalked it up in part to chaos and kept it moving as I got my race gear together. I laid out my outfit including the green socks with the shamrocks you can't see and reviewed my race morning preps.
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| Me and my sister! |
This race actually had food available before it started and INDOOR BATHROOMS!!! I'm delighted to never have experienced a race without actual bathrooms! I realize that as I enter larger races this will change but I will rest on my porta potty-free running laurels for a while. Back to the food. I couldn't finish my oatmeal that morning because it made me feel queasy. So I was glad to note there was a ton of food there! I had a bagel portion (probably 1/5), an orange slice and some (intentionally) watery coffee. I need that to enter my pre-race fuel list. I felt AWESOME during the race!
I planned to pace myself for at least the first half, then push for the last half and almost sprint for the last mile or so. I paced myself pretty well. The course was an out and back AGAIN (every race I've been in now) so I got to see all of the early people pass me. I also got to see who was behind me. I had passed two women around mile two. They were behind me, a couple and that's it. A man SPEED WALKING with walking sticks passed me around mile two. My goal remained during this race NOT to let him beat me. Now I could tell early on my Runkeeper app was about .3 of a mile off but I did not estimate how much that distance discrepancy would throw off my pacing.
I originally wanted to come in under 1:19:00 but as long as I came in under 1:23 (my previous longest 6.2-mile run while training), I decided that would be okay. While I was excited about this race, I felt like my training period was off, I didn't know enough about the 10k distance. And my former running partner, who though I need a break from training with, I like racing with, told me three days before the race that she wasn't doing the race anymore. ????? I blamed both of us for that poor training but really more myself. It's my responsibility to prepare myself to run the race I want to run. I'm still upset about it. I thought I was over this race but writing about it is bringing it all back.
The whole race I was smiling and waving at people as I passed them. It made it really fun to race! Unlike the people at the front of the pack. They were so focused they looked angry. Please make me stop running when it stops being fun. I understand being focused. I can be focused for free. I race because it's fun. Around 4.5 miles in, the cutest little girls came out of their house cheering and offered me water! So cute! They buoyed me up! Especially since this was where I saw a guy who stone-faced me. A COURSE VOLUNTEER did not smile, wave or in any way acknowledge me. He was one of multiple. Y'all. These were HANDS DOWN the worst course volunteers I've ever encountered. There were some great ones. The lady right after mile five was AWESOME! My favorite all day! The timekeepers were great. There were others. But I passed multiple people who looked annoyed to be there. YOU'RE A VOLUNTEER!! I DIDN'T MAKE YOU COME OUT HERE!! Twas bad.
Around mile five, I caught back up with walking man. He was always in view but I just closed the gap in mile four. When we hit the five-mile mark, I passed him. It was awesome! I almost thanked him for pacing me but thought that might come off as rude. At this point I was sprinting. My version of sprinting. I felt GREAT! When I got near the 6 mile mark, there were lots of people cheering so that was cool. But then there were others who turned their backs as I passed. I kid you not. HORRIBLE PEOPLE!!!! But right after them, I passed another woman. I felt a little bit bad about that because I could tell she was struggling and I knew it would only make her feel worse. I started to say something but thought it would sound bad. IDK.
After that I saw Rashan, my sister and her friend. They were cheering me on so that was fun! I love seeing my people at the race! Then I saw I the finish line clock was getting close to 1:21:00. UGH!! But I felt great so I was actually kind of okay. I just wanted to get under 1:21:00 so I pushed even more. I was pretty sure I made it so I was cool when I crossed the finish. I walked to get my legs back (your legs feel SO WEIRD after long runs) then got some food. All the Krispy Kreme doughnuts were gone by this time. Jameil wept.
Then I looked at my Runkeeper. Y'all. Why did this app have me thinking I was averaging 12:28/mile when I was actually averaging 13:04/mile!?!?!? I didn't even realize it until I saw the times posted online. I knew I felt great for the first 5 miles and that I was obviously holding back and pacing myself but 13:04?!!? I wanted to cry. With the way I felt at the end of the race? I bet I could've shaved off 2 minutes, maybe more. And my unofficial time was 1:21:01. UGH!!!!!!!!!! I consoled myself thinking the official time would be different because I didn't start right when the gun went off. You let the fastest people get at the front. So I hung back a little. EXCEPT it was a gun start. Everybody gets the same start time marked as the time the gun went off. AND NO ONE TOLD US. What!? Can you tell me the point of having chip timing (tracking my finish time) if everyone gets the same starting time???? How does that create official timing??? I can't describe to you how annoyed I am by that. I need every future race to be specific. It's so OBVIOUS that I wouldn't have even thought to question it.
Post-race, I like to hear the fastest runners. Most races announce the three fastest male and female. This race announced the fastest three males and females in every age group from 10 to 70+. In multiples of five. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? It took AT LEAST 45 minutes. The only reason I stayed was for the door prizes which they said you had to be present to receive. There were some FANTASTIC prizes. $100 gift certificates to running stores and expensive restaurants, travel vouchers. It was great. But then the woman drawing decided to look at a list of names and pick the first one that her eye landed on. Then they announced that because so few people stuck around, if you knew someone you could get their prize for them. A group of women got 4 prizes for people they knew. TOTAL CRAP. Of course I won nothing. I was so annoyed by the overall experience that I wrote a letter to the organizers. They offered me free registration for next year's race. I'll accept it, already praying in advance I'm not here this time next year and will kindly hope to never see any of those people again.
To shake off that awful, awful experience, I almost immediately found another race. My next 10K is April 10th in Cary, NC near my sister. I WILL come in under 1:18:00. I've done a lot of research. I will get what I want. Here are some things I learned from researching and from my own experience.
- I feel great when I get a tiny bit of food in me within 30 minutes of the race. I'm sticking with a piece of bagel and an orange.
- Gummy worms don't work for me. Just one spiked me WAY too much in a bad way.
- 10Ks are hard to pace because there's so little room for error if you start out too slow.
- I MUST write down my projected times for each mile. My app won't be an issue if I have my hits worked out ahead of time.
- Most importantly: get in the game. Train the way I want to to be READY, willing and able to race.
3.05.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 133
1) I stayed up this morning looking for the snow showers we could possibly get. Where are they??? Hmmm??? (I refuse to watch the local news as they prepare for snowmaggedon AKA an inch that won't stick.)
2) I ran with a large group for the first time yesterday... WOW! So cool! Too bad it was a joint effort of two groups in the area who generally run separately. They're too far for me to regularly drive and vice versa. :(
3) I had to break up with my running partner because she wasn't trying to get faster anymore. I felt like I was dragging her to pace every run. So draining. We had a talk about it and agreed to run separately... but she hates running alone so after less than a week I already feel her trying to reunite. And it wasn't a true break because we still see each other for group runs twice a week. We just don't run together the rest of the week. But she still texts me several times a week. I need a break from her. :(
4) I have been on a dessert kick for the last few months. I've never been a sweets person. Even now if you give me a choice between appetizer and dessert, I'm picking appetizer. Salty snack or sweet one, salty, please! But there's been some sort of trigger lately and I'm going NUTS! I bake something at least once a week and it's gone in less than 3 days. We've had brownies, ginger peanut butter cookies & lemon bars in the last three weeks. It's taking everything in me not to go eat the last lemon bar right now.
5) I finally used the electric citrus juicer we got for the wedding and OMG! I love it so much that after I juiced what I needed for the lemon bars, I juiced all of the limes I bought on the spur of the moment. LOL Now I need to figure out what I'm going to do with 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. Lime bars??? Margaritas??
6) I need a friend trip. I haven't seen most of my closest friends since my wedding. They're all spread out and I miss them!
7) I know a girl who's a historical re-enacter here. I tried on all of her 1800s hats this weekend and wanted every single one!!! Oh how I wish we lived in a time where people still wore hats daily!
8) I'm in the waiting period for most of the jobs I've applied for and I'm so, SO ready to know something. Something like the two I want most also want me the most! Regardless, I know God's preparing me AND my future employer!
9) Is anyone still playing Words with Friends??? I need some more opponents! Jameil1922
10) Rashan reaches for me in his sleep. He pats in my general direction until he finds me, confirms I'm there, then goes back to sleep. How cute is that?!
11) Psst... I ate the last lemon bar...
2) I ran with a large group for the first time yesterday... WOW! So cool! Too bad it was a joint effort of two groups in the area who generally run separately. They're too far for me to regularly drive and vice versa. :(
3) I had to break up with my running partner because she wasn't trying to get faster anymore. I felt like I was dragging her to pace every run. So draining. We had a talk about it and agreed to run separately... but she hates running alone so after less than a week I already feel her trying to reunite. And it wasn't a true break because we still see each other for group runs twice a week. We just don't run together the rest of the week. But she still texts me several times a week. I need a break from her. :(
4) I have been on a dessert kick for the last few months. I've never been a sweets person. Even now if you give me a choice between appetizer and dessert, I'm picking appetizer. Salty snack or sweet one, salty, please! But there's been some sort of trigger lately and I'm going NUTS! I bake something at least once a week and it's gone in less than 3 days. We've had brownies, ginger peanut butter cookies & lemon bars in the last three weeks. It's taking everything in me not to go eat the last lemon bar right now.
5) I finally used the electric citrus juicer we got for the wedding and OMG! I love it so much that after I juiced what I needed for the lemon bars, I juiced all of the limes I bought on the spur of the moment. LOL Now I need to figure out what I'm going to do with 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. Lime bars??? Margaritas??
6) I need a friend trip. I haven't seen most of my closest friends since my wedding. They're all spread out and I miss them!
7) I know a girl who's a historical re-enacter here. I tried on all of her 1800s hats this weekend and wanted every single one!!! Oh how I wish we lived in a time where people still wore hats daily!
8) I'm in the waiting period for most of the jobs I've applied for and I'm so, SO ready to know something. Something like the two I want most also want me the most! Regardless, I know God's preparing me AND my future employer!
9) Is anyone still playing Words with Friends??? I need some more opponents! Jameil1922
10) Rashan reaches for me in his sleep. He pats in my general direction until he finds me, confirms I'm there, then goes back to sleep. How cute is that?!
11) Psst... I ate the last lemon bar...
12.27.2011
5k Comparisons
After running two 5ks, I'm definitely hooked on racing! I love the camaraderie, the energy and trying to hit a new personal record in some goal or another! So let's do a side-by-side review of this race and the first one.Location
My first 5k was at the beach and therefore absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We didn't run on the actual beach, but rather along it and the intercoastal waterway. I couldn't see the beach during the run but I could smell it and enjoyed it before and after.
Result: Draw
Size & Atmosphere
Race one had about 350 people competing in a 5k and a 10k. Race two had about 3500!! Amazing to jump tenfold!! It was so cool seeing so many runners out and about. It was also a holiday-themed race and I saw Mrs. Claus AND an elf! At race number one, there was certainly a greater feeling of camaraderie even though I was running with people I knew at race two. The small size and friendliness of the volunteers at race one really helped.
Advantage: Race 2
Race one had free massages and delicious fresh bagels! There were lots of excited people around so that was fun! But I was most excited about the oyster festival. Unfortunately it was a horrible bust with limited oysters. WACK. The times were posted as people were coming in so it was cool to see your times as you came in and unwound. Plus it was my first race so I was SUPER excited!
Race two had lots of food but because of the crowd, there were way too many people in long lines trying to get to it. There were yummy Panera bagels and hot chicken and rice soup. Delicious. But there were no race times and no info on where to find it. What? Why? This was so incredibly frustrating. Even more so because we started at different times.
Result: Draw
Course
Race one was FLAT which was wonderful! I didn't even realize how wonderful until I started training on hills in the weeks after the race! And though it was at the beach, the course was pretty boring. It looped back before the first mile so I got to see all of these way who were way faster pass me in the first 10 minutes. Pretty demoralizing. But I quickly got over it.
Race two was hilly but near my normal route so I'd run it a few times. It was cool! And really pretty! I enjoyed it! It looped back later in the race so that was easier to take! Plus the last part of the route was mostly downhill which helps you really fly in the home stretch.
Advantage: Race 2
Swag
At race one, I got a medal. Who cares about the rest of it? I'm not running any more races without a medal.
Advantage: Race 1
Organization
This was the single biggest factor in my race. Race one went off without a hitch. It was on time. It was fun. I was ready to run! Race two? It started 30 minutes late without sufficient explanation. I found out later it was because they didn't shut down pre-race registration when they said they would and there were hundreds of runners still registering when the race was supposed to start. Thirty minutes doesn't sound like much but I got there at 7:25 for a race that was supposed to start at 8:35. It was 40 degrees outside and you see what I was wearing. It was fine for me to start running but not for me to be standing out there for an hour and a half. I couldn't feel my toes for the first 3/4 of a mile. That is not cool. I had also planned my food and water for an 8:35 start so by the time I started I didn't feel appropriately fueled or hydrated. So not cool. This category was a no-brainer.
Advantage: Race 1
Overall
While I loved the size and Christmasness of race 2, the organization killed it for me. I like things to be decent and in order. I'm feeling about done with 5ks. For a while at least. (Unless you know of a free local one...) I'm ready for my first 10k in March!
Advantage: Race 1
10.20.2011
#9: Run a 5k
In July 2008, I found a 5k I wanted to run. Now finding a 5k to run and running a 5k or even training to run a 5k as you know are not the same thing. They don't even look like the same thing. One's all talk, the other is ACTION! For the last 3 Januarys, I've made a new year's resolution to run a 5k. What took me so long? I've never liked to run. Ever. Not even when chased. On the playground, I preferred to just say, "Okay okay! You caught me!" Seriously. LOL I never ran all the way through the mile in school. I just didn't like to run.
But back in 2008, Losangelista & 1969 ran a marathon and a 5k respectively. And I was like now wait a minute. I DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT! And I felt like if Liz can run for 26 miles, I can run for 3, right? I'm already in great shape so it shouldn't be too big of a leap! Then I went to grad school. And not only did I not run, I barely worked out. Twas bad. I knew when I created my 30 Before 30 list, running a 5k absolutely had to be on there. It was one of my easiest additions.
Once again I found a race, I even hired a trainer (then fired her when I found out she wasn't a runner) and hired a new one who runs marathons to get me in shape to run. Then 7 weeks ago, I started the Couch to 5k (C25K) running plan. The general idea is that through interval training you build up to be able to run 30 minutes or a 5k. I was hooked from the first week! In week one, I felt very capable. Week 2 was a bit harder, but still cool. Each week I felt more and more proud of myself as I hit new milestones. Then I registered for my first 5k.
I decided to run the Oyster Festival 5k at Ocean Isle Beach partly because my family used to vacation down there but mostly because you got free entry to the Oyster Festival!!!! Do y'all know how much I love oysters? I love them as much as Bubba loved shrimp! I'll eat them however you'll serve them. Raw, steamed, broiled, fried, in stew, with toppings, with only a bit of lemon and some horseradish, with cocktail sauce, just gimme the oysters!! So I trained and trained but before the race, I'd only ever run about 1.6 miles, which is about half of the 3.1 miles required for a 5k. That made me a little nervous but I figured if I ran for the 22 minutes I was scheduled to run for Week 6, Day 3 of C25K, I could probably go a little further and if I needed to walk, I could do that, too. But I also knew if I stopped running, it would be harder to start up again. I went ahead and set a goal of 45 minutes.
Rashan and I spent the night in the city where my dad was born and raised (more on that later) and took this picture at nearby South of the Border so we'd only have to drive about an hour and 45 minutes as opposed to 5 hours before my race. I had oatmeal, a banana and water on the drive down. We picked up my race packet which included a shirt, a wristband for the festival and chapstick and I was ready to go... but there was still over an hour until the race started.
I wasn't nervous, just READY! It was kind of cold when we got there but I knew it would warm up even without me running since the high was 78 that day. We ogled the ocean for a little bit then sat in the car, then watched the kids run the one-mile fun run, then I paced. Can we get started yet??? Please???
The horn sounded at 8:30 and we were off! Now I wish I could say I had photos of me running but the start and finish were at the same location and the official photographer was apparently only at the start and took sporadic pictures. That means I have 0 pics of me racing until the end. No matter.
I had carefully prepared my playlist so that I would be pumped and ready to go and keep going. I didn't have a watch but I hoped there would be some sort of timing system. Couldn't use my shuffle because it has no screen! But I knew most of my songs were about three minutes so that was my way of pushing myself through.
I breezed through the first 10 minutes but then I see these two guys barreling toward me (one of whom I later found out finished the 10k in 32 minutes!!!). Part of the course looped back for both the 5k and simultaneous 10k so I got to see allllll of the people who were passing me about to hit the one-mile mark. That was a bit demoralizing. I immediately wanted to know how many people were behind me but I decided to just wait until I hit the loop to peep that. It turns out I was the slowest of the people continually running but there were a good 30 or so people behind me so I was cool with that. I was just so excited to be out there I really didn't care at this point! I was waving and smiling at all of the course-directing race officials. I did a little cheer for myself at the one-mile mark and said, "All right! Let's keep going!" I was sailing along smoothly here and feeling fine! I kind of lost count of where I was on time but I knew I was around 26 or 27 minutes. I did a big cheer when I hit 2 miles. That's both further and longer than I'd ever run! I felt like a rockstar!!!
I also realized that while some songs are fun and work for other workouts, they are not so much for me when running. One of those songs is Ciara's "Bang It Up." Love it for other workouts. Blech for my run. Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" and "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas? Got me dancing on the course. That's right! I was running and dancing! Lol. I was having a ball! And it helped that there were people standing on the decks of their beach houses cheering us on! Somewhere after mile two the inside of my ankle started hurting and I couldn't shake it out. Usually I can shake it, mid-stride and fix it but that wasn't working. Then the outside started acting up but I really didn't want to stop. Once I hit two miles I figured I might as well run the whole thing in.
At about this time I got to the water station where they did a great job of cheering me along! It is there that I discovered I need to practice running and drinking because I almost choked myself. Wait. I choked myself but managed to get it under control. That was scary, but then I went back to being my excited, self-motivating self. I knew I was getting close but I couldn't tell how close. A lady speedwalking said, "Almost there" as she passed me and I replied, "THANK GOD!!!" LOL Shortly after I passed the three-mile marker, gasped and cheered and looked ahead and wondered why in the WORLD was .1 miles so long??? I saw Rashan and smiled and waved, then looked at the back of the encouraging speedwalker and decided she wasn't gonna speedwalk and beat me across the finish line when I ran the whole thing. I kicked it into high gear and crossed at 44:12. Woohoooo!! I beat my goal!!! I was PUMPED!! And shocked! I kept saying, "I did it! I did it!" I guess it's a compliment that Rashan wasn't surprised that I ran the whole thing under my goal but I wanted him to be amazed with me!
My brother via text told me he was so proud he's gonna tell everybody his sister runs marathons. LOL. That is absolutely not my goal at this point in my life. I want to run my next 5k either at Thanksgiving in Savannah or a "Mistletoe" run locally in under 40 minutes. I'll do a few more 5ks, then do the Bridge to 10k, then run a few 10ks and see how I feel. I do need to stretch better after races and cool down. But overall, the race was very exciting!
The festival? A complete fail. It's an OYSTER festival, right? So why did the majority of the vendors serve 0 oysters? It was typical fair food! There were tons of beach-specific vendors which also included things I don't care anything about but the food was the reason we traveled that far for a 5k. We wandered over to the festival around 10 and many people were just setting up. We did a (disappointing lap) and saw $20 plates of fried oysters or steamed oysters you have to shuck yourself. I don't know how to shuck and do you know how many oysters I can get for $20 elsewhere? I just couldn't bring myself to do that.
There were some oyster gumbos and stews but the non-oyster food far outweighed it. AND NO RAW OYSTERS!!!!!! This murdered my poor little heart. I got a seafood bog that had shrimp, fish & oysters with a tomato, onion & celery seafood broth and rice. It was quite good but I was stuck on the lack of oysters. We left after less than an hour and I fell into a deep sleep in the car. Then the next day I slept for 12 hours!! Phew! I RAN MY FIRST 5K!!!!!!!!!!
But back in 2008, Losangelista & 1969 ran a marathon and a 5k respectively. And I was like now wait a minute. I DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT! And I felt like if Liz can run for 26 miles, I can run for 3, right? I'm already in great shape so it shouldn't be too big of a leap! Then I went to grad school. And not only did I not run, I barely worked out. Twas bad. I knew when I created my 30 Before 30 list, running a 5k absolutely had to be on there. It was one of my easiest additions.
Once again I found a race, I even hired a trainer (then fired her when I found out she wasn't a runner) and hired a new one who runs marathons to get me in shape to run. Then 7 weeks ago, I started the Couch to 5k (C25K) running plan. The general idea is that through interval training you build up to be able to run 30 minutes or a 5k. I was hooked from the first week! In week one, I felt very capable. Week 2 was a bit harder, but still cool. Each week I felt more and more proud of myself as I hit new milestones. Then I registered for my first 5k.
I decided to run the Oyster Festival 5k at Ocean Isle Beach partly because my family used to vacation down there but mostly because you got free entry to the Oyster Festival!!!! Do y'all know how much I love oysters? I love them as much as Bubba loved shrimp! I'll eat them however you'll serve them. Raw, steamed, broiled, fried, in stew, with toppings, with only a bit of lemon and some horseradish, with cocktail sauce, just gimme the oysters!! So I trained and trained but before the race, I'd only ever run about 1.6 miles, which is about half of the 3.1 miles required for a 5k. That made me a little nervous but I figured if I ran for the 22 minutes I was scheduled to run for Week 6, Day 3 of C25K, I could probably go a little further and if I needed to walk, I could do that, too. But I also knew if I stopped running, it would be harder to start up again. I went ahead and set a goal of 45 minutes.Rashan and I spent the night in the city where my dad was born and raised (more on that later) and took this picture at nearby South of the Border so we'd only have to drive about an hour and 45 minutes as opposed to 5 hours before my race. I had oatmeal, a banana and water on the drive down. We picked up my race packet which included a shirt, a wristband for the festival and chapstick and I was ready to go... but there was still over an hour until the race started.
 |
| The ocean object of our ogling |
The horn sounded at 8:30 and we were off! Now I wish I could say I had photos of me running but the start and finish were at the same location and the official photographer was apparently only at the start and took sporadic pictures. That means I have 0 pics of me racing until the end. No matter.
I had carefully prepared my playlist so that I would be pumped and ready to go and keep going. I didn't have a watch but I hoped there would be some sort of timing system. Couldn't use my shuffle because it has no screen! But I knew most of my songs were about three minutes so that was my way of pushing myself through.
 |
| I'm wearing lipstick because I couldn't find my lip gloss. |
I also realized that while some songs are fun and work for other workouts, they are not so much for me when running. One of those songs is Ciara's "Bang It Up." Love it for other workouts. Blech for my run. Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" and "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas? Got me dancing on the course. That's right! I was running and dancing! Lol. I was having a ball! And it helped that there were people standing on the decks of their beach houses cheering us on! Somewhere after mile two the inside of my ankle started hurting and I couldn't shake it out. Usually I can shake it, mid-stride and fix it but that wasn't working. Then the outside started acting up but I really didn't want to stop. Once I hit two miles I figured I might as well run the whole thing in.
 |
| Why do running & walking look the same??? |
 |
| Look! A medal! |
 |
| Seafood Bog |
There were some oyster gumbos and stews but the non-oyster food far outweighed it. AND NO RAW OYSTERS!!!!!! This murdered my poor little heart. I got a seafood bog that had shrimp, fish & oysters with a tomato, onion & celery seafood broth and rice. It was quite good but I was stuck on the lack of oysters. We left after less than an hour and I fell into a deep sleep in the car. Then the next day I slept for 12 hours!! Phew! I RAN MY FIRST 5K!!!!!!!!!!
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