It's always hard coming back to work after a week away. The luxury of sleeping until 6:00 AM gave way to my 4:00 AM wake up time this morning. I finally gave myself a rest from running today and the timing was good because it's raining hard outside. Looking back on my week of daily workouts I'm pleased with everything I did, but I'm a little disappointed that I had no memorable runs. It would have been fun to go to some new place to run or to get together with a running buddy or two. Still, it was nice to go out each day without too much concern about meeting a schedule.
The weather should stay relatively warm throughout the week and hopefully by Saturday I'll be able to run at Bethpage again. I'm also thinking that it's been a while since I've tackled the Muttontown Preserve and I'd also like to do that. Today it's back to work and tomorrow it's back to running.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Snowy conditions -- I'm just not Inuit
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| All of the above |
It's probably an urban legend that the Inuit's Aleut language has dozens of words for snow. If they do then I think I've run in every kind today. I've been on vacation for the last week and have either run or cross-trained every day since Friday the 18th. I had every excuse to rest today, my last day of vacation, but I thought that another run at Stillwell might be a better way to close things out. The rains and warm weather have done a great job clearing the roads where I live and I'd hoped that would also be the case when I arrived at Stillwell this morning.
Despite the ubiquity of green across the lawns in my neighborhood, Stillwell's athletic fields were still covered by a thick blanket of white snow. I didn't know the conditions of the interior trails but I suspected (correctly) that the big field past the trail head would be runnable. Once I'd parked I made my way over sheet ice onto the main trail that was covered a foot deep in grainy-icy snow rutted by footprints and tire marks. I began to run on that, taking pains to maintain balance. It was like snowshoeing without snowshoes. After a few hundred feet I took a right onto a trail that looked partially clear and followed it, doing the best I could to avoid the slippery patches of packed snow and ice.
I took the trail to a point where I reached a steep hill that I managed to scale with the momentum from my approach. I knew that I was just south of the big field and followed a snow covered trail until I reached the opening. Once I broke free from the snow (and about 20 feet of sheet ice) I followed the trail around the field. The wind from the north was stiff which somewhat offset the easier effort from running on hard-packed dirt. As I rounded a corner I encountered a couple of mountain bikers who told me that the eastern side trails were still pretty rough. I elected to stay on the field loop and finished after completing a few more circuits. The toughest part of the run was at the end when I took a wooded trail back to the start that had snow, ice, slush, rocks, roots and mud and I finished by gingerly stepping over a sheet of ice formed by runoff from the trail head's snowbanks.
I'll take a rest day tomorrow and will appreciate it fully. Over the last seven days I've run 20 miles and elliptical'd another 6. I would have liked to have done a few longer runs during my time off but it was a trade-off between frequency and distance. I'm hoping next weekend's conditions will be more favorable for a higher mileage effort or two. As for today, I like variety but not when it comes to running in snow.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Negative splits lead to a positive view
Today's run (street): 4.1 miles
My wife suggested that I take a break from working out today and I had the mindset to do that. The thought of another run around the almost too-familiar streets of my neighborhood was not compelling. I was feeling generally negative about doing any activity. The rain did a good job of clearing snow in my town and I considered a return to Stillwell but we have a big day planned and I was again pressed for time. I dressed for a run without really knowing where I would go, finally deciding the easiest way to get it done would be to hit the local roads.
As a compromise to my negative mindset I considered running slowly and making it an easy workout that I could count as a partial effort. With no targeted distance, route or pace in mind I took off and chose lefts and rights almost randomly. At one point I came upon another runner who I followed for a while. I'd seen him on the road before and I was curious to see how our paces compared. It turned out that we both were running about the same pace and I wasn't interested in catching up to him so I peeled off to another road and let him go. When I passed the first mile I saw that I'd averaged 9:55. I picked up the pace a little and covered mile two at 9:46 and improved to about 9:40 for mile three.
Throughout my run I'd actually felt great. The weather was cold but mild and I was enjoying a run where I could take my mind off the effort and look around at my surroundings. After completing three miles I decided to run the last mile with a little more speed and covered it at 9:10. Not especially fast but far faster than the prior three. I enjoyed the run, felt strong and hit negative splits throughout my distance. My splits were negative and by the time I arrived home my mindset was far more positive.
My wife suggested that I take a break from working out today and I had the mindset to do that. The thought of another run around the almost too-familiar streets of my neighborhood was not compelling. I was feeling generally negative about doing any activity. The rain did a good job of clearing snow in my town and I considered a return to Stillwell but we have a big day planned and I was again pressed for time. I dressed for a run without really knowing where I would go, finally deciding the easiest way to get it done would be to hit the local roads.
As a compromise to my negative mindset I considered running slowly and making it an easy workout that I could count as a partial effort. With no targeted distance, route or pace in mind I took off and chose lefts and rights almost randomly. At one point I came upon another runner who I followed for a while. I'd seen him on the road before and I was curious to see how our paces compared. It turned out that we both were running about the same pace and I wasn't interested in catching up to him so I peeled off to another road and let him go. When I passed the first mile I saw that I'd averaged 9:55. I picked up the pace a little and covered mile two at 9:46 and improved to about 9:40 for mile three.
Throughout my run I'd actually felt great. The weather was cold but mild and I was enjoying a run where I could take my mind off the effort and look around at my surroundings. After completing three miles I decided to run the last mile with a little more speed and covered it at 9:10. Not especially fast but far faster than the prior three. I enjoyed the run, felt strong and hit negative splits throughout my distance. My splits were negative and by the time I arrived home my mindset was far more positive.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Half marathon shopping
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| A good resource for finding half marathons |
The rain was plentiful this morning and it has washed away much of the snow on our lawn. There are still some areas that haven't seen sunlight since mid-December but it's good to see some green again. I've done daily workouts since last Friday but haven't felt like I've done much to build the stamina I'll need for my upcoming half marathon. I took some inspiration from my wife, who runs 45 to 60 minutes daily, and spent 45 minutes on the elliptical machine while she did her treadmill workout. I used mid level resistance for the first 30 minutes and then stepped up the difficulty for the final 15. Even with that extra challenge, today's workout still felt easier than my prior two runs.
I am training for a half marathon but I don't know which one to choose. Unless I'm willing to travel a little my choices are limited. Each has its pluses and minuses:
1. Suffolk County Half Marathon - March 27
Plus - Small event, less than 500 runnersMinuses - Perhaps too small, only one month left to train
Pluses - Opportunity to participate in NYRR race, cool Craft race shirt
Minuses - Course looks like a lab maze, $80 entry fee
3. RXR Long Island Half Marathon - May 2
Plus - Local and convenient Minus - Course does not look that interesting
4. Brooklyn Half Marathon - May 30
Pluses - NYRR race, Prospect Park and Coney Island usually bookend the courseMinuses - Date not good for Team Emerging Runner, course details have not been set
5. Hampton's Half Marathon - Sept 24
Pluses - Later in the year, more time to train, course has ocean viewsMinuses - $70 entry fee, is held just a week after Great Cow Harbor 10k
I'm hoping to decide soon which race to run. There's also the Queen's Half Marathon which is a possibility but July may be too hot for me for a race of that distance. There's also the Great South Bay Half in Islip but the course looks too circuitous for my taste. I'm hoping my friend Brian will join me on my first half marathon. Perhaps he has a preference that will help my decision.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Quantity or quality?
Today's run (street): 4 miles
I sometimes see references to "quality miles" and "junk miles" in running magazines and I'm still not sure what that means. I've always believed that any run that doesn't contribute to injury or lead to exhaustion (and illness) are beneficial. Perhaps for people who run 20 miles per week (like me) every mile is a "quality mile." Miles gained on hills or doing speed work may be of even higher quality. It could be that for 70+ mile-a-week runners that an extra five or 10 could be considered gratuitous, with little extra benefit. If I ever get to running 70 miles per week I'll know if that's true.
My thinking about quality miles started this morning as I considered my run. I've run or crossed trained every day since last Friday and my average distance per run has been longer during this vacation because I've had more time to run. We're expecting rain and heavy winds starting tonight so Friday's workout will have to happen indoors. I decided to get in my last outdoor run before the weekend on the streets of my neighborhood since the residual snow has rendered most other venues un-runnable. After a fairly average start I began to tire at the 2 mile mark. I've been concerned that my success building my base closer to 8 miles toward the end of last year has eroded due to the lack of opportunity for longer, wide open runs. Darn this snow!
As I ran around the local roads today I thought about the benefits I was gaining from this four mile run. Like yesterday, I completed my route feeling spent, but unlike Wednesday, I didn't run all that fast. I guess I'll consider today's workout a "maintenance run." That sounds a lot better than calling it "junk miles."
I sometimes see references to "quality miles" and "junk miles" in running magazines and I'm still not sure what that means. I've always believed that any run that doesn't contribute to injury or lead to exhaustion (and illness) are beneficial. Perhaps for people who run 20 miles per week (like me) every mile is a "quality mile." Miles gained on hills or doing speed work may be of even higher quality. It could be that for 70+ mile-a-week runners that an extra five or 10 could be considered gratuitous, with little extra benefit. If I ever get to running 70 miles per week I'll know if that's true.
My thinking about quality miles started this morning as I considered my run. I've run or crossed trained every day since last Friday and my average distance per run has been longer during this vacation because I've had more time to run. We're expecting rain and heavy winds starting tonight so Friday's workout will have to happen indoors. I decided to get in my last outdoor run before the weekend on the streets of my neighborhood since the residual snow has rendered most other venues un-runnable. After a fairly average start I began to tire at the 2 mile mark. I've been concerned that my success building my base closer to 8 miles toward the end of last year has eroded due to the lack of opportunity for longer, wide open runs. Darn this snow!
As I ran around the local roads today I thought about the benefits I was gaining from this four mile run. Like yesterday, I completed my route feeling spent, but unlike Wednesday, I didn't run all that fast. I guess I'll consider today's workout a "maintenance run." That sounds a lot better than calling it "junk miles."
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
All dressed up but no where to run
Today's run (street): 3.2 miles
I finally made it to Bethpage State Park this morning but it turned out to be a wasted trip. I had hopes of purchasing an Empire Passport and using it for the first time while I ran a section of the Bethpage bike trail. I knew my bike path run was in jeopardy after I saw that trail access was blocked just south of its intersection with the main road. I decided to continue on, thinking that I could still buy the Passport and possibly run the wooded trails if they were clear. After a quick look I realized that those trails had too much snow cover to provide a stable surface for my Kinvaras. There was no one working the toll station so I continued to the trail head and saw that the entrance was blocked by a gate. Even if the bike path wasn't gated I could see that it would be impossible to run the trail because it was covered with a thick layer of ice.
I returned home and did today's run in my neighborhood. We had plans mid-morning so I needed to keep it short. That ended up to be a good thing because I felt tired throughout the run and my fatigue intensified as I went on. Despite my lowering energy level I kept my pace brisk and that resulted in a difficult last mile. At the end I felt like I'd run a 5K race and noted that my pace was over 40 seconds per miles faster than yesterday's run.
This afternoon I picked up a pair of New Balance compression shorts to replace a pair of Layer 8's that ripped all along the waistband after a wash. My wife bought a pair of of ASICS GEL-2160's to replace her Saucony Fusion 2's that she'd run in over the last year. I was happy with her choice of the 2160's and I hope she is too. I'm looking forward to trying my new gear out tomorrow even though, with all this ice and snow, I'll need to stay local for my run.
I finally made it to Bethpage State Park this morning but it turned out to be a wasted trip. I had hopes of purchasing an Empire Passport and using it for the first time while I ran a section of the Bethpage bike trail. I knew my bike path run was in jeopardy after I saw that trail access was blocked just south of its intersection with the main road. I decided to continue on, thinking that I could still buy the Passport and possibly run the wooded trails if they were clear. After a quick look I realized that those trails had too much snow cover to provide a stable surface for my Kinvaras. There was no one working the toll station so I continued to the trail head and saw that the entrance was blocked by a gate. Even if the bike path wasn't gated I could see that it would be impossible to run the trail because it was covered with a thick layer of ice.
I returned home and did today's run in my neighborhood. We had plans mid-morning so I needed to keep it short. That ended up to be a good thing because I felt tired throughout the run and my fatigue intensified as I went on. Despite my lowering energy level I kept my pace brisk and that resulted in a difficult last mile. At the end I felt like I'd run a 5K race and noted that my pace was over 40 seconds per miles faster than yesterday's run.
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| A great addition to the Emerging Runner family |
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| Hoping for better results with a better brand |
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A comfortable visit to neighborhood #2
Today's run (street): 4.91 miles
I wanted to go to Bethpage to try the bike trail this morning and also buy an Empire Passport but my schedule was just too tight. We have someone coming to give an estimate on a home improvement and I wanted to make sure I got in my run before that. Instead, I went out for a neighborhood run and mixed it up by routing through the streets of neighborhood #2 where I hadn't run in a while. The roads were remarkably clear considering yesterday's 3" snowfall. The cold temperatures created patches of rough ice along the roadside and I had to step around the frozen areas that appeared in my path.
I wore my Adidas Response trail shoes that have been out of the rotation for months but seemed to be the right shoe for today's conditions. They're great shoes but are built a little too high to facilitate mid-foot landing. This is why I only run in them occasionally. I started slow to loosen up in the cold weather and fell into a nice comfortable rhythm. I was loving the feeling of moving along smoothly but I worried that I wasn't pushing hard enough to make it a real workout. I threw in a few fartleks (Danish for "speed play") where I'd cover a few hundred yards at faster pace before resuming my more moderate pace. The miles ticked off fairly quickly and the running probably seemed easy because my last run at Stillwell Woods provided a much harder challenge.
After covering some distance in the other neighborhood I swung back to my own and finished by following my measured mile loop in reverse. My Garmin had me a tick over 5 miles but Gmaps said it was less. My FR60 calibration woes continue, it seems that no matter how I adjust the Garmin it always seems to over-count my distance.
I wanted to go to Bethpage to try the bike trail this morning and also buy an Empire Passport but my schedule was just too tight. We have someone coming to give an estimate on a home improvement and I wanted to make sure I got in my run before that. Instead, I went out for a neighborhood run and mixed it up by routing through the streets of neighborhood #2 where I hadn't run in a while. The roads were remarkably clear considering yesterday's 3" snowfall. The cold temperatures created patches of rough ice along the roadside and I had to step around the frozen areas that appeared in my path.
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| My trusty Adidas Response 15's |
After covering some distance in the other neighborhood I swung back to my own and finished by following my measured mile loop in reverse. My Garmin had me a tick over 5 miles but Gmaps said it was less. My FR60 calibration woes continue, it seems that no matter how I adjust the Garmin it always seems to over-count my distance.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Finding your rivals
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| Not all races are listed but it's still a good resource |
Today's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes
Happy President's Day. I like long weekends, especially those that extend through the entire week. My kids are off from school so I'm taking the week off as well. Unlike many of the people we know we're not heading off to warmer climates this week. There's plenty to do here, like shoveling three inches of snow of the driveway this morning.
This morning I was playing around on a site called Athlinks that aggregates races in a database and allows participants to "claim" their events. Once done, a runner has a collection of their race results and the usual social networking tools (profile, pictures, Twitter feed, etc.) for sharing or member interaction. Those features are common now but Athlinks also provides a list of your rivals and how you've performed against them. Athlinks automatically finds runners who have raced against you and lists their age, gender and won-lost record. It was interesting to see someone I've beat 7 times (he's 78) and a couple of others who have trounced me 5-0.
Those who have beat me multiple times have usually outpaced me by one or more minutes per mile. I'll likely lose to them in future match-ups. The interesting comparisons are those where I've both won and lost to the same person. Those people are truly rivals and it's about our readiness on race day and how well we leverage or react to race day conditions. I still prefer to view racing as "me versus myself" and I don't really view these people as rivals. These race day match-ups are more like benchmarks that will help me understand how close I came to reaching my potential.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Icy trails at Stillwell and a talking robot at my side
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| Treacherous going on the trails |
I had high hopes that the recent warm temperatures had melted the snow on the trails at Stillwell Woods. After days of 40, 50 (and briefly, 60) degree temps I thought that was a reasonable expectation. I was very surprised to see that the local temperature was 19 degrees this morning and when I arrived at Stillwell I saw that the melted snow had refrozen into ice and hard icy snow. I wore my Helly Hansen Trail Lizards in anticipation of rough terrain and set off over the packed but rutted ice and snow. I was still hoping that the interior trails would be bare and more runnable, perhaps protected from the canopy above.
I wore my Garmin and also brought along my iPhone to capture my route using MotionX. It had been a long time since I carried the iPhone on a run and used that app. The app has been updated numerous times since then and after the first minute a robotic female voice said "You have run for one minute and have traveled zero-point-one-0 miles. Your pace is ten minutes per mile." That spooked me but then I realized that my robot friend would be "updating"me on progress every minute going forward. I considered switching off the MotionX app but decided that I'd just let it go as I didn't want to play with my iPhone while I ran on these tricky trails.
The trails were covered by hard snow rutted with impressions from hikers, runners, animals and mountain bikers. I didn't sink into the snow but the ruts that were formed when the temperatures were higher were a few inches deep and a misstep would easily result in a sprain or fall. There were small exposed dirt channels at the edge here and there and I ran on those when I could. The progress reports from MotionX kept coming and I couldn't believe each time that another minute had passed. I enjoy a hard challenge, especially on the trails, but I was growing concerned that I'd trip on a rut and get hurt. I followed the path back to the open field and finished my run with two laps around the perimeter. The field was mostly devoid of snow because the sun had gotten to it so my last mile was on muddy dirt and grass.
I was happy to be back to the woods for the first time in 2011 and it was a different kind of workout than I'd expected to get. I was so happy to have chosen the Helly's for the job today. I'm going to head to Bethpage State Park this week and get an Empire Passport so I can get free access into the NY State Parks where I normally have to pay admission. It will be nice if Bethpage's bike trail is clear when I go there. The 14 mile out-and-back route (or 10 or so miles of it) would be a good kick start to my half marathon training.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Windy morning run
Today's run (street): 3.85 miles
A morning appointment prompted me to run early today. As I prepared my running gear I heard the winds howl and I checked the thermometer to see that the temperature (with wind chill) was in the low 30's. My window of time before I needed to leave for my appointment was small so I figured I'd be happy to get three miles in. I'm on vacation until the 28th so I wasn't as concerned about covering distance as I normally would on a Saturday.
I wore a stretchy short sleeved base layer under a half zip that my kids gave me for Valentines Day. On top of that I wore my trusty ASICS windbreaker and that turned out to be a perfect combination for today's conditions. I had a busy work week that preempted my running schedule. I missed my Tuesday workout and did not feel well on Thursday so I didn't run that day. I slept well last night and had hoped this week's light workout schedule would have set me up for an energetic run. Even so, I struggled a bit at the beginning but that could have been due to the stiff headwinds that made it hard to maintain good running form.
I've taken to having a gel 30 minutes before my longer runs but I forgot to do that until a few minutes before I left. Consequently, I didn't get any benefit until I was halfway through the run. I never felt particularly good but as I progressed through my route I did run better, with negative splits for the second and third miles. I'm not sure if I'll visit Stillwell or Bethpage tomorrow or if I'll wait until Monday to try a trail run. I'm concerned that we'll get more snow on Monday and that could push my opportunity for off road running even further away.
A morning appointment prompted me to run early today. As I prepared my running gear I heard the winds howl and I checked the thermometer to see that the temperature (with wind chill) was in the low 30's. My window of time before I needed to leave for my appointment was small so I figured I'd be happy to get three miles in. I'm on vacation until the 28th so I wasn't as concerned about covering distance as I normally would on a Saturday.
I wore a stretchy short sleeved base layer under a half zip that my kids gave me for Valentines Day. On top of that I wore my trusty ASICS windbreaker and that turned out to be a perfect combination for today's conditions. I had a busy work week that preempted my running schedule. I missed my Tuesday workout and did not feel well on Thursday so I didn't run that day. I slept well last night and had hoped this week's light workout schedule would have set me up for an energetic run. Even so, I struggled a bit at the beginning but that could have been due to the stiff headwinds that made it hard to maintain good running form.
I've taken to having a gel 30 minutes before my longer runs but I forgot to do that until a few minutes before I left. Consequently, I didn't get any benefit until I was halfway through the run. I never felt particularly good but as I progressed through my route I did run better, with negative splits for the second and third miles. I'm not sure if I'll visit Stillwell or Bethpage tomorrow or if I'll wait until Monday to try a trail run. I'm concerned that we'll get more snow on Monday and that could push my opportunity for off road running even further away.
Friday, February 18, 2011
The end of a long strange week
Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes
This has been a strange, long week. I felt ill on Wednesday morning but managed to power through a run. That may have been a mistake. Wednesday was an all day industry meeting that I co-facilitated. From the beginning of the day to the end I suffered a pounding headache and by the time I got home I was ready for bed. Thursday morning I felt just as bad so I stayed home. No workout yesterday, just a lot of sleep.
This morning was far more pleasant and while I still woke up with a slight headache I felt much better overall. I thought a run, even an easy one, might be too much too soon so I settled in with the elliptical for a lower impact workout. That was a great decision that put me back into workout mode and built a good sweat. I finished up strong and energized. The temperatures have risen through this week and should continue to rise throughout the day. I'm wondering if I'll even be able to hit the trails over the weekend. That would be a great end to a difficult week.
This has been a strange, long week. I felt ill on Wednesday morning but managed to power through a run. That may have been a mistake. Wednesday was an all day industry meeting that I co-facilitated. From the beginning of the day to the end I suffered a pounding headache and by the time I got home I was ready for bed. Thursday morning I felt just as bad so I stayed home. No workout yesterday, just a lot of sleep.
This morning was far more pleasant and while I still woke up with a slight headache I felt much better overall. I thought a run, even an easy one, might be too much too soon so I settled in with the elliptical for a lower impact workout. That was a great decision that put me back into workout mode and built a good sweat. I finished up strong and energized. The temperatures have risen through this week and should continue to rise throughout the day. I'm wondering if I'll even be able to hit the trails over the weekend. That would be a great end to a difficult week.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Getting it done
Today's run (treadmill): 2.5 miles
I didn't have time to run and barely had time to post yesterday so I made sure I got in a run this morning. I was tempted to rest when I got up this morning because I was feeling fatigued and had a sinus headache. Yesterday was a big day at work, as is today, and additional rest would not have been a bad choice. All the same, a dedicated runner runs through minor illness and doesn't let it get the best of them. That's what I told myself as I stepped on the treadmill and hit the start button.
It must have been extraordinarily dry today because once I got up to speed I hit the fan button and received a shock that shut down the treadmill. I managed to bring it back within 30 seconds but it was disconcerting to stop suddenly and the shock I received was no picnic. Once I was into my run I settled in for the duration. It was a very average run from there. Not overly taxing or particularly fast. I ended up taking a couple of aspirin post-run and wished for more time to rest before my shower. The workout did bring back my energy level and I was glad to have done the run. It will be a long day but at least I accomplished something even before the sun came up.
I didn't have time to run and barely had time to post yesterday so I made sure I got in a run this morning. I was tempted to rest when I got up this morning because I was feeling fatigued and had a sinus headache. Yesterday was a big day at work, as is today, and additional rest would not have been a bad choice. All the same, a dedicated runner runs through minor illness and doesn't let it get the best of them. That's what I told myself as I stepped on the treadmill and hit the start button.
It must have been extraordinarily dry today because once I got up to speed I hit the fan button and received a shock that shut down the treadmill. I managed to bring it back within 30 seconds but it was disconcerting to stop suddenly and the shock I received was no picnic. Once I was into my run I settled in for the duration. It was a very average run from there. Not overly taxing or particularly fast. I ended up taking a couple of aspirin post-run and wished for more time to rest before my shower. The workout did bring back my energy level and I was glad to have done the run. It will be a long day but at least I accomplished something even before the sun came up.
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