To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

Madison HM Recap!

All the blood, sweat, and tears for the last 132 days has been leading to this race. A fitness test half marathon to help decide where I'm at in advance of the final push towards the 2020 Disney Marathon. The goal for this race was to prove to myself whether my goals at Disney were realistic. So I was ready to give this a max effort and see where things ended up.

I decided that given the weather and how I was feeling leading into this race that I would try out my planned carb loading procedure for Disney 2020. This time around I was going to try and eat a little more normally and supplement with the Maurten 320 just slightly less. So instead of aiming for 80% carbs from Maurten 320, I was aiming for something more like 50/50. All in all, I was able to consume ~900 grams of carbs throughout the day (ate a Kit-Kat after this picture was taken). At 170 pounds (77kg), that gave me a consumption of 11.7 grams/kg bw. Per the research, the minimum to see carb loading results is 8 g/kg bw. And more does equal even more storage per some research articles. So I aimed for as much as felt comfortable. Dare I say, this actually felt far easier than any other carb loading day I've done yet. So I might be honing in on a good balance.

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I got everything prepped the night before and was in bed at 8:15am.

Woke up at 4:15am and felt ready to roll. Physically feeling good, not overly stuffed/sick from the carb loading. I ate my PB/honey bagel at about 4:30am, showered at about 4:45am, got myself dressed and we were on the road at 5:30am. Madison isn't terribly far away, so we arrived in a free street parking spot at about 5:55am. Our goal was to arrive just right before Starbucks opened so mission accomplished. It was going to be a rather cold morning for spectators so I was trying to find a place that opened early that Steph/G could hang out in. I was excited because I was going to meet another Strava friend at this race because Tammy B was coming back home from TX to run the Madison Marathon. We had been following each other on Strava for some time but never met in person. Unfortunately her airpods were out of battery which meant her morning got delayed. I was hopeful we would still get to meetup but the chances seemed bleeker.

Around 6:25am we left Starbucks and headed over to Collectivo Coffee instead. Steph likes Collectivo coffee better and there were way more tables. Got in there, took off all my warm-ups. Talked with a guy in the coffee shop interested in my shoes (Next%) and shorts (Nike Gyas). Wished each other luck, and then I headed outside to get my warm-up in. Just took it nice and easy around the square. Everything felt good and clean. As I was nearing the end of my warm-up I saw a woman cross the street who looked familiar. It was Tammy! What a strike of luck! She joined me on the remainder of the WU as she was headed towards the marathon start. It was a pleasure getting to meet a real person instead of a profile. Apparently, she was sharing a hotel room with some old high school friends. They all thought it was a hoot that she was meeting up with some stranger on "Strava" that she had never met in person. So we ended the warm-up and wished each other well. Her friends caught up with us and I introduced myself as the "online stranger". :rotfl2: They seemed like a nice group!

I was running a little late after the meetup with Tammy so I rushed back to the coffee shop to dump off the extra clothes. Met up with Steph/G inside and checked out the bathroom situation. The line was long, so just decided to bite the bullet and take my chances. I had used the restroom at Starbucks at about 6:20am, so I felt like I was probably going to be ok. But I had just the smallest urge like I was going to need to. A couple people told me I was really brave to be running in shorts/tank in this weather. I said I practiced in this type of weather so I was confident in my outfit choice. Gave G and Steph kisses and headed towards the start line.

Definitely got a ton of looks on my way to the start line. Lots of people questioning my clothing choice. Not seeing a ton of people in shorts/tanks. As I walked to the corral I drank my 17oz of Maurten 320 (about 7:00am). I passed some porta-potties but the lines were aggressive. So I decided to risk it and not use my last chance. Made it into the corrals as the last of the marathon runners were crossing. The fastest pacer was for 1:40s so I lined up between them and the start line. Lots of fast looking people getting warmed-up. Based on previous results I thought I'd finish somewhere in the 60-90 range, which I felt like I was lined up as. Just chilled there for a few minutes prior to the start. Thinking about the task at hand and the work that had given me the opportunity to be here. Race started at 7:10am. Game time!

Below were my grade adjusted paces that I had on my wrist for this race.


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Conditions - ☁️ Overcast, Wind 5mph to 5mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 35°F; FL - 33°F
End: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 34°F; FL - 33°F

The windchill actually ended up higher than it had been projected all week during the 10-day forecast. So it was a solid 33F which is prime running weather. It was windy during the WU, so I was interested to see whether it would play a role during the actual race.

Mile 1 - 6:44 (GAP 6:45); goal of 6:31-6:45

The goal of this first mile was to be truly conservative. The race starts with a small downhill, a turn, then a nice uphill climb, and then a fairly long downhill. So don't blow the race in the first mile was what I was thinking the whole time. Even though I lined up where I thought I'd finish, people were FLYING past me. But I needed to keep reminding myself to keep doing me. Let them do them and me do me. So all in all I was happy with the first mile. It felt strong and comfortable and I finished on the slow side of the goal splits.

Mile 2 - 6:46 (GAP 6:39); goal of 6:42-6:56

Headed down Gorham St to the undulating hills. Overall the net GAP was going to be close to zero because the ups and downs roughly cancelled each other out. So it was all about maintaining balance and trusting the effort. Felt good and tried to monitor my breathing.

Mile 3 - 6:37 (GAP 6:39); goal of 6:33-6:47

Things started to flatten out but the effort stayed the same. Nice to see in post-review that the GAP of this mile and the proceeding were equal even though the elevation of them was not. Made it through the road construction and then turned North. The wind was suppose to be coming from the North, but honestly it wasn't that bad. Still feeling strong and still trying to be conservative with effort/breathing for the end of race hills.

Mile 4 - 6:42 (GAP 6:38); goal of 6:36-6:50

Still good. Hitting the aid stations and getting water. Seems like for every 3-4 people I pass there's one who passes me. The race is starting to become static in the people around me, but we all seemed like we were still in a good position.

Mile 5 - 6:48 (GAP 6:41); goal of 6:40-6:54

Continued to head north and still felt good. Another aid station and another cup of water. I think this is the one where I slightly missed the cup and had to back track for a few seconds to re-grab it. Getting a few sips at each station. That's 4 straight miles in post-review where the GAP was within 3 seconds of each other. So solid adjustment based on the hills and flat. Doing a good job of hovering in the middle of the goal split range and feeling good about that.

Mile 6 - 6:36 (GAP 6:34); goal of 6:36-6:50

Still grinding and knew the hills were about to start up again. I quick checked the total time and saw I was closing in on 40 min. So I pulled out my Maurten Caffeinated Gel and did my best to squeeze it into my mouth. It wasn't the easiest thing to eat while at pace because it was not liquid or solid. But I got it done. Now we were entering the winning time portion of the race. The time where the race separates the PRs from the what could have beens.

Mile 7 - 6:47 (GAP 6:44); goal of 6:39-6:53

Still clicking off the miles and trying to maintain good form on the hills. Another cup of water. Still feeling strong and the breathing is good.

Mile 8 - 6:37 (GAP 6:37); goal of 6:33-6:47

It's one of those things where you know it's coming and you've been preparing for it all race. All those conservative miles were leading into this section of the race. Did a quick hairpin and then made our way to the first real test hill. My legs started to seize up on me a little bit as I saw the pace at 6:30s and knew I was flying. I could see the beginning of the hill in the distance.

Mile 9 - 7:06 (GAP 6:43); goal of 6:57-7:11

And then, I was there. The first of the two climbs. It was a 4-7% grade uphill and then flattened out a bit to give the legs a break. I took it nice and easy and tried to stay conservative. The came the second climb. It was 8-11% grade. I switched up my form and tried to run on the balls of my feet. Keep the eyes looking upwards to keep the lungs open. I disregarded the pace and really just tried not to load up my legs with fatigue I wouldn't be able to clear. Made it to the peak and knew it was literally downhill/flat from here until the last finish line climb. So I opened the stride back up and got ready to fly again. Nice to see the GAP was spot on with the other previous miles meaning I took this mile exactly as I should have. Those GAP bands are really paying off. Because now I have the confidence knowing where my splits should fall for each mile as things change.

Mile 10 - 6:32 (GAP 6:40); goal of 6:27-6:41

Now I was flying. I think I checked a few times during this mile and my lap split was in the 6:20s. At this point, I was like it is what it is. I still need to be somewhat conservative, but I also need to start pushing the effort. I got passed by two women that I had originally thought must have been elites standing at the start line. I never remember passing either of them, so I was certain this must be a case where they made a wrong turn earlier. Still doing most of the passing, but there were a few passing me here and there.

Mile 11 - 6:35 (GAP 6:34); goal of 6:35-6:49

Now the mindset was changing. I stopped looking at my watch and just really tried to go fast. I picked up the cadence and the amount of power in my stride. I was still holding back some though because of that last hill. As we hit roughly the 1/2 mark of the mile we turned on Mifflin to a long straight away. Now we could see the hill in the distance. Everything was building to this moment. Kind of an illusion though since the hill was about 1.5 miles away but I could already see it. I had a few ghosts ahead of me that I was chasing.

Mile 12 - 6:40 (GAP 6:37); goal of 6:36-6:50

Hit the 12th mile and took a peak at the split to see a 6:35. Since that was top-end goal pace I knew I was in a good place. Also, ended up tied for my fastest GAP mile. It's funny with such a long straight-away it seems like you're almost not making any progress. I mean you are, but because of the background movement it seems like I'm barely moving. Now I'm just starting to have labored breathing to maintain pace. Nothing excessive, but things are getting good now.

Mile 13 - 6:50 (GAP 6:35); goal of 6:48-7:02

We've been building to this moment. The last hill of the race. It occurred at about the 12.5 mile mark. I was still chasing and eventually when we hit the hill I was passing the few runners around me. Looks like the hill was 4-6% grade. Then it was downhill... Then it was straight. Now the movement changed. Went from being conservative to pushing the pace. No longer needing to hold back anymore, now I really felt like I was flying. That last little bit was done at 6:27 pace (6:12 GAP). I got angry and motivated for the last little bit. Tunnel vision and focused. I never even heard G/Steph as I flew by them right before the finish line.

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And then, I was finished! Elation as I crossed the line with my first sub-90 min HM! I pointed up to the camera at the finish, but it looks like it didn't get started until 1:50-ish into the race.

Final Time: 1:28:40
Final Overall: 74th/2621 (2.8%)
Final Gender: 64th/1137 (5.6%)
Final Age Group: 14th/153 (9.1%)

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Official PRs

Half Marathon - 1:28:40

In addition, the 5k split of 21:02 would have been by 6th fastest 5k, and the 10k split of 41:35 would have been my 2nd fastest 10k.

Also, I checked off one of my 102 goals:

70. Run a sub 1:30 half marathon - Completed 11/11/2019 at the Madison Half Marathon with a 1:28:40!

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I rang the PR bell and made my way through the finisher's chute. I checked the final time (1:28:40) and was ecstatic. I was probably most excited because I finished and in all honesty felt pretty good. I was dead tired. I felt like I might have left some time out on the course by being a bit too conservative. In my post-race review my HR confirmed this feeling. The average HR was 148. That's more like M Tempo (147-149) then it is HM Tempo (152-155). Even though this ended up being a PR it was actually my lowest HM race HR average as well. Could I have done another 13.11 miles today at this pace? Maybe, but I guess we'll wait to answer that question on Jan 12th. But that's theory, the reality is I ran a 1:28:40. That puts the predicted Disney range at the following:

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So still got work to do as I'm just barely in BQ territory. Thankfully, there's another 9 weeks of training to go and the true peak of work is coming.



2019 DopeyBadger Racing Season Prediction Contest - Race #5 (Madison HM)

My Guess!


As predicted, the game got interesting after this one! Your predictions with the # of seconds off from actual.


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And the current standings:


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A HUGE shoutout to @Jules76126 and @KSellers88 who completely erased their deficit leading into the last race. With both having the 60 second buffer as well all they have to do is nail the final Disney time and the win is there. Quite a few players did a great job cutting into their times and having some great bonus times to play with. Excited to see how the end of this game plays out!
 
Wow!!! Congratulations!! Great time!
Wow! Great time! Kills most of us in the guessing game though. ;)
Haha, it looked a bit off there, but I was like “uh maybe he went out really really fast?!?”

Congratulations again!!!!! You got that sub-90. So awesome!
Wow!!! Great job!!!!! :car::car::car:
Congratulations Billy!! So happy that the hard work paid off in a sub1:30!!!
Way to go!!!! :car:
Congrats on the sub 1:30! That is just incredible!
Sub 90 min!! That's fantastic! Congrats on the new PR and a great race! 👍😁🏃
Great job! Great confidence booster. Can’t wait to read the recap.
Congrats! Foretells great things in your future.
Way to go!
Comgrats!!!

Thanks everyone! I celebrated for a few minutes and then my mind quickly has shifted towards the remaining work left to make my dreams come true.
 


9 Weeks to Go! (District 9) + TrainerRoad High Volume Full Triathlon Plan Week 19/28 + 80 Day Obsession - Phase 2/Week 1


11/4/19 - M - OFF
11/5/19 - T - 80DO-AAA + Jobs-2 (60 min; 73 TSS)
11/6/19 - W - 55 min Easy Run
11/7/19 - R - Sill (60 min; 73 TSS) + 15 min @ LT to HM Tempo (Run)
11/8/19 - F - 80DO-Total Body Core + Lazy Mountain (60 min; 24 TSS)
11/9/19 - Sa - Dans (30 min; 13 TSS) + 20 min Brick Run at Easy with Strides
11/10/19 - Su - Madison HM

Total Run Miles - 27.1 miles
Total Run Time - 3:26 hours
Total Run TSS - 223 TSS

Total Biking Time - 3:30 hours
Total Biking TSS - 183 TSS

Total 80DO Time - 1:57 hours
Total 80DO TSS - 25 TSS

Total Training Time - 8:53 hours
Total TSS - 431 TSS



Monday

Off day.

Tuesday

AAA at 2x15 going through the whole set and then restarting from the start
Series 1 - Bilateral Press, Alt Unilateral Press, Lateral Raise, Y, Lat Side Bend, Standing Weight Knee Drive, Loop Standing Donkey, Forearm Plank Jumping Jacks
Series 2 - Chest Press, Fly, Kickback in Plank, Tricep Pushup, Corkscrew, Teaser, 1st Pos. Bridge, Single Leg Bridge w/ Loop
Series 3 - Pullovers, Renegade Row, Curls, Turned Out Curls, Loop Scissor Twist, V Leg Raise, Narrow Bridge Clam, Straight Leg Curls

I think I'm really starting to notice a change in my lower mid-section. The inner thighs and just below my belly button are starting to become much tighter and muscular. It's really weird feeling on my legs because it feels like there's nothing but skin and muscle there. So things are starting to pay off between the 80DO and cycling work.


Cycling: Jobs -2 consists of 4x6-minute efforts at 105% FTP with long, 6-minute recoveries between intervals. RPM at 91. Excited to start off this easier week leading into the race. Felt like I would finally get a little bit of a break and let the cumulative fatigue to clear. So instead of 4 x 9 min like last week now I get 4 x 6 min instead.


Wednesday

Evening Run:
Conditions - 🌨 Light Snow, Wind 8mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 28°F + 27°F; FL - 20°F
End: Temp+Dew = 27°F + 27°F; FL - 20°F

I was watching the weather on this one. The streets were clear when we drove home because the snow wasn't sticking. But as soon as the sun went down the snow stuck. It was suppose to be 4x3 min at I pace but the snow didn't allow enough traction to get to any type of pace. Wet, fresh, and not cold enough to really dig in. So I just adjusted to an easy pace. Overall it was 6.1 miles in 55 min (8:58 min/mile) with one of my lowest HR averages ever at 124. Apparently the neighbors thought I was nuts out there running in the snow in the dark. They haven't seen anything yet!


Thursday

Another early morning. I was up at 3:40am and the workout started at 4:09am.

Cycling:
Sill is made up of 3x9-minute Over-Under intervals alternating between 1 minutes at 95% FTP and 2 minutes at 105% FTP. RPM at 89. While it was an easier over/under I'm calling this one a success because it was one of the first times that I didn't need any adjustments on this type of workout. Hooray!

Evening Run:
Conditions - 🌙 Clear, Wind 5mph to 5mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 20°F + 7°F; FL - 13°F
End: Temp+Dew = 19°F + 7°F; FL - 13°F

The roads were clear so I took advantage. The goal was 15 min at LT to HM Tempo pace. Something between 6:32-6:45 or HR of 151-157. It was cold, so my watch was covered for most of this run. So when the first split came in at 6:53, I knew I needed to pick it up. I felt like the effort was good on the first one, but apparently not. So I picked it up and the pace dropped to a 6:36 pace. Then I focused on the last 90 seconds and really grinded. It ended up at 6:15 pace. Funny enough this ended up being more like the Mini-Progressions that I've been scheduling lately in advance of a race. Something like 6 min at HMT, 2 min at CV, and 1 min at 5k pace. For me, this was more like 7 min at 30k pace, 6.5 min at LT pace, 1.5 min at 5k pace. I was happy with how it worked out especially given the hard morning bike workout. Hoping it was a sign of what I could do on race day. Overall a 6:36 GAP average.

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Friday

TBC at 2x15 going through the whole set and then restarting from the start
Series 1 (Shoulder) - Squat/Row/Twist/Row, Kneeling Lunge Clean & Press, Quad Ped Opposite Arm Knee Crunch
Series 2 (Chest) - Chest Press to Half Turkish Get-up, Spider Man Push-ups, Frog Sliders
Series 3 (Back) - "T" to Single-Leg Hip Hinge, Lat Pull Over w/ Leg Raise, Weighted Plank Hip Drop
Series 4 (Biceps) - Low Twisting Lunge Hammer Curl, Press Out to Curl, Weighted Standing Torso Rotation
Series 5 (Triceps) - Crab Position Tricep Dip to Sit Through, Alternating Skull Crusher with Bicycle Legs, French Twist

Cycling: Lazy Mountain is 1 hour of easy, steady effort between 45-55% FTP. RPM at 91. Just a super easy workout that barely broke a sweat.


Saturday

Up at 5:30am because Steph had to work. So I got up and started the workout at 6am.

Cycling: Dans is 30 minutes of active recovery riding spent between 45-55% FTP. RPM at 91. Just super easy. I could get used to these, but I know it won't help me after the race is over.

Brick Run:
Conditions - ☁️ Overcast, Wind 10mph to 10mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 30°F + 20°F; FL - 21°F
End: Temp+Dew = 30°F + 21°F; FL - 21°F

Transition = 8 min

Just a nice and easy run for 20 min. Decided just to do the small "fast finish" loop in my immediate neighborhood 5-6 times. It gave me a nice place I could do a few flat strides. In total, 2.45 miles in 20.5 min (8:25 min/mile) with HR of 131 (partially elevated because of strides).

Sunday

Covered it earlier, but here's the recap.

Madison HM

It's nice to get validation from all the hard work and long hours of this training cycle.

Smile, fist pump, and now it's time to get back to work. I edited the last two weeks to prepare for the Madison HM (this week) and to reintroduce the training towards Disney (next week). Next week Thursday morning was a decision. The over/under I did last week was a maximal, so either I had to extend the duration of the maximal (no actual increase in hard cycling) or find a low end intensity workout of the variety coming in Phase 3 (starts the week after next). I decided I've had enough of the over/unders and am opting for starting the Tempo section of the training a week early. So it's going to be a 2.25 hr cycle on Thursday morning. Thankfully the other two times this occurs (2+ hrs in the morning) till the end of training is Thanksgiving day (off) and 12/26 (planning to take off). So only once having to try and pull off a 2.25 hr morning ride before works start. That puts me at around a 2:45-3:00am wake-up call. So another triple week with 6x3 min I, Bike Tempo + 30 min LT, 4hr Ironman pace bike + 60 min Easy Brick (longest brick to date at 5 hrs). About 15 total hours leading into Phase 3. I'm motivated for these last 9 weeks. It's all going to pay off on Jan 12th. Eyes on the prize. As Tiana's day said:

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As a side note that I forgot to mention, we extended our Disney trip an extra day in January because it wasn't going to cost us that much extra. So now we're staying Thursday to Thursday.

AND.... Steph and her family are crazy.... They just added ANOTHER Disney trip right before Xmas. The family decided instead of spending money on Xmas presents for each other we'd all pool that money and go to Disney instead. It obviously doesn't cover everything, but it covers a lot. I told Steph with the upcoming Jan trip that we couldn't spend more than $300 total on the December trip. So we've made that happen. But here's the downside... Of course it happens during my peak week of training. UGH! Which means a 6hr bike ride + 45 min evening easy run, then 8pm flight to Disney out of MKE. Then my peak run of 3 hours in Disney World Sunday morning around Port Orleans. Looks like the loop is 1.7 miles there. Maybe POP instead with its 1.1 mile loop since it's more unobstructed. I've got time to think about how to approach 23.5 miles. Maybe crowd source this one on the running thread.
 
What about hitting a different resort? Ft Wilderness used to be great because you could run to Wilderness lodge but construction has blocked that, however I have run every loop in ft Wilderness and it will get you at least 8 miles. I do tend to run the parking lot as well and can add some there. Just a thought.
 
Apparently the neighbors thought I was nuts out there running in the snow in the dark. They haven't seen anything yet!

Have the forgotten WI in winter? Standing outside tailgating in the dark in sleet is totally fine, why is this a stretch?

FWIW, I would run around POP/AOA and detour around the buildings and pools before doing laps around POFQ/POR. However, I would pick running around the Ft. Wilderness campsites over both. It will be all decked out with holiday decor!
 
Congratulations!! Awesome race!
BOOM!!! Huge congrats Billy! (and pretty dang pumped about my guess, LOL!)
Awesome job, keep up the good work!
Congratulations Billy! Awesome!! Loved your recap. ☺
Kermit the Frog said it better than I ever could.


Congratulations!

Thanks all!

:car:
ring that sub90 bell!!!! Awesome work!!!

I did get it ring the PR bell and I was pretty happy about it!

Congrats again! Love the contrast in clothes between you and the spectators/G. What were you angry about at the end?

Thanks! Yea, definitely a lot of winter gear for almost all spectators and most participants. I was definitely in the minority in shorts/tank, but honestly I felt very comfortable outside of maybe the first mile or so. Never felt like I needed more clothes.

Maybe "angry" wasn't the right word. Maybe ultra focused. Although I know from past experiences that went I get really emotional or the adrenaline picks up in a run things seem easier for a short period of time. Like when people used to steal my water bottles and I would suddenly get a burst of speed when seeing it.

What about hitting a different resort? Ft Wilderness used to be great because you could run to Wilderness lodge but construction has blocked that, however I have run every loop in ft Wilderness and it will get you at least 8 miles. I do tend to run the parking lot as well and can add some there. Just a thought.
Have the forgotten WI in winter? Standing outside tailgating in the dark in sleet is totally fine, why is this a stretch?

FWIW, I would run around POP/AOA and detour around the buildings and pools before doing laps around POFQ/POR. However, I would pick running around the Ft. Wilderness campsites over both. It will be all decked out with holiday decor!

Yea, I don't know why it seemed so crazy to them. Gotta do what you gotta do when it comes to winter time.

The outer loop around Swan/Dolphin/BW/BC might be a good choice. Lots of people used that for the year without a Donald.

All great suggestions. Looks like the EPCOT resort loop is 2.4 miles, but can be combined to make a 4 mile loop.

451870


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I'll just need to convince someone else to hang around the Boardwalk area so I can get some water every loop through (or bring money and buy one every loop). That'll probably be one of the most practical routes.
 

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