2012 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii is in the Books!

It was a hot sultry day in Kona, Hawaii when over 2000 triathletes raced into the record books yesterday. The day held many stories and we will highlight a few local ones and follow the Iron Nun. A great day was had by Dr Ron Tribendis from Frisco. Dr Tribendis is my friend, coach and favorite go to chiropractor. He finished well in 9:52:48. Della Irby from Copell had a great day on a hot and hilly course and finished in 12:11:36. And Laurie Lukanich from Grapevine finished her first trip to the World Championships in 13:57:41. Great job! Janet Dixon, CPed, got the lucky duty to be sherpa extrodinare for the day! Jealous! Proud of all of my peeps! Kona is an extremely hard course and did I mention it was a hot day? Unfortunately, Sister Madonna Buder at 82 years young had to drop out on the bike after a little over 8 hours in. Her toughness and perseverance is an inspiration to all! I figure the only way I will ever personally get to race in Kona is to qualify in the over 70 year old category or the lottery! All the athletes should be proud just to get to Kona and amazed at the awesome finishes! The season is now officially over.....What's on the horizon for next year? Hmmmm.....stay tuned!

Ironman Mont-Tremblant was Amazing!

Ironman Mont-Tremblant was in a word: Amazing! The entire city joined together to welcome all the triathletes. They repaved the roads, rolled out the red carpet (literally there was a red carpet on the road from the swim exit to transition) and put together the most organized race weekend I have ever experienced in any sport. The venue at Mont Tremblant, Quebec was breathtaking. This cute little village on the mountainside was perfect for a family summer vacation with adorable shops, lots of activities for young and old and a great venue where families could stay right on the mountainside and catch their triathlete many times during the race without having to travel anywhere!

We flew into Montreal on Thursday night and drove the almost two hours to the village of Mont-Tremblant. The hotel was lovely and about 400 yards from the finish line. Perfect! Friday included packet pick up, a practice swim in the crystal clear mountain lake, picking up my bike from Tribike Transport and a short bike ride to explore the course. Wow! Super hilly in the just the small portion around the finish line. This was a harbinger of what was to come! A little shopping, a gondola ride and then an extremely well attended pre-race welcome dinner. When have you ever seen more than 5,000 people at a pre-race pasta dinner? Never! The tent was overflowing and excitement was in the air.

It was the little things that you noticed. They repaved a large portion of the bike course. Permanent street signs marking the bike and run course. People to help you everywhere that actually knew what they were talking about. Super organized packet pick up that flowed quickly and efficiently.  Lots of pre-planned entertainment for the whole family! A sense of welcoming excitement everywhere!

Saturday was a day to explore and rest. Check in the bikes and drop off all the transition bags. Big dinner and early bedtime. Sunday was race day!

Since the swim start was less than a half mile from the hotel, I didn’t have to get up before 5 am to get to this race! 5:30am to body marking then check on my bike. A short walk to the swim start and we were ready to go! I actually had a small melt down on the beach when I realized I forgot my goggles at the hotel! I was less organized than the race officials! Janet had an extra pair, but my super-sherpa, Peter, ran back to the hotel and got my goggles before we started. Thank the Lord the hotel was so close! The Canadian anthem, a fighter plane fly over and we were off.

A tremendous beach start! A wide beach so it wasn’t extremely crowded at the mass stat. It still felt like swimming in a washing machine, but the crowd thinned out quickly on the way to the first buoy. No sense of drowning today.  The water was amazingly clear and a crisp 70 degrees. Perfect for a comfortable wet suit swim. Janet and I both had a good swim and were out of the water and into transition practically together.

Onto the bikes we go! The first half of the bike course (two loops) was absolutely gorgeous! There were great crowds, lots of volunteers, tons of spectators yelling in three languages and breathtaking scenery along the way. The countryside was dazzling and the air was crisp and cool but not cold. The hills at the beginning were challenging but not horrible. A nice warm up for the backside of the course!

The wind started to pick up and a light rain started to fall just as I headed into the last 20K of the first loop. I was doing just fine until the rain. Steady and on pace. Janet was rocking the bike course, as we all knew she would! The last part of the first loop was incredibly challenging. So many hills I stopped counting. I thought I was never going to see transition! My brakes were wet and I was freezing! I was extremely thankful for the light jacket I had put on because it was a little chilly. It kept me from going hypothermic in the chilly rain. The rain subsided and I hit transition for the second time. Oh no! I had to do the loop again! The hills were so daunting and my legs were already dead. Back onto the course I went for the second loop. I slowed considerably and then rain returned. Ugh! Janet was about an hour ahead of me by the time I hit transition to go on the run. She was doing awesome! Me, not so well…. There were times in the last half of the second loop that I wasn’t sure I was going to make the bike cut off! The last hills were sadistic! Who puts a 15% grade hill in the last 6 miles of a 112 mile bike course? God has a sense of humor and the race was on a mountain side! I saw a lot of the mountain! They don’t make hills like that in Texas!

As I exited transition and tried to run, my legs protested. Internal whining and a little negative self talk ensued. I was fast walking the first few miles to see if I could “embrace the suck” (see previous blog) and get my butt moving. When I saw Janet going the other way on the first loop of the run, she was smiling and looked good.  I started to run (maybe you would call it a fast shuffle, but it was all I had). The run was also two loops, but they were nice enough to make about ten miles of the course along a dirt trail in the woods and predominantly FLAT! I made lots of friends on the run (shocker to anyone that runs with me – yes, I talk non-stop). Chatting away as I tried to keep myself moving. I was laughing at myself. Due to the fact that my bike potion was so slow, I found myself in an unusual position in the back of the race with the elderly, physically impaired (lots of walking wounded) and the people like me that perhaps hadn’t trained as much as they should’ve for the killer hills! This was an interesting group and lots of great stories were told as we all trudged toward the finish.

My only complaint about the course (can’t really complain about the hills, I knew it was on a mountain when I signed up!) was the fact that we had to run right by the finish line to enter the second loop of the run. This was great for spectators, but the crowd was cheering you on and telling you that you were almost there when really you had 21K left. Ugh again! It was just mean! You could see the fish line but knew you had to go back out for a second loop! At this point, my daughter Caitlin was very inspiring yelling, “You can do this Mommy!” and jumping up and down with excitement. It got me motivated to finish hard. I sucked it up and started to run again; this time at a decent pace. My legs were killing me, but the last 21K weren’t going to get done under the cutoff without a little push. It is times like this that you realize why Ironman is not for the mentally weak. You have to dig deep and overcome your natural instinct to quit and call it a day!

There were many times in the last loop that I thought I was nearly the last person on the course. The people behind me were dropping like flies. We had lost a handful to the bike cutoff and a few more to the sag wagon. At one point on the run course, I had a personal guide on a mountain bike with a headlight. They had thought of everything. They had medical volunteers patrolling the last half of the run course making sure everyone was OK. I had a nice chat with an EMT from Toronto on his bike, who said he was so inspired by the athletes that he thought he would try an Ironman! It was infectious! Even though there couldn’t have been more than twenty people left on the course that were going to make it in by midnight, there were still lots of spectators along the course! And yummy hot chicken broth! Nectar from God! Amazing! Dark, cold, windy and yes, the rain started again!! I had to keep moving at my pathetically slow run pace! One foot in front of the other! I chatted with a fellow from Toronto for about the last 7 miles. We were both hyperaware that we had to keep moving at a decent pace or midnight was going to come and we were not going to make the finish! Onward we trudged, running the flats and downhill while walking the hills. The last hill at 2K to go looked like a mountain to my weary legs, but you could hear the excitement at the finish line.

I picked up my pace and glided to the line. Whew! Made it with a half hour to spare!  Mike Reilly (the voice of Ironman) stopped me just before the finish line, put his arm around my shoulders and turned me towards the to crowd of spectators saying, “Mary Crane from Grapevine, Texas, these people have something to tell you!” The crowd shouted together, “You are an Ironman!” What a moment! Even though I had been there before, nothing can equal the emotion I was feeling at that moment. Elated to have finished and emotional since there were so many times during the race I had thought of quitting and giving up.  I had dug deep for this one and succeeded. I can’t explain the emotions. I was disappointed with my performance because of the times but elated to just have made it to the finish line. A fantastic ending to a tough day.

The finish line people were also amazing! I had a personal guide to get my medal. The winner of the entire race, Romain Guillaume from France, gave me my medal and kissed me on both cheeks. What an awesome guy! He had finished almost 8 hours before me, but came back to give out medals to the stragglers at the end of the race. My family was waiting for me with big hugs and happy faces. The time was forgotten in my daughter’s hug! The look on her face made the day all worth it. I had embraced the suck and won! Janet finished almost an hour before I did and had a great day! A monster personal best for her on a killer course! She deserved it! She worked so hard this year! I am proud to be her training peep!

Ironman Mont-Tremblant is easily going to rise to the top of the destination races! It was extremely challenging, but so incredibly well run for all! Kudos to the people of Quebec! They get an A+! The race experience was excellent, even if my time was not!

Video to come in a few days……Back to work I go on Wednesday!

The Swim It! Saving Lives in Open Water Swimming

Is it OK to Race White Rock Marathon Two Weeks After Ironman Arizona?

Yesterday, in my Grapevine, Texas office, I had a patient who asked me this very question. He raced Ironman Arizona, which was November 20th and wanted to know if I thought it was OK for him to "jump in and run with a friend" the White Rock Marathon? Really? When I started laughing, he then asked if I thought perhaps a relay leg was OK?

So, after I composed myself I said, "It depends....." So I thought I would give a better, more scientific answer than "Are You Nuts?"

What he really was asking is: How long does it take to recover from a marathon? How long does it take to recover from an Ironman triathlon? How much racing is bad for my body? These are all good questions posed in my office on a regular basis. The problem is that the answer is always, "It depends". Everyone recovers at a different rate. Age, experience and current fitness level are large variables in the equation. I know a marathon runner in town who ran 100 marathons in a less than 10 years; and of course, we have all heard of Dane Rauschenberg who ran 52 marathons in one year for charity and then wrote a book about it! The flip side is that I know runners who can only do one marathon a year without getting hurt and most triathletes only train for one Ironman a year. So what is the magic formula? How much is too much? I think the first thing to think about is what is your goal? If you are just talking about finishing the marathons and not really having a time crunch, then feel free to do up to six a year but realize that having more than two quality runs in a year is very difficult. The Ironman distance should not be attempted more than 2 or 3 times a year regardless of time goals! Now, for those of us who are addicted to the watch, "racing" a marathon is something that should not be done more than twice a year. "Racing" an Ironman triathlon should only be attempted one a year.

Why is this true? Well, simple math. It takes a minimum of 4 months to train effectively for a marathon and 6 months for an Ironman. Then you need at least one day for every mile you ran and three to five days for every hour your triathlon took. That means a month of recovery before you start to train again after a marathon and at least 6 weeks after a 12 hour Ironman. Last time I checked, there were only 12 months in a year; hence, the common recommendation of racing no more than 2 quality marathons or one quality Ironman triathlon a year.
Why do some people recover faster? Age. My feeling is that youth is wasted on the young. I remember being able to run a marathon and get up and go to work the next day. Now I have to take at least one day off and often take two! Experience does help. Your body has been there before, so it knows it will live. Veterans often have a post-race routine down that helps them recover. (Often this includes the anesthesia known as beer!) If your fitness level is high and your nutritional status is good, you will recover faster.

What can you do to hasten recovery? Walk a cool down after the race. Do not sit down immediately even though your legs are begging you to! Take a 15 to 20 minute walk and stretch gently. An ice bath is best, but very few people I know are that tough. A cool bath followed by stretching before you go to bed is helpful. A large amount of carbohydrates and water also helps. Hence the beer phenomenon! A massage a few days after the race will help you recover. More than anything, do not start training again until you are fully recovered. Many injuries occur due to too much, too soon, too fast and too fatigued syndrome!

So how much is too much? Again, the answer is always, "It depends." Listen to your body. Really listen and stop being stubborn or stupid! If you start training and you are exhausted, you are doing too much. If you are spending too much time in my office and less on your bike, you are doing too much. The answer is really simple stupid. Listen to your body and it will tell you how much is too much.

Bottom line: Let your body fully recover from your races and quality times will be recorded. Race only one to two marathons or one Ironman triathlon a year. As for other distances, keep in mind that you need one day for every mile of a running race and at least 3 days for every hour you raced in triathlon. Anything shorter, you better take off your watch and go for the finish instead of the time and prepare yourself to spend some quality time with your local sports medicine physician!

Run Happy! And Recover Well! See You at White Rock!

Tips for Your First Ironman

Tips for Your First Ironman

Since I am officially freaking out about the fact that we are one week from Ironman Texas and Janet is Miss Calm, Cool and Collected; I figured I would compile a list of all the tips for a first Ironman that I could find. Most of these are actually really good advice.

1. Simplicity trumps everything for race nutrition plans. The simpler it is, the more likely you'll stick to it. For example, consider having all your bike calories in a single water bottle.

2. Pack all your bags and race stuff on Thursday afternoon so you have all Thursday and Friday to think through it, make sure you have everything, and aren't rushed. In general, do things early. No rushing equals no stress.

3. Consider taking melatonin or another sleep aid (assuming you've used it before) on race night. Even without the anticipation, it's hard to go to sleep at 9.

4. Bring some spray on 50+ SPF sunscreen. AFTER you get body-marked, put this on every square inch of skin that might be exposed. Enough of it will stay on to save you in case you miss sunscreen later. (Good tip for me since I have been known to look like an ahi tuna after a race)

5. Try to get to transition right when it opens. An extra 15 or 20 minutes of sleep isn't worth rushing. You want plenty of time to deal with anything unexpected (flat tire on bike, long toilet lines, etc.).

6. Make as much of your pre-race breakfast as you can the night before and start eating as soon as you can when you get up. Better not to be hurried and then having to force-feed yourself or, worse yet, skipping cals. It's darn early and eating isn't what your body wants to do, so get it done early.

7. Stay relaxed and enjoy the experience. Don't let race anxiety rule you before race day. It's wasted energy. Remember how much you SACRIFICED to get there, the TOUGH part is behind you, have FUN! It’s all about the finish line, time is irrelevant!

8. THANK the volunteers at every chance you get, from registration through the finish chute.

Swim:

1. The far outside/inside sound like the best place, but they may not be, because everyone else is thinking the same thing.

2. Wear your goggles under your swim cap or double cap so they won't get kicked off. It can be hard to get them sealed like this though, so have someone check to make sure the cap isn't interfering with the seal.

3. Sight regularly. After you get out of the scrum it's tempting to put your head down and swim. Keep sighting or you'll swim extra yards.

4. You will likely be very lightheaded and loopy coming out of the swim. Be ready for it and ask volunteers to help with your wetsuit if you are wearing one. Don't get into a wresting match with it. (IM TX is probably speedsuit not wetsuit so practice getting out of it!)

Bike:

1. Don't forget sunscreen in T1. Trust me. Again the tuna thing!

2. Be steady with your cals. Just do water for the first 30-60 minutes out. A good nutritional system on the bike is using the “super fuel” system. Take one or two water bottles and super concentrate it with salt tablets and mix so when getting a “hand up” the only thing needed is water. Poor the water into the front aero bottle and mix in a small ratio of “super fuel” to make a drink until the next “hand up”. This is handy in that if you get caught in between aide stations in a dehydrated state you have a highly concentrated mix that can help you out fast if you need it. This also keeps you away from having to drink something provided by the race that you are unfamiliar with and may upset your stomach.

3. STAY AWAY from other riders as much as you can. First you'll avoid drafting penalties, and triathletes are often horrible bike handlers, especially when they get tired. Be especially careful around aid stations. Try to stay upright as much as possible.

4. Stay aero as much as you possibly can, except steep hills and corners. Riding out of aero is just wasted time.

5. At about 90 miles you'll probably want off your bike like you can't imagine. Stay focused, you're almost done. Keep your attention on your nutrition and pacing.

Run:

1. Just run aid station to aid station. Don't let the total distance scare you, you'll get through it. Break it into small segments in your mind.

2. Be steady with your nutrition, but keep it simple. Do the same thing at every aid station if you can.

3. Most likely when you get to the marathon you start to feel the day getting to be very long and this is the most critical time to focus on getting to the finish line. The day’s workout starts to compound and it might be time to give yourself a treat. On the marathon the volunteers in the aid stations will have two very important items. DRINK THE COKE! Straight shot of solid carbs and tastes heavenly also because most likely you have been drinking Gatorade until your blue in the face. The volunteers will also offer warm chicken broth. TAKE SOME CHICKEN BROTH! It is heavenly as well. The salty taste is something a little different as well and will give you a boost to the finish line.

4. Do your best to smile and wave to your family and friends. They want to see you having a good time. Fake it if you have to until mile 18 or 20. At that point, they'll probably understand.

5. And remember, a Shiner at the finish is the best recovery drink (or a 12 pack) ha ha.

If you have any other tips for us, the race is in a week! Please comment!

The Ironman Taper: Art or Science?

It’s two weeks to Ironman Texas and I can tell you that all my peeps are ready for tapering or are already in taper mode! Is there a science to Ironman tapering? Or is it really an art? I combed the internet looking for guidance, called all my veteran friends and coaches, and guess what? No one agrees - as usual. It seems that tapering is as much art as science and there is no one plan that works for everyone.

Here are some tips on Ironman tapering. (And no, doing nothing for two or three weeks before the race and drinking beer to carbo load is not one of the tips!)

I did read some great advice in an article by the legendary Dave Scott wrote on tapering and then he was instantly contradicted by another, more scientific article, by Alun Woodward. Here are some of their thoughts and my personal commentary (can’t disappoint the fans of my pathetic humor).

Despite clear evidence that a shorter taper is most beneficial for endurance athletes, many Ironman training plans today include a full three-week taper. This is actually due to looking at marathoners and their habitual over training. If you are over trained, and on the brink of exhaustion, then a three week taper is for you. If you are more like an ultramarathoner and bounce back from your long rides and long runs quickly, your taper may only be a week or so. The hardest part about giving an answer to the question, “How long should I taper before an Ironman”, is that each athlete is so different. Some athletes repeatedly bounce back from 6+ hour rides and 2+ hour runs as if they were nothing (these folks can taper less, not me - and I hate those people), whereas others are sidelined for 2-3 days in a haze as they recover (these folks can taper more - more like me). So the first place I suggest you start is with your own athletic history. How have you recovered from you longer efforts in training? That will give you an idea of how much time you need. (Guess I need a month, oh no! I only have two more weeks….)

Everyone agrees that no matter how long your taper, it should be a fine balance between these 10 components:
1. Reducing volume (Yea!)
2. Maintaining intensity while reducing the length or volume of the workload (That means don’t turn into a turtle)
3. Allowing the body to rebuild quickly (one to two days) after higher intensity workloads (Sleep more, rest more)
4. Reducing the stress hormones that affect muscle performance; ultimately eliminating muscle soreness and heaviness (Rest, stretch, massages)
5. Maximizing muscle and liver glycogen stores (Eat, Eat and Eat)
6. Allowing the body to repair and rebuild so the power output is maximal on race day (That’s more sleep again)
7. Performing recovery workouts (Active rest, not couch potato)
8. Maintaining "normal" number of training sessions per week (Please, no…)
9. Fueling properly (More eating)
10. Preparing mentally (Stop freaking out!, find your zen)

Every individual taper is unique. Your age, preparation and personal history of your previous tapers should all play into the final formulation. Rest is key, but not too much rest. I recommend that you do something every day and just maintain your schedule. I have gone into a marathon too rested and bonked. I’ve also gone in exhausted and bonked (lots of bonking history) I have learned to listen to my body. Do regular self check every morning and rest as needed. Better to be 15% under-trained than 1% over-trained. Be confident that your body will rejuvenate and respond to resting.

The Gods of Ironman have conflicting stories about tapering, but the truth is in your own history of recovery. If you listen to your body, and are honest about your bonk history; you will know how long of a taper you need. Keep these tips in mind and be ready to rock your next Ironman!

See you all in Houston Texas May 21st!

Next article series is on recovery!

Race Recovery Secrets Revealed!

How long does it take to recover from a marathon? How long does it take to recover from an Ironman triathlon? How much racing is bad for my body? These are all good questions posed in my office on a regular basis. The problem is that the answer is always, "It depends". Everyone recovers at a different rate. Age, experience and current fitness level are large variables in the equation. I know a marathon runner in town who ran 100 marathons in a less than 10 years; and of course, we have all heard of Dane Rauschenberg who ran 52 marathons in one year for charity and then wrote a book about it! The flip side is that I know runners who can only do one marathon a year without getting hurt and most triathletes only train for one Ironman a year.

So what is the magic formula? How much is too much? I think the first thing to think about is what is your goal? If you are just talking about finishing the marathons and not really having a time crunch, then feel free to do up to six a year but realize that having more than two quality runs in a year is very difficult. The Ironman distance should not be attempted more than 2 or 3 times a year regardless of time goals! Now, for those of us who are addicted to the watch, "racing" a marathon is something that should not be done more than twice a year. "Racing" an Ironman triathlon should only be attempted one a year.

Why is this true? Well, simple math. It takes a minimum of 4 months to train effectively for a marathon and 6 months for an Ironman. Then you need at least one day for every mile you ran and three to five days for every hour your triathlon took. That means a month of recovery before you start to train again after a marathon and at least 6 weeks after a 12 hour Ironman. Last time I checked, there were only 12 months in a year; hence, the common recommendation of racing no more than 2 quality marathons or one quality Ironman triathlon a year.

Why do some people recover faster? Age. My feeling is that youth is wasted on the young. I remember being able to run a marathon and get up and go to work the next day. Now I have to take at least one day off and often take two! Experience does help. Your body has been there before, so it knows it will live. Veterans often have a post-race routine down that helps them recover. (Often this includes the anesthesia known as beer!) If your fitness level is high and your nutritional status is good, you will recover faster.

What can you do to hasten recovery? Walk a cool down after the race. Do not sit down immediately even though your legs are begging you to! Take a 15 to 20 minute walk and stretch gently. An ice bath is best, but very few people I know are that tough. A cool bath followed by stretching before you go to bed is helpful. A large amount of carbohydrates and water also helps. Hence the beer phenomenon! A massage a few days after the race will help you recover. More than anything, do not start training again until you are fully recovered. Many injuries occur due to too much, too soon, too fast and too fatigued syndrome!

So how much is too much? Again, the answer is always, "It depends." Listen to your body. Really listen and stop being stubborn or stupid! If you start training and you are exhausted, you are doing too much. If you are spending too much time in my office and less on your bike, you are doing too much. The answer is really simple stupid. Listen to your body and it will tell you how much is too much.

Bottom line: Let your body fully recover from your races and quality times will be recorded. Race only one to two marathons or one Ironman triathlon a year. As for other distances, keep in mind that you need one day for every mile of a running race and at least 3 days for every hour you raced in triathlon. Anything shorter, you better take off your watch and go for the finish instead of the time and prepare yourself to spend some quality time with your local sports medicine physician!

Run Happy! And Recover Well!

Lance Armstrong Targets Ironman

Armstrong an Ironman?

After returning to top-level cycling, Lance Armstrong has set a new challenge by saying he intends to compete in the Hawaii Ironman.

The 38-year-old Austin resident was targeting the 2011 or 2012 event in Kona, Hawaii, depending upon whether this year or next will be his final Tour de France.

"I will be in Kona 15 months after the final Tour," Armstrong said Friday. " I'm not saying that with any expectation; it will require months and months of getting back into swimming and running. But I want to just do it, just for fun."

A swimmer as a child and promising national-level triathlete in his late teens, Armstrong has also run in marathons. The Ironman event consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike leg and 26-mile marathon.

"I don't know I could be top three, top five or top 10, but anyway, I want to come and finish," Armstrong said.

Ambitious goal, but he will probably do it. It takes the average runner almost 3 years to train and compete their way to an Ironman. Most people never get to Hawaii unless they get in through the lottery; but knowing Lance Armstrong I'm sure they will find a spot for him just for the publicity. What he doesn't fully realize is the carnage that is seen among the best athlete's in the world at Kona. Even the tough barely survive.

My hat's off to you Lance. Ambitious goal and a "no quit" mentality are neede to survive Kona!

Larry: My Ultimate Ironman at the Ironman World Championships

Ironman World Championships, Kona, Hawaii

Here's a big cheer that goes out to my friend Larry Branigan!

Larry competed in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this weekend. He didn't win, but was a winning example for all of us. Larry is a 62-year-old colon cancer survivor who really can't run any more, but didn't let that stop him. He swam, biked hard, and ran as fast as his body would let him.

He finished in 14:38:33, 25th in his age group and 1494 overall.

Not bad for someone who is just over a year past surgery and nasty chemotherapy. Cancer slowed him down, but never killed his spirit.

So the next time you don't feel like getting up in the morning to run, think of Larry. If he can do it, so can you!