Marine Corp Marathon-er

Life = so amazingly busy. I both love it and hate it at the same time.

Hold on, pause that thought for one second.

It's been almost 3 1/2 weeks since I posted last and I just have to say it (or type it?)....

I AM A MARATHONER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please excuse my crazy hair and gigantic yellow jacket...it was cold!

*clears throat* Ok, just had to get that out of my system. I read so many runner blogs and I love all of their race recaps. It is honestly one of my goals to one day be able to write one so eloquently but I seriously don't know how they remember so much from races! I have some key highlights from the marathon but overall it feels like this amazing dream, so surreal. I RAN a marathon, let me repeat that. I. Ran. A. Marathon. So ridiculous. Like, it doesn't even feel real. Well, the day after, when every muscle in my body was revolting, it felt very real. But now? I'm so glad they gave me that medal because otherwise I wouldn't even believe it. I worked really hard to get a 4:58 finish time...passing the 5 hour pace group was seriously what I needed at mile 24 so badly. The best part from what I can tell is that every marathon after this just gets better...I'm totally addicted.

The Medal :-)

Every now and then I get chills basking in my post marathon glow. The best part is that it is no one else's satisfaction but my own. I earned it and I worked my butt off for it. If you see me flashing a goofy smile for no apparent reason, it's probably because I'm thinking about being a marathoner.

Ok, I'm sure you're tired of reading about me being a marathoner by now. So what's next on the chopping block? Not really sure. I'm doing the Holiday Booty Buster Challenge for the next few weeks. I did it last year after my half was over and it really keeps me motivated to keep working out even when I don't have a training plan. This year they have a pretty sweet Face book group set up where everyone can post the work out they did that day and give everyone encouragement. It's pretty awesome. If you're interested check out the link over there on the side of my blog. It's not too late to sign up and keep the motivation going through the holidays. I read something the other day that said the average American gains 5-10lbs from Thanksgiving through New Years. Yikes, don't be a statistic! Keep moving!

This week I have earned points for my first post marathon run, for cooking, cleaning and getting my full 7 servings of fruits and veggies. I love tallying up the points. I'm such a visual person so it really keeps me going to add more points to my log. So, I'm totally giving away all my neurosis in this post. Don't judge. :-)

I hope you all enjoy your Turkey (or tofurkey to my veggie friends) tomorrow and remember to give your friends and family hugs!

Cheers!

Side note:
I won this shirt by Reebok from Anne before I left for the marathon and it is now my new life motto and most favorite gym shirt. Thanks Anne!

Before I take my first step

Let's just pretend that I'm not the world's worst blogger for a second and go back to that whole training for a marathon part. Yep, training is now trained! I am running my first marathon in less than 48 fours! I have been so crazy mad busy with non stop 12 hour days with school, work and committee meetings. Taper was actually really easy and so very much enjoyed. I had no problems with running lower mileage. At. All. I actually didn't run this past week. I think my shoes are shot and I started developing a pain oddly familiar to a shin splint. In order to save my leg and save the last bit of miles in my shoes, I opted to skip the few short runs on my plan. I'm better off with a pain free leg not nagging me the whole, long, arduous 26.2 miles right? Just say "yes".

I wish I could explain my emotions right now but I can't seem to put them into words. All the blogs and twitter messages about the marathon have me so pumped. I know there will be pain, there has to be pain, but I know I can do this. I know I can get through it. How do I know? Because in the past two months I have all ready fought for this marathon over and over again. Now, all I have to do is get there and put one foot in front of the other until I get to the finish.

All you non runners, why is this so powerful for me you ask? Because even just a year ago I never wanted to run a marathon. I was just where so many of you are now. Oh I could never do that, can you imagine? 13.1 miles is long enough, I can't imagine doing 13.1 more! Why run 26.2 when you can drive that distance in 30 min? I'm good, thanks.

Oh, but sometimes when you dare to do what you think you will never do, you learn so so so much more about yourself than you could ever imagine. I'll admit, you might not like some of the things that you learn along the way. But you learn how to make your strong points stronger and your weaknesses less weak.

I have watched myself grow over these past few months. I have made decisions and stood by them. The same way I signed up for this marathon, so full of doubt and yet, ready to see what I could do. I have realized that I am fiercely independent and would rather do things on my own schedule than rely on someone else's schedule. Hence the reason I signed up and even paid a small fee to join a training group and only went to one run when their schedule just didn't work for mine. Ha. Oops.

I'm a fighter, I don't give up, even when I hit the wall at mile 12 of an 18 miler after being on campus for 12 hours and a brutal exam. I felt a little insane at that point but I also am a rule follower and I had to get in that long run. I just had to.

So many times I kept thinking I can't do this, I don't know how I'll finish. But somewhere deep down I knew that even if I had to crawl across the finish line, I would be doing it. And I will. On Sunday. With 30,000 other crazy people just like me, these are my people. The dreamers. The people who set goals and make them happen. The doers. The movers. The shakers. The runners!!!

The next time we meet again, you know, I'll be a marathoner. No big deal. *brushes off shoulder*

Ok. Kinddddd of a big deal. To me!

Go dream, y'all!!!

I'm still training for my first marathon

About that training update...hmmm. More than halfway done! Wow, that happened fast right? Wrong. :-)

I'm baaaaack in Charleston, SC and oh how sweet the south is, especially the people. After being in Charleston for a little over 7 years now, a 3.5 month break from Charleston was just what I needed to bring back some perspective on this area called the Lowcountry. Look it up, it's a real word.

Being back in Charleston can only mean one other thing and that is the beginning of pharmacy school, year 2. All ready in full swing, I have two exams on tap for next week. Aaaaand if that's not enough, I'm involved in a countless number of groups and committees and NOW, I have a jobby job. Yeah, I'm just a little bit insane. I also may have over-committed. Oh well, must make it through October (without going insane and without ruining too many of my relationships).

Last weekend was my longest run to date, 16 miles. Eek, it was tough. But I felt really really bad ass afterwards. I mean, 16 miles? That's just crazy. I can only imagine what 26.2 is going to feel like afterwards (cause lets face it, during it's just going to feel a-wwwful). This week set me back, I haven't run since Monday mainly because things have just been super hectic and I'm still trying to settle into a schedule that makes running a priority.

Marathon goals? I had some high hopes back in June when I had so much "time" on my hands to ponder these things. However, as I see my time quickly slipping away and my days planned out until November, I know that just getting through my long runs will be quite the struggle. With that said, my marathon goal is strictly just to finish. Which, baring something major happening during the race, I absolutely know I can finish. So, with that said, I'll be happy with anything under 5 and 1/2 hours, and I'll be so pleasantly, pleasantly surprised with anything under 5 hours! I know this sounds even more crazier but I'm all ready thinking about post marathon plans...I don't have time to train for another, but when? And what to do in the meantime? I'm thinking swim lessons, folks. Lofty goal planner, I am.

I'll leave you with some pics from my first 15 miler a few weeks ago. I ran from downtown Charleston over the cooper river bridge to Old Village in Mt Pleasant, SC. Then ran back over the bridge to run the last 4 (SLOW) miles with my friend Jen. Dear Charleston humidity, you are NO joke and I have NOT missed you. Love, Holly. :-)

At the old bridge in Old Village, Mt. Pleasant, SC. The old bridge is long gone and has been made into a scenic park with lots of palm trees and benches. 

If you look realllll close you can see the cooper river bridge in the mid right of this pic...yeah, I ran  from there, to here. Puts it in perspective, right?!

Happy September!!! (Maybe cooler temps soon?!)

Navigating the salad bar at Whole Foods!

As a follow up to my last post, I thought I would weigh in and share my tips on how I maneuver the salad bar at whole foods. I am not always so fortunate with my purchase and sometimes I cringe when I accidentally spend $8 on a lunch salad (my bad?). But hey, nobody is perfect and hopefully you can learn from some of my mistakes!

First and foremost; choose your salad container wisely. If you're not going to get a runny salad with lots of dressings and what not, opt for the folded paper containers usually located at the hot bar for housing your salad. The paper containers are much lighter than the cardboard like containers, which means less $$.

Second, if you like toppings then skimp on the lettuce. The lettuce is washed and although it feels light it actually holds a lot of water. I usually just barely cover the bottom of the container with lettuce, esp. if I'm eyeing up some heavy veggies.

I get carried away with individual veggies and usually add too many so I look for mixed prepared "salads" as toppings for my lettuce. For instance, yesterday I chose 2 tablespoons of chickpeas (a little goes a long way with these as they are very filling!), one scoop of a corn and red onion salad, followed by one scoop of a mediterranean salad (think couscous, kale and cherry tomatoes). The best thing about these toppings is they are pre-mixed with oils that can act as a dressing for the salad. Which leads me to my next tip...

Skip the dressing! Again, most dressings are heavy and can really add some weight to your salad. If you really need a dressing, try not to go over 1-2 tablespoons and opt for a vinagrette or water based dressing over a creamy dressing. Not only is it lighter in weight but it's also healthier!

Lastly, if you are adding a protein source like chicken, tofu or beef; stick to the 4oz rule. Four ounces is usually one serving size and all you need for your salad. Think 4 strips of grilled chicken/beef or one scoop of tofu and that should be plenty for your salad.

I wish I had taken a picture of my $5.75 salad from yesterday! It was super filling. I must admit, I was pretty proud of myself. *pats self on back*

Do you have any tips for saving money on salads at the salad bar? I'm always looking for advice in this area!

I was also lucky enough to get my hands on a very large bag of cherries from Whole Foods during a sale! I took the chance to learn how to pitt cherries (not so easy and very messy) and also made some yummy treats! Thanks Whole Foods!

Just a few pics below!



Cherry tart I made with Whole Foods cherries and Whole Foods organic filo dough (unnecessary? totally, but oh so worth it).





Cherry muffins made with the gigantic bunch of Whole Foods cherries I had!

Be on the lookout for a marathon training update soon!!!

My current obsession with Whole Foods

I know, I know, It's been over a month. I can at least say I warned you, right? Right.

Funny story, I used to never go to Whole Foods. I was extremely intimidated by the organic eating and whole foods craze. I mean, what did I know about these things? I generally try to eat healthy. My idea of healthy involves a balanced representation of food groups on my plate. If anything is unbalanced then that means there are more veggies than anything else! Also, while I used to be an avid vegetarian, I now have added chicken to get some extra lean protein. That combined with my little (I mean, huge?) sugar addiction and my newly self diagnosed gluten sensitivity and that's about all I know about my diet. So, growing up super thrifty means I try to incorporate my diet into a sustainable way of life. Usually this means avoiding pricey supermarkets like Whole Foods. This avoidance tactic has worked out well for me where I live in Charleston because the one and only Whole Foods is in no way convenient or accessible to me. However, back in the intimidation day, I used to work right across the street from the Whole Foods. I would venture in occassionally for a healthy lunch wrap and gawk at the tasty treats in the bakery section.

Well folks, things have changed a bit this summer. For 2/3 of my summer internship, I have been frequenting the Whole Foods in Old Town, Alexandria. I have walked up and down every single aisle and read a lot of labels. I'm not going to lie, things are still pricey but I am committed to "checking in" at least 10 times so that I can win a $5 gift card from foursquare (such a sucker for these things!). By the time I get that 10th check in (which I've all ready been there more than 10 times, I've just forgotten to "check in" - doh), I will have spent well over $100. I have the convenience to afford these lunch perusings with a 1 hour lunch break and a healthy summer stipend, but there are some things I will miss the most when I return to Charleston and end my sabbatical with Whole Foods.

1. The vast array of gluten free products. They have got to have the biggest selection of any place I've seen. My favorite snack that I have snatched for a whopping deal of $1.79 this week is a bag of Popcorners in White Chedder!

PopCorners! So yummy!

2. Stocking up on Odwalla smoothies and juices. Whole Foods has the best assortment of Odwalla drinks to date. Believe it or not, I have found that Whole Foods actually sells their Odwalla juices 10 cents cheaper than the local Harris Teeter. Score!

3. Being able to find all my favorite specialty products in one place. Justin's Almond Nut Butter? check. Vega nutrition products? check. Any and every kind of granola energy bar? check. Chicken hot dogs? check. Annie's Homegrown products? check. The list goes on.

The only place I have found individual packets of Vega smoothies!

A great snack option

4. Last but not least - the Whole Foods salad bar and hot foods bar. This section of the store is by far the biggest and most popular area. The thing I have enjoyed the most about the Old Town location is that even though it's busy, navigating through this area isn't nearly as intimidating as it used to be in Charleston! At $7.99/lb, you have to be savy when choosing your ingredients. I have managed to master the salad bar and most of my lunch salads average around $6, today's salad was $5.75!

I'll be sure to let you in on my tricks of the trade on my next post!

What are some of your Whole Foods favorites? I'd love to have some new things to try before I leave my internship!

Riding the bus gives you time...

...to write!

Back to back posts, I'm kind of shocked myself. I'm currently on my first megabus trip from union station in Washington, D.C. in route to Pittsburgh. Your first question, why Pittsburgh? One of my very best BFFs lives there and I'm so lucky to be closer to her this summer. Seriously, besides when we both lived in Charleston we have never been just a bus ride from each other. Also, she is getting hitched next spring, so we will be shopping for bridesmaids dresses on Saturday. Bring on the mimosas.

Your second question, why megabus? Why not?! Ok, so this is my first bus trip besides school field trips, and basically that's what this is like. I'm on a double decker bus with TWO seats to myself, plenty of leg room, free wi-fi, outlets to charge my electronic devices (hey, iPhone) and I got to bring plenty of healthy snacks. The best part? Round trip to and from Pittsburgh has cost me a whopping 33 dollars and 50 cents. That's less than a tank of gas folks! Now that's what I call a deal.

Last night, I went to my favorite Thursday night hot yoga class with instructor Brett. After only about 5 sessions I am noticing some major improvements. I can pretty much lock out my knees in all the poses which means my hamstrings are in their best condition e-ver! I don't have quite as much soreness after the classes anymore and I feel so much more limber. I'm definitely going to have to keep this up when I get back to chuck-town (shout out to me newly minted yogi instructor Angie Benson!).

I brought home a fancy quiche Lorraine from Whole Foods last night for dinner with my "roomies". To be honest, I really didn't know what quiche Lorraine was until last night. After scouring the inter-webs I quickly found out (I love you, google). Although one slice of this piece of heaven is relatively low in calories the fat content might just give you a coronary after one bite. No lie. I hear this is good for endurance athletes, but an endurance athlete I am not. I bet there is a healthier version but I'm certain it lacks the fabulous smoky, caramelized goodness of this quiche. Paired with a side dish of strawberries and sliced oranges, I enjoyed every single bite. I don't have a picture but I'll leave you with this snippet from smittenkitchen.com (it closely resembles my purchased egg pie).

Well, that's about it for now. Back to listening to my jams on spotify and stretching out in this limo of a bus. Happy Friday!!!

Up to date

Let's face it, I am probably the world's worst blogger. I'm OK with that, life is pretty busy and sometimes (as a natural introvert), I just don't think to share it with the world. But I'm baaaack with an update!

I'll give you the shortened version. Crushed my finals, celebrated completing my first year of pharmacy school, and then high-tailed it up to Washington, DC for the summer to start on my internships.

I moved in with a friend of mine that I've known since middle school. Her and her husband have graciously taken me in for the summer and only sometimes refer to me as the "sister wife" (we have an odd sense of humor).

My running has slowed down ALOT since I've been in D.C. And by slowed down, I mean the warmer weather combined with the hills have dropped my times to above 10 minutes miles. I haven't seen these times in a while but I know that come fall (and hopefully by the end of the summer) those times will improve. I've done two 10Ks while I've been here and although they haven't been my best times, the added challenges of the hilly terrain has been quite fulfilling. Oh and the Lawyers Have Heart 10K was my first medal for completing a 10K (kind of cool!).

On the cross-training front, I completed a 25 mile bike ride during my first weekend in D.C. thanks to Bike DC! I've been regularly attending Bikram Yoga in Alexandria, VA (check them out if you're in the area, my favorite instructor is Brett! Bikram Yoga of Alexandria ). 90 minutes of pure sweat is definitely a great way to stretch your muscles and get accustomed to the heat of summer! After a 105 degree room, 99 degree weather will seem like a treat! Last but not least, I've been lucky enough to get to work on my swimming skills. My stroke still isn't pretty by any means but I'm hoping to get my freestyle tightened up so that I can regularly integrate some swimming into my schedule when I get back to Charleston in August.

Bike DC (Don't I look legit? Not!)

MARINE CORP MARATHON training has somewhat officially begun for me! I'm on my second week of the Hal Higdon novice 1 program, but I'm adding more cross training so that I don't get completely sick of running after 18 weeks. I started my training a bit early so that if something gets crazy during the fall semester, I can either repeat a week or take the intensity down a notch. Also, if I stay on schedule it will give me just a few extra weeks of training! Which I'm sure I might need for my first marathon. I'm kind of nervous, not going to lie, I've all ready been having nightmares of not finishing (eek!).

OK, that's all for now. I'll leave you with some pictures of what I've been up to lately. Hopefully I'll get in another post before I return to Charleston! Enjoy the summer folks!

Lawyers Have Heart 10K medal

Seriously the best day of my middle school heart's life. Getting to see the dinosaur's skeletons at Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Washington Nationals baseball stadium - I literally interned a block away from the stadium

Pershing Park - cute little park tucked away in the city. The ducks here are hilarious!

Pho on the go! Phojunkies.com food truck to service all your pho needs in the district area.

Washington Monument at night

Obligatory picture of the White House, also at night :-)

A little late on that review...

I was a little bummed to write my Cooper River Bridge Run 10k review. Even though it was my first bridge run and I had a great time running with friends, it was a little disappointing (esp after all the hype that goes into it in the months before). I'm going to make this short since I'm sure most of you have heard about the let down of this years bridge run and by now it's probably like beating a dead horse, what's done is done.

Pros: the bridge run expo has so many awesome booths (but could also use a larger venue), the lululemon shuttle vans were awesome, being early definitely has its advantages in a race of this size, lots of post run snacks (like free Chobani cups!) including a giant brat cooker (the largest in the world I believe? I would have taken a pic but more about this later), the views from the bridge are gorgeous.

Cons: this race has gotten too big (people everywhere, I never really had any space to myself in 6 miles, so don't run this one for time!), water shortages on the course and at the end of the race, 1 hour delayed race start due to transportation issues (huge disaster), bag check can really be improved upon (I was told there would be one, searched everywhere for it to finally find an unmarked van bagging up peoples stuff. Then after the race, no one could tell me where to claim my bag. I wandered around for quite a while until giving up and ended up only being a few feet away from it- hence no pictures).

The race planners and directors did a great job at identifying the problems and issuing not only an apology letter but an apology video as well. I'll definitely give it another try and hopefully it will redeem itself but for right now, I'm still a little bummed at the outcome of my first bridge run. I hope that with more planning and evaluating, next years race can be even better than any before!

So what's new on the home front? Not much, finishing up finals (1 left!). Then packing and heading up to D.C. for the summer where I have not 1, but 2 pharmacy internships this summer! I am super excited, it will give me lots of time to get acquainted with the not as flat running terrain and really prepare me for marine corp. I'm thinking I might need another pair of running shoes, so I'm keeping my eyes pealed for a brand new pair. Also trying to re-build and maintain my weekly running mileage to 20 miles/week until marathon training officially begins. That's about it for now. I'll leave you with a pic of a great exam snack I found on pinterest, it helps me feel full (which keeps me from eating junk) and gives me study energy!

No-bake energy bites (please google the recipe - they are oh so yummy and nutritious!)

Why I'm pumped for the bridge run!

I am not going to complain about how I haven't written in a while. Let's just be honest, if I didn't come home every day just absolutely spent, I'd be writing. The fact that I no longer have internet at home (long story), doesn't help much either. Thank goodness for my smart phone (which probably happens to be smarter than me sometimes)!

Now on to business. I am very lucky to not only live in such a beautiful place but to live in a place that really supports running and runners. I can say this now, but I didn't always feel this way about Charleston. I moved here right after college, I was your typical post college graduate with a liberal arts degree. I had some vague notion of what I wanted to do with my life but besides my own internal motivation to figure it out, there was nothing else in front of me. The first few years in Charleston were tough. This town is beautiful, but when you're a young, poor college graduate that doesn't know anyone, it's hard to find your niche. People are so dang nice down here, it's almost too good to be true. Besides the bless-your-heart, god awful drivers these people will smile at you and welcome you with open arms and a glass of pure sugar sweet tea. I was just in a weird place in my life and I wasn't sure I wanted to like Charleston.

I wasn't an avid runner when I moved down here. I had done a few 5ks in college and I enjoyed running for exercise. I had a running buddy for a little while when I moved here but once I started a real job, my life got in the way and running wasn't important enough to me at that time. When I first heard about the bridge run, I thought it sounded like tons of fun and one day I knew I was going to train for it.

Flash forward almost 7 years later and I'm at the cusp of running my first bridge run! Even though it's not my first 10k and I've had so many running milestones in the past year alone, this will still be an emotional race for me. I'm on track with a plan for life, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, and running has truly made me such a happier person! If you're a new runner, join a running club and find friends to run with, it keeps me motivated every day to keep running when I have people to enjoy it with! When I reach the finish line tomorrow, I can look back on this past 7 years and know that Charleston, SC isn't the place I first thought it was. Even though it will be a long time from now (at least 3 years), I will honestly be sad to leave this place. I am so pumped for my first official bridge run!

I am hoping to get an official race report up tomorrow after the race!

Side note: My college of pharmacy is an awesome supporter of runners. The expo here is just ridiculous. It's an awesome expo (Chobani was my favorite!!!) but the location isn't very friendly to out-of-towners. It gets real hairy with parking and driving through that area of town. So my college picked up our race packets but also gave everyone a really awesome tech running t-shirt that has an Rx symbol on it, so cute! See pictures below. They also hooked us up with a ton of swag, like unlimited free gatorade, cliff bars, the works! For all your pharmacy nerds out there (hey, I'm one of them too), this event is organized by Dr. Dipiro. Yes, the one who wrote that big book you carry around and who happens to be a really good runner! That's my little drop of knowledge for you all today. :-)

Yay! Pharmacy Running Tech T-shirt! 

One ending leads to another beginning...

Oh hey blog, still there? That's good, because I've obviously not been here for a while! However, the good news is that usually the first thing to go when I'm super busy is working out and that has NOT been the case this semester! Unfortunately, blogging has taken a back seat. Note to self: need to work on this.

In running news, I finished my second half marathon!! Remember the New Orleans one I signed up for a while back?! Well I did it AND I didn't really follow my training plan like last semester. Actually I only did one long run before this half. I have been participating in a hard core boot camp three times a week so I'm guessing that did a lot for strength. I didn't PR in this one but I wasn't far off from my first time and I felt really good afterwards. I'm talking like I didn't feel max exertion and little to no soreness the next day. Good signs right?!

That being said... I finally did it! I signed up for my very first marathon!!!!!!

Drum roll please.......

I will be running the marine corp marathon in October 2012. That is, of course, if all things go well. I'm working on my goals and establishing a solid training plan that I can work around with school next semester. I am super nervous but really excited at the same time. I don't even know how to explain it.

I hope you'll all join me along this crazy ride of marathon training! (Eeeek, I just typed marathon training!!! Wow. Ok, this has been happening a lot. Gotta go now.) I'll leave you with this happy pic!

Bye!

Rambling Rut

A few days ago I had a bright and cheery post about running and working out all typed up and then *snaps fingers* just like that, it disappeared. I'm normally very good at saving things or being able to recover lost items but this time I just pressed a button and it was gone. Needless to say, thus began the downhill part of this adventure.

I too disappeared for a bit after the holidays as I tend to do when the weather turns colder and things just get...busy. The IT band has gotten better with new shoes but the training plan for the New Orleans half hasn't been going so well. I started a boot camp class last week and after three sessions ended up with an acute bronchial infection. This basically means I just cough a lot, have a lot of congestion, get tired easily and am just in general not worth a whole lot. This is very unfortunate as I have a 15k in less than two weeks that I am not even close to being prepared for either. Fun times ahead, for sure.

School has started back and I have managed to not really keep up with things, a lesson I am sure to learn from soon I am sure. Even after a full 3 day weekend of resting and medicating, I am still only slightly better. No running or exercising this week though which kind of puts a lot riding on next weeks preparations.

Let's see, a positive spin on this? 1) I'm back to blogging! Hello *waves hand* 2) I won a guitar from the Rock N' Roll Savannah Half Marathon! (More on this later) 3) I'm still alive! 4) I used my groupon for Trysports in Mt Pleasant, SC to buy a Mizuno ear warmer and long sleeve running shirt. Yay for new running gear!

Hoping to be back on my feet soon and with more on the running and working out front. 'Till then I wish you all good health, don't take it for granted that's for sure!