My Toe is Better Now and I'm in Boston

I got clearance from the physical therapist to run again after I mashed my toe. And run I did. I had a lot of pent up running to do after I got the "all clear". I ripped off a few short runs before a 13 miler on Sunday. I had a lot of flexibility and was able to easily pull off a casual 1:36 without breaking too much of a sweat. It was a most excellent comeback from my "toeper". The pain in my toe diminshes by the day.

This week I'm in Boston on business.  So this morning, I headed out to the Charles River for a spectacular 5 miler to start the day.

Me, a rower and the Citgo Sign

Me and a crew team

After a non-descript morning/afternoon in the office, me and a co-worker (who is running the Chicago Marathon this fall) headed out for another 5 miler in order to soak up the late afternoon sun along the Charles River trail:

Late afternoon sun and the Charles River

After taking a shower, we headed out for dinner. I ate a 2 lb. lobster and some clam chowder at Legal Seafood . For a night cap we headed over to a certain special pub across the river:

The place where everybody knows my name

Anyway, it is great to be back in Boston and especially great to be running again. I am fully commited to focusing on getting in marathon shape and cranking out some serious miles over the next 14 weeks or so so I can perhaps set a course record in my 4th attempt at the greatest marathon in the Midwest!

"Toeper" Madness

Thursday night during yoga class, I was daydreaming. I was mentally preparing my race strategy for my 5k on Saturday, when all of a sudden, I absentmindedly slammed my right "ring finger" toe into a hard cork block and heard a "pop" sound when it hit. The pain wasn't too bad, but the pop definitely scared me. I finished the class and iced it when I got home.  The next morning the toe was painful, swollen and blood was pooling under the toenail (I will spare you pictures of it). So naturally, like any rational person would do, I googled "broken toe" and saw pictures and read about symptoms of broken toes that looked and sounded a lot like my toe. I also read that broken toes could sometimes take eight to 10 weeks to heal. So, I was going to head on over the ER in the afternoon to get an x-ray and prepare myself for the bad news that I would have to sit in "injury jail" for several weeks. I was in a funk as I was just starting to feel like my "base building" phase was over and I could start marathon training with some serious speed work.

Then I remembered that I had a physical therapy session that afternoon, so I figured I would get the therapist to look at the toe instead of waiting for a few hours for an ER doctor. Once at PT, my physical therapist took out a tuning fork and did some vibration tests on the toe. She quickly determined that the toe was not broken! A wave of relief flooded over me. However she said that I needed to take a few days off for the pain and swelling to subside. Naturally that means I had to DNS my 5k on Saturday, but it was the best prognosis I could have hoped for!

Presently, I am chomping at the bit, anxiously awaiting my return to running. It's like I am tapering for a marathon. My legs are super well rested and I have been getting more sleep than ever. Everything is lining up for a great "restart" to running, I just have to wait for my stupid toe to feel better. 

Michelob Ultra 13.1 Marathon 2014 Race Recap

Last year's version of the 13.1 Marathon was one of my favorite races of 2013. The weather was picture perfect, I won a free entry and set a course record of 1:34:54. How would the 2014 version unfold?

2013 13.1 Marathon
Credit Xaarlin

I did indeed, win another free entry this year, but let's start things off with the condition of my legs this morning.

My Legs:
My legs have never been so trashed the morning of a race. Two days ago, I played softball for an entire afternoon and when I woke up yesterday, I could barely walk. Hips, quads, and hamstrings were all shredded.  Yes, it is hard to believe that playing a couple of softball games was my pre-race kryptonite, but it's true. I learned my lesson, however: Never ever play any other sports during a race week, no matter how "easy" that sport may seem. Anyway, despite feeling as stiff as a board, I was still going to run, walk or crawl this race.

Pre Race:
At 4:45 am, my alarm went off.  I was hungry when I woke up so I ate half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a banana and coffee. I walked my dog, then jumped in the car and headed down to the Museum of Science and Industry to catch a shuttle to the starting line. I found a free street spot only two blocks from shuttle bus pickup area, and got right on a bus and 10 minutes later, was at the South Shore Cultural Center.

View from the front seat of the shuttle bus

Sitting on the bus

I bumped into Emily who I need to thank for the free entry. Thanks Emily! She was holding court with several friends by the general bag check at around 6:30am. While we were chatting, I popped an aspirin for good measure, hoping it would ease my leg soreness. Anyway, we got a picture on Emily's camera:

Me, Zenaida, Adele, Amy and Emily hanging before the race (source)

Next, I checked my backpack. Well, rather, I had to dump the contents of the backpack into a clear bag and then stuff my backpack into the clear bag. How this helps with security, I don't really know. I saw Lynton, a fellow Bootlegger as he was making his way to the "A" corral. I got in the "B" corral and saw Erica and her friend. We chatted awhile about things including the always fascinating "I Beat You Guy". The national anthem was sung and 2.5 minutes after the "A" corral left, we were off!

Race Strategy:
Last month, after running a 1:29 in Indy, I had bold plans for a 1:28 at today's 13.1. However, given my ripped up legs and hips that wasn't gonna happen. I decided to start slowly and see how my legs felt. If they did not give out on me early, I would gradually up the pace. A course record (sub 1:34:54) would be all I could hope for.

The Race:
Miles 1 to 3:
I asked Erica if I could hang with her for the first couple of miles, since both she and I were targeting about a 7:25/mile pace for the first couple of miles. We ran along the road in front of the South Shore Cultural center, then through a nice shady stretch of Jackson park. After mile 2, I said my goodbyes to Erica and soon I ran by this big, golden statue in Jackson Park:

Statue of the Republic

My legs were still not feeling it, but I felt like I would be okay as long as I did not push myself. I decided to flip my Garmin's screen over to heart rate for the rest of the race. That way, I would be running by effort, not by the speed I wish my legs could handle if I hadn't played softball like an 18 year old. 7:11/mile.

Miles 4 to 6:

Finally it was out to the Lakefront Trail. I usually don't like races that use the trail, but I hardly ever make it down this far south, and it is a beautiful stretch with the lakefront so close to the trail. There must have been less prize money this year, because I did not see the Kenyans heading back like I did last year during these miles. We circled around Promontory Point, where George Lucas got married a year ago this month. 7:10/mile.

Miles 7 to 9:

We had a tailwind as we ran north, which was good for speed, as I upped my pace a little more, but the tailwaind was also helping to make things a little too warm. Just after mile 6, Xaarlin and I spotted each other and she (as she did last year) took some awesome photos, as well as cheered me on:

Credit: Xaarlin

Since it is an out and back course on the Lakefront Trail, this was essentially the same path for the return trip. Just before I reached the hairpin turnaround, I spotted Lynton coming towards me and gave him a side-five. After the turnaround, I once again spotted Xaarlin who snapped my picture and high-fived me. She got this cool looking shot of me and the skyline (and some drummers).

Credit: Xaarlin

It was about this point that I kind of "locked in" with a group of three other runners that I would run with for the remainder of the race. 6:57/mile.

Miles 10 to 12:

The nice tailwind that we had going north was now a headwind. It was slightly refreshing to have the wind in my face, but it also helped to slow me down. A group of students from France was handing out water near the mile 10 aid station and I gave them an enthusiastic "Merci" and they said "De rien" in response!. I passed the other three runners in the pack, but when we hit the giant hill on the return trip, I slowed considerably and they passed me. I figured that I could pass them again later, so not to worry. I said "hi" again to Lynton who was nursing an injury, but giving it his all in the race. 7:10/mile.

Miles 13 and 13.25
A slight uphill around the bend in the lake and it was a straight shot back to the street in front of the South Shore Cultural Center. I knew from last year's race that it was about a half a mile from the entrance to the center to the finish line (near the beach). So I was not going to kick too early and flame-out before I could see the finish line. I was still running neck and neck with the trio of dudes, but wanted to beat them at the finish. I could feel a cramp in my leg, but ignored it. I waited until just before the 13 mile sign to make my move and turn on the after-burners. Once I spotted the sign up ahead, I started to sprint, and got ahead of the guys once and for all, as they did not respond to my surge. Just then, I spotted Jenny who shouted my name and took this pic:

Putting away my "competition" with a surge at the end of the race! Source

At the very end I heard "Go Pete!" being yelled by Jennifer and then I crossed the finish line. Pace: 6:55/mile 

My Results:

Total time: 1:34:02 (7:11/mile) Course PR!

Age Group: 9 out of 128

Overall: 93 out of 2,870

Analysis: I captured a course PR - it was the best I could hope for with the condition my legs were in. Especially since I could barely walk yesterday! I probably could have run even greater negative splits, but with the wind in our face on the return trip it was difficult. I'm looking forward to getting my legs back to "normal" and running a decent 5k next weekend!

Post Race:
I changed clothes on the beach, well really in a porta-potty overlooking the beach and made my way over to the beer garden. I grabbed a beer and met up with Lynton who had an ice bag taped to his leg:

Lynton and me enjoying a cold one in the beer garden

Then we made our way over to chat with Jenny and her crew:

More tired runners drinking beer!

Then it was back to the shuttle bus back to the Museum of Science and Industry.

What an awesome fun-filled morning.  I not only survived, but I met up with some awesome friends, and as a bonus - my legs don't feel much worse than when the day started. I consider this a major win!

Next up: Run for the Stars 5k on Saturday!

Pictures from my Lakefront Run during Bike the Drive

I did my long run today and little did I know it, but it was also the morning for Bike the Drive. It was nice to run along Lake Shore Drive and not hear the roar of engines and smell car exhaust. It was also a picture perfect day for a run. I bumped into Lauren who was running the other direction, so I turned around, and we were able to run and chat for about a quarter mile. The Lakefront Trail was mostly bike-free since pretty much anyone on a bike was riding on LSD.

Me and the Bikers

Cruisin' along Belmont Harbor

"Empty" Trail

Lakefront Dandelion Field

Wavin' at my Camera

Got to run with Lauren for a little while

Biker taking a break

Dandelion and Skyline

View from North Ave. bridge

Another View from the Bridge

I ended up running/walking/picture taking for 15 miles in just over two hours (for 8:06/mile). It would be nice if "Bike the Drive" was every weekend. Hopefully these mild morning temps stay around for awhile (like through August)! :)

My Summer Race Schedule

Good news! I am still running. However, I am going to physical therapy tomorrow to work on my ankle/PF issues. My main goal from PT is to learn some strengthening exercises for my plantar fasciitis. If I happen to get some relief from the sessions as well that would be a bonus.

My Wurst Track Club workout last week (number of attendees: 1)

In years past, around this time of the year, I would get a nice break to heal from my injuries because I would stop racing from mid-June until late August mostly due to not wanting to run in the high temps. However, there are now more and more fun summer races, so it is harder to sit on the chaise lounge sipping a Mai Tai waiting for fall race season to start. If I do run summer races, I want to keep my focus on getting in PR shape for the Chicago Marathon in October, so I don't want to overdo it with too much summer speed, however I figure as long as I try and play it smart and not kill myself (i.e. get put in injury jail) during June and July, maybe I can have some fun and fast shorter races. So, I came up with a list of races that I am either registered for or strongly considering running:

My (potential) summer race schedule:

1. Roselle Run for the Roses 5k 6/1/14 (May run) I would run this one mainly to try and score some CARA points for my running team - Bootleg Runners Coalition. However, since it's only a 5k, it will be a popular race and lots of speedy runners will be there, so I may not place too high. The trek all the way out to the burbs for 19.5 minutes of running might not be worth the effort for a single point or two.
2. 13.1 Half Marathon 6/7/14 (Registered) also a CARA race. I ran this last year after winning a free entry, and as luck would have it, I won another entry this year! I initially had some lofty goals of besting my 2014 Indy Mini Marathon time of 1:29, but since I have not had much mileage lately, I may use it as a fast training run and just be happy with a 1:30 to 1:35 instead.
3. Run for the Stars 5k 6/14/14 (May run) I may trek out to the 'burbs to run this 5k with my dad. I would not taper for this one = purely be for fun.
4. Dennis Krzykowski Memorial 5K Run 7/4/14 (May run) I've run this four years in a row and am looking forward to the fifth installment. It's in Wisconsin and there are plenty of brats grilling and there is a raffle afterwards for cases of Wisconsin beer. Another draw to this race is that there is a massive uphill over the last half mile. Completely a lung buster, but it's unlike any 5k I've run in Illinois.
5. Rock and Roll Half Marathon Chicago 7/20/14 (Registered) Despite being held in the late July heat, this is my favorite half marathon, since the course winds its way through downtown Chicago. I had an absolute blast last year running with Xaarlin and Sara.

After that, I am going to keep August open to focus all of my attention on Chicago Marathon training. My goal for August will be to try to pound out as many PR marathon pace miles as possible. I may throw in the Chicago Half Marathon in September as a tune-up race. 

Anyone else have any fun races planned for the summer?

Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon 2014 Race Recap

I believe this was my sixth running of the Indy Mini Marathon. It is the largest half marathon in the country and it's the home of my half PR set way back in 2010. There was a time when I would train all winter almost solely for this half marathon. I would do bunches of 15 mile long runs and once a week run half marathon specific track workouts that built my speed for 13.1. But since then I've discovered full marathons, and shifted my winter training to marathon workouts and thus my half times have suffered. This year, however, I did not plan a spring marathon since I was dealing with an injury December through February. Once I was better, I targeted my training specifically for this race over the last eight weeks.

Goal(s):

So, what would be my race goal? Well, based on my Ravenswood Run 5k finishing time from last week, the McMillan calculator put my fitness at just above a 1 hour 30 minutes for a half marathon. So:

 "A" goal was go sub-1:30.

 "B" goal would be to go sub 1:33 (especially if the conditions on race day weren't favorable)

I knew that in Minis past, I would run about 13.30 miles for the race, so I would need to get close to a 6:45 average mile pace to go sub-1:30. I wanted to start conservatively, since I saw that we would have a slight headwind for the first third of the race and a tailwind for the last third. So I targeted a 7:20, 7:10 start with a progressive drop in pace to around 6:30/mile over the last few miles. The main thing was to have confidence that I would run some fast finishing miles, so that I could relax and run a few early, slow miles.

Pre-Race:

Indianapolis is less than a three hour drive from Chicago, but it is in the Eastern time zone, which is an hour ahead of Chicago time. So, waking up at the hotel at 4:45 ET am to get ready for the race meant that my body thought it was 3:45 am. I downed a cup of coffee, along with a peanut butter bagel and a banana. I packed my race bag and drove from the hotel to the race. I found a $10 spot about four blocks from the start line. I used the ample facilities, and checked my bag. Recently, the race instituted wave starts (15 minute apart). In races past, when everyone started at the same time, thousands and thousands of runners would mill about pre-race in the park adjacent to the corrals. However, this year it seemed only like a few hundred were milling around. This is probably due to the fact that some of the later start waves did not start for another hour and those runners had not even arrived yet.

Pre-race hanging out. Where is everyone?

I made my way to corral "B" which closed at 7:30 am. Then we had to wait about 18 minutes for the race to start. During those 18 minutes, I realized the conditions were near perfect, that I felt fantastic, and that I would almost without a doubt be able to hit my "A" goal. The one caveat would be to start conservatively. If I did that I told myself my race goal would be mine for the taking. The National Anthem was sung, the wheelchairs started, and we were off to the roar of the engines (over the loudspeakers)!

Time to play: "WHERE'S PETE B?"

Picture of me crossing the line at the start of the race.
(Hint: See guy with white hat at the tip of the red arrow).

The Race:

Miles 1 through 3:  I headed across the start line at 7:48:26 am (see pic above). Then headed by the Indianapolis Zoo and people in animal costumes waved. I believe there was an actual elephant that they brought near a fence to watch the race too. I looked at my watch and noticed I was going too fast, so I slowed down. A preacher was proselytizing and several kick-ass bands were jamming along the course. I flashed them the devil horns. I felt fantastic. 7:03/mile

Having fun during mile one!

Miles 4 through 6: These are some laid back miles through industrial areas. The wind was in our faces for most of the time, so per the plan, I did not push it. I kept reminding myself to leave something for the tailwind at the end. We passed a two-steppin' dance troupe! 6:44/mile

Miles 7 through 9: We entered the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by running down a steep ramp. Since it was steeply downhill, I put on a small speed exhibition and whizzed by a dude with headphones on. I think I must have startled him because he shouted something like "hey! hey!". Sorry dude that you couldn't hear my footfalls behind you! Anyway, this is the coolest part of the course - needless to say. The race track is pretty flat on the straightaways, but banked on the turns. Fortunately, if you ran low enough around the inside lane, it was not too bad on the ankles. Some people kissed the "Yard of Bricks" as they made their way toward Turn One. We left the course and headed back to the city and ran by a group of square dancers! 6:41/mile

Making my way around the Indy 500 track

Miles 10 through 12: I started doing mental calculations on what I needed to run for the last few miles to reach a sub-1:30. I figured that I needed something around 7:00/miles for the remainder and I would be okay. I did an endurance check and felt confident (barring a sudden injury or shift of wind direction) that I would easily be able to do sub 7:00s. The wind was a tailwind, so I picked up my pace and focused on pounding out the last few miles with conviction. 6:33/mile

Miles 13 and 13.25 There was a long up-hill over a bridge for the final 1.25 miles, then a nice little downhill to flat ground which starts the mile long sprint to the finish. Over the loudspeakers they played Jim McKay announcing the end of a Indy 500 race from circa 1969: "He's going around the last turn and Andretti will win the 500 mile race!" By the large clock over the finish line, I saw that a sub-1:29 was not within reach, but I knew that I would go sub-1:30. I ran by the grandstands of cheering spectators and my race ended! 6:27/mile

Update:  Just found a video of my finish. I appear at the right of the screen at about 10:16 (I'm wearing a gray shirt and white hat). The "red clock" on the video says 1:29:15 I finish at about 1:29:29:

I stopped my Garmin after I crossed the finish line. A few seconds later, a man handed me a medal and said "This is a special medal for the top 500 finishers, congratulations!". I said thanks and  then looked down at my watch for my finishing time. 

Results:

Official Time: 1:29:13  ("A" Goal accomplished!)

Official Pace: 6:48/mile

Garmin Pace: 6:44/mile

Place Age Group: 12th out of 1,396

Place Overall: 351 out of 28,936

Analysis: Sweet negative split. It felt fantastic to set a goal and then simply nail it. An A+ race day!

Post Race: 

I walked down the finishers' chute and collected my second medal for finishing. I grabbed some snacks, got a photo with my medals and headed back to the hotel.

Post Race with my two medals

Near the finish line

The Future: Post-race, my legs feel like they have rebounded nicely. So after a couple of rest days, I will set my sights on training for the Chicago 13.1 Half Marathon which takes place in early June. I should be able to get in a couple of more high mileage weeks in until then. So if conditions are right, I'd like to shoot for a sub-1:28 half for that race.

2014 Ravenswood Run 5k Race Recap

The Ravenswood Run 5k took place this morning in my breathtakingly quaint neighborhood on the north side of Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was also on hand to cheer people on as the course winds its way near his house as well. Anyway, when I last posted, I had made a highly technical prediction that I would finish around 19 minutes. I had planned to break the race down into the following splits:

 6:20, 6:10, 6:00, 5:50

However, as the start time got closer and closer, the weather forecast - especially the wind (>25 mph gusts), was casting some doubts that I would be able to run that fast.

Pre-Race:
I woke up at 6 am for a two and a half mile shakeout run. I actually ran from my house to Lawrence and ran the last mile or so of the Ravenswood Run course. As I ran east on Lawrence - straight into the headwind coming unabated straight off of the lake - I knew that my hopes of a super fast kick were not realistic. I would just have to settle for a fast kick.

When I returned home, I had a cup of coffee, a bagel with peanut butter and a banana. My dad was ready to go, so at about 7:40 we ran over to the starting area. As I neared the starting line, I told myself that a decent plan B would be 6:30, 6:20, 6:10, 6:00 considering the conditions.

I had just enough time to do a couple of pickups as the announcer was calling the runners to the start corral. I positioned myself in the second row. The national anthem happened and then we were off!

Me (in orange) at the 2011 Ravenswood Run

The Race:
Mile 1: I started too far up in the corral and was immediately passed by about 50 runners. On the positive side I was way on the left hand side so I don't think I slowed anyone down. I glanced at my Garmin and saw I was running 6:00/pace, and knew that I had to slow down as the wind would be a factor for the last mile. So I dropped back a bit. Suddenly I saw Lynton and his dog who cheered me on. They were allegedly standing near Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, but unfortunately, I did not see Mr. Mayor. 6:22/mile.

Mile 2: This mile was nice, because the wind was to our backs pretty much the entire time. I fought the urge to push the pace a little faster as I kept reminding myself that the final mile would be a killer as the big tailwind would turn into a mighty headwind.  6:12/mile.

Mile 3: This is the "showcase" mile of the race, because the course winds through the ultra-quaint Lincoln Square shopping area right in front of the Chicago Brauhaus and Gene's Sausage Shop. It is in this area that I spectated last year (see pictures here). Anyway, the tailwind was about to end as we made our way east onto Lawrence Ave. I muttered "here we go" and got a chuckle or two from nearby runners as no one was looking forward to this windy stretch. All I can say is that it is lucky I saved up a little juice for the final 3/4 mile as it was entirely into the wind. We got a little relief as we headed south onto Damen, but once we hit the homestretch on Wilson it was all headwind. 6:08/mile.

Tera Moody at the 2013 race in front of the
 Chicago Brauhaus

Mile 3.15: I spotted two gentlemen ahead of me, and by the looks of their hair (or lack thereof) I decided that they were likely in my age group. So I snuck up behind them and in the final 200 yards "slammed down the hammer" and whizzed by them. In fact it turned out that they were in my AG!  5:16/mile.

Stats:

Official Finish Time: 19:29

Official Pace: 6:17/mile

Garmin Pace: 6:11/mile

Place Overall: 74th out of 3,334

Place Age Group: 4th out of 142

Analysis:
I missed my prediction by 19 seconds and missed placing in my age group by four seconds - oh well, it happens. Anyway, it turns out that saving up enough energy for the last windy mile paid off as it was my fastest mile.  However by not cutting the tangents properly - I ran 3.15 miles - thereby adding at least 15 seconds to my time. The old Ravenswood Run course had just 7 turns and this new course has 11. So, next time, I'll have to be more conscious of the turns. Also, props to my dad who finished 3rd in his age group!

I have a half marathon in 6 days, so to determine my half pace, I plugged a 19:29 5k into the McMillan Calculator. This yields just about a 1:30 half marathon time. So if I run a smart race next weekend, I am hoping to get a second or two under that number!

Post Race:
I grabbed some water and headed over to watch for other bloggers/friends to finish, I waved to Erica who was in the finishing chute. I then spotted Eric, who was running the last 100 yards and I yelled for him to kick it! Then I walked back over the course and bumped into Lynton again. We chatted for a minute or so, then I made my way back further. I spotted my dad and ran with him for a couple of minutes. Then I turned around and went further back and found fellow WRCE members Mo, Anne and Jennifer. I ran and chatted with them for a few minutes. I spotted a co-worker of mine a little further up in the pack and went over to say hi to him.

Wurst Runners (WRCE) post-race. (src: Anne).

I found my dad at the finish and we chatted with fellow WRCE members for a few more minutes. Then we left and ran a mile over to Julius Meinl for some post-race Austrian breakfast.

Austrian coffee at Julius Meinl

Next Up:
The Indy Mini Marathon in six days!

2014 Ravenswood Run 5k Race Time Prediction

I am super excited to be running the Ravenswood Run 5k on Sunday because it's:

1. Held in my neighborhood,
2. The home of my 5k PR 
3. A race I haven't run in three years
4. Held at a time (now) where I am starting to feel fast 

I'm feeling fast because not only do I have a few 40+ mile weeks under my belt, but at the end of those training runs, I have focused on pushing myself to finish fast. This has left me with speedy legs and the gut feeling like I could go sub-19. I decided that I should not leave my race prediction to gut instinct. So I decided, as I have with marathons past, to come up with a handy dandy race time predictor - this time for 5ks!

Race Predictor Methodology: I simply took my average mileage and average training paces in the weeks leading up to two past 5k events and compared them to my current training weeks:

Analysis: My nine week base mileage is lacking (31 miles vs. 41 miles) so I have to worry about my endurance. Speed-wise, I've been speedier the last 3 weeks (7:48 average) than in 2010 or 2012.

Conclusion: My low base mileage does not point to a PR performance - I won't be able to hold three sub-6 miles in a row. However, my speedier training over the last 3 weeks bodes well for at least a decent last half mile kick. I am estimating a 18:50 to 19:10 performance. I should reach this estimate if I do the following:

• Hold back in the first mile 
• Slowly lower the hammer over miles 2 to 2.6
• Slam the hammer down with a vengeance from 2.6 until I cross the line

In any case, I am excited to see what will really happen.