Napa Marathon the Recap

This past Sunday I ran the second marathon of my running career, the Napa Valley Marathon.
Nick and I headed to Napa at about 1p.m. on Saturday to get checked in and stop by the expo to pick up my schwag, bib, and t-shirt.  I didn't know this when registering, but the Napa Marathon gives GREAT schwag!  I not only received a duffel bag in my favorite color (green), but I was presented with a plethora of samples and coupons.

After the excitement that was the expo, Nick and i headed to the hotel to nap, eat, and rest for the rest of the evening.  I placed all my clothes, trigger point roller, food, water bottle, and breakfast out on the table in the hotel ready for the 4a.m. wake-up call.  I was so excited, nervous, and worried that I woke up at 3a.m., but managed to force myself back to sleep until 4.

After getting myself together, eating a small breakfast, and heading to the finish line buses I was off.  The bus started at Vintage high school and drove us to the start line in Calistoga.  It is here where I would take care of bathroom business, meet my fellow fomo friends, and try to get some of my anxiety out of my system.

Then it was TIME...dun, dun, dun.  I just kept saying,"start slow, start slow."  We headed off and I trotted my way through the start line and tapped my garmin to start.  Illiana joined me for the first two miles chit chatting as I tried to get warmed up so I wouldn't blow up.  At mile 1.5/2ish I started to push and with each mile I started counting down in my head.  Now the Napa marathon is a NO HEADPHONES course, which was a huge challenge for me, and I thank all the spectators that brought music to the road it really kept me moving.


It was a gorgeous morning winding through the wineries, but at first the shade made it a bit hard to get warm.       We went up the first hill around mile 2 which I took pretty well.  I finished my first mile at 8:42, my second at 8:12 and then my third at 8:06.  I picked up the pace even more going downhill, but the one problem with the Napa Marathon is that the road is banked almost the whole way.  It either leans heavily to the right or heavily to the left so it is very difficult to cut the corners real tight and avoid my knees aching.  My legs felt good, but not great so I was a bit concerned, but I kept going mile 3 at 8:06, mile 4 at 8:02, mile 5 at 8:14, mile 6 at 8:16.

I popped a gu at mile 7 and even though my stomach had some problems with gu through my training I decided to stick with gu, but stick with flavors I've had good luck with in the past.  I brought 3 faithful vanilla flavors and one 2x caffeine orange vanilla roctane.  I pushed on 8:17, and mile 8 at 8:14.  My legs started to feel real heavy and I was overjoyed when I was greeted and passed by Ms. Amy Streeter.  I chased her orange shorts trying not to push too hard in fear of blowing up.  Mile 9 at 8:03, mile 10 at 8:08, mile 11 at 7:59, mile 12 at 7:59.

By this time I'd been greeted and cheered on by Ms. Kim Cooke twice and her enthusiasm really pushed me on.  I felt like I had an runner and a quitter on each shoulder telling me to keep going and the other to give up.  At this point Ms. MaryAnn Holland was pushing herself through a boston training run in the opposite direction cheering Amy and myself on.

Mile 13 went 7:56, mile 14 at 8:10, mile 15 at 7:54, mile 16 at 8:15, mile 17 at 8:04

At mile 18 my water bottle was empty so I was ready to be done carrying it.  I hoped I would see someone I could drop it off with and I did.  Mr. Ryan Fitzpatrick rode up on his bicycle and then Mr. Eric Miller, Mr. Jason Cooke, Mr. Malcom Deseyes, and Mr. Chris Eichorn.  I gave Ryan my water bottle which he kindly filled up and continued on my way to miles 19 and beyond. As I came closer to the finish I found more and  more friends out running or cheering in support.  Diane captured this shot of me around mile 23.  Nick found me on his bicycle around mile 22 when I really needed support.

Mile 18 at 7:54, mile 19 at 7:47, mile 20 at 8:06, mile 21 at 8:03, mile 22 at 8:38, mile 23 at 8:31, mile 24 at 8:32

This is where I started doing the math on my finishing time and I realized I was on the verge of Boston.  I didn't even think I could come close to this so I started to push, but I needed help and this is when Nick came around again coaching me through it mile 25 at 8:31, mile 26 at 8:09, and .38 miles at the  end at 7:27 pace.  I finished at 3:35:32 a 39 minute PR from San Diego in 2010, but just 32 seconds shy of Boston.  There are many factors I could say caused my 32 second lag, I held back a little too much, the course was long, I didn't cut corners tight enough, but it doesn't matter I felt great, I did great, and I almost cried at the end that I exceeded what I thought I could do.  I've never been an athlete and THIS was an athlete's marathon time (or at least in my mind).  I also was so excited I didn't feel like crap.  I am actually exited to work my butt off and do it all over again, well after tri season of course.

Could not be more excited...and a tiny bit sad

2011 finished off as a bit of a disappointment for me as I walked away from a marathon I really wanted and had trained hard to run.  My last long run left me with an awful bout of patellar tendonitis which did not go away prior to the scheduled marathon date.  I was crushed, I cried, but then I got over the marathon that never was and set my sights on a new goal.  I really was not sure what to do...focus on triathon? Plan another marathon?  Take some time off?  So I sought the advice of some wise and experienced endurance athletes.
      All signs pointed to a marathon, but with reduced mileage and increased cross training.  Everything was riding on one successful track workout 5x1000.  I made it through all 5 with no pain so…I grabbed my credit card and signed up for the Napa Valley Marathon, I searched for a lower mileage plan, and I got my calculator and created “THE PLAN," 12 weeks to NVM.

I worked hard to get all my miles in while rolling, stretching, and icing.  I incorporated weights, tae bo, yoga, pilates, swimming, and cycling.  I was a little concerned not putting too many miles on my feet might make it hard to reach the finish, but I followed through with my plan as best I could.

I even created my own track workout on Thursday evenings because I couldn’t make it to anyone else’s track session and I don’t like being lonely on the track (even though I still did my workout even if no one showed)

On Sunday I ran the Napa Valley Marathon.  Knowing my last marathon was 4:14:41 with piriformis syndrome (I still have this plus patellar tendonitis), I had 3 goals

1) finish, work hard, don’t walk, and don’t feel like crap (realistic)

2) Run a 3:40 (8:23 avg.) (somewhat realistic)

3) Boston 3:35:00 (8:13 avg.) (Not likely, but why not?)

I didn’t really plan on Boston I just knew my half marathon and interval times were there, and maybe just maybe I could use every ounce of energy I had to push to get there if I could. 

AND…

I ran faster than I thought possible, I pushed myself as hard as I could, I took it easy the first two miles like I told myself I should, I carbo-loaded for days and didn’t try anything new.   I put salt in my water and drank my pedialyte days before.

In the end I PR’ed!  I ran 39 minutes faster than my previous marathon finishing at a 3:35:32 (8:14avg.)  At the end of it all I felt GREAT!  The course was gorgeous, the hills were hard, but I pushed through the whole course, chasing after my friend Amy (you definitely kept me going).  Plus, I did all 26.2 WITHOUT MUSIC!  This was the biggest mental battle I had, I was in my head the whole way, well except the last 1.5 miles where Nick rode along side me coaching me toward the finish.

I signed up like Simon told me I should

I believed in myself and thought I could do it like Scott kept saying I would

I rolled in the morning like Carrie said I should

I went to track week after week knowing Jason, Diane and Joe would whip my butt into shape

I kept my miles low, but my cardio high like Laney says she does

I busted my butt through the pain like Nicki told me to

I had the support of great friends and family to get me to the finish, especially Nick (who went to 2 different places for pasta to make sure my stomach didn’t get upset)

Although I was a bit sad to walk away 32 seconds shy of a Boston qualifying time, even if I didn’t realistically have my sights set on it at this marathon.  I know I’ll never have a PR like this again and that is something to be proud of.

Next Event: Oakland Half

(Napa race report soon to come)

Cleansing my system...a little too much

I have a lot of stomach problems when I run so I thought I'd give the/a cleanse a try.  I feel like a huge hypocrite because I really do feel carbs give me the energy I need to get through all my endurance training and I don't really believe in cleansing the system since the body is pretty advanced and efficient, but something about how I was currently eating just wasn't sitting well with my stomach so at this point I figured I would try anything.  So what happened?

The program I cleansed with was a no dairy, no gluten, no refined sugars, low glycemic index foods, no caffeine, and no booze.  I really didn't think I would struggle too much with most of these, except the whole sugar dilemma, see I love sweets, and sweets are often rewards for big accomplishments for me.  Marathon training offers a lot of big accomplishments, like surviving 20 mile runs or making it through all 10 intervals of yasso 800s.  I'm not a big ice cream person, but I LOVE cupcakes.  Luckily I have to go out of my way to buy cupcakes so it was something I could somewhat avoid.

Well I started off strong, feeling pretty good with protein shakes regularly adding fiber and fat to all meal shakes and being sure to have an extra shake for recovery after exercise.  I do think the protein shakes made me recover faster and I found I felt better after long workouts.  I was surprised with how I felt, but I did encounter problems.  Often this energy was short lived, I would feel great at the start of my run or ride, but often my legs would turn sour after about 10 miles or so.  I also continued to have stomach problems and one week I even managed to top off my stomach problems by vomiting at starbucks at the end of my 18 miles.  I tried to improve this by having wild rice, lentils, or other low glycemic and complex carbohydrates.  I feel this helped, but the high fiber mixed with the added fiber to the shakes I think caused some mid run pit stops which I don't usually have.  I think fiber is good for my diet, but I'm rethinking adding fiber pre-long run or speed session.

I did increase my fruit and veggie intake which was never really low, but I did focus on this more, but unfortunately I didn't feel a whole lot of difference with this.  My weight did decrease, but I was also running 30 to 40 miles a week and doing other workouts.

Although I did not see much of a difference in cleansing and eating more protein and less carbs. I have found I don't really have any cravings for dairy or caffeine (but I've never been a coffee drinker).  I have returned to sweets, but I've experimented with low glycemic sweets which actually aren't too bad in terms of flavor, Nick even liked the low-glycemic dark chocolate frosting I made better than other frostings. I really enjoyed how much almond butter I could consume and I've found almond butter to become a staple in my diet.  I've kept up with the protein shakes post hour workout or longer.  I still have some days where I feel like crap though, but I guess that is just overtraining or wearing my body down.  I'm not so sure how I feel about the low-carb. diet for endurance athletes, but I'm still experimenting with some of the cleanseworthy recipes which are tastier than I thought they'd be.  If you  are wondering if a diet or cleanse really works then go ahead and try it out, you may find different results.  It was worth the experimentation, but I'm not sure that it is for me.

TRIng to stay balanced and marathon train...2 weeks

I have decided that I don't want to sacrifice much of my triathlon training to my marathon training.  My real "A" race if I have to say I have one is Vineman 70.3, which means although Napa is important to me and my training has been tough my real goal is surviving my first half ironman.  This doesn't mean I'm going to jump back into everything post Marathon (I'm trying to prevent being injured not cause it), but this does mean that I'm not sacrificing my cycle and swim(?) workouts to my taper regimen.  I felt like a real slacker this week, I guess this taper stuff is going to my head.

Monday: Trail run
This was a rainy day and I was going to hit the pool, but Nick suggested trail running around diablo, and I do miss trail running (can't wait for dirt dogs to be on mondays again) so I decided to tackle the mountain.  Trail running in the rain is tough, mud cakes to your feet like you are wearing huge ankle weights.  We made it 2 miles in when we decided to turn back with the mud caked on our shoes.  I'll be back soon enough though Diablo I just need to survive a marathon first.

Tuesday: Lululemon
Usually I wake up and get in an interval set, but there was no getting me out of bed this morning.  I decided I would just get a few miles in before lulu.  That didn't happen either, so I tried to punch out a steady 6.  8:37, 8:12, 7:49, 8:17, 8:19, 8:22.  Then headed off to post-sweat chinese dinner with Nick.

Wednesday: Tae Bo, Spin, legs
Although I love to swim, bike and run I do always want to change it up, plus I need to trick myself into strength training so that's what I did.  I jumped, punched, and kicked my way through Tae Bo and headed to what seemed like it was going to be an awful spin session.  However, my legs loosened up and I felt great, not to mention we did some hill repeats in the middle which I love!  Lastly, upstairs for some squats, lunges, and other stuff.

Thursday: Track
I cancelled my track session due to another event going on with my tri club, but Nick wanted to hit the track so I went anyway.  My workout was 6-8x1000@HMP with a bit longer recovery 2:05 mins.  I wanted to get in 8, but the gloriousness that is my stomach started to take a toll on me, and I still needed to run back home.  I was pretty proud of my set and I stayed pretty consistent 4:51, 4:45, 4:41, 4:41, 4:47, 4:41, 4:38.

Friday: Rest
I was relieved to have this rest day my legs felt like they had been through a pretty rough week after last weekend and this week.

Saturday: Ride w/ Nicki then brick run
My friend Nicki came by at 9 for us to head out on a 3.5 hour ride.  I was excited to be out on my bike, but a little scared to head out and do the Collier Canyon loop through Livermore.  Livermore is notorious for its butt kicking wind, and yes this was a WINDY day!  Nicki and I forged through the battle winds of livermore and after 55 miles made it back to the house.  Then we went for a 2 mile brick where my legs felt surprisingly awesome even though they were dreading the brick run as I put on my running shoes.  Then I ate and ate and ate and took a nap...the life of an endurance athlete

Sunday: Long run
My running buddies were heading out on Saturday and I just did not have it in me to do an early morning so I figured I'd fly solo.  The plan was 12-16 miles and pick up the pace for the last 6.  I felt pretty slow as I started and just took my time.  I finally started to loosen up around mile 4 and started picking up the pace around miles 6-8.  I did have a few knee issues so I punched out a few miles on the track and then headed to the house to shower, eat, and MASSAGE!

Total Miles: 35
Next Event: Napa Marathon March 4

All downhill from here...well until the marathon that is

Last week was the last week in my build phase for the Napa Marathon.  Now it's time to taper...well kinda.  I have a triathlon in 13 weeks which means I'll be cutting back my running and cutting back my workouts come race week, but I still need to get my cycle and swim workouts in.  I had a few more nutrition problems this week, which means my focus for the next few weeks is trying to make my nutrition work for me so I don't have an awful episode come race day.  This is how the week went.

Monday: Swim/arms/abs
In hopes of recovering from my trail run I hit the pool.  I took today off to get in a few more hours with my mom so I was able to get in a pretty long set before meeting friends to do weights upstairs.  I made it through 2550yards, surprisingly, and then headed to do arms and abs.

Tuesday: Tempo/Lulu
I had a long set so I planned on going to the gym in hopes of running 3x3@MP.  I only made it through 2 sets before I had to head for work and then I finished off a tempo set later at lulu.  I have been surprised at how we'll I've done at lulu in the evening when I push the pace.  8:09, 8:12, 8:13, 8:11, 8:05, 7:54, 7:37, 7:10, 7:05, 8:03


Wednesday: Rest
I had big plans for this day running through my head, but I got stuck at work  longer than I'd hoped so I lost my motivation and was overwhelmed with exhaustion.  The couch won this round.


Thursday: Track
I planned on getting my Yasso 800s in even though I planned a different workout for other track folk.  I thought I'd get started early in hopes of doing 10, but when I stopped to do drills with Mercedes my stomach started getting ideas.  I pushed myself through 8 and I think I bonked around there where I just didn't have anything left.  I averaged 3:29 on my sets, even with taking less than recommended recovery and I was happy with that.


Friday: Spin
Usually i rest on fridays, but I decided to get at least 1 spin workout in.  There are no spin classes on friday mornings so I brought my own workout and pushed myself through the interval and hill sets.  After 46 minutes I was done and I felt pretty good.


Saturday: Long Run/ Spin for ALS
I woke up and got my act together for a 22 mile run.  I decided I would run and meet Amy and Scott at the park and ride so we could be on our way.  I felt great at first, even though we were climbing some long steady hills and then we got to some downhill and the tide turned.  Usually, I can push my way through downhill, but something was not agreeing with me.  I thought it might be lack of food so i took down a gel with caffeine, but I still was just feeling awful all over almost feverish, even my knees started to ache.  I bid Scott and Amy farewell at mile 15 and headed back toward the house just in case.  I stopped at the track thinking maybe I could finish a few miles at the track and then head home, because there is water and a bathroom, but no luck.  After one lap I still was feeling awful.  I made it to 17, stopped at Safeway for a Pedialyte, and walked back to the house.  I was determined to get in 22.  I thought I'd let my stomach settle and try again later.  I didn't feel much better later, but I suited up and headed out pushing through 5.36 miles, pleased I had finished, saddened it wasn't consecutively.  
  If 22 miles wasn't enough, I had signed up to participate in the FRMC annual cycle for ALS spin-a-thon.  I signed up for my friend Laney's class and figured I'd spin easy.  I made it through the full hour and fifteen minutes feeling good, and I even pushed out a few big intervals.  I was exhausted and starving by then so it was out to dinner and off to bed


Sunday:  Rest
I wanted to get up and yoga or swim so I looked up all the times for yoga or pilates and I got my clothes together to get ready, but then I sat down and never really got the energy to get up again.  I guess I'm ready to taper, I just hope I don't get too lazy and it doesn't get the best of me.

I Gotta Get Thru This...4 weeks to go

I didn't manage to get a weekly report last week since I was trying to get on top of all my work and I found myself a bit exhausted, but I'm back for 2 weeks of recap.  My training is going well and I am crossing my fingers that I will stay healthy to the finish.

Monday: swim/tae bo
I recovered from my bout of food poisoning and hit the pool.  I started out with 200sw, 200k, 200pu, and then I went through my drills feeling sluggish focusing on my form.  I closed out my set with some speed (12x50) and then headed up to the gym.
I felt ambitious and kicked some butt with friends in Tae Bo, always fun to add a new workout to the mix

Tuesday:  Tempo and Lulu
I thought I would feel awful, but I felt great!  My workout was 3x2@ tempo, but I only had time for 2 sets in the morning and finished off my last set at lululemon in the afternoon.
7:50, 7:47, 7:45, 7:39, 7:41, 7:28...for the most part a NEGATIVE SPLIT! YAY!

Wednesday: The pool/trainer
I loved the pool today it felt so relaxing and I did a set to focus on form (1900yrds).  I really wish there was not only one right way to swim because I would love swimming if I didn't know my technique was all off.
I met up with Nick and Eric to sit on the trainer as they did their FTP test.  First back to back swim/cycle and my legs weren't liking it so much, but I pushed through an hour on the trainer and then abed it up while the guys finished.

Thursday: Track
I hit the track planning on 1mile, 2miles, 1 mile.  Unfortunately, my stomach was not a fan of the 2 miles so I called it quits after my 2 mile interval.
7:24, 7:38, 7:25...Love my track peeps!

Friday: Rest
Mentally prepared myself for 20 miles in Napa testing out the course.

Saturday: long run
Headed up to Napa with Jason and Scott to test drive the Napa course and get my long run in.  My friend Amy met us up there and the kind Malcolm drove us to the "start line."  I wanted to test out my nutrition so I planned on pedialyte and gu for the road.  I felt pretty good from the start, we started off easy and as close to the shoulder as possible since people drive so fast and crazy on the road.  I took in a gu at about mile 6 or 7 and then kept on going.  I started to push as best I could around mile 10 and I felt pretty good until my stomach started to get questionable around mile 16.  I still pushed through and got all 20 in and surprisingly at a 8:27 pace.  Nick came and picked me up and we headed off for a fun filled day of food and a bit of wine tasting.  There are a lot of false flats and hills on this course, I'm glad I'm mentally preparing.

Sunday: Walk
I was exhausted and planned on meeting up with my good friend Mel who just moved back from London.  We ate breakfast and walked along Crissy Field chatting and catching up the whole way.  I'm so excited she is back!

Last week


Monday: Swim
I had a cut back week so I headed to the pool to get in a short, but speedy set.  After a 600 warm-up I planned 14x50 so I pushed myself through the set and headed upstairs.
My legs were still a bit stiff so I went for the eliptical instead of the treadmill or spin bike (I am super nervous w/ workouts after a 20 miler, that's how I got hurt last time).  After 3 miles I worked out my upper body and  did some abs and headed home.

Tuesday: Intervals/Lululemon
My schedule called for 5x2@MP which is a real long workout for me to get in during the morning and still have energy for work.  So I settled on getting 3 sets in before work and 2 sets at lululemon.  I felt real guilty about breaking them up, but time is just not my friend.  My splits ended up being pretty good, I was surprised after the 20 miler: 8:10, 8:07, 8:05, 7;59, 8:03, 7:55, 7:54, 7:23, 7:27, 7:50.


Wednesday:  Spin
I wasn't too excited about spinning since I felt exhausted, but I knew it needed to get done.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well my legs did after punching it the day before, but I pushed as hard as I could.  We were doing mile repeats at a negative split followed by .5 mile repeats with increased wattage and negative split.  I killed every one, I was so surprised and excited, YAY!

Thursday: Track, NOT!
I went to track like I usually do, but I was exhausted and not feeling the workout, plus my knees were sore from 2 hard days and a 20 miler.  I did my slow 2 mile warm-up to have no one show up.  I was actually relieved for once.  I headed home after waiting a bit and decided to interval on the treadmill in the morning after a good nights rest

Friday: Treadmill intervals
I meant to do 8, but the treadmill crapped out on me come 6.  I still did pretty well for my 6 even though starting on the treadmill was sluggish and rough.  I like that I can force myself to negative split on the treadmill, but I think it often makes me hold back a bit.  I ended up with a 3:31 average pace, this week I'll be Yassoing so we'll see how that goes

Saturday: Spin
I planned to ride, but I only needed 59 minutes and I was too lazy to suit up for an outdoor ride, plus we don't have many short routes around here.  I went to spin and although I felt like crap at the start I managed to push pretty hard and do pretty well during tabata intervals (20secs. speed, 10 secs rest 8x2sets, 45 rest between sets).  I thought about hitting the pool, but I was beat so I showered and walked downtown to run some errands.

Sunday: Trail run!
My mom came into town on Saturday night.  My sister, her boyfriend, my boyfriend and I all met up with her in the city and went out for some awesome Chinese cuisine and drinks.  I knew I planned on running so I tried to hold back, which I did successfully, unfortunately my stomach thought my drink was too sweet so I did have a bit of an issue making through all 11 miles around diablo, but I felt pretty good at the finish.  I really was planning on getting in 16 miles, but I figured trail running kicks my butt so much more than a slow 16 that I would be okay, and be recovered in time for my scary 22 this weekend.  Napa is slowly approaching just 4 more weeks.

NEXT EVENT: NAPA MARATHON

Lauren-3 Stomach-3 hoping to win the next one

I started off the week of tri training super strong and feeling great, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end and I came down with what I think is food poisoning in the middle of the night Wednesday and was down for the count for 2 days.  This, unfortunately, killed the rest of my workout week, but I'm holding my head high and moving on.  I've been getting a bit discouraged because my stomach has had so many problems during this training cycle.

Monday: Holiday=day off: spin/swim
Laney, Gabby and I headed to clubsport bright and early to get in a morning spin session.  My legs felt great and we practiced some form drills which I feel I need.  Then we headed to the pool where we got a short set in and headed home

Tuesday: Tempo run
My schedule read 3x2@Marathon pace.  I figured I was tired of the cold weather and would get my miles in on the treadmill with .5 incline.  I warmed up a mile (usually I do 2) and then I started my 2 mile intervals: 8:12, 8:07, 8:07, 8:00, 7:55.  I had to skip one since I told Laney I would make it to Lululemon to run.  I decided to punch it a bit at Lulu and get 4 in so 8:25, 7:53, 8:37, 7:59.
11 miles total, Yay!

Wednesday: Spin and strengthen
Nick wanted to try out the new spin bikes at my gym since they have power meters and luckily it was another class to work on my form called road cycle.  I pushed it as hard as I could and then went upstairs to do arms, hip abductors, abs, and spend a bit of time on the stairmaster.

Thursday: Forced Rest
I planned on swimming and doing my track session, but my body had other plans for me.  Instead I logged in some major couch time praying I would feel better tomorrow.

Friday: Forced Rest/Rest
I pretty much had planned to rest, but I was in no shape to do anything anyway.

Saturday: Spin
I planned to ride outdoors with a friend, but after being so sick I figured I was better off sitting on the bike indoors, plus the weather was not looking too good.  I had hoped to sit through back to back classes but I had nothing in me so I showered and headed home.

Sunday: Waterfront 10 miler
I had planned on doing this as a fitness test when I signed up for it, but after being sick there wasn't going to be much fitness about it so I planned to take it easy.  I pushed myself a bit, but my legs felt awful from the beginning.  I feel like this was good mental training for the marathon and I didn't do as bad of a time as I thought I would and I averaged 8:09.  Then I headed to my sister's for a shower and breakfast.

Next Event: Napa Marathon
6 weeks down 6 to go!  Yay!