Michele's Team In Training Page

Racing to Save Lives

What: Rock n Roll Marathon
When: Sunday, June 4th, 6:30 a.m.
Where: San Diego, California
Details: 26.2 miles. 60 bands, 27 stages, 1 free beer at the finish line!

Race Day!

Results: 4:32:46
No further injuries
No blisters
One sweet farmer's tan
Felt amazing afterwards.

Big Thanks to All: Let me just start by saying that you guys are THE BEST! I really really appreciate all of your support! It takes a lot of mental preparation for a marathon and I couldn't have done it without all of you encouraging me and supporting me! Thank you thank you thank you!

Overall: Let’s hear it for “June Gloom!” Woohoo! Thank goodness for that! It stayed gray and foggy the whole time I ran and burned off shortly thereafter! Enjoyed the race a lot (probably because I wasn’t going for my goal of 3:45 due to my thigh prob. I was afraid of pushing it and then have to walk part of the race. That would’ve been horrible). It was basically a long jog for me. I cruised along listening to the bands and taking in the excitement of it all. Loved hearing everyone cheering (what a motivator!). I expected to have some sort of emotional experience at the end. Nope. I’ve had friends that told me about how it was so emotional for them and they cried, etc. I felt nothing like this. Guess I’m heartless? What I did enjoy the most is cheering for the people that were walking (coming in around 6-7 hours). I saw a woman coming into the finish line who weighed about 300 pounds. I was so happy for her. I was cheering like a maniac! I saw a 70 year old man with a walker cruisin along. For me, that was really emotional because I knew it was such a challenge for them and it was a really big accomplishment. I loved cheering! “Go Team in Training!” “Ladies, you look beautiful!” “Way to go David (cuz he has his name on his shirt)! Looking great!” So much fun! Lol!

So, would I do this again? Ummm…negativo my friend! I would do a ½ marathon because I feel that is a reasonable distance and you can still have the feeling of being at the marathon, etc. For me, I would love to be a mentor for Team in Training or a coach’s assistant, etc. I think I would like to help others accomplish their goals. I know I can run a marathon (I’ve known all along), but it isn’t something that I feel I need to keep doing. I think my talents lie in enabling others. I might be talked into another one, but for now I don’t really see the point.

The Beginning: It was so foggy at 4:30 in the morning when we left for the race. Couldn’t see a thing. Brian’s wife, Christie, dropped us off. Now we just had to navigate to our corral. I was in corral 7, Ioan was in 6, and Brian was in 21. There were 22 corrals, with 1000 people at each corral. Your corral was determined by when you were expected to finish. I forgot my watch and leg brace thingy back at the hotel. I was in a crappy mood because I wasn’t sure if I could even run at all without the brace. I was in a total funk and thinking how horrible this race was gonna be if I have to walk the whole friggin thing. Man! Ughh! I decided I would just take a bunch of medicine and hope that works. In addition, I had a terrible cough and laryngitis. I wasn’t very motivated and was feeling sorry for myself. I was wearing my TnT shirt which was still kind of big on me. I arrived home the night before at 12am from Virginia and had to catch my flight to SD around 7 (leaving the house by 5:30 am). I opened the package that contained my shirt and couldn’t wait to put it on. I was swimming in it! Man! The needle on my sewing machine is broken so I had to sew it by hand. This was not something I had factored into my already short night. I cut it apart and piecemealed it back together, rather sloppily I might add. It was still a lil big. I just hoped it would hold up for the race and not start to unravel at mile 22 or something!

The DJs were pumpin the tunes and then some lady got up on stage and began the national anthem. I always get emotional whenever I hear that song. It wasn’t until that point that I decided to stop my pity party and just do what I came to do. After her performance, someone else grabbed the mike and yelled, “Rock and Roll baby!” And we did!

Best Advice: My friend Joe told me to wear my name on my shirt because everyone would cheer for you. They did! It was so awesome! One of the bands that I was givin props to as I approached even threw my name into a song (a song by the Cars). Sweet! Some of my favorite compliments/cheers were: “You look beautiful Michele” (some lady said that. I knew damn well it wasn’t true but it sure made me feel happy) “Rocky Mountain (cuz it said that on my Team in Training shirt) you’re making this look eeeeeasy!” (some guy at the water station) Two people told me they liked my earrings (one guy and one girl!)..yes, I was wearing earrings! I know none of these were true, but when you’re tired of running the cheering definitely helps. Thanks Joe for that advice.

Cheeleading/Spectators: There were spectators the entire race course (except when we had to run on the highway). They were fantastic! There were over 40 cheeleading squads. You had the standard high school cheerleaders but there were also ones where a group of people got together and dressed up like pirates, doctors, people with silly hats, men dressed as women, etc. It was a riot. I loved the chic who just turned on her boom box and danced to the tune “Soul sista soul sista…” She was a larger woman who didn’t mind getting her groove on in the middle of her driveway! So freaking funny!

The Finish: My friend Ioan, who I was supposed to be racing against, was there at the finish line. It was so awesome to see him there! He and I were going for the same goal. He got a leg cramp at mile 21 and finished at 4:00. It’s funny how despite all your training, your final time really just depends on how you feel on race day. My friend Irene from my team wasn’t even able to run (or even start) the race due to an injury. She raised about $7500 and had her whole family there with her. She flew back early. I was so sad for her.

The race for me was kind like a training run with a lot of spectators. I felt fantastic after the race. I wasn’t breathing hard or in pain, however, I looked like a drowned rat I’m sure. Not from sweat but because they spray you as you are running through the water stations. I tried to avoid the sprays, but wasn’t very successful. When I came through the gate into the area where the racers were, I remember looking around and there were bodies everywhere. They were lying on the ground, stretching, seeking medical aid and massages, etc. I saw one girl who whose thighs had rubbed together during the run and she had huge areas that were rubbed raw with blood running down her legs. I saw a lot of blood and some of it I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. For example, one guy’s shirt was drenched in blood on his back. Weird. I saw many people that could no longer walk and had to be propped up with people on both sides. A lot of people’s legs just flat out gave out. One guy even threw away his shoes after the race! I chuckled. I grabbed a bagel and some energy beverages and I was good to go…

The Experience: I really loved the experience of training for the marathon. I loved being part of a team for such a great cause. I loved meeting people with such a passion for racing for a cure. I loved watching my body change and take on new challenges with each increased mile I ran. I loved knowing that I had the mental and physical ability accomplish a marathon. I loved meeting elite athletes. My recommendation for anyone wanting to do a marathon: Do it with a friend or better yet as part of team for a greater cause. It will help you in your runs. Just about anyone can run a marathon. Like anything, it just takes preparation and discipline. Give it a shot. And if you do, know that I am here for you cheering you on!

The Next Day: Remember how I said I felt great? Well, forget all of that! Crazy stiff! Ouchie! Going downhill or down stairs feels fantastic! haha! You can tell all of the people that ran the day before. We are all walking around reeeeaallly slow...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

San Diego, here I come! June 4, 2006! A marathon! Can you believe it?!! I never thought I would do something like this! When I first decided to run I was pretty excited and somewhat scared. After all, it’s a long way to drive in a car, let alone RUN! And then I found out about the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training and I knew right away that I wanted to do this and I wanted to help others in the process. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improving the quality of life for patients and their families.

One of my greatest friends in the world had Hodgkin’s disease. Claudia was 26 when she found a small lump on her neck. It was cancer. We couldn’t believe it. She was so healthy, fun, the life of the party! How could this happen? I can remember how sick she became and yet was so unbelievably strong. At the time, I was planning my wedding and she was there for me every step of the way. By my wedding day, she had lost all of her hair from the chemo. With everything she had going on in her own life, she was determined to make my special day a day to remember. I am thrilled to report Claudia has been cancer free for 9 years! She continues to be the most kind-hearted, giving, fun, crazy (crazier than I am even – in a good way!), style diva, and life-long friend to me! So, it is in her honor, as well as all of the other people that have suffered or continue to suffer from blood-related cancers, that I am participating in this marathon.

I really need your help and support. Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission. Anything you can give is really appreciated. And don't forget the match. Many companies will do a matching contribution.

I hope you'll visit my web site often. Sincerest thanks for your support!

Contributors (as of 06/06/2006 3:15 am mountain time)
Candy and Michael Jackson
Cindy Olsen
Anthony and Jennifer Fuentes
Choots and Elizabeth Humphries
Tim Waugh
Regina Waugh
Tara and Robert McCommons
Jackie and Connor Bates
Eddie and Judy Fuentes
Fred and Peggy McGuire
Sally Thurston
Steve and Carmen McDermott
Danny Bullock
Joe Rubino
Laura and William Hutchinson
Nicole and Ibrahima Sall
Patty and Mike Cujas
Mike and Cheri Weeks
Joel Reyes
Bruce and Lisa Bernstein
Ros and Dan Phillips
Doug and Maida Scott
Brian and Christie LaFrance
Melissa Keppel and Jason
Mike and Casey Slock
Mark Brockmann
Ted Schwab
Andrew and Claudia Roppel
Ernie and Marie St. Gelais
Fran Kim
Jake and Telly's Greek Cuisine Guest bartended Thursday, April 13th, 7:00 pm. All tips went to TnT

Below is the training schedule that I'll be following (taken from the book).

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Week Total
02/05/06	3	4	3	5	15
02/12/06	3	4	3	6	16
02/19/06	3	4	3	7	17
02/26/06	3	5	3	8	19
03/05/06	3	5	3	10	21
03/12/06	4	5	4	11	24

Kickin' it up a notch! New schedule from my TnT coach

Week	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Sat
03/19	30min(E)	30min(E)	60min(H)	40min(E-H)	45min(T)	1 hr.45min(L)
03/26	30min(E)	40min(E)	50min(H)	40min(E-H)	50min(T)	1/2 marathon
04/02	30min(E)	40min(E)	60min(H)	40min(E-H)	60min(T)	19 miles
04/09	30min(E)	40min(E)	65min(H)	30min(E-H)	60min(T)	15 miles
4/16	30min(E)	40min(E)	65min(H)	30min(E-H)	60min(T)	17 miles
4/23	30min(E)	40min(E)	60min(H)	45min(E-H)	60min(P)	18 miles

* * * * RAMBLING ALERT * * * *
Training Stuff (only for the truly bored)

Week 17 - Been taking the ibuprofen as my doc suggested. It seems to work wonders. I haven't tried to really push it in my runs, but instead just do them. I ran 9.4 miles at 8'47" pace this week. I felt good during the run. Later that night was a different story! lol! I'm really looking forward to the race! Just a few more days to go! People ask me if I am nervous. I'm really not. Even though my training for this last month has been lacking due to this silly injury, I am hopeful that my earlier training will carry me through.

Week 16 - I stopped taking the ibuprofen because I thought I was getting better. I haven't been able to run. Went to the doc and he said that I just tore some fibers in my thigh and that I should continue taking the ibuprofen until race day. Fortunately they are not severe tears and that I should not try to do any speed workouts that could cause the tears to become worse. He says I'll do fine. yay!

Week 15 - Started takin Ibuprofen (per Casey's advice) and it has been working. I ran twice this week. My thigh felt okay.

Week 14 - I pulled my thigh muscle somehow (I think) and didn't run all week *sad face*

Week 13 - The long run this week was alright. We didn’t have an official group run, but Irene and Heather were getting together. I didn’t run with them due to plans later in the day (Derby party and shopping). Instead, I ran solo at 6:30 am in the rain and on my period (which is due to come again for the marathon! Yuck)! TMI?!! Sorry. I was supposed to run 2 ½ hours at a pace closer to my marathon pace. I originally planned to run a loop, but as I got more into the run and noticed all of the uphill climbing, I decided to change my course to an out and back so that I could have the satisfaction of knowing that all of these uphills would be downhills on the way back. As I mentioned in early ramblings, I am trying to clear my mind when running. I was definitely out of control with my random thoughts on this run. One thing I pondered was if really really smart people do distance running or if something must be off to make a person run this long! I say this half-joking, but I really wonder. On this run, I wasn’t even close to my marathon pace. Perhaps I have unrealistic goals? Should I just run the marathon for the sake of doing it and make it a pleasurable experience listening to the bands along the course, etc. or do I go all out and do the best I can? If I do the former, what if someone asks me what my time was when I ran my marathon and I have to tell them some pitiful time. I better stick to the plan of doing the best I can because I am not sure I will do this again as it takes too much time to train.

Week 12 - What a great week! After my crappy run on Saturday, I decided that I better get with the program. Track was fun…we ran 4 miles with decreasing time for each mile. I hit my target time perfectly! Hooray! Saturday, of course, was our long run. Springtime in the Rockies! We started the run at 7 am. (yawn!)..the forecast said it was going to be windy. I had pants on and then saw that Ben was in shorts. I thought, “Hmmm..he must know what he’s doing.” I changed into shorts, bummed some gum from Coach Mike and was off to run with Kat and Heather (Ben was nearby). The beginning of the run was rolling hills. About a mile and a half or two miles into the run, the sky turned black as night! Ummm….this can’t be good. Suddenly we were in the craziest snowstorm! The wind kicked up even more, the temperature dropped significantly, and the snow was coming down like some of the hardest rain storms I’ve seen. We were running into the wind, and hence the snow too! Ughh..We were drenched and cold and couldn’t see a thing! I tried not to think about it. And then there’s Ben, “Oh, this is gonna blow over!” There wasn’t a speck of blue sky to be seen anywhere! Did I mention we were in shorts! Good grief! A couple of miles into the storm, a tiny break in the clouds formed…the sun peeked thru. Then, just as quickly as it came, the storm left us and the sky was beautiful blue and the sun was shining brightly! Nice! Heather decided she needed to run closer to her marathon pace (7:30 mile) so she left us. We ran 18 miles. It was easy for me. I felt strong. Neither of us had any gels so I thought I would hit the wall. I never did really. I even felt great afterwards! Yay!

Week 11 - Sea level again! Sweet! I arrived in Boston just as the Boston marathon was goin on! Talk about getting me psyched about San Diego! Hooray! My hotel, the Commonwealth (highly recommend), overlooked the marathon course. It was so exciting! Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of the altitude advantage as I only ran one day! I did a speed workout from Coach Mike (3 mins of hard running followed by 2 mins of jog – 6 times with a 10 min warmup and cool down). The next run was Friday (5 miles, 8’35” pace). The long run this week was 17 miles for Heather and I. My head was sooo not in the game...the run sucked. Ughh...It was 17 miles of misery! haha! On a positive note, you can definitely learn a lot about a person during a long run!

Guest Bartending Fundraiser - Wow! So much fun! Claudia and Andrew made it all the way from NC! Yay! Many thanks to Jake and the peeps at Jake and Telly’s for helping me out! You guys are the greatest! I showed up wearing my bartending ensemble…no one mentioned that 3 inch heels and a holey mat behind the bar might provide somewhat of a challenge! I even got to try my hand at waitressing for a second (sorry Doug/Maida and Theresa/Kealii… haha!). Many thanks to Martin, the real bartender, for showin me the ropes as well as donating all of his tips from the day! So generous! Many thanks to all of my friends who showed up! I have the greatest friends in the world! Thank you thank you thank you! VIEW THE PICS!!!

Week 10 - This week was a good week. Track on Tuesday was fun (5 800 meters at 2:45 pace). We did the long run in a national forest. One might call it more of an adventure run. The altitude was over 9000 feet (I live at 6100 or so). It was snowing and sleeting sideways and the wind was about 60 mph! It was nuts! Once we made it into the forest to start the loop, the snow stopped but the wind remained. It was a 15 mile loop around a huge lake. You had to watch your feet because not only could you easily twist an ankle, but you could fall off the trail down to the water below. Scary monsters! It took about 3 hours to finish.

Week 9 - Ouchie! I’m sore!! Man! I’m reaaaallyyyyy stiff! Lol! I’m walking around like I’m 90! Today was our long run. Me and ma gurlz (Irene, Heather, and Cat) ran together. 19 miles!! Yikes! I felt great! Strong! I didn’t get tired at all until the very end and by then I didn’t have any energy. I only took one gel cuz the other one fell out of my pocket! Ughh! I was afraid to stop because during the ½ marathon that’s when my knee began to hurt (when I stopped). Therefore, I have now mastered the art of running and drinking at the same time. In the past I was terrible at it, and in fact, even ran Irene off the trail while trying to run and drink at the same time! I’m the mastah now! The course we ran was out and back. The first 6 miles (and obviously the last) had some good hills (I’m trying to put a positive spin on it, can you tell?!). The ppl from TnT in Denver brought bagels and juice for the end of the run! That was really nice. This week I mostly recovered from my knee injury last weekend. I did a lot of yoga and stretching. I also saw a physical therapist. Turns out one of my hips is not as mobile (e.g., weaker) than the other. And, one of my legs is longer! What the hell?! He thinks the two are related and can be easily corrected. Craziness!

Week 8 - What a crazy week! The training went really well for the most part. Tuesday was our first track day. It brought back a lot of memories stepping out onto that track. I have so many great memories of running in HS. Coach Mike had us run a mile on the track as fast as we could so that he could gauge what a good marathon pace would be. My new marathon goal is 3:45. The rest of the week was great….weather was fantastic and the running itself was fantastic and pain free. Sunday was the ½ marathon. My goal for the race was 1:55 with a 8:45 a mile pace. I maintained that pace well, but towards the end I stopped to take a gel and when I started again, I had shooting pains in my knee (the same one as before). It sucked! I ended up walking a good portion of the race and ran again at the end. I went nutz toward the finish line….running along the sidelines high-fiving the crowd! Wooohooooooo! People were flocking to the sidelines for a high-five! I was cracking up! On the loudspeaker I hear, “And here comes a very enthusiastic runner who is getting the crowd all revved up! High fives are everywhere! Lemme see who this runner is….Let’s give a big round of applause for Michele Fuentes! Great job Michele!!!!” Awesome!!

Week 7 - This week’s training was done mostly indoors (due to snow and cold) on my fabulous treadmill that doesn’t have the display and is poorly angled to the TV. I ran to an outdated playlist (I sooo need to download new music) while staring at the wall for over an hour. Super fun! However, the long run on Saturday was indeed very enjoyable. Mike, the coach, mapped out a new course for us. Since Irene and I didn’t pay attention well enough last week and got lost, Mike decided to help us out. He ran the course before we arrived and made arrows from flour to mark any changes or weirdness in the course. So awesome! Then, throughout the route he would show up (mile 3, 6 ½…etc.) Super cute! It was a nice motivator. The weather was amazing and I felt strong. I even bared my legs for the first time this season. In retrospect I should probably keep those white things covered up! At the end of the run, I had some discomfort in my knee. Mike informed me that I need to start incorporating a weight training program into my workouts to give the knee some stability. He showed me how to exercise that muscle. I’ll start that right away.

Week 6 - Days 1 and 2 were very cold and windyyyyyyy! Not a ton of fun on those runs. Day 3, however, was great! Day 4 was a TnT group run. Irene and I ran together. It was a 2 hr. run (approx 12 miles). The first part of the run was relatively uneventful, except for the random tunnel through which we had to run! I couldn't see a thing with my new shades on! lol! At the one hour mark we stopped and took a gel pack and water. The gel was hard to take...like eatin a pack of sugar. Irene downed hers like doing a shot (that was the smarter way to do it). I, on the other hand, chose the more painful way! It hit my bloodstream almost immediately and I felt fantastic! Shortly thereafter we managed to get ourselves lost. We couldn't figure out which trail to take and chose the wrong the one. Needless to say the remainder of the run was an adventure and miraculously we made it back right at the 2 hour mark! After the run, I spent some time talkin to Mike about my specific goals for the marathon and how to achieve them.

Bought more stuff - The next long run was coming up the following day (12 miles) so I decided that I should probably get a water bottle and new shades. I bought some sweet Nike shades that have an unbelievable lens! I'm not winning any fashion awards with these things, but they are exactly what I needed (extremely light weight, polarized, and they do an amazing job of blocking the sun).

Week 5 - Sea level baybeeeee! I trained this week in Northern Virginia. Wow, what a difference! I took it easy, but I really noticed a difference in the way I felt afterwards. At home, I usually cough a little (on and off) throughout the rest of the day as if I have a frog in my throat. I didn't have anything like that at sea level. By Saturday I was back home in the altitude. I didn't run with the group due to prior engagements, but I ran later in the afternoon. I went 10 miles with avg pace of 9 min 18 sec/mile. In previous runs, I found myself always thinking about randomness. For ex, as I ran across a freshly paved street I thought, "Hmmm...I wonder what's more expensive to lay, concrete or asphalt? ...I hope they redo the concrete on the sidewalks where I live soon cuz they're in bad shape...like that time my kid tripped on the sidewalk and landed in the mud...wonder what that lil guy is doing now...probably eatin...I should go out to eat tonight..." One random thought leads to another. When I asked a friend what he thought about when running, he replied, "Think?!! What? I don't think, I just run!" Later, I asked another friend that same question and received almost the identical reply. So, during the long run this week I tried not to think about anything other than the run: foot strike, breathing, posture, facial expressions, etc. I think it helped. The course I ran on was ridiculous with the hills. The only other time I ran this course was in the snow so I think I didn't realize how hilly it was. Now I know! Sheesh! What was I thinking?!! Hopefully this will make me stronger! *fingers crossed*

Week 4 - Relatively uneventful week of training. On day 4 I met some cool new peeps on the team. They run marathons doing the walk/run combo. Interesting concept...

Week 3 - This week’s long run was about 8 miles. And, once again, it was cold as bananas! Ben and I ran together and we followed Heather, the Energizer bunny. Turns out she runs about a 3:15 marathon! Impressive to say the least! My mind wasn’t in the game this time, but Ben gave it his best effort to entertain me! I was a lil surprised at the hills in the middle of the run. One stretch was like a roller coaster ride going down a steep hill and immediately back up. It was nice to get a running start and build up momentum on the downhill! Ben had a lot of advice as he has run many marathons. He said for hills, it is best to stare at the top and the next thing you know you’re at the top! And he was right! This next thing he said really made a lot of sense to me. He said, “Basically what we’re trying to do now is just train your body to run tired.” See, for me, it seems logical that if you’re tired, then stop! Duh! But knowing that you need to train your body to run tired and push through it made sense to me. Thanks Ben!

Week 2 (I had my weeks mixed up last week) - I ran 2 of the days on the treadmill due to the cold and snow. My treadmill stinks because the display stopped working so I have to go by time and not distance. Today was day 4 and we had our group run. Many people came out to brave the cold. When I say cold I am not even remotely exaggerating. The run itself was good. Irene wasn't there, but there were two other people who ran much faster than I did. One girl, who was much shorter than I am with a short stride, was amazing. She just kept going and it seemed so effortless for her. She was like the Energizer bunny. I wanna be the bunny too! As for me, well, it was a lot of effort for me this time. Running in snow was like running in quick sand! Haha...ok, maybe not that bad, but definitely like running in sand. I still don't have my watch so I don't know the exact distance, but it was far. I remember on the way back I kept thinking that I was almost there and come to find out I still had about 3 miles to go! I must have been sleeping on the way out...weird! When I returned there were a few people waiting and cheering for me! hehe...I smiled so big I think my face cracked from the cold. When I hopped into my car and looked in the mirror, my whole face had small ice beads all over it from my nose and eyes watering from the cold and then freezing on impact! Sooo funny! I took my teenie weenie camera on the run...here are some pics.

New Kicks - I had a gait analysis at Runner's Roost. I'm usually a Nike or Asics gal, but thought perhaps I should see what they had to say. After running down the sidewalk in different shoes and having my old shoes checked out, I ended up with the Saucony Grid Stabil MC5, which are good for people that need a little more motion control due to pronation (inward rolling).

Week 1 (Day 4) - Today was the long run for the week and my first Team in Training (TnT) group run. I didn't know what to expect. It was crazy cold (I think someone said it was -7 when she left her house). The coach, Mike, seems like a very nice guy and very experienced. The team captain, Ben, was also very cool. His wife is one of the honorees (had Hodgkin's). There were people from all experience levels it seemed. The best part was that I had a running partner, Irene. We are at the same level. Irene and I ran together the whole time with intermittent visits from Ben. We ended up running about 6 1/2 miles, averaging a little less than 10 minutes a mile. Having a running partner made it so much easier. I loved it! And, the crazy thing is that she and I were the first ones to finish! Afterwards, Mike the coach said we are fast! haha...smoke and mirrors BABY! I'll take it though! Ben asked us to run this relay race in Leadville or somewhere (a ridiculously high altitude place I'm sure). In my tired and out-of-my-mind state, I agreed!