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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 8:48:52 GMT -5
Post by speerka on Sept 2, 2008 8:48:52 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the support! The whole IM experience was really wonderful, I’m just so sad it’s all over with. So much of the success I’ve have has been the direct result of the support that I have received from people in the club……especially Rob Reddy and Morena, I would still be hopelessly flailing around in the water without them.
Here’s how things went down……..pasta for dinner the night before, two energy bars, 2 bananas, and 16oz of Gatorade at 4:00 am, just water after that up until the start of the race. I tried to get to the start early for the time trial start so I wouldn’t have to spend the entire race getting boxed in on the bike. I think it worked out pretty well for me. I was in the water by 7:10, I got clawed a little bit, but I tried to swim way outside of the buoys (maybe too far) so I could relax and focus on using a good swim stroke. The swim course was very well marked, but as usual for me, it felt like a really long stinking time to be swimming, so I was happy as heck to get out of the water. Just like the practice swim, my outfit went from blue to brown from the river water…….but let’s not focus on that. In T1 the very nice volunteer lady applied my butt butter to my back and arms for me, I felt bad trying to tell her where it was really supposed to go, I think she assumed it was sun screen. So, after getting literally all lubed up I was ready to hit the bike.
It was really stinking hot for the whole thing; I drank like a fish all day long. I drank at every single water station, generally filling both my water and Gatorade reservoir bottle on the bike. I took it easy on the swim and tried to not hammer my pedals on the bike or use my quads too much, not get overly competitive, and tried to enjoy the scenery on the bike. I wanted to be around an 18 mph average, but for most of the ride I was hovering around 17mph trying to get my messy melted wet powerbars out of the wrappers, which probably ended up helping me in the long run. I had almost 2 entire powerbars and 8 gels on the bike. I wasn’t exactly hankering for more gels and my belly didn’t hurt, so I was happy that my plan worked out. The last 15 miles of the bike were very nice and flat and gave me a good chance to really spin out my legs. I got off the bike feeling ready to kick some IM butt on the marathon…….
My big hope was to be able to run the entire marathon at whatever pace. It didn’t work out that way at all, by about mile 4 of the marathon I wasn’t cooling down much and I could tell my heart rate was increasing. So I started walking through the water stations taking all the sponges, water, and Gatorade they would give me and dousing myself to try and bring my core body temperature down. I would feel good after the water stop and then just try to run to the next water stop by which time I would needed to be cooled down again. I kept telling myself as soon as I get cooled down, I’m going back to 8:00 miles……well the legs and the weather didn’t agree with that plan at all. The entire marathon was about hitting 26 water stations. I hope they had enough sponges for all the people behind me too, I know one station was already using “recycled” sponges when I was at mile 24 and considering the places I saw people putting those sponges, icky.
My water station walks kept getting longer and longer and finally I told myself, that’s it! I want to be done and I don’t care what that means in terms of pain, I’ve worked too darn hard to get here and I’m not letting up, then I found a whole new level of numbness in my legs and kept pressing forward.
Finally I saw the finish line got a little too excited and started to have an asthma attack……I didn’t even hear them say that I was an Ironman, I just had to believe my husband that they said it, made it across the line and suddenly felt all the pain in my body, ouch. I’m happy and sad it’s over with, onto graduate school now…….
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 9:05:24 GMT -5
Post by Charlie on Sept 2, 2008 9:05:24 GMT -5
Congrats Katy, You had an amazing race. "You also chicked us all". I know dig doing that. Enjoy some rest. Also, thank you for the swim rides all winter. You and rob kept me from hopelessly flailing around in the water. Well done Ironman
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 9:41:36 GMT -5
Post by robreddy on Sept 2, 2008 9:41:36 GMT -5
very very impressive Katy - way to be the CTC star on one of the most difficult IM days I have encountered
r
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 11:50:33 GMT -5
Post by suziharman on Sept 2, 2008 11:50:33 GMT -5
Wow - great racap! Butt Butter all over - ugh. Congratulations on a great race!
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 13:12:56 GMT -5
Post by Charlie on Sept 2, 2008 13:12:56 GMT -5
Here is my recap. sorry so long. It was a long day: Race morning we woke up at 4:15 and ate bagels fruit and Lara bars. Jack and I got rolling around 5AM both joking and feeling very relaxed. I got into transition, filled my aero bottle and tires and headed to the swim with Micky Ryzmic, Jack and Tim Ritt. The mood was loose as we were all dropping middle aged white guy jokes left and right. Good stuff....body marking was quick and painless as were the facilities. We jumped in line for the swim with kar-Ming and Chris. We lost Jack some where, but figured he jumped in line with some other CTC folks....We waited an hour or so for the canon, and then 40 minutes to get in the water.
At the swim start we just ran down a dock in a single file line and jumped in, and started swimming. It seemed like a very smooth process. Once in, I focused on settling my heart rate and finding my stroke. The first 3/4 miles are into the current with an island to the left making the channel narrow. This caused some congestion but it wasn't bad. I did throw a few elbows in defense, but it was light contact for the most part. Once around the island you swim with the current. The river was moving slowly, so this wasn't much help. I just swam and enjoyed the meditation of a long open water swim. I never missed having a wet suit. The swim went smoothly. My swim time was 1:39.40. On the surface it was slow, but we also had no wetsuits or mass start pull. I am satisfied with my swim.
T1 was uneventful. I took my time and made sure every thing was sound and moved on. 7:42
I hit the bike feeling very good. my turnover was good and I felt as good on the bike as I have all year. I began passing peaple immediately. My race plan is generally to hang back early, butI felt fine and easy, so I just went with it. The first 12 miles are flat and easy. As I headed into an early climb I dropped my chain. No big deal, I got it back going with out a dismount. A little while later it happened again. This time I had to dismount. While clipping back in I was rear ended by another rider. I checked to makesure he and his bike were OK, checked myself and proceeded. At this point I became aware that the chain would be an issue and it made me tenitve when dropping into my small ring. My speed was good at around a 16.40 avg mph. This was my goal pace. At around mile 40 we hit a series of short steep inclines. On the toughest one I dropped into my small ring and spun out. I got my foot to the ground quickly as I had no power and was afraid I would go down. I heard other riders say "He broke his chain, that sucks". They were talking about me. I pulled the bike off of the course, took a leak, and got to work on the chain. This slowed me down, but I was able to do a quick fix. I hopped on and could not get the chain to stay in the small ring. At the next aid station I got off to do some adjustments. They had a mechanic that went to work on it, so I sat under a tent and had a Lara bar and bottle of water. I also watched the rest of the field roll past me. I was a teporary spectator and I was soon going to be far back. I thought of Jen C at lake placid and her determination to keep going. I remained calm and refused to become frustrated by my trouble. Once the mechanic handed the bike back to me I got moving. I had to walk a line between getting back into position and staying patient. I still had 70 miles to ride and the heat was rising. The chain was working well so I began to feel more confident in the bike. I started moving up in the pack once again. I found another rider that was trying to recover time after a broken chain. We were together for a short time before a tube shot out of my tool bag. I had failed to zip it after the aid station. Duh! The tube got caught between my brake caliper and wheel. The other rider vanished. I shook my head, dealt with it and got moving. I was growing a little frustrated, but remained calm knowing I had 50 more miles and it was getting really hot. I maintained a good mix of urgency and patients. I began once again to pass riders that were familiar from before my many mechanical issues. The second loop was much less eventful. Just roller after roller and VERY HOT. Within the last 25 miles I saw a lot of riders camped in the shade at the side of the road. My confidence was on the upswing, and I spun my way through the final flat 12 miles before arriving at T2. Bike time 7:35. I am very happy about my effort and ability to stay positive through all of the mechanical issues. In hindsight I would have swapped out the chain a few weeks ago. It was the only heavy wear gear I decided to not replace. Lesson learned.
At T2 I saw the other broken chain victom. I was happy to know I had made up a lot of ground. I got ready to run, got sunscreen, hit the loo and headed off to the marathon. My legs felt good and I was feeling very positive. I had made the cut off. I was still going.
The first 4 miles of the run were going well. I ran from aid station to aid station and enjoyed the crowd along the course. The heat was brutel. Mid 90's. My pace slowed and the walk breaks grew longer as I was doing every thing I could to stay cool and hydrated. I began to see all the CTC friends I had lost contact with hours earlier. During the mid section, my walk breaks were becoming jog breaks. My attitude was still good. I spent much of this time encouraging others. I think sharing my positive feelings helped me to maintain a good attitude myself. Some where close to mile 16 I started to get into a funk. I was really growing tired and my focus was waining. I began to question my well being. I was having trouble consuming fuel. I really took my time trying to get pretzels, gels, banana's, water, gatorade, and coke inside of me. I fought off nausea and pushed forward. The finish seemed so far away, but I had come so far. I couldn't quit, but I wasn't sure if I could continue. the dark of night brought cooler temperatures, but the heat of the day had done its damage. I was spent. My goal was to remain upright and forward. At the final turn around I broke through the darkness. I could see my path clearly. I was able to stretch my running further and further. Walk breaks shortened. I was rooting every one else on and geting chatty. I grabbed a full 24 ouce bottle of water and just sipped the rest of the way. The closer I got, the better I felt. I ran alot of the final section and turned onto fourth street feeling really strong. The crowd on fourth was amazing. I couldn't help but to ham it up as I coaxed the crowed to get louder. Just before going under the Ironman arch before the finish, I cought my toe on a cobble stone. My hamstring completey seized and I stopped, hobbling in circles. The crowed quieted. I turned to the finish, picked up my legs and found my stride. The crowed roared as I ran into the finish. I was VERY happy. It was fun looking up at the big sceen to see my finish. Run 5:51.18 Wow, that is a long time to be on a marathon course. I was so happy just to finish.This run was really hard. The heat was brutal. Total time 15:24.25 After I finished I walked over to the convention center for recovery. I grabbed what limited food I could and laid down in the hall way with my feet in the air. I made phone calls to Bbop, M, and my folks. As I got off the phone with M, I felt a little quizzy and rolled on my side. A volunteer asked if I needed assistance. I declined. He said he would be much more comfortable if I went to medical. The next thing I know I was in a wheel chair with about five volunteers surrounding me. My hamstring was completely locked up and screaming and I was having a familiar hypoglycemic attack. This includes a seizure, blackout, fainting, and my skin turning ghostly white. They hooked me up to an IV massaged my hamstring and ran tests. As I began to feel better I got a hold of Jack. He said his son Michael had already retrieved my bike and gear. I became chatty with the other athletes starring at the ceiling. Michael came to escort meback to the hotel and all was good. I am very greatful to the medical staff, volunteers and Michael.
Overall I achieved my goals. I dug deep and left every thing on the course. I fought through all adversity, stayed positive and had an amazing day. The city of Louisville is great. Thank you all for your help and encouragement throughout the past year.
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 16:12:07 GMT -5
Post by karming on Sept 2, 2008 16:12:07 GMT -5
Congratulations everyone. Katy, I haven't met you but you rocked throughout. I am glad that I got to meet so many more CTC folks in my 4th year back in Cleveland. Congrats to Jack, Tim, Rob, Charlie, Chris and anyone I may have forgotten. Definitely a tough day. I had a nice race in which I PR'd by approximately 25 minutes. Still hurt like hell though. My recap is as follows: Pre-race: Went to bed around 10 pm and woke up @ midnight. Couldn't sleep for about 10 minutes so I panicked, figured that I wouldn't get any sleep so I took (from my wife's stash) a 1/2 of an Ambien. Couldn't fall asleep for the next 5 minutes so I took the other half. This is why they say physicians shouldn't self medicate (and I'm a sleep specialist to boot Woke up @ 4:15, ate breakfast and made my way to the start. Swim: Stood in line with Chris Harris when Tim and Charlie came on by. They were very slick and were able to melt their way into the line as though they were made for that spot. It was nice as it helped to have someone to pass the time with. Swim was much easier than the mass start that I experienced at IMWI. No shoving. Just went to the middle like they told us so catch a better downstream. Only i took the race director's advice to seriously as I was about 50-75 yards away from where everyone else was. Got out in 1:17 and change. Bike: Nice rolling ride. Very similar but, I think, a little easier terrain compared to the east side (ie. Chagrin/Bedford) and south side (i.e. Brecksville). Was able to spin typically at 80 rpm on most of the hills (I do ride a compact crank). Kept my HR in the low 150s (as opposed to the 155 that I was initially planning due to the heat). Only thing was that I kept on getting sleepy. Not fatigued. Just the bone tired I could lay down and sleep for hours weariness. It has happened before in races. Finally figured out that if I poured the ice cold water given at aid stations, it would serve the purpose of waking me up and keeping me cool. At about mile 85 or so, Chris Philips comes up looking strong. He comes up to me to say hi (but I think he really wanted to pull a Lance Armstrong to Jan Ullrich, "I'm going to crush you" look). I'd always thought that he was up to no good when I'd ride with him in the past. Fortunately for me, the race officials could see that Chris was up to no good as well as they promptly warned him for blocking. See Chris, cheaters never prosper ;D Finally made it to the end of the bike in 6:30 and change. Run: Surely an exercise in futility. Essentially every 8 mile block you could add an extra minute to 90 seconds to the prior 8 mile block. Heat was tremendous but everyone showed great fortitude. Had a friend walk with me for part of the run (figured that they could penalize me if they wanted to as I just wanted to finish). Was going to run down the stretch with my 8 yr old but was stopped by an official. I finished but the race official prevented my son from going through and then promptly my son disappeared. My freaked out wife almost killed me for losing my son so she started to run. Unfortunately I could not run after her to help look as I was a bit on the wiped out side. Fortunately a friend saw this and got him but not before we reported my son as missing. Luckily my son is back at home and not on the side of a milk carton otherwise I'd be on the street corner. Post-race: Felt pretty good. Had a tremendous amount of shivering afterwards which I think was related to my severe glycogen depletion. had a big burger with fries at the hotel and promptly passed out though every time I rolled over I'd awaken in the delicious pain that only an Ironman can evoke. Now as I am two days out and promised myself not to do another IM for 4 yrs or so, I contemplate signing up for the Hawaii passport next year or perhaps IM Coeur D'Alene the year after. Yes, it's a sickness. Some food for thought and perhaps you might remember a few of these for your next race: 1. Pouring cold water on the bike is an extremely good way to cool down and wake up. I remember Rob saying something to this effect but I forgot about it. 2. For most of us, completing the race is best done with flexibility. Yeah, I wanted to hit sub 12-12:30 hours but the weather was not cooperative. I was realistic enough to alter my plans once I knew that the weather was not to be my friend. I am no less unhappy with my effort. 3. Don't think ahead. Just focus on short segments. Don't worry the run will come to you soon enough. If you think too far ahead then you begin to worry about how much longer you've got to go. Things go sour fast if you let it. 4. Keeping a positive attitude is key. It really is hard to come back from the low point if you perseverate on them. I think this is the hardest thing about Ironman events. If you can think good thoughts then the bad points seem to end faster. Sometimes it's simply cheering on your fellow competitor who is next to you suffering. Or perhaps just thanking the volunteers. As i am an intensive care doc, I see the other side. What we do is all gravy. A true celebration of life (although I feel less so at the halfway point of the race). Good luck to those who have yet to race. Kar-Ming
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 16:40:24 GMT -5
Post by speerka on Sept 2, 2008 16:40:24 GMT -5
Holy smokes Charlie, you are tough! I wanted to ask you if you got an IV. I'm glad you are feeling better now.
Throughout the race I kept thinking to myself what you said about it just going to be a very long day and I need to accept that.
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 19:14:59 GMT -5
Post by jen on Sept 2, 2008 19:14:59 GMT -5
Wow...thank you guys for sharing your story!
Katy-awesome! Even though we only bricked together a few times I'm so pumped about how you did and that I've trained with you (even if just a few times)! That's really great and inspiring to me to possibly attempt one in the future.
You other guys I don't think I've met you but, wow! Charlie, you give me hope to keep going if I ever get a flat. How amazing!!!
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 19:43:45 GMT -5
Post by ryanchittester on Sept 2, 2008 19:43:45 GMT -5
Katy - congratulations on an awesome race! Even more impressive in those conditions.
Charlie - great race report...way to keep positive, and a true display of determination. Congratulation!
Karming - Congrats on the PR! Love the race report...glad you didn't lose your son!
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 19:44:18 GMT -5
Post by mgorris on Sept 2, 2008 19:44:18 GMT -5
My hat is off to all of you. On a day when only person, a professional and the overall winner cracked 3 hours on the mary, you all are a testament to the word 'perseverance!'
I spoke with Rob today and he relayed the blast furnace like conditions all of you faced, especially on the run
Way to gut it out, well done
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IMKY
Sept 2, 2008 20:42:57 GMT -5
Post by Aussie Rob on Sept 2, 2008 20:42:57 GMT -5
Simply outstanding all of you.
Katy, you've been impressive all year, but this takes the cake. Good stuff.
Charlie, a temperament like yours is a rare one indeed. I doubt i could have handled all that happened to you with such patience and level-headedness. Excellent race under horrible circumstances!
Kar-ming, nice work mate. Id forgotten you were doing this one. Congrats on a solid performance and the PR!
I look forward to reading everyone elses recaps.
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IMKY
Sept 3, 2008 9:08:58 GMT -5
Post by ebanks2 on Sept 3, 2008 9:08:58 GMT -5
Charlie....you are cool under pressure. I am very impressed how you kept your composure in the face of adversity. I think we can all learn something from your mind set during the race.
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IMKY
Sept 3, 2008 9:44:20 GMT -5
Post by MattCollister on Sept 3, 2008 9:44:20 GMT -5
Charlie,
I am happy to know I am not the only person out there who likes those Lara bars.
Oh, and congratulations to all on a great race.
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IMKY
Sept 3, 2008 14:00:02 GMT -5
Post by RoviChris on Sept 3, 2008 14:00:02 GMT -5
Guess I'll follow the others and add my recap here: Woke at 3AM, figured it wasn't worth trying to go back to sleep, had planned on sleeping til 4. Had a small bowl of cereal, 3 pancakes w/syrup and 2 cups of coffee. Headed to transition area at 5AM and was in and out in 15 minutes. Probably sucked down a quart of watered down Gatorade between now and swim time. Headed to the swim start pushing a stroller, wearing my jammers and being told to slow down by a tired wife, who just loves these early races. Once I arrived at the start noticed the long line of athletes already waiting in line for the swim start. Didn't expect to see a line. After hitting the porta-pot I bumped into Jack and we looked for Charlie and Tim for a while. When the pros started everyone seemed concentrated on watching them and I slid into line and later saw Jack who joined me. Ended up being a great location as we hit the water at 7:20 just 20mins into the age groupers.
Swim was a drag just seemed to keep going on, round the end of the island and you still swim upstream for a while. I stayed far right heading up and also downstream. Most of the time I felt like I was alone but I'd see an occasional kayak or elbow to make me feel comfortable. Overall swim was OK, time of 1:36 was a little disappointing but just wanted to be out of the water. FYI: To those doing next year be careful on the metal steps I bumped my instep on a corner during Saturday's practice swim and had a large bump that of course was directly under my bike shoe strap.
T1 was a short walk and was surprised how crowded the tent as with the time trial start. I put on bike shorts and shoes and moved on applying significant amounts of sunscreen to neck arms and shoulders.
Bike started off nice drank water and then started GU's, Clif Shots, and Gatorade for 300cals/hr. 2 Loops out near La Grange had a stiff headwind for half the loop and I really eased up during these sections to conserve some energy. Dropped my chain 3 times over the big ring in the first 30 miles, must have bent the front derailluer on the trip down, shifting back to the little ring recovered each time, and then just shifted a little more easily to the big ring with no more issues. Had one rough section where I didn't feel great but seemed to pass after 10 or 20 mins. Caught up to Kar Ming and tried to talk with him until some motorcycle rolled up and said "If I see that again you'll get a blocking penalty." We were in the middle of now where not sure why it mattered but I figured I better abide. (I appreciate the compliment Kar Ming but not sure it was the Lance look, I was just happy to see someone I knew.) I will say there was a significant motorcycle and mini van presence on the bike course officiating and lending support. Saw a few people that had been involved in accidents and probably 30-40 riders just sitting under trees trying to figure out their next move during the bike. Last 15-20 miles back to town were fabulous, tailwind and downhill raised my average speed .5 mph in the last hour. Overall bike course has lots of rollers and very scenic only a few climbs had me spinning my 27. Powering down the hill to get up the next hill really helped on many small hills. Time was 6:20 few minutes slower than planned.
T2 was good, volunteer offered to take my helmet and threw my gloves in, less to worry about in the tent. I did a full change into running shorts and white shirt. Hit the porta again and was out.
Run starts off with a quick run up a bridge by far the largest hill on the course. Caught up with Erin here, was amazed how good she looked thought we'd be running together for a while but she stopped for a restroom break and I kept moving. Congrats Erin GREAT premiere. Around 4 or 5 miles the heat and possibly a few pretzels started getting to me and I contemplated how much walking I'd be doing. Switched to just water for a while and made a deal with myself to walk 30 seconds during each mile in addition to walking the aid station. With this strategy I kept clicking off the miles in 10:45 - 11:15. Only time I was much over that were the 3 porta pot breaks. (Think I drank too much on the run but at least the system was still functioning.) Once I passed 20 miles I started thinking about 13 hours and tried to figure out in my head where I was at. (Didn't have overall time on my watch) Didn't know the clock time was actually the Pro start 10 minutes before the AG's. I picked up the pace the last few miles and skipped the walking breaks figured I better leave it on the course. Overall the run course is straight out and straight back for two loops with not much wind and not much shade until loop two. I have no issue with recycled sponges without them I would have had issues. Running within 150yds of the finish at 14-15 miles is tough as you head out on loop 2. Time was 4:42 faster than expected Time 12:52 was a PR, 1 hour quicker than Placid in 07. Came back to watch the close of the course and watched a 75 year old man complete an Ironman and probably head to Kona.
Think IMLou might also be the only IM that you can finish in 17+ hours officially based on the TT start. Final finisher to cross the line was in 17:55, cutoff was 17:53 (Clocks were off, no pictures, nothing.) Good Samaritan from the crowd hangs his medal on her and gets disciplined by the IM crew. Not sure what they told him but a few minutes later she's got a medal and he got his back, so it all ended good. Great race to all those that endured. Definitely one of the hotter days for an IM.
Final note: I never used Endurolytes but bought a bottle at the Expo. Talked with Mickey and r about using them. Ended up taking 3-4 caps per hour and felt they really helped me over the day. Also learned if they get wet be very careful taking them had one bust open in my mouth on the run and almost hurled, not very pleasant having a chalky salt mouth at that point.
Have loved the experience training with many of you this year, feel that time is more enjoyable than the race itself. Look forward to following Phil, Danielle and Eric next year at their IM premiers in IMKY. Think I'm going to sit out the IM's for a few years and enjoy the family, unless I hit the lottery.
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IMKY
Sept 6, 2008 20:02:37 GMT -5
Post by ebanks2 on Sept 6, 2008 20:02:37 GMT -5
FYI. get the TiVo set.....IM Lou will be on the Versus Network on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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