Flexibility: rarely over-rated

Flexibility is important!

Not only is physical flexibility important to our bodies.  It prevents injuries, reduces muscle soreness, and all kinds of other good things.  But it's also important to be flexible in life.  Life is a wild ride and you have to be able to roll with the punches, ride the waves, take it in stride.  Basically be adjustable.

Monday I had a planned rest day after Sunday's frigid long run.  However, I found myself with a 30 minute window just before "Dancing With The Stars" came on (I so used to hate this show, but got sucked in this year - Jennifer Grey was amazing).  Those 30 minute windows can suck sometimes.  Not quite enough time to really accomplish anything, but too long of a time to just waste it away. 

I chose to squeeze in a little (overdue) booty-camp workout.  It proved to be JUST the right amount of time for that.  My muscles swore at me just enough the next day to let me know it was enough, but not too much.  It was a nice workout.  Tell me again why I keep avoiding these???

Tuesday morning was annoying interesting.  I had planned a morning swim.  We have had a little arctic outflow thing going through here the last few days and it was bloody cold, and windy.  I really (really, really, really, REALLY) did not want to get out of bed, but eventually forced myself out the door.  As I was running late, my friend called me.  She'd just arrived at the pool and was about to go in when the power went out.  GRRRRR!!!!!   With no other options for exercise, I had to turn around, come back home and get ready for work as usual.  The extra sleep would have been appreciated!

Fast forward to Tuesday evening.  The plan was a 6 mile tempo run with the big dog.  Two things got in the way.  First, my daughter's practice was cancelled due to the snow/ice/wind - her practices gives me an excuse a reason to get out the door.  Plus it puts me in a safe area for running outdoors.  But the kicker was I came home to my daughter & MIL painting my mostly renovated bedroom, my son washing floors, dusting & putting away the fall decor, and my husband rushing out the door to work.  There was drywall dust EVERYWHERE!  My job was to steam clean the carpets which also entailed having to declutter a bunch of areas.  There was my night for running shot.  But ... alot was accomplished and I'm very grateful to almost have my bedroom back!

This morning was swim attempt #2.  SCORE - lights!  DOUBLE SCORE - my friend sweet talked us into getting in for free due to the power outage yesterday.  Gotta love free!  Though I don't gotta love the swim.  I have been swimming, but I do NOT love swimming.  I don't know if I'm improving.  This morning felt hard, very hard.  But it's done.

Tonight I "plan" to do hill repeats.  But that probably will be might get kiboshed (defiition:  stopped from happening or developing) too ... by two different possible scenarios.  My bedroom may be ready for another coat of paint, and the carpet could definitely use another steam cleaning.  If that is the case I may resort to using the dreadmill and putting in a late night run after the work is done.

But the more exciting ($$$) thing that may keep me from my plan is we are expected to get a good dump of snow tonight.  My husband has a contract for doing snow removal and we need to keep as much money in the family as possible, so I will be one of his slaves employees.  I'll either be driving an ATV with a snow plow on it, or I'll be doing old-fashioned shovelling.  Is it kinda sick that I think I'd rather shovel so I can get more of a workout?  However, I think either way it will be a decent workout as it's a big, powerful machine and the conditions won't be easy.  Think of me late tonight!  I have new long johns and new wool socks.  Bring on the SNOW!

While it's great to be flexible, and I think I pull it off not too bad ... I do have to reschedule these missed runs.  I have a goal to reach for 2010 (1000 miles) and can NOT let obstacles get in my way.  I have to move around, over or through them to make success happen.

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Snuggles with a Snowman

Another great hike!

My son is still injured and was unable to play his game this weekend.  This left me with a bit of unexpected free time, which I took full advantage of.

I squeezed in one more hike up one of our local mountains.  Typically I go up Grouse Mountain via the Grouse Grind, however this time we tried something new and went up an adjacent trail called the BCMC (BC Mountaineering Club) trail. 

Nice trail!  Compared to the Grind, it's not quite as well marked (the GG is idiot proof), but it is easy to follow and there are lots of markers that are easy to spot.  It's more natural, very few man-made steps.  Not quite as steep, or as big of steps, but still very challenging.  I'd say that I prefer it.

The weather is turning here and snow on this trail is imminent.  In fact, any given day you could encounter it going up.  We were prepared to turn around if necessary, and we also came with extra provisions in case of trouble.  As it turned out there was no snow until after we crested the top of the trail and arrived at the Grouse Mountain Chalet.  There was maybe 2-3" of wet snow up there. 

When I saw this cutie pie I just had to get some pics taken with him:

It looks like snow falling, but it's actually just very thick fog.  It felt so festive.  The mountain has just opened up their skating rink up there too.  $8 just to rent skates though - rip off!  I'd rather carry mine up on the hike than spend that. 

I know that I may not get another hike up there this year.  It's usually too much of a time crunch for me, and for every week that goes by the possibility of snow/ice is too real.  I like a challenge, but safety comes first.

Come spring though, I want to be spending alot of time on these (and other) mountains.  I ♥ hiking!

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

November GOALS

So .... let's talk GOALS!

* Mileage Increase - My new running partner is signed up for the Goofy Challenge @ Disney in January which entails running a 10K, Half Marathon and a Full Marathon over a 3 day weekend.  Personally I think she's nuts to take this on in her current condition ... but I'm also jealous and would probably do it if I had the opportunity.  As such, she is training to increase her mileage by the end of the year, albeit at a slow pace.  I have agreed to train with her!

So far we have run up to 13 miles.  By the weekend before her race we will build up to 20 miles.  Me .... 20 miles???  I'm ready to take on this challenge.  I feel confident that I am in strong enough condition to keep on increasing my mileage at that rate, especially at a slower pace.  In November we plan to run one 12 miler, two 14 milers, and one 16 miler!

I will use these runs to test my mental endurance, to test different fuel methods, to learn more about recovery.  It should be a great learning experience.

This could get interesting as they are calling for the snowiest winter in over 50 years.  I may have to invest in some Yak Trax. 

Anyone try these things or similar product?

Some other things I plan to incorporate in November:

* Swimming - I plan to swim once a week for 45-60 minutes.  Right now I do 3-4 laps, stop, catch my breathe, adjust goggles, then continue.  I want to increase the number of laps in between.  I have NO plans to compete in swimming, but I do think it's great for cross training

* Basic Exercises - Minimum 10 push-ups and 50 sit-ups per day ... every day.  While I feel this is very minimal and it makes me sad that it is my goal, it's WAY more than I have been doing so this alone would be huge progress.

* Hill/Interval training - At least once per week. 

* Tempo runs - It's fun to be social and I enjoy that, but if I'm slowing down my LSD runs substantially then I want to keep up my pace on a few shorter runs.  At least once a week I want to run 5-6 miles at about an 8:30 pace (9:00 if on trails).

If time/opportunity presents itself I'd also love to do another hike up Grouse Grind, some cycling, and a few more night time runs - those were fun!

So, that's my November plans.

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Track Work

After this weekend's little mini stint with speed work to see how I compare to a bunch of teens (haha), I decided last night would be some speed work at the track.

I recorded it all on my Garmin, but didn't get a chance to load it on to the computer to check out the data.  From memory I believe I did 4 x 800M at about 3:40-3:45 each ... 7:22 - 7:32 pace.  Followed 4 x 400M at about 1:45-1:50 .... 7:02 - 7:22 pace.  Between each interval I walked or walked/light jogged 400M.  I want to work up to it being a light jog only between intervals.

I also want to build up to doing alot more of those 800s.  On the 400s I sure noticed that I could smoke it for the first 200M, then fade rapidly for the next 100-150M, then dig deep and manage a sprint for the last 50M.  However .. if I ran the first half more conservatively to try to keep a more steady pace the whole time, my overall time was slower than if I went out fast.  Hmmm, I didn't think it was supposed to work that way.

I wanted to do a few 100M sprints as well, but after that I was completely out of gas.  I can certainly see how this is a tougher workout than a long, steady run.  Of course both have their benefits and the long run is super important, probably the most important in regards to just completing a race, but this type of workout is definitely a challenge and a nice change to add in.

Anyhow, it was a GREAT workout and I think I'll see some benefits from this.  My running buddy was there teaching a boot camp class and she joined me for half of an 800 before she had to leave.  We tried to talk but there was no way. ;)  Apparently track work is not a social event.

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Sweaty & Satisfied

Two workouts in one day!  Go me!!

 

For a long time I have been a big fan of evening workouts.  And I still stand by that an evening workout gives me the best sleep possible.  But twice this week I have ran in the morning, and then did some sort of activity in the evening.  Morning workouts are great because you have two options: 1) Your workout is done for the day and if you choose not to do more in the evening or have other things to do then you're already done, or 2) By the time evening rolls around you don't really feel like you've already had a workout and still have enough energy to have a good workout if you want.

 

Last night I got all sweaty & satisfied ...

 

 

... doing strength/cardio intervals.  It rocked!

 

It was short & sweet, but hit the spot.  

• Dumbbell Squats with shoulder presses
• Wall sit with bicep curls
• Wall sit with lateral raises
• Walking lunges with dumbells
• Tricep Kickbacks
• Dumbbell side bends
• Push-ups
• Sit-ups

Each move was performed for 2 sets x 15-20 each and about a 30-60 second cardio interval (jumping jacks, high knees, boxing, butt kicks, ...) between each set.

 

I'd much rather be doing this type of workout in a class setting.  On one hand it's nice to create your own workouts because you can determine the intensity (often I find classes lacking) ... but on the other hand it's nice to just let someone else do the thinking and pushing for you.

 

In a perfect world would you rather take group classes and/or have a personal trainer ... or do you prefer to beat to your own drum?

 

Keep Active

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

New Toy...

I GOT A NEW TOY!!! I GOT A NEW TOY!!!

For a while now I've been pretty envious.  I read people's race reports or just reviews of their daily runs and often see these types of little comments:

"I checked my pace and ....."

"I ran 9.65 miles at an average pace of ......"

These comments often make me feel a little jealous.  I'm a total numbers gal.  I gotta know what I can do, what I want to do, and that I did it. 

I have created an excel spreadsheet to add up my mileage and I've also created formulas to calculate my pace per mile, pace per km, etc.....  So this numbers thing is something that really works for me.

During a race it KILLS ME when they don't put out mileage markers and I have no idea where I am on a course and no idea (other than by judging how I feel) what my pace is.  My best race so far is when they had someone at the 1Km mark shouting out your time and at every 2Km marker we passed a time clock.  I was able to judge where I was at and adjust accordingly.

Maybe this is just because I'm new-ish to racing, but I have a hard time judging when I should or shouldn't push.  Sometimes I push too early and run out of gas and sometimes I wait too late and then scramble to try to make up time and finish the race knowing I had more in me to give.  I really hate when that happens.

So .... after very brief consideration (10 minutes reading reviews online and a couple of messages to Syl) I went to Costco last night and bought myself the Garmin Forerunner 305!  I had a little money put aside that I'd received unexpectedly and was waiting to use it for something I really wanted just for.  This was it!

Heeeheeeeee .... I was like a kid in a candy store!  While waiting for my daughter, I sat in the car and read the manual and was actually giggling with delight at all the neat things this little puppy can do.

I won't have a chance to really put it to the test until this weekend, but at lunch today I went for a 1 mile walk .. ahem 1.05 mile walk ... and I'm totally giddy!

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I was shocked yesterday to see the results of our race posted already.  Typically they take 3-4 days, so this was quick.

Heidi's Stats...
Time:  58:31
Overall Place:  53rd out of 105
Age Group Place:  4th out of 16
Women's Place:  8th out of 44

I feel pretty darn good about that.  Yeah, yeah ... maybe I'm manipulating the stats until it makes me feel good, but so what :).

Hubby finished in 52:05 - last year 57:29.

Fastest in my age group (and also fastest woman overall) was 47:20.  Fastest overall was a male under 20 with 37:05.  Oh to be that fast!!!  WOW!

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The next couple of days are a bit tough on me.  I've got another bookkeeping deadline to meet by Friday for our personal company and it's literally taking up every spare moment I have.  I haven't even cooked dinner the last two nights (thank goodness for a MIL who lives right next door!).

So no workouts at all until it's complete.  Sucks because this week was supposed to be my heavy weights week.  But I'll get right back at it.  I guess the good side is my foot is really getting a pretty good rest.
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Oh, and if you're looking for a good ab workout to try check this out:

OH SHE GLOWS - Ab Workout

I came across this today via Desitnation: Athlete's blog and it looks like a good one to put on the roster.

Hope everyone is having a great day!!!!!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

December 15th ... already?

Howdy Everyone!  Remember me??  Boy the time has been flying by lately.

My time has been a bit limited lately and instead of posting I've been trying to keep up on others blogs as much as I can.  You guys are more interesting anyway. ;)

This past Saturday was my 37th birthday and it turned out to be a pretty darn good day.  Normally my husband and I don't exchange presents, but this year he went out and got me a really nice looking running outfit.  (sorry, I forgot to take pics and can't find any like it online) 

However, once I put it on it didn't work for me.  It was a nice bright green Under Armour jacket and black Under Armour running pants.  The jacket was a medium, but was too big (YAY!).  The pants just fit goofy.  Considering together they were $170 I couldn't swallow that, so we returned them. 

We ended up going out shopping and I bought these running capris from a running store.  They are still sickenly expensive, but they are SUPER comfy and I had that $25 gift certificate I won last month.  Throughout most of the year I prefer a capri length to a full length.  Also, since my legs are on the short side most lengths are too long for me (and petite is too short).

We had some consistenly cold weather last week and our big pond froze over enough to go out on it.  The kids had some fun out there goofing off.



That night I was eager to try out my news pants and did a session in the gym.  I've been feeling lost in the work out dept. lately and when I have worked out it's mostly been running.  I've totally been neglecting my muscles.  So ... I've turned to Jillian.

I have her Making the Cut book and while I find the diet too much for me to follow, her workouts look really good.  A nice variety and you're always working something different.  You do 5 circuits.  Each circuit you do without stopping between moves and then you take about 30 seconds or so between circuits.  The workout takes about 45 minutes.

Day 1 looked like this:

CIRCUIT 1
20 reps Dumbbell Chest Press
15 reps Dumbbell Fly with crunch
50 Squats
1 min 7mph sprint

CIRCUIT 2
10 sec Plank
5 Push-ups
10 reps Side Planks with Inner Thigh Raise
5 sec Plank
5 Push-ups
10 reps Side Planks with Inner Thigh Raise
5 sec Plank
10 Burpies
50 Sumo Squats
1 min 7mph sprint

CIRCUIT 3
20 Frog Push-ups
20 Squat Thrusts (plank to squat)
30 sec Static Squat
10 reps W Shoulder Presses with Leg Extension
1 min Jump Rope

CIRCUIT 4
20 reps Bench dips
to fail Rope Tricep Presses
10 each Static Lunges with Lateral Shoulder Raise
1 min Mountain Climbers
30 sec Boat Pose (V-Sit)

CIRCUIT 5
1 min Jump Rope
50 Bicycle Crunches
30 sec Extended Plank

The next day we got our first little snowfall that amounted to anything and we went out for a run.  I hadn't run since the previous Saturday and REALLY wanted to get out, no matter what.  It was about -3°C (26° F) and had just started to snow when we left.  We ran 10Km and it was actually really pleasant and peaceful.  But by the time we turned back the snow got heavier and about 1" deep.  That was fine for running in, but it kept sticking in the crease under my shoe and building up a 1" ball under my shoes.  We had to stop every 2 minutes to pick them out.  Very annoying.  It was a tough run and my pace sucked!  But, I was happy to get out there.

After Jillian's workout and a cold run, I was DONE yesterday and didn't workout. 

My diet has been so-so.  I really need to get back to tracking.  Now, just to do it..... GRRR!

Running Schedule

I am one of those people that does not function well without having some sort of schedule.  When I have nothing scheduled ... I do nothing.  This is present in just about every area of my life (and is presently biting my behind in my bookkeeping - yikes).  I'm the type that needs list and I need to tick off the little boxes to know where I'm at.

I feel like lately I've been losing focus with my fitness.  I'm doing it, but I'm kind of going in circles with no real intention.  So ... yesterday I took some time and mapped out a running schedule for now until the middle of March. 

I really have no knowledge about what makes a good training program.  I'm just flying from the seat of my pants.  But it feels right.  If, at some point it doesn't feel right, I'll adjust.

My basic plan is:

Monday - short easy recovery run
Tuesday - rest or cross train
Wednesday - Speed Intervals - 400M fast lap, 400M slow lap sets
Thursday - Basic run - comfortable pace, average distance
Friday - Tempo Run
Saturday - Rest
Sundays - long run (8km - 22km)

My average weekly distance will be between 29 Km (18 miles) and 55 Km (34 miles).

This week I have planned:

Monday - 35 min @ about 6.0mph
Tuesday - 30 min elliptical & weights
Wednesday - 4 x 400M lap sets (aiming at under 2:00 per fast lap) & core
Thursday - 9.5 Km @ about 6.0mph
Friday - 30 min @ 7.5mph * & weights
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 12 Km @ about 6.5mph

* I'm not sure I can hold 7.5mph for 30 min straight.  This is the pace I'd LOVE to be at for a full 10K by next spring.  This week will be a trial.  For this week I will run as long as I can at that pace, then slow it down a bit as needed.  I know I can hold 7.0mph for that distance, so I might find that 7.25 is a bit more reasonable for now.

6.0 - 6.5mph is a very comfortable pace for me for the easier runs.  Any less and I get cramping in my legs.

I also mapped out some potential races for the next few months.  Not sure if I'll afford all of them or actually be able to do them all (due to weather or whatever else gets in my way), but in a perfect world.....

November - 8 Km trail race
December - 5 Km Santa  Shuffle **
January - 15 Km road race & 10Km trail race
February - 10 Km & 8 Km trail races
Either February or March ..... HALF MARATHON!
April - 10K road race

The trail races are on trails that I run all the time.  Some of them are the first races I did (though I chose the 5K option back then).  Though they are officially "races" I don't see them being much different than my typically Sunday runs.

I have to admit I'm a little on the fence about the ** Santa Shuffle.  First, it's on a Saturday.  My son plays soccer on Saturdays and I never miss a game.  Plus, that particular Saturday is the most anticipated game of the season for them.  But, their game is scheduled for the afternoon on that date, so I should be able to make it.  I'm also a little hesitant about going in something labelled a "Fun Run".  My hairdresser did a fun run recently and she said it was near impossible to actually run.  She said it was alot of fun, but not a run really.  But, then again ... maybe that's just what I need in my life.

I really, really, REALLY want to make a big improvement on my speed for this coming season.  And I also want to complete at least one half marathon (where speed won't be so much a factor).  Here's hoping that this schedule helps me to achieve both of those goals.

Died And Gone to Peanut Butter Heaven!

Oh my .... oh MY!!!!!  I have died and gone to peanut butter heaven.

Every year we have a Women's Show  here and there are always lots of neat products to check out.  The highlight for me this year was peanut butter.  The flavours they had were amazing!  Also, all natural and organic to boot.

I ended up bringing home SIX jars of this stuff.

Banana, Cinnamon Currant (got two of that - sooo goood!), Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Cranberry, and Carmel. 

I probably should have gotten two of the caramel.  It is amazing!  I can not wait to mix this into some oatmeal or red river cereal ... or just enjoy on a nice piece of toast.  Mmmm, mmmm, mmmmm.

Other than that there wasn't anything superbly amazing.

Had a FANTASTIC workout last night.  I totally prefer to exercise outdoors when I can, but in doing so, I don't hit the weights as often as I should.  If I have to exercise indoors, then running on the treadmill like a gerbil can drive me a bit bonkers.  Sometimes it's OK, but if I'm not really into it then I can talk myself out of a long run on the treadmill pretty easy.  Last night was one of those nights.

So, instead I turned to one of my trusty little workouts I have printed and stacked in the gym.  Last night was an upper body workout and boy oh boy can I feel it.

This is what I did:

*15 min run at 7 mph

*Following moves (3 sets x 12) with 1 min 30 sec running at 9 mph between each move:
...Chest press (15 lbs)
...Dumbbell Rows (15 lbs)
...Incline Chest Press (15 lbs)
...Lat Pulldown (4 plates)
...Shoulder Press (12 lbs)
...Tricep Pulldown (2 plates)
...Hammer Curls (2 x 15 lbs, 1 x 12 lbs)
...Tricep Kickbacks (8 lbs)
...Concentration Curls (15 lbs)
*5 min run @ 7mph
*10 min. Abs - basic crunch, reverse crunch, 2 min plank
*Stretch

I sure can feel it in my chest today and a little bit in my abs.  The last 15 seconds of the fast run is pretty tough, really have to push through it.  But I think that will help with my distance running speed.  I plan to increase my speeds over the next few months.  Will have to make up some more home workouts.

Today I vow to.....

Feeling kinda funky! I'm tired and unmotivated to do much of anything. Was much the same yesterday. I'd planned to either workout at home or take a class, but instead I ate a bunch of carbs then crashed on the couch all night. So unproductive :(

Today I didn't even pack a lunch or snacks - which is fairly unusual for me. It's noon now and I sit here half hoping that a nice healthy lunch will just plop down in front of me because I completely lack the motivation to make any effort.

WOW - reading back over that even I'm sick of me. Time to snap out of it! OK ... deep breath .... putting on the invisible thinking cap.....

Here's my plan for today:

Lunch - Ham & Veggie Sub, Steamed Milk

Dinner - 2 Prawn Skewers, Corn on the Cob, Spinach Salad

Workout -

*10 min run at 7 mph
*Following moves (3 sets x 12) with 1 min 15 sec running at 9 mph between:
...Chest press (2 plates)
...Dumbbell Rows (15 lbs)
...Incline Chest Press (12 lbs)
...Lat Pulldown (4 plates)
...Shoulder Press (12 lbs)
...Tricep Pulldown (2 plates)
...Hammer Curls (1 x 15 lbs, 1 x 12 lbs, 1 x 10 lbs)
...Tricep Kickbacks (8 lbs)
...Concentration Curls (1 x 15 lbs, 2 x 12 lbs)
*10 min. Abs - basic crunch, straight leg raises, reverse crunch, planks 2 x 1 min
*Stretch

When I have stuck to all of the above, then I'm allowed to watch So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Otherwise the TV must stay off for the evening.

Kicking My Own Ass!

WOW! The other day I pledged to get back to my regular fitness schedule by at least doing a run on Thursday night. I'm proud to say that I most definitely got my session in. I hadn't done weights in a few weeks with vacation and all, so I really wanted to incorporate that. So this was my workout:

10 min running at 6mph

Alternate the following with running 2 min at 8mph between each move;

40 walking lunges

40 lateral lunges

100 crunches (50 standard, 50 obliques)

100 reverse crunches

Push-ups - 1 set x 20, 1 set x 10

Lateral Raises with 10 lb weights - 2 set x 15, 1 set x 10

finish with 5 min running at 6mph

Holy moly do those fast sets in between get your heart rate up there. I was absolutely dripping in sweat.

Then Friday morning I went to a drop-in fitness class called Abs, Butt, & Thighs. I've done this class a million times and always love it.

But WOWSERS, with those two days combined with a previous lack of strength training - owie, owie, OWIE! If I sit for any extended time I have to manually lift my legs to move them. And my butt is swearing at me. Today I'm taking off, but tomorrow morning I'm running with a couple friends.

Went shopping today in the hopes of finding a new bathing suit, bikini preferred. Apparently summer is over though and the best I could find was a few odd pieces that didn't match.

I did try on a few clothes, though nothing that screamed my name. I was very happy to try on a skirt that I eyed a few weeks ago. I think it was either late May or June when I first tried it and the 9/10 was a bit snug. This time I tried it and it was at least a full size too big - YAY!!!

My closet is ridiculous right now. All my bottoms are too big and I can pretty much only wear them if I can put a belt on and cinch it up. It's a good problem, but I wish a winning lottery ticket would come my way so I can do a full makeover.

I leave you with a few pictures from our trip down the Oregon Coast last month (better late than never). I have more to post but some editing needs to be done as some of the people in the pics I do not have permission to post:

This is me at the top of the Watchman trail overlooking Crater Lake. If you ever have the chance to visit Crater Lake I strongly urge you to - it's gorgeous!

My husband, son & his friend climbed on top of one of these huge rocks and he is taking the picture from up there. In the lower third of the picture in the middle you see a white dot and a black dot. I am the white dot (in my PJs - haha), and the other is my little dog, Tia.

And speaking of Tia .... here is my little Superdog!!! :) This was also up at Crater Lake. She looks like she's getting ready for take-off.