State #43, Winter Fun Half Marathon, Long Beach, CA, 1/20/19, Part 1

Hazel and I met at the LAX airport Friday night with much cheer. My flight arrived about 40 minutes late due to a delay in Charlotte, but she waited for me before catching the shuttle to bring us to a commuter station in Van Nuys. We met up at the baggage carousel, and I said goodbye to my new friend Beverly who had been my seat mate on the flight in to LAX. Haze and I grabbed our bags, and after a lengthy-ish wait for the Fly Away Bus, boarded and began our catching up. The wonderful thing about a dear, old friend is that you feel comfortable right away and pick up just where you left off, despite the time passed and distance between our addresses. 

We arrived at the Van Nuys station, the closest location to where Hazel’s parents live. Her dad was there to pick us up, and my childhood reunion continued. Mr. Thyne looks fantastic! He lost over 130 lbs in recent years and became a committed Crossfit enthusiast. In fact, he arranged for Hazel and I to participate in a Breathing and Bracing workout the next day at his gym. 

We arrived at their beautiful home in North Hollywood where Mrs. Thyne was waiting for us. She immediately remarked that I looked just like my mother, and the catching up continued. She looks just the same as I remember her, and it was so wonderful to see her after all these years. We stayed up for a bit chatting, and then headed to sleep, which was very welcomed after a long day of travel. We had a big day the next day and needed our rest. 

The morning brought us to the Crossfit gym with Mr. Thyne. Thinking that the workshop we were about to do was yoga, meditation and breathing based, we weren’t worried about overdoing it before the half marathon the next day. Well….we started off with a “warm up” of jumping jacks, jumping, pushups, burpees, and squats. More than what we bargained for, for sure, but not impossible. The breathing and bracing came next which was pretty cool. We focused on filling our lungs and doing various exercises with proper breathing. Bracing was the activity of tightening our abs to properly prepare our bodies for various exercises, and we also worked on bracing with proper posture. It doesn’t sound hard, but actually the tensing and holding of our muscles was actually more strenuous than expected. The workshop ended with the WOD (workout of the day) which included pushups, sit-ups, burpees and squats (I think). As many as we could do for three minutes for each exercise. Whew, we were tired when we finished, but it was great. 

Mr. Thyne, Hazel and I after our breathing & bracing workout at Angelino Crossfit.

Coach Karlos, myself, Mr. Thyne and Hazel post-workout.

We wished everyone at the gym well and headed back to the house on foot. It was about a two mile walk home, which was perfect to shake things out after all that muscle work. Once back, we had breakfast, changed and waited for Hazel’s brother, TJ, to come along. He was planning to give us a tour around Los Angeles.

TJ arrived around noon or so, and it was so fun to see him after all these years! I remember him as a little kid with curly hair and glasses, and now he is a real life Hollywood actor! I congratulated him on his success for the tv show Bones and let him know that the folks back in CT were very proud of his achievement. We chatted for a bit about our lives and his decision to run the half marathon with us (yay!),  and then Hazel, TJ and I set out for our tour of L.A.

Iconic Hollywood sign.

Sun in my eyes...Hollywood sign behind. 

Me and the Hollywood sign in the distance.

Hazel and I attempting a selfie at the Hollywood sign.

TJ brought us on the most wonderful driving tour of his city, providing the most excellent narrative history of the area and its early founders. He told us of the early “moving pictures” industry, creation of roads and advertising how luxurious they were, diversion of water (reservoirs) to the area and beginnings of Walt Disney Studios/Disneyland. 

TJ drove us through many of the amazing little neighborhoods scattered all through Los Angeles and he brought us to see the infamous Hollywood sign. What a beautiful area! We stopped to take a few pictures and enjoy the views before moving on.

Next we stopped at what seemed like an ordinary grocery store (Gelson's), but once we went inside, TJ told us that the building was in fact the original Walt Disney Studios where the earliest animated Disney movies were made, including Snow White. He told us the story of how Walt Disney wanted his animators and their families to relocate to the area to work for him, and that he built special housing for them that was close to the studio so they could work and spend time with their families. The housing he built for them looked just like the cottage of the seven dwarves in Snow White. So charming! We took a peek in their courtyard, despite the no trespassing sign. Such a cool place and even cooler story!

Grocery store that was once the original Walt Disney Studios.

Cottages built by Disney for animators and their families.

Another cottage. 

Front gate of the cottage alcove.

Inside the courtyard.

End of the cottage courtyard.

Next we visited TJ’s house in the Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A., a lovingly restored 1920’s bungalow style home filled with such style and amazing tricks! Inside, the house boasts a hidden passage to his master suite, master bathroom and master closet, cleverly disguised as a built in china cabinet. So cool! The finishes and decor in the house were amazing, and his back yard had a pool, outdoor patio/deck space and detached studio for the workout room, laundry and kitty hangout. He also had a fabulous roof deck that overlooked the area with gorgeous views! I was ready to move in! Such a cool home. 

TJ's super cute house. 

View from his roof deck.

We were due to meet their sister Katie at her home in West Hollywood next, so we headed over there via the famous Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. Along the way, TJ pointed out various points of interest (theaters, statues, speakeasies, etc.). I snapped a couple of photos here and there along the way. 

Sunset Blvd. view.

Hollywood Blvd. view.

Mann's Chinese Theater.

Once at Katie’s house, I got the grand tour…her house is amazing, too. The house is a flat roofed mid-century modern type home with the most perfect modern, clean decor to match. I told both her and TJ that I needed them to help me redecorate my house! We left Katie’s and took a stroll around West Hollywood down to the Melrose Place (yes, that Melrose Place) area. Boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops and other places of interest lined the main street. We stopped to pose in front of the famous Paul Smith hot pink wall, where apparently people line up to take selfies and pose for photos. We got very silly about that little detour. So many laughs!

Posing at the Paul Smith pink wall.

Trying to be all California cool.

It actually is pretty fun...

TJ and I and Lemonhead Man.

The Thyne kids. Super hip.

But they couldn't hold it. Too many laughs!

We ended up at her local Le Pain Quotidien for a late-ish mid-day bite, where more laughs ensued, and Katie and I got to catch up with each other. What wonderful medicine it is for the soul to reconnect with with long lost friends! I absolutely enjoyed their funny family stories and photos as they also caught up with each other. 

On the walk back to Katie's house, we stopped at the new flagship Restoration Hardware store (which seriously looks more like a luxury hotel than a furniture store) to check out the rooftop park. The city required RH to make the rooftop park a city park open to the public, and it is a spectacularly gorgeous space. We took in the views from here and tried to take some photos, but as you can see, our silliness and laughing just got the best of us. 

Pano view from the top of Restoration Hardware.

Who wouldn't want to hang out in this gorgeous park?

Old friends trying to take a serious photograph...

Too much laughing...

Still can't stop.... 

We probably won't be able to do this... 

The best we could get in between our hysterics.

We walked back to Katie’s house and said our goodbyes to her (after a hilarious episode of the siblings trying to stuff a large, rolled up, non-slip carpet pad in the trunk of the car), and headed back to Mr. and Mrs. Thyne’s house. Mrs. Thyne was treating us runners to a spaghetti and meatball dinner for our pre-race carb load. 

We also secured our plans for the next day’s race (wake up time, drive time, etc.). Although it seemed like the Winter Fun Half Marathon was a pretty small, casual race, it would take about an hour to get there (with no traffic), so we settled on 5:30 am as our estimated time of departure to allow for plenty of time to make the 7:30 am start time. TJ ended up not staying for dinner, as he wanted to get to bed early to be ready for the morning, so mom and dad Thyne, Hazel and I had a fabulous spaghetti dinner together followed by an early bed time of 9:30. Such a fun, wonderful, heart-warming day of friendship and sight-seeing it had been. 

A First for Everything...

Today is Friday, and I'm at the airport waiting to fly out to Los Angeles for the weekend for my 43rd state half marathon. Yesterday when I woke up, I had a text from my friend Hazel who is meeting and running with me in L.A. She forwarded me a message from the race organizers that they were canceling the race and postponing it until March, citing a problem with the location. WHAT??!!!!! How on earth do you cancel a race a few days before it happens without much of an explanation???!!! I have no idea what the problem is with the location--either they didn't have it hammered out to begin with, or perhaps the current teacher strike/protests are taking over--but at least let us know. The options they gave were to transfer our registration to the future race (or another race within their organization) or transfer our registration to another runner. Um, thanks, but I can't just hop another plane to run in California anytime I want, and I don't know any other runners out there, so WHAT THE HECK!??? Needless to say, I was super annoyed and disappointed. 
But I wasn't going to settle for missing the race. Upon my wake-up on Thursday morning hearing this news, I hit up halfmarathons.net to see what other options might be out there. As luck would have it, there was another half marathon about one half hour away in Long Beach. The Winter Fun Half Marathon will do! It was super cheap to register, and they do give out finisher medals, so it will suffice. The route is 3 laps of 4.35 miles, which isn't my favorite way to run, but it looks like it is along the beach, so that should be really nice. 
I can't believe, of all trips, that this happened. I feel like I jinxed us because I mentioned to Hazel when I spoke to her earlier in the week that inaugural races sometimes have some organizational snafus. Talk about a snafu! Neither of us wanted to just cancel, with all the plans she and her family have arranged for us. I'm just so glad she was open to jumping into this other race. I usually spend more time researching my options, but in a case like this, plan B had to happen very quickly. I'm just glad there was another option available.
So I'm here at the airport, waiting to start the first leg of my trip. I have a stopover in Charlotte, and then I'm on to LAX. And none too soon...we are set to get up to a foot of snow here in CT this weekend. I'm happy I'll be running on the beach Sunday instead of shoveling snow. Stay tuned for more updates from California this weekend!

California, here I come!

Only a few short days until my next race. I'm heading to California this weekend for the Women Run LA race in Los Angeles. I'm super excited for this race, as it will reconnect me with my dear friend Hazel, who you may remember I visited when I ran in Texas. 
Well, when Haze and I met up in Texas, we talked about the fact that her family (parents and siblings) all mostly live in and around the Los Angeles area and that it would be fun if I ended up running in that part of the state. Well, a few months ago, I found the listing for this new half marathon there, and after a couple of texts back and forth, Hazel and I are running together, and her family will be there to not only cheer us on but also generously host us! I am overwhelmed (in the most wonderful way) that her large, fabulous family is coming together for this event. I absolutely cannot wait to see all of her family (I haven't seen them since we were in high school, I think) and to hear all about their lives now. We have lots of catching up to do!
Hazel's family and mine lived in Windsor Locks, CT for our early years. She and I were the best of friends in early elementary school, and I fondly remember so many zany, fun times at her family's house. She comes from a family of 6 children, so spending time at her house was much more exciting than at my house. Not only was it a blast having all those kids around to hang out with, but on most occasions, the kids had friends over, too, so it was a neighborhood crowd all playing and being silly. Over the years, both of our families relocated (hers eventually to Texas) so we didn't get to see each other as much. And in a pre-internet world, we wrote letters or called, but then life got busier and we lost touch. Once technology caught us up, it was fantastic, and getting to see her a few years ago in Texas was like a dream come true. I can hardly believe I get to see her and her whole family this weekend. I am so grateful to all of them for making time in their busy lives to connect with me on this trip. And I simply can't wait to see them all and hug them and spend quality time together. 
California, here I come!
Not to go without notice, Connecticut is set for a pretty big snowstorm this weekend, so hopefully I can fly out without incident, and I'd say that the timing for a warm weather run is just perfect. Looking forward to savoring every moment of state #43.

Year end reflections

I felt so lucky to be able to get outside for a 7.3 mile run today. Temperatures here were in the 40's with a brisk but bearable wind, a welcome change from the deluge of rain we've recently experienced. Even though the last week or so has had some seasonably warm days, my work schedule doesn't always allow me to run outdoors. Most often at this time of year, I'm at the local gym very early in the morning with the pre-sunrise crew banging out a 5 miler on the treadmill. I am very grateful for those treadmills this time of year, but to have a weekend day with cooperative weather was a perfect Christmas gift.

Although I'm very much a winter wimp when it comes to running (thus my indoor runs at the gym), I couldn't help but think as I ran today that braving it out in the chilly temperatures (albeit above freezing) really makes you feel like you are getting the most out of your workout. I kept thinking that the difficulty of the headwind was only making me stronger. The cold of the air and wind was making my body work harder to stay warm. The slowness of the uphills was helping my endurance, making me push harder. The joy of the downhills was pure happiness. As I arrived home and stretched out, I kept thinking of how much running is a metaphor for life; yes, it is hard and sometimes it is just plain terrible, but if you push through the hard bits, the triumph is wonderful. You have literal times of ups and downs; moments of complete doubt and moments of absolute triumph. You have times when you think your body will just quit on you and other times when you feel like you could run forever with glee. You watch out for obstacles in the road. You try to run with the best form you can. The only way to get along your path is to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. You breathe and feel and sweat and hurt and finish. And in the end you feel amazing. It is such a glorious journey. Just like life. 

I've been reflecting on this past year, and again I feel so lucky to be able to run as I do. I am so appreciative of all the support I have from my husband and children and other family members and friends as I continue to strive toward my goal. I am ever grateful that my body continues to cooperate. I don't take for granted one single step along my journey. Each step is a gift. Each step is one step closer to finishing all 50 states. I can't wait!

I feel like the luckiest runner around. As I sit here with my family, relaxing around the Christmas tree, I think about my love for them and for all they've sacrificed for me. Early mornings on vacation when I have to get up for a race, and they drive me to the start; mornings when I'm at the gym and my husband takes care of the wake up and breakfast routine; weekend days when I head out for a long run and everyone has to fend for themselves or my mom hangs out with the kids. I'm so thankful for my family and my life. 

Sitting by our Christmas Tree.

As the year comes to an end, I am thrilled to have reached my goal of 100+ miles per month for this year (assuming I can run the rest of my miles this week...). I'm glad to have run in 5 new states this year and to have seen some incredible sights along the way. I'm grateful to have avoided injury (for the most part) and to still be running strong. I'm proud to have started a running club for students at my school, and I hope they are on the path to life long running. 

It's been an amazing year, and I'm ready to have some relaxing downtime during this holiday vacation. Don't worry...I'll be running, too...gotta get those miles finished! Wishing my 50x50 readers a joyous holiday season. Happy miles to you in the year ahead!

State #42, Nashville Half Marathon, Nashville, TN, 11/10/18, Part 2

I didn’t sleep very well the night before the race. Nothing in particular kept me awake, but I just had a fitful, restless night. I woke to my 5:15 alarm feeling bleary-eyed and pretty tired, but onward I pressed. I forgot to look for a good Starbucks coffee the previous day to have for the morning, so I was stuck with the crappy hotel room coffee maker and coffee pouches. I brewed two cups of super gross coffee and hoped for the best. I also forgot to pack a spoon for my oatmeal, so I tried my best to scoop it up with a coffee stirrer. Great start. 

The weather was a chilly 32 degrees F and with winds at about 10 mph, the windchill was showing as 23 degrees F. Brrrrrr! I was at least hoping for 40 degrees or better here in Tennessee. Oh well, I bundled up and hoped for the best. I caught a cab outside the hotel. The starting line was a little over a mile from my hotel, which wasn’t too far away, but being alone and not knowing the area and the weather being as cold as it was, I didn’t want to brave it alone. I also wanted to keep warm as long as possible before being out in the cold temperatures. The cab ride was quick and got me close to the starting area. This was the first race where they had those heat lamps (like the ones you see at restaurants that have outdoor seating) to keep the runners warm. Unfortunately, there were only a few of them, and they were already crowded with runners. I decided to head to the porta-potty line, and by the time I got done with that, it was only 15 minutes to start time. 

Runners staying warm under heat lamps before the race.

The start of the race was at First Tennessee Park, the ballpark stadium for the Tennessee Sound and the neighborhood was out near the Germantown area of Nashville. The apartments here were very new and modern looking, and a large plot of land was under construction for some kind of digital records library for the state. I was pretty impressed by that!

Looking toward starting line. 

View from the starting line corral.

We stepped off a few minutes later than scheduled and first headed around the downtown Nashville area for a loop. It was nice to run in the city's downtown. I got a pretty good look at all the restaurants and fun things to do. Nashville definitely has a great vibe and you can tell it has seen amazing growth with all the new looking buildings and new construction going on. Next we made our way up to the Gulch neighborhood where I had picked up my number the day before. From there, we ran a loop through the neighborhood where all the music studios were located. It was pretty cool to see them all lined up along the street. Music row, I think it was called, and there were lots of cute bungalow style houses along this area, too. After that area, we circled back through the Gulch, out toward the riverside area of downtown and over a bridge to where the Titans football stadium was located. 

Once we got over to this area of the race, I finally felt like I was starting to warm up a little. The sun was higher in the sky and felt good, although I think my butt was freezing and numb for pretty much the whole race. Weird. We ran through an industrialish looking area and out to a park called Shelby park. Our turnaround was near the end of the park, and then we headed back toward the football stadium. I had to laugh, as we headed back toward the stadium, there was a gas station with a big Citgo sign on it, and I couldn’t help but think of the end of the Boston Marathon. Well placed, Nashville! 

We looped a different way around the stadium and finally back over the bridge, but at this point (mile 11-12ish) my legs were feeing heavy, and the steepness of the bridge was tough. I decided to take two short walk breaks up the bridge to give my legs a little recovery time. Unfortunately, during this stretch, the 2 hour pacing group passed me. I had hoped to best them this time, but no such luck. Oh well, best to have a little gas left in the tank to get to the finish.

We headed back toward the downtown area, but skirted the main streets, heading a different way around and back to where we started. I gave my last bit of kick the last 100 yards or so, finishing in 2:01:14. My throat was dry, and I was achy, but it was done. I collected my medal, some water and a slice of pizza, and headed back to the hotel for stretching and a shower. 

The walk back was not very far, and it was good to keep my legs moving, but I was cold in the wind. Once back in the room, I stretched and showered and decided I wanted to try to nap for a little bit before hitting the streets to see the sights. Unfortunately, my body just wouldn’t cooperate with sleeping. I rested, but no sleep came. Better than nothing, I guess.

I left to find some lunch around 12:30 in the afternoon and headed to the Broadway strip, the honky tonk heaven of Nashville. I couldn’t believe the crowds there! People packed all the bars, stories high, including rooftop bars, and everyone was in full party mode. Live music blared out of every establishment, and along the road, pedal powered bars rolled by and even a tractor-pulled party wagon with partiers singing and shouting their way along the road passed by. Neon honky tonk signs lined the streets, and I couldn’t help thinking that Broadway in Nashville was country music’s Bourbon Street. Holy moly, this place was crazy!

View of the honky tonks on Broadway.

Broadway on my side of the street.

Nudie's famous Honky Tonk.

Lots of neon signs along the way.

I stopped into a souvenir shop to get my kids some Nashville magnets (my usual keepsake for them when I race/travel), and among all the t-shirts, knicknacks, and other items, I spied a Willie Nelson fortune teller machine. They really do up everything country here in Nashville! I didn't get a fortune from Willie, but I overheard one that someone else got and it wasn't as prophetic as I thought it should be. Sorry, Willie, but I think you are just a scammer in that shop!

Willie Nelson, fortune teller.

I decided to turn up a side street to see if I could find someplace a bit quieter for lunch, and I found the Florida Georgia Line restaurant. Apparently FGL is a country music group (don't hate me country music fans...I know very little about the genre), and this was their eatery. I enjoyed a great lunch of fish tacos and a local IPA before heading across the street to the Johnny Cash museum. 

View at the FGL bar.

Marathon sign in the FGL restaurant.

The Johnny Cash museum was small but informative. The museum was filled with memorabilia from all chapters of Johnny’s life, from his childhood through his recording of "Hurt" with Nine Inch Nails. According to one of the placards, he was one of very few recording artists who had chart hits in all audio formats: 78, 45, 33 1/3 RPMs, reel to reel, 4 and 8 tracks, cassette tapes, cds, and mp3s. 

Johnny Cash Museum framed poster.

Placard chronicling Cash's collaboration with NIN.

A recording in every kind of format...amazing!

On display were many of Johnny’s letters to his first wife (girlfriend at the time) from the time he was in the military, his high school yearbook photos and school records, clothing, family photos, housewares and of course his many gold and platinum albums. One room had footage of all of Johnny’s acting gigs. He starred in many movies and even made appearances on Little House on the Prairie and The Simpsons, in addition to his hit tv show in the late 1960’s, The Johnny Cash Show. It was fun to see footage of all his endeavors up on the screen. It was a fun place to visit while in Nashville.

One of Johnny's guitars.

Gold, silver, platinum albums.

Album covers.

Next, I decided to walk up to the Gulch neighborhood to check out a shop I spied when I was there the day before picking up my bib number. It was called Two Old Hippies and had an eclectic selection of gifts, clothing and jewelry. It was fun to walk around and just look at all the cool stuff. I ended up buying Craig some funny dress socks, but I really loved the David Bowie and Dave Grohl pillows the most. 

Marley, Bowie and Jackson pillows. Music royalty.

And let's not forget badass Grohl.

At this point, I headed back to my hotel and had a cocktail in the hotel bar while I listened to some live music courtesy of a guitar and violin duo. It was a nice relaxing way to end the busy day. I opted to just have dinner via room service, as I was pretty wiped out and didn’t really feel like fighting the crowds in the streets and area eateries for a spot. It was nice to just put my feet up and relax. I had dinner and watched some television and then packed all my stuff to make sure I was ready for my early morning flight. 

Medal, shirt, bib number post race. 

It was a great trip to Nashville, and I think it’s a pretty cool city. I would have loved to have seen some of the historical sites in the area, but that will have to wait for another time. State #42 is done, and Tennessee was terrific to visit. Thank you, Music City, for a great visit!

State #42, Nashville Half Marathon, Nashville, TN, 11/10/18, Part 1

I arrived in Nashville on Friday afternoon after a morning of uneventful travel except for a bit of bumpy air due to weather conditions. My flight in to Nashville was packed with folks from New England traveling to the Patriots-Titans game on Sunday. I had no idea I’d be with so many folks from my neck of the woods for the weekend. I picked up my rental car at the airport and to my delight, it was a VW Beetle! Just like my old one, except the newer model and not a convertible. It was fun to have this cute car for the weekend. 

My VW Beetle rental for the trip.

I decided to drive directly to the running store to pick up my race bib first before heading to the hotel. The drive from the airport to downtown wasn’t long, but there was a bit of traffic. The neighborhood the running store was in was called the Gulch, and I found it easily enough, along with a parking garage. I recalled that the race organizers mentioned the strict parking enforcement in the area, and I didn’t want to get the Boot.

The weather was very windy and cold on this day, which I knew didn’t bode well for race day. I was hoping for warmer temps here in Tennessee, but you get what you get. At least the forecast wasn’t for rain or snow. 

Race shirt and bib number.

The line at the running store moved quickly, and in no time I was back in the car and heading to the nearest grocery store called The Turnip Truck. It was a cute fresh, organic type of place. I grabbed some berries and snacks and headed to the hotel. 

My hotel was the Hilton in downtown Nashville, and it was located right next to the Predators hockey stadium. All around me were the sights of Nashville: the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Symphony Center, Broadway—home to all the honky tonks, and many other local sites. It seemed I was in the middle of everything here. I checked in to the hotel and realized that attached to the Hilton was an Italian trattoria, Il Mulino. I booked a table for dinner, figuring it would be easy and that I could get to bed early for the race the next day. 

Il Mulino restaurant entrance from hotel lobby.

The restaurant ended up being the perfect choice. The food was fantastic. I had an amazing seasonal salad with romaine, mushrooms, shredded carrots, red onion, hearts of palm, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a very light lemon thyme vinaigrette dressing. So yummy! They also brought out some fresh bread with a pureed eggplant spread. Amazing. For dinner I had spaghetti and meatballs…back to my old standard. The pasta was freshly made and the meatballs were to die for. 

Bread and eggplant spread, along with a gorgeous glass of red wine. 

Spaghetti and meatballs. YUM!

I ended up chatting with a table of women next to me who were in Nashville from Louisville, KY for their annual girls weekend. The two younger women were sisters and they were there with their elderly mom and aunt. They go somewhere different every year, and they were heading out to see a show. I told them how much I loved that they took that time out for themselves each year. What fun. When they asked what brought me to Nashville, I told them about the race the next morning, and they couldn’t believe it. When I told them this was going to me my 42nd state, they were completely blown away. I told them Louisville was on the list for the spring of next year for the Derby half marathon, and they gave me some tips of things to check out when I’m there. It was fun to make their acquaintance, and it added some extra fun to dinner. 

With a full belly and a box of leftover pasta, I headed back to my room to get everything ready for the morning. The race started at 7 am, and I was hoping to get a good night of sleep.