AUTUMN, COLD WEATHER, and DAYLIGHT

Autumn is upon us. From a photography standpoint, I love it. The colors of the trees and sky are vibrant and vary from all colors of the spectrum. From a cooking standpoint, I love it as well. Plenty of soups/breads/stews to create. The house will have opened windows and the crisp air will permeate through the house. Just a fantastic time of the year to be at home, enjoying the weather.

From a cycling standpoint though, Autumn means the curtailing of cycling. The mornings are a bit too crisp to head out for a leisurely ride. Your body will need to fight more to stay warm. Something not easy to do when you are cruising along at 15-25 miles per hour. Rides will have to wait until the early afternoon, when the heat of the day makes a ride possible.

Gone are the days of riding after dinner too. Way too dark (and dangerous) to be out on a bike at that time of day. That, and the temps drop quickly once the sun disappears for the night.

So, there are aspects of the Fall that I enjoy. A few I don't.

Winter time will see me more on the treadmill than my bike. I hope to get an indoor (garage) trainer for my bike (a stand to place my back tire on so I can make my bike a "stationary" bike)for Christmas. We'll see.

If I do, I may shoot for 2,000 miles before my 40th bday. 1,000 will be easily attainable.

After that, I can start training for the C&O canal ride, and the 24-hour bike ride here in Charlotte that's coming up in July. More on that in another entry.

PLAN "A", or PLAN "B" ?

564 MILES DOWN/ 436 TO GO

Would you rather have the option of being able to eat 1 day (all you want), then eat nothing the next day, or eat nothing one day, but then the following day you can eat all you want?

Such a decision. If you get to eat all you want the 1st day, it's instant gratification. The pluses usually outweigh the minuses, if the gratification is there immediately. Sure, the 2nd day will be tough, but that journey's probably not even on your radar at that point.

Now, if you choose the 2nd option of eating nothing on day 1, only to eat all you want on day 2, you probably can plan better and this may seem like (on paper)the better deal to accept.

In the end, it really doesn't matter though, does it? Is there any win-win type situation here? I don't think so.

The same scenario can apply when it comes to cycling in the wind....

Would you rather ride INTO the wind to begin with and END your ride with the wind at your back, or would you rather START your ride with the wind at your back, make great time, only to FINISH with the wind in your face the whole time?

Decisions, decisions....

Yesterday, I rode with plan "B". The wind was to my back. I cruised along, riding comfortably, only to end up with more than 1/2 my ride facing a stiff head-wind. It was not the way I would've planned it.

I rode 25 miles, but with the wind at my face for more than 1/2 the mileage, it felt like MANY more. I must've pissed off Mother Nature sometime this week. There is nothing I despise more than wind when it comes to riding. It mentally broke me down, and a good part of any ride is "mental."

If you go into a ride with a healthy mindset, you are going to have a greater chance of having a good ride. Go into a ride nilly willy, and you're asking for trouble.

Yesterday, I was there physically, but mentally, I never got a jump on the ride. I knew it was windy, I knew I was tired. I was hoping it would be an easy ride. When you think you will have an easy ride, and it doesn't work out that way, you get beat down hard. Each hill seems like a mountain. You stare at your pedometer and you swear the mileage is going BACKWARDS. Each turn in the road is met by another hill. It can really play a number with your psyche.

It did for me yesterday.

I don't know what it is with me and Sunday rides. They rarely go well. The only one I think that did was the 27 mile trip I rode with my neighbor Bill a few weeks ago. It was cold, but it was a good ride.

I may put Sunday rides on hold... :)

CCD and HOMECOMING

539 MILES DOWN/ 461 TO GO

A wet and damp Saturday down here in North Carolina. It's very muggy outside, yet there's still a chill hanging in the air. Perfect riding weather? (Any weather is good riding weather.)

After jogging this morning for 40 minutes, I decided to head out on my bike for a 17 mile ride. It was a bit more challenging today to keep my heart rate where I wanted it to be. I think the morning run had something to do with that. :)

On the bright side, it felt like a November morning. Wet, slightly chilly, but with good weather slated for the day. The "Saturday-ness" of the day really sank in to me. Some days have certain feels to them. Saturday is one of them. Tuesday, not so much, but Saturdays are easily identifiable. This was one such day.

Today reminded me of being a kid, waiting at the end of our street for the CCD bus. "Nick, the bus-driver" (We never called him just "Nick." It was always "Nick the bus driver") would pick us up and head all through our neighborhood. Rainy Saturdays were OK to go to CCD, because you weren't missing anything if everything was wet outside and you weren't allowed out.

Today's weather also reminded me of High School Homecoming weather. Perfect weather to throw on your favorite pair of jeans and an oversized hooded sweat shirt and go root for the Bowie Bulldogs.

Ah... memories.

Fast forward 21 years...

The past 4 days of rain were evident in the newly filled creek beds I rode past, as well as the cleared farm fields that were now dotted with small ponds wherever a dip in the landscape resided.

Gorgeous morning to be out on the road. Another enjoyable ride.

I'M AN OLD DOG, THIS IS A NEW TRICK:

552 MILES DOWN/ 478 TO GO

Looking at the calendar, I saw that it was Wednesday. The week was 1/2 over, and I had yet to jump on my bike to put some miles on it between here and 1,000 miles. Saturday (4 days ago) was the last time I was on my bike. Last week I rode 101 miles. A record for me. Some day I plan on riding 101 miles in a day. Not out of the question.

So, last night, after an early dinner, I get out to do some cycling. In reading "Slow Burn", I focus on enjoying the ride, paying attention to sounds, smells, sights as I ride. I have my HRM on and I bump it down to 140bpm. I sometimes ride with it at 160bpm. This ride was going to be an enjoyable ride.

I would be lying in saying that I wasn't worried about riding slowly. I'm 39 years old and for as long as I can remember, everything I have ever heard was "RIDE FAST" "GET THE BEST TIME", and "SWEAT BIG TIME."

That's the way I've always approached cycling.

This is a new chapter of thinking for me. Last night was my first venture into the "ride at a good clip, don't kill yourself, finish with more energy than you started with."

I had a fantastic ride. I just let the bike take me where it ended up going. I created a new route and kept my heart rate EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY where I wanted it to be.

The downhills went fine, but what went really well was the uphill battles. I slowed down and didn't let my breathing get all whacked out. I actually rode up hills with enough energy and alertness that I truly enjoyed the scenery around me. Usually, I'm pin-point focused on some off distant goal or subject as I strain to breathe and make it up the hill. The hillside could honestly be on fire and I wouldn't have known it, that's how focused I could get.

Not last night. Casual ride. Felt great. I covered 16 miles. I wasn't even worried about the total distance of the ride. I was happy to be out on my bike. I even rode for the most part last night in a downpour of rain. I was drenched. I kept going. It was liberating. I'm sure most of the cars passing me thought I was insane to be out riding. I enjoyed it.

For future rides, I REALLY want to get out and just go for a 3-4 hour ride.

The hardest part of this new way to look at biking for me will be to NOT concentrate on total mileage, average speed, maximum speed, etc... It will be VERY hard. I have some tricks up my sleeve to get me past this. I tried a few of them last night and they totally worked. I can't wait to get back on my bike. Tonight hopefully.

By the way, I usually average 15 to 16mph when I'm cycling. (In the old days of just crushing and riding for the mileage.)

Last night, w/o focusing on any of that, I ended the ride at an average of 14.6mph. (Yeah, I know. I need to STOP worrying about stuff like that.) It's going to be hard. I'm an OLD DOG, that's a NEW TRICK.

101 MILES this week

506 MILES DOWN/ 494 TO GO

I rode 101 miles this week. The last 19 (today's ride) were the longest. My legs are still tired from the initial 81 miles. Today I set out for a ride at a pace that averaged out to 15.2 MPH. A respectable clip.

With 100 miles covered this past week, I'm standing at 506 miles into my journey of 1,000 miles before I turn 40. I may need to adjust that number. Maybe 1,500 before 40? I'll see how the winter goes.

So, I'm over the 1/2 way hump. It's all down hill from here.

Today's ride was relaxing. I really focused on just taking it easy. If the hill got to be too much, I really kicked it down to a low gear and just took my time. In the end, I still rode 15mph.

The weather down here this weekend is just simply breath-taking. The skies are blue, the trees are all over the color spectrum, and all the crops along the country roads I rode along were well past their prime. The faded tans and browns of the crops contrasted against the sky and just personified Autumn for me.

My brother Richard is coming to spend the night tonight. Georgia (his wife) and Kelly (his oldest child) will be here too. I hope he brought his bike. It's been a good 10 years easy since I've ridden with him.

Off to enjoy a spectacular Saturday evening. Gonna enjoy my outdoor fire-pit tonight with a few icy cold ones. (Beers, not relatives.) :)

81.3 ON THE WAY TO 100 MILES

486 MILES DOWN/ 514 TO GO


4 days in a row now I have gotten out for a ride. Yesterday, I did a new route. It's always nice to shake it up a bit and hit some new roads or sometimes doing a common route backwards.

I did a little bit of both yesterday. A good moderate level ride.

Weather was nice. Humidity dropped and that was a blessing.

I cranked out 21.3 miles which puts me at 81.3 miles put in so far this week.

I had a nice clip going yesterday too. 16.6mph average. Anytime I'm above 16mph, it's a good ride in my mind.

My legs are tired though. I think today will be my "Monday" where I take the day off from cycling. It's supposed to rain today anyway. It will make not getting on the bike a bit easier.

465 MILES DOWN/ 535 TO GO


Wow, it's only Wednesday, and I've ridden 60 miles so far this week. I got out last night for an hour around the neighborhood and got in 16.2 miles.

Long long day yesterday. I was punchy. I was pissed off for some reason, and I couldn't put a finger on it. After we got the kids to bed, I headed out. It was a great ride. No focus, no training point in mind. I just went out and rode. And I rode fast and attacked hills both up and down.

It was a ride that got whatever it was in my system out of it. I felt much better at the end of that hour.

Last week I was all stoked to get 100 miles under my belt. As I previously wrote, I conked out around Thursday. This week I'm only 8 miles away from my total of last week, and it's only Wednesday.

I plan on getting out today for a nice 20-miler. That will put me at 80+ miles. With 3 days to go (TH,FR,SAT), I should be able to get in 100 by then.

Cool.

449 MILES DOWN/ 551 TO GO


Almost 1/2 way there to my mark of 1,000 miles. Yesterday I got out for a ride on some new roads. It was not quite the ride I was expecting. The wind played a big part in me not enjoying my ride yesterday.

Never fails. You ride with the wind in your face and hope to turn it around and make up some time on the trip back. While that did happen a little, it wasn't quite the easy trip back I thought it would be.

I rode 16.7 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes. Not a final bad clip. I made up some great time the final 3 miles. I'm sure before that my average was closer to 15 mph.

I hit a few roads that had bigger hills than I remember. (Translation: My legs were tired and the hills were a pain yesterday.)

I really want to get out today for a 12-15 mile ride. That would put me at about 55 miles for the week, and it's only Tuesday. :)

The mornings, I have deemed, are too cold to ride now. Maybe if I get some warmer riding gear I may head out in the early hours, but not right now.

NO DAY OFF TODAY

432 MILES DOWN/568 TO GO



With grand plans of riding 100 miles this past week occupying a good part of my thoughts, something in my mind crashed and burned around Thursday afternoon. It was a bad week last week for some reason. Work was just on my mind more than it normally is. (It's usually only on my mind when I'm AT work.) I love my job, because I can LEAVE IT at work.

With that being said, last week just got off track for me at a time of the week when I usually start gearing up for some longer rides and planning weekend rides with Bill.

So, Friday I didn't ride. I felt guilty about it. Saturday came about, and the weather was incredible. Temps in the 60's and 70's. Gorgeous. Great "cycling" weather.

Saturday I didn't ride. I think, looking back at my cycling log that I haven't missed a Friday/Saturday ride in over 2 months.

Mentally, I was just really out of it. I was enjoying being at home. Cooking, cleaning, playing with the kids. This is what I did instead. I actually sat down yesterday and read the Sunday paper front to back. I'm amazed I didn't fall asleep while doing it. (Late at night.)

Anyway, back to biking.

Sunday rolls around and I committed to at least a 25-mile ride with Bill. He knows of this route that is pretty flat. A 25-mile loop. Perfect.

We decided on a time and headed out around 7:45am to drive to the place where we started our ride.

It was chilly outside. I had 2 shirts underneath my riding shirt. Glad I layered. I don't ride well when it's cold. My legs though were unprotected from the cold. I'm not sure they truly ever warmed up during the ride.

All throughout the ride, Bill and I are talking about this and that. Work/Politics/Family/Food, you name it.

Not ONCE did the verbal exchange of "Hey, how many miles we doing today?" ever get uttered. (All Saturday I was pressing Bill saying that I was up for a 50 mile ride.) I referenced it many many times that night. Bill was in agreement with me in that we could shoot for that.

When Sunday rolled around, the overwhelming urge to tackle a 50-mile ride had abated my list of things to do for the day. I was all about getting out and having a good ride, but doing that 25-mile loop twice just didn't interest me all that much.

Fortunately, Bill felt the same way. We both agreed that we will do a 50-mile ride, but it's going to have to wait a week or two.

Whew!

So, we ended up with a 27.1 mile ride yesterday. Still respectable. 1 hour and 40 minutes. Not a bad ride. It was a less hilly ride, which with the cold weather, was a blessing. If we had gone for 50 yesterday, my legs probably would've cramped up or the chances of injury would've been greatly increased.

Now it's Monday. I usually take Monday's off. Time to re-coop. But, seeing that I took Friday AND Saturday off, I woke up for a ride this morning.

I tried to anticipate the cold weather and dress accordingly. It was cold out. Being on a bike at 20mph makes even a somewhat chilly morning that much worse. It wasn't chilly this morning, it was COLD. C-O-L-D.

I think I made it about a 1/2 mile before I turned around uttering "Oh, hell no." I can ride this afternoon. It will be in the 70's today.

A Monday ride will give the week a good start. A good feeling. No day off today.

A NIGHT TIME RIDE

405 MILES DOWN/ 595 TO GO

So, I got out late last night for an 11.2 mile ride. Nothing adventurous or fun-filled, but I did get out.

The biggest note of interest on the ride was the weather. Autumn came in FULL FORCE here yesterday. The high barely hit 70 (in the sun.) It got down right chilly last night. I rode with a T-shirt under my normal riding gear, and it took me a while to warm up.

Toward the end of the ride, I was actually getting a bit cold.

Bill and I are throwing around the idea of a 50-mile ride on Sunday. I'm TOTALLY ready to push myself to that milestone. The longest ride I've done recently was 32 miles. I felt fine after doing it too.

50 miles, on a new (supposedly flatter) course would be fun. Stay tuned.

In regards to riding at night though, I don't like it. I prefer to ride in the morning. Less possible traffic, in the pedestrian sense of the word.

I was nervous that I would come upon a jogger, or a dog-walker, or runner while riding in the neighborhood last night. At 4:15 am, when I normally ride, the chances of encountering ANYONE are pretty much nil. Not so at night though. So, I had to ride with a bit of some extra cognizance. Didn't like it.

This is not to say I ride "blindly" or unresponsibly during the morning. Quite the opposite. But in the early morning, I'm on the lookout for a completely different set of distraction/obstacles that may impede my ride.

At night, it may be time to break out the rollerblades.

My left shin is still bothering me a bit though, so I'm going to hold off for a few more days.

NOT JOGGING

394 MILES DOWN/ 606 TO GO



So, it seems I have shin splints on my left calf. It hurts. Really hurts. It was from all the jogging I've been doing. No more jogging for a while. Thankfully, I have my biking to keep me active.

I may eventually switch to rollerblading for the legs. We'll see.

I got out for a nice morning ride this morning. 10.8 miles. Just around the neighborhood. I saw more cars this morning (at 4:30am) than I do most mornings. It was strange. I'm sure they saw me and thought it was even stranger.

Nothing to note on the ride. I'm trying to ride 100 miles this week. It's totally w/in reach, I think. I'm 47 miles into it already, and it's only Wednesday. I have a chance to get out tonight, which will be a 15-20 mile ride. Hmmm.... totally w/in reach.

FARMER CLETUS at 25 MPH

383 MILES DOWN/ 617 MILES TO GO


I get a call yesterday around 4:30pm. It's my neighbor, Bill. He wants to know if I want to head out for a ride around 6:15pm. "Hell yeah," is my response. Even though I rode in the morning, it was only a 10 mile ride. I could go for another ride no problem.

So, we meet up around 6:20pm and head out. The weather surprisingly had cooled off. The heat from the day was leaving the area quickly. The sun was getting ready to set soon and the humidity that hung over the area earlier in the day had departed. Hooray for us.

Bill had mentioned that he was ready for a good ride. I was regretting the taco salad I had about an hour previous. It was sitting like a rock in my gut. Not a good feeling if we were going out for a "Bill-level" ride. I was fretting that it would be a ride that would have me sucking wind and gasping for air.

We usually start out slow and build up to a respectable level/pace of riding. We did warm up a little, but we hit the road at a good pace earlier than I was hoping for.

With that being said, I got into a mindset that took my thoughts off the salad that may decide not to agree with me and I started getting into the ride. I think part of it was that we decided to take a new route. It's always nice to hit a new road. New things to look at. New hills to learn. New pacing to focus on.

So, about 11 miles into the ride, I was really starting to hit a good clip and noticed that we were actually riding at a decent average of 17mph. Most rides see us closer between 15 and 16mph. Not too shabby.

Best part of the ride CLEARLY had to be a downhill acceleration that was going just FINE, until "Farmer Cletus" decided to grab his mail and head back across that road that Bill and I were FLYING down.

Basically, this guy (he had to be in his late 70's if he was a day old) was grabbing his mail that resided in his mailbox ACROSS the road from his property. As I was accelerating down the hill, I saw this guy. Thought nothing of it. Then, all of sudden, he starts heading back across the road to his house. Bill and I at this point are closing in on him QUICKLY. Bill was in the lead. I was trailing a good 20 feet behind. Bill EASILY rides to the right, bringing him behind Farmer Cletus. Thoughts of "Holy Crap!" and other unprintable utterances are RACING through my head. "I'm going to take this guy out!" was my next thought. So, I REALLY pick up my pace and with about 3 feet to clear, I ZOOOOOM in front of the guy before he reaches his driveway. I must've been going about 25 miles an hour.

I honestly don't think Farmer Cletus saw me coming, or saw me going for that matter. I almost fell off my bike laughing when it was all done.

Bill was amazed I took the route in front of the guy. "He probably thought you were the BIGGEST fly ever to zoom by his head," or something like that was what Bill said when I caught up to him. I seriously thought I was going to wipe out and kill the guy as I tried to pass him. I also thought he'd throw the mail up in the air screaming Lord only knows what as I ZIPPED past him.

After that, I got invigorated for the final 7 miles home. Bill and I CRANKED out the pace and upon getting home, we covered 18.6 miles at a 17mph pace. One of our better rides.

I would've never guessed that pace when we first started the ride. Glad it ended up that way though.

Here's to Farmer Cletus!

MEMORABLE RIDE?

365 MILES DOWN/ 635 TO GO

There's nothing better than having a memorable ride. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was your energy level. Maybe it was the scenery. There are many variables that can make a ride memorable. There are also many inconveniences that can make a ride memorable for all the wrong reasons.

I still remember a ride I had about 10 years ago where I blew a flat tire. Had to walk a good 6 miles back to get it repaired. I also had a ride on the C&O Canal when I lived in Maryland where I felt heat stroke coming on. Not a fun ride, but a memorable ride.

Last Thursday I blogged about one of the best rides I had in easily 10+ years. I felt like I was 21 again. The energy levels I felt were just awesome. A truly memorable ride for me. Weather was good. I was riding with my neighbor, Bill, and we were CRANKING out a pace that just clicked. I was lead dog on the ride. That doesn't happen often, as Bill is a much more conditioned rider than I am at this point.

This morning I got out for a 9.9 mile ride. Nothing memorable. My focus was to sweat as much as I could. I felt guilty taking Monday off, and I wanted to make up for it.

I was going to jog, but my left calf has been bothering me for about 10 days now. This morning was no different. I went to do a quick "run in place" and felt some pain in my calf, so I opted for the bike.

I only had 40 minutes to ride, so I figured I could get a quick 10-miler in. I wish I had more time, but for some @#$ reason, I couldn't find my sneakers. ARgh!

I hope tonight I can get out for a good 20-mile ride. It's going to be a hot day today. Plenty of sweating.

Memorable ride coming up?

EIGHTEEN (18) MORE

354 MILES DOWN/ 646 TO GO

Wow. I got out for another ride on Sunday. Thankfully, it was a "short" ride of only 18 miles. Perfect distance. New road to cover too. It's always nice riding somewhere new. Saw some photo opps on this road that I will have to go back and hit with my camera.

All in all, it was a good workout week last week. I started at 199 pounds. Got up to 202.5 mid-week somehow, but by Sunday (yesterday) I was back down to 199. Go figure. I guess 195 will have to wait.

This week I may step up my riding. I'm really torn between running and riding. Riding is more fun, but running is easier to do (setup wise, locale wise...) I have the treadmill right there in the garage.

Decisions, decisions....

I got to work this morning and found my speedometer. I will now need to add 130 miles to my readout. (87 previous miles from the reset, plus the 43 miles I rode this weekend w/o the monitor.)

Ugh!

25 FREE MILES

336 MILES DOWN/ 664 TO GO

Bill and I got out for a bike ride last night. We both started slow. I liked it. My legs were tired from a morning jog on the treadmill. About 10 miles into the ride, we both kicked into gear and got to a normal pacing of the miles.

It was slightly hot outside, kinda weird for October 6th. Today will be warmer, and Monday will be in the 90's. Welcome to the South. :)

Anyway, we rode 25 miles. I forgot my speedometer at work, so these are "free" miles that I'll have to remember to tack onto my total count of miles.

We're going to shoot for a 30-mile ride day. I hope so. I'm anxious to get some bigger mileage rides under my belt.

Weight wise, I'm at 199. I'm hoping to see 195 soon. More jogging this week will do that, I hope.

Out.

BEST RIDE IN 15 YEARS

311 MILES DOWN/ 689 TO GO

Last night. It was 6:40pm and Bill and I headed out for a "quick" 1 hour ride. Knowing that we only had an hour meant we were looking at a 15-16 mile ride. We both knew the perfect route and took it.

Now, I've been riding seriously now for close to 8 weeks. When I did my first ride (a meager 6 miles), I honestly thought I was going to die. My lungs felt like they were going to cave in. My legs felt as if there were cinder blocks tied to my thighs. My arms felt heavy. My breathing was labored and I was sweating like a pig. It was not a good ride. It was not a good feeling. It put into perspective how out of shape I was.

Fast forward to last night though. I had the best ride I have had in easily 15 years. I was Lance @#$@! Armstrong last night! My energy level was through the roof. Bill and I went out and we just ATTACKED the road. We started fast. We got faster. The hills seemed flat to me last night. I crushed and cruised my way up them. Then I kept going faster. We were the only ones on the road and we owned 'em. It was a great feeling.

What a ride, what a rush. I felt like I was back in my 20's. It was that good of a ride. I was so bummed we only had time to do 17 miles. Last night I could've ridden 50+ miles. I felt like a machine. I felt like I used to feel back when I was in shape and riding all the time. I felt invincible. It was incredible.

I got out this morning for a run in the neighborhood. Jogging is getting easier for me, but I'll still take a bike ride any day over a run.

Especially last night's ride.

Wow!

SHORT RIDE

295 MILES DOWN/ 705 TO GO

Thursday I got out before work for a short 8 mile ride. Unfortunately, I didn't realize my speedometer wasn't functioning til I was 2 miles into my ride, so I got 6 miles instead of 8 on my monitor. No biggie.

It was a warm morning. Surprisingly warm. I had to push myself to get a good workout. I was taking it too easy, according to my HRM. So, I stepped it up. Had a great ride.

A RIDE I DIDN'T WANT TO DO

But I'm glad I did. (289 MILES DOWN/711 TO GO)




I spent a good part of Saturday climbing up and down a ladder painting the family room in our new house. KILLER new color. I love it.

I got out for a ride on Saturday and it sucked. Way too windy.

Sunday was also a breezy day and my neighbor wanted to head out. I couldn't say no, but I sure wanted to. I'm glad I didn't though. We had a good 21-mile ride. Still a bit windy for my taste, but we took turns drafting. It was a good setup.

Got on the scale this morning and I'm at 198! 18 pounds I've lost. I couldn't be happier. I am walking on air here. 22 more pounds to go! I've dropped 2" off my waist and my energy level is through the roof. I feel 15 years younger. I really do.

Today is a day off. Monday's have turned into that. Not a bad thing. I need to recoup.

I lost 4 lbs last week. That's a good week.

I'll take 4 more this week.