Quick, and possibly dumb, question with some context,
I’m about 40% body fat and cutting atm. I’m doing the Portland SU five day schedule. My concern was losing lower pec muscle and/or general pressing strength while I’m cutting for the next few months. “beginner workout” or not, I do realize that you can’t have it all, and you do have to specialize/periodize your training to some extent, meaning some things have to come and go.
Filibuster aside, would I be good to include 3-5 sets of a horizontal chest exercise once a week, say on Sunday after the heavy singles day?
Thanks for reading.

Okay so before anything else I’ve never posted anywhere on Reddit before so bare with me.
Second, all opinions are based on my own personal experiences. My “credentials” being that I work at one of the premier chipotles in my area (15k a day), have worked at multiple other restaurants including running a local business for 2 years, Sonic, and a restaurant more on the finer side of dining. This is purely restaurant experience and have more mostly in a supervisory position.
Alright so let’s get to it.

1. “Customer Service” From the second you start watching the training videos, like most restaurants, will emphasize the customer. How they’re always right and that you want them to feel like family. This is the most absurd thing about training because when you get down to it, Chipotle’s core values and practices are not indicative of a good customer experience. All chipotle cares about is speed and money. I have worked as a crew member for 6 months and haven’t seen a single “table touch”. The fact that all any of my managers (from KL to GM) can say when they help a customer is “what else” and “that’s extra” providing the most uninviting and socially awkward situation I’ve ever seen in customer service is crazy to me. And these are good hard working people. They’re just taught to act like robots so their precious throughput is high enough. It’s honestly embarrassing seeing how flustered customers can get because they’re just seen as an order to be fulfilled, not a person.
   
2. Management System
   

On paper, the management system that chipotle works with isn’t the worst. But unfortunately, a LOT of things that work on paper don’t in real life. On the books it provides a coherent and easy to follow chain of command, Kitchen Leader -> Shift Leader -> AP -> GM. But in REALITY, it leads to a mess of 4 people every shift that are all in some place of power each instructing you to do 3 different things in 3 different ways. Maybe in a perfect world this wouldn’t happen, but as I said in point 1 all anyone cares about are sales and money so instead of taking the time to address these issues, they’re tossed to the side as low priority.

1. The Waste

I understand labeling everything. But is there not a better way than the millions upon millions of stickers that all eventually get washed down the drain polluting our water systems?

1. Shift Change

If my shift ends at 3 and my replacement is late, why is that ALWAYS my problem? Maybe it’s my store only but there has never been a time when I left when I’m scheduled to leave. It’s like all of us are just expected to not have lives outside of the job, and when I or other employees get annoyed about it and vocalize our issues WE are looked at as the bad guys. If it wasn’t an every shift issue I wouldn’t even be bothered but it’s every single shift, I don’t understand.

1. Work Ethic

TW: Whiny Baby who doesn’t like to work hard.
I understand that no matter what I say here I’m gonna get the usual comments and that’s okay but, I grew up working on a farm, have worked much harder and physically demanding jobs than chipotle. Maybe it’s my age starting to get to me or just all the things that I hate about this place but, why the hell would I work so goddamn hard for this place? Everyone here thinks it’s weird that I don’t work at 1000mph. I genuinely get harassed for it. Yet I don’t see the point for sweating, running around, frying chips while chopping onions and sweeping all at the same time for slightly over minimum wage and the most miserable job I’ve ever been at. Don’t get me wrong I’m not an asshole. I don’t sit there and purposefully fuck people over and don’t look for ways to be lazy.
TLDR I hate working at chipotle, and don’t think my experiences are because of my coworkers but the system they are apart of.
Anyways let me know how you guys feel.

Hello! I am confused about overtime pay laws in BC, Canada and I'm just becoming more confused when googling it. I am unsure if I should be getting overtime pay where I'm not. I appreciate any feedback/help understanding if I should or should not be getting it.
​
I've been working my first full time job for the past seven months and just now looked at my pay stubs (stupid I know) but became confused when I saw that I was getting no overtime pay for 10 hour shifts. The company I work for does mon-fri 8am-430pm except for week where there is a STAT holiday we are scheduled for 6am-430pm, which minus the 30 minute unpaid break is 10 hours, for the four days the STAT does not fall on. In total over four days we work 40 hours. On the pay stubs themselves it lists the STAT day as another 8 (unsure if its for ease of payment or if this brings the week total to 48 hours?)
​
From what I've read, and hopefully understand from google, i have no signed any averaging agreement at all, much less within the past four weeks.
​
Again I appreciate any help I could get with understanding this, what feels like, confusing situation I've fallen into.

Dear all,
I have been downing a bottle of strong liquor per week for a couple of months now and came to the sudden realization that I have a serious problem and this cannot continue any longer. I am quitting as of today and will keep a schedule/program.
Yet, I need support. I don't know if I will ever make it but alcohol ruined my life completely. I am talking to two professional therapist/psychologists and will commit myself to a treatment facility this Sunday. However, I still need support.
I don't know if I will ever make it, I feel like I could die at any moment. Please, give me some advice. It seems my life has no purpose anymore and drinking makes it all go away - a bottle of 40% vodka a week is that too much or is it still treatable?

We're an LLC elected to be treated as an S-Corp for tax purposes. We're only two shareholders/employees and are determining what Reasonable Compensation should be for each of us.
We each own 50% of the company and work about 25 - 30 hours per week (1300 - 1560 hours per year). I assume our work hours would allow us to pay us a salary less than full-time.
We're projected to make around $200,000 in profit (excluding payroll and distributions) and, given our work hours, we're planning to pay ourselves around $40,000 each.
My questions are:

1. Will it raise any flags with the IRS if we say we don't we work a full time schedule (i.e. 2080 hours per year)? Is it allowed for us to work less than 2080 hours without any implications?
   
2. Is the number of hours you work indeed a determining factor in calculating Reasonable Compensation?
   

Please use this thread to ask any questions you have about the game. Please search though the comments section as your question may have been answered already or through the search bar.

General Resources

• General Database
• Gameplay Overview
• Min-Turn Stage Guide YouTube
• PvP Guide
• Raid Guide
• Raid Character Guide
• Unique Equipment Guide
• Upcoming Banners
• Upcoming Banners V2

REMINDER: Bind your account!

Please remember to bind your accounts and take note of your UID, member code, server location, and any information related to your account (e.g. amount spent, student roster, etc). If anything happens to your account (e.g. losing access, unauthorized access), you will need to provide as much info as you can to Nexon's customer support email. Guest accounts that are unbound will be extremely difficult to recover, perhaps impossible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[01] When does the server reset?
For global, dailies reset at 19:00 UTC and weeklies reset on Sunday.
[02] Should I re-roll this account?
This will depend on your priorities with PvE, PvP, or both, but you can generally see the “ideal” units as Iori, Hibiki, and Tsubaki for most content, while Shun and Haruna are great for PvP.
[03] Who should I spend my elephs on? Who should I mystic unlock?
At the start, prioritize spending your blank elephs on getting Serina to 2-star for the increased healing stat, Tsubaki to 3-star for the extra tankiness when she is reloading. It is generally advised not to spend your elephs on increasing characters to 4-star and 5-star ratings, since there is only a stat increase and the amount of elephs needed is quite high.
[04] What do my support students’ stats do?
Aside from increasing the stats of their own skills, support students will provide additional stat boosts to your striker team. The specific increase(s) can be viewed by clicking on “Support” on the right side of the team formation screen.
[05] What should I buy in the shop?

• Credit Shop - Buy out the bottom row of materials, then the first two tiers of enhancement stones as needed. Feel free to buy the higher tiers of enhancement stones if you feel that you have an excess of credits, which is very common.
• Eligma - This will depend on you, can reference question [03].
• Total Assault (raid) - Prioritize Maki’s elephs (until you unlock her) and save the rest of your currency for future updates that will add more low-rarity students to the shop, meaning you can unlock mystic for them without spending your eligma. You can also purchase the skill discs/blu-rays depending on your needs.
• Tactical Challenge (PvP) - Buy out the energy drinks as needed (warning: they are instantly consumed, they won’t be moved to your inventory). Many suggest to save these for events in order to buy drinks, refresh the shop, and repeat.

[06] What does the “leader” position do?
This is purely cosmetic, as it changes which student’s chibi shows up on the map.
[07] What benefits are there to joining a club?

• 10 AP are given daily and deposited automatically on teacher's mailbox, upon checking in.
• A maximum of two assistant can be set for Total Assault and Joint Firing Drill respectively.

1. Students assigned to assist with TA cannot also be selected to assist with JFD.
2. 20 credits are rewarded every minute by setting assistants.
3. The specific unit that is borrowed can be only used once a day.
4. There's a fee of 40,000 credits, when borrowing a assistant student.
5. The donor receives 50,000 credits instead; even though the fee is 40,000 credits.
6. The fee can only be received 20 times a day.

• It can be unlocked after clearing Mission 3 Act 4

[08] How does the pity system work?
You need to pull, at a minimum, 200 times in order to get 200 recruitment points that are redeemed for the character you want. The recruitment point system does not carry over from banner to banner, it is only shared between banners that are concurrently running.
[09] Why can’t I find my friend’s club?
While the servers’ updates are separated from JP and global, the global servers are separated further into smaller divisions. You need to be on the same server as your friend, which you can check from the home screen: top-right menu button > account > version info. The server must be the same.
[10] When is X banner coming? Should I save for X student?
We never know for sure, due to the fact that global servers are on an accelerated schedule compared to JP. Please refer to this guide for some more info.
[11] Should I use Pyroxenes to refill my AP?
If you want to prioritize progression, the first three daily refills are decently valuable, this is because the Pyroxene cost of refilling will increase for every three refills. If you are focused on character collection or future banners, you should be saving your Pyroxenes.
[12] Why can’t I buy X student’s eleph in the shop?
You can only buy elephs of students you own.
[13] What should I craft?
At the start, prioritize crafting cafe furniture until your comfort is maxed out, then students’ gifts, then whichever upgrade materials you need. The crafting system is the only way to get furniture and gifts at the moment.
[14] What is the “Anniversary” in account settings?
This is your birthday, used for characters to wish you happy birthday.
[15] When will the beginner guide missions for Nonomi end?
This is a permanent addition, so feel free to take your time with the tasks.
[16] What is the best place to farm EXP?
You can run any map to farm EXP, as the EXP gain is equal to the amount of AP spent (i.e. 10 AP spent = 10 EXP gained). You should be looking at the stages that drop the equipment upgrade materials that you need.
[17] What is the “Secret Tech Sheet” in the Total Assault shop?
This is used to upgrade a student’s (non-EX) skill to level 10.
[18] Is it worth doing a raid if I can’t pass X difficulty level?
It is always more efficient to clear the highest difficulty you can finish instead of failing/forfeiting a higher difficulty.
[19] Can I claim the Limited Students through exchanging Expert Permits? How often does the Expert Permit shop resets?
You cannot get the limited students via this method. You will still need to pull for them. There's no specific mentioned but it's expected to be monthly.

OthePast Megathreads

• Daily Questions
• Weekly Club Recruitment
• Weekly Kivotos Lounge
• Weekly Storytelling Plaza
• Technical Issues

Please have patience with other members of the community and be as polite as possible. Everyone has to start somewhere!

Message with stats and pics if interested. Eager cock sucker looking to drain, no reciprocation necessary. Just walk in, cum, and go. Completely anonymous, no preference for gay/st8/bi.
Available today or we can set something up to meet your schedule.
I’m DDF/HIV negative and fully vaccinated.
Big cocks are+++ because I love having my throat fucked.

英語の勉強: One Timetable. Multiple Lessons.

The Data: My Day

Activity	Start Time	End Time
My Day	08:30	01:40
Ate Breakfast	08:36	09:25
Chatted with ChatGPT	08:36	12:41
Napped	12:41	13:20
Played Destiny	13:21	16:30
Lunched	14:30	15:40
Wrote a Facebook post	16:35	18:30
Played GT7	18:30	19:55
Taught a Lesson	20:00	21:13
Ate Dinner	21:30	22:40
Played GT7	21:30	23:00
Walked	23:10	00:40
Studied Japanese	00:50	01:30

Time Expressions

• From [Time A] until [Time B], I [Activity]
• Between [Time A] & [Time B], I [Activity]
• AfteBeforeI [Activity A], I [Activity B].
• I {always, usually, often} [Activity A].....
• Yesterday, Two days ago, This morning, Tomorrow ### Situations:
• Scheduling: I'm busy between [Time A] and [Time B]. Is it possible to reschedule?
• Planning: Let's [Activity] from [Time A]!
• Recounting Events: I [Activity A]~ed, yesterday.
• Time: I spent [Time spent = Start time + End Time] [Activity]~ing, yesterday. ### Tenses:
• Simple Present: I [Action A].
• Past tense: I [Activity B]~ed
• Future tense: I am going to [Activity C] from [START TIME] until [End Time] などなど

I recently installed a Stick-Up Cam outside. With the battery fully charged and solar panel hooked up, the battery will drain and last, at best, 24 hours.
The only way to keep the battery at/near 100% is to disable Motion Detection and Motion Alerts.

• I replaced the battery thinking it was faulty, to no avail.
• Plenty of sunny days, direct sunlight into the panel for at least first half of the day.
• Setting a motion schedule doesn't really help.
• Minimal app use (Live View) still drains the battery.

Once low percentage, it takes 2-3 days of sunlight to bring it back to 100% without removing the battery and plugging it in.
Thoughts? Is this typical? Something I'm doing wrong? The camera is kinda useless if I have to disable all the detection and alerts.

I use to be an avid Twitter and Instagram user. On Twitter I had a global news feed to read all the clickbaity headlines about what was going on in the world. Instagram was peak culture, any hobby, sports, art, vlogs, etc. I deleted both over a year ago, and haven't looked back because I was getting my fix elsewhere with YouTube and Spotify. I don't plan on ever deleting Spotify, but I have had such a bad experiencing with YouTube Shorts that I had to delete the mobile app. I use a mobile browser version with extensions to block the shorts function.
I'm happy with Spotify and limitations to YouTube. However that doesn't solve my reddit problem which is something else entirely. Several hours a day. 12pm to 7pm mostly on reddit. Looking for things to type, comments posts etc. Typing feels productive to me, conveying a message feels creative. I wouldn't waste my time writing comments on Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, but Reddit is completely different.
I work nights and it's a flexible schedule. I have nothing to do during the day. I don't watch TV or any movies. I use to play video games a lot, but video games haven't peaked my attention lately. My routine could be better, but the problem is that Reddit feels productive when it is not.
What I'm realizing is the Internet is mostly for consumption. All of social media and entertainment at your fingertips... And if you are not keeping track of important information, then you probably want to use the internet more for entertainment or maybe virtue signaling, whatever game you want to play, for whatever team.
So I think the only way I'm going to delete reddit, is to find a new hobby. And video games is an on and off thing for me. I like learning, I may be a causal learner, but when it comes to a skill, I'm not someone to learn and practice coding, or video editing, or any of these other tech based careers just for the fun of it. My only interest right now is financial trading, but I'm procrastinating, I have money, I have a strategy. I feel like I didn't earn this strategy, and the puzzle of the markets is not that interesting anymore. It just will take me 40 hours to do a deep dive into a broker platform with a very old UI. And I find trading boring, regardless of winning or losing. So it's tedious and boring. Money only makes you happy when you spend it and enjoy it.
I think I might challenge myself to read some challenging textbooks. Because that is at least at the core of some mechanism of this addiction, in comprehending the written word in paragraph format. There are not many platforms that really challenge intellect, that works off of the same phenomena of keeping track of the news or propaganda.
I think I might research up a good economics and finance textbook to read, and I'll take notes and that'll feel like I'm writing a super long post.

Is it alright to ask for time off, without going to the processes like PTO. Ive been at my job for about two and a half months now and the 40 hr grind is just exhausting. Dealing with all the BS of people and office politics and just the boring monotony of thinking of all the things I could be doing, while being stuck in this soulless job. Its hard since my parents are the 40hr week is how life is supposed to be lived type of people, but it's just my boss scheduled me for 7 days in a row and thats the one time, I just thought to myself I need some more time to recharge myself. She made it so im working 6 days a week, but coincidentally my new shift cycle starts on a Monday so its 7 days in a row.
I know its probably a bad idea, but I refuse to work anymore than 5 days a week for any job. Even if brings me an even worse standing in my job, I just need some extra time to not deal with all the BS and commutes. This is my first 40 hr grind job and I can't even understand how people stood this, it's so soulless. Ive been failing trying to find a remote job lately, but I haven't been giving up no matter how hard it is. Sorry this was so long and didn't make much sense, just needed to get it off my chest.

Yeah I dont know why I did this
Ive been crushing on this chick ever since the start of high school when we first stumbled upon another in the bus
She goes to a different high school than I do
Im in senior year now
Im like 99.9% sure she doesnt like me but my brain likes to tell me sweet little lies
She was in the same class as me through the entirety of middle school but i never really noticed her, talked to her a few times but that was it
Then as high school started a few weeks in she was suddenly standing infront of me on the drive home in the bus
I immediately felt something about her
We talked a little and it was fun i guess, one of the first things she did was ask when I usually go out to take the bus to school
I said 6:40
The next day she suddenly was there, never seen her there before, Its like she switched up her morning routine just to come out at the same time
And the next day too
And the next week too
Every day
Sometimes she almost missed the bus and was running to get in the same one as me
This went on for months
We talked every day on the drive to school, mostly about trivial school shit, never anything else, very basic shallow conversations
I made her laugh a few times, we joked around once or twice
On the drive home, i also sometimes ended up in the same bus as her
usually she would come sit or stand right next to me once she saw me
Every time, basic shallow conversations, or both of us with our mouths completely shut, not looking at eachother, like we both are socially awkward as fuck and dont know what to say or how to act
On one occasion i remember once, It was on the drive home
I always get out at the same station as her because she only lives like two blocks away from me
We get out, instead of the usual bye she starts following me, she follows me across the street, I realise, a few meters later, closer to my place already, she finally laughs and says bye and turns around, almost like she wanted to come over to my place at first
Fast forward a few months into this
I think if i remember this correctly
I once gave her a tiny hint I liked her
something along the lines of "You know, my sister once saw me in here with you, she was suspicious, had to explain to her so that she doesnt get the wrong picture, yknow..."
She is quiet after this
A minute later she says "Im so fucking done" in a frustrated tone
I ask "what is it?"
she says "everything, im done with everything"
now that i look at it, my sentence sounds more like i friendzoned her than giving her a signal i like her
Was she upset because she thought i wasnt interested? Was she upset because she just was being nice the whole time and just wanted a casual friend and not to get lusted over by every man she tries to befriend?
I dont know but after this happend, the amount of times we would meet slowly decreased to very rare occasions
Or maybe it was after I was texting her that I was waiting for her to get to the same station on the drive home so we could be in the same bus idk
the memory is hazy, but i know she was saying "no dont wait just go" and very repulsed by me, shit man i was probably so creepy
I dont know but basically eventually we start meeting less and less
she starts saying more and more that she just "missed the bus"
eventually i stop seeing her at all then after like two months, i didnt have the balls to text her why, i finally see her again once on the drive back home on accident
I ask why
She says she found a better time schedule / bus route that gets her to her school easier
I dont know if all of this is true or if these were just excuses to get away from me
Its probably true idk
so then we just meet about once every two weeks on the drive home on accident every time
we always kinda just glanced at eachother sometimes, usually kept some more distance
repeat until today, about idk 6 months later
last time i saw her was two weeks ago
that time i actually managed to have a seat down next to her and have a conversation
nothing but trivial school bullshit convo again
it went normal, decent
So yeah fast forward to today
I feel so conflicted
Did i fumble the bag? Did she love me and my desperation and weirdness ruined it? Was she just a woman being nice and looking for friends from the very start?
I still have her discord, I got it from her like 6 months ago while we were on the bus drive home, she was actually pretty eager to give it but never really seemed interested in actually texting me
The last message was sometime back in 2021 Lmao
I just confessed to her on discord, its midnight, theres a good chance she doesnt even use discord anymore or doesnt even have access to the account anymore
If she doesnt answer at all then that is probably the case and i will just ask her out as bluntly and blatantly as possible whenever i meet her in the bus next time
Honestly im 99% sure she doesnt like me, i mean why should she
im ugly, short, fat, nerdy, probably autistic, was basically the stereotypical "quiet kid" all my life in school
Meanwhile shes like smoking cute and consequently smoking hot atleast to me
So yeah i dont know why im doing this to myself
Actually i do know exactly why, its a form of self harm i guess
I know the answer, she will say No, but im still asking just to emotionally hurt myself
whatever i highly doubt anyone cares or will ever read this
P.S: if you are curious about the title, check my post history, yeah im not the most mentally stable fellow out there
the only reason why i finally managed to muster the courage to confess to her, almost two years after the crushing started, is because my desire to live is rapidly dwindling and im looking forward to kicking the bucket early anyways so
Basically apathy
It doesnt matter anymore what happens so might aswell

At Barclays Reshma briefly mentioned eltanexor's preclinical efficacy in AML. Elaboration is found online.
Once or twice a week selinexor dose is not frequent enough to maintain a sustained effect on NPM1-mutated ( ~30% of AML cancers ) AML cells. It seems on the days in between treatments selinexor's presence and inhibiting effect diminishes.

"...selinexor was scarcely active towards NPM1-mutated AML patients in early-phase clinical trials [59,60,61]. This is likely due to the once or twice/week administration schedule of selinexor (due to its toxicity profile) which is not sufficient to stably inhibit the interaction between mutated NPM1 and XPO1 (Pianigiani et al. BioRxiv 2021). An attractive alternative to selinexor is the second-generation SINE compound KPT-8602 (eltanexor) that crosses at lower extent the blood-brain barrier resulting in better tolerability. More importantly, the prolonged and frequent dosing schedule of eltanexor (i.e., 5 days/week) led to a greater anti-leukemic efficacy in preclinical animal models of hematological malignancies" (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-022-01666-2)

Not that Reshma mentioned this, but in RRMM, selinexor's lead indication, the advantage of more frequent dosing and reduced toxicity with eltanexor produces better results compared to selinexor.
In the KCP-8602-801 eltanexor trial, for the PH1 RRMM arms the dosing was QDx5/QDx3. The PH1 RRMM results were analyzed and reported in November 2021:

"The median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival for all patients was 4.47 (95% CI 2.40, 9.26) months and 17.81 (95% CI 11.70, NR) months, respectively (Figure S2), an improved efficacy compared to selinexor QDx2: median PFS 3.7 months, and median OS 8.6 months." (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajh.26420)

Understandably Karyopharm wouldn't want to erode the investment in selinexor before recouping costs, securing financial stability, and profitting from it. But, I'm disappointed there aren't more early stage trials of eltanexor. According to clinicaltrials.gov, the only active eltanexor trial is Karyopharms's KCP-8602-801 ( NCT02649790 ) study.

There's a lot going on this weekend and even better the weather forecast looks great with 60s and 70s and only a little rain on Saturday morning.
Here's 35 local events you can enjoy at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg and throughout the New River Valley:
1. Pink Moon Peach Milkshake IPA Release Moon Hollow Brewing, Blacksburg Friday, March 24, 2023, 3:00 - 10:00 PM Admission is free. Beer and food are regular price. Moon Hollow Brewing presents the Pink Moon Peach Milkshake IPA Release in support of the local Pink Boots Society. This year’s blend contains Loral, Eukanot and HBC 586. A heaping dose of lactose, peach purée and vanilla bean also help create a rich and delicious brew. $1.00 from each pint is donated the Pink Boots Society Blue Ridge Virginia Chapter. This helps the chapter continue to put on educational, community enriching events. The Pink Boots Society aims to assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education. Food will be available for purchase from Countryman Jamaican Grill. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685855
2. Root Down in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Friday, March 24, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Root Down is a jazz trio based in the New River Valley. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684803
3. College Softball: Chattanooga vs. Virginia Tech Tech Softball Park, Virginia Tech Friday, March 24, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM, Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Doubleheader) Admission: Free Watch the Virginia Tech Softball team compete against non-conference opponent the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in a three game series. No tickets are required for Hokie Softball games. Parking is available behind the outfield at Tech Softball Park and enter along the right field side of the stadium. Stands open one hour prior to the start of the game. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685859
4. Music Theatre: "Book of Mountains and Seas" Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Friday, March 24, 2023, 7:30 - 9:00 PM Adult Tickets (based on seat location): $25.00 - $55.00 Virginia Tech Students with ID and Youth 18 & Under: $10.00 A daring new music theatre work by composer Huang Ruo and puppeteer, designer, and director Basil Twist, "Book of Mountains and Seas" is a modern take on ancient Chinese creation myths that are relevant to our current climate change struggle, featuring the chorus of Ars Nova Copenhagen alongside massive puppets and striking lanterns. The work is sung in Mandarin with English supertitles. Book of Mountains and Seas is inspired by the ancient Chinese compilation of early myths of the same title, which was first transcribed in 4th-century B.C. Book of Mountains and Seas is a 21st-century adaptation and expansion of four of these tales. The work contains timeless codes about the universe, creation, planet, nature, life, human ambition and fate, the relationship and interaction between mankind and the planet. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=678174
5. Will Easter & The Nomads in Concert Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Friday, March 24, 2023, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $8.00 Will Easter has one of those voices that is like a home-cooked meal for the soul. Will has the cool throwback rock edge of Tom Petty with the modern folk-Americana appeal of the Avett Brothers, but with something hard to put your finger on that could only be born out of the shadows and peaks of the North Carolina mountains. One iteration through a chorus and you’ll find yourself humming along, by the second time around you’ll be singing out loud, ready to hit the repeat button. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684795
6. Juxtaposition A Cappella Spring 2023 Concert: Time For A Hoedown Haymarket Theater (Squires Student Center), Virginia Tech Friday, March 24, 2023, 8:00 - 9:30 PM Virginia Tech Students: At the Door: $7.00 Non-Students: $10.00 Juxtaposition A Cappella presents their Spring 2023 Concert titled "Time For A Hoedown". Juxtaposition will be performing seven new songs including their entire ICCA set. Juxtaposition is an all-male Virginia Tech A Capella group that was established in 1994 and has since produced seven albums and been awarded numerous awards and honors. They enjoy performing their wide repertoire of 70's, 80's, 90's and current hits. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685879
7. 2023 Ramp N Roads Eastern Elementary/Middle School, Pembroke Saturday, March 25, 2023, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Admission: Free Renew the New presents the 2023 Ramp N Roads where volunteers will be cleaning up litter from highways and byways, boat ramps, and river & stream access points. Be prepared to pick up litter off road in ditches and over the banks. Each volunteer will be assigned a team who will be led by captain when they arrive at Eastern Elementary/Middle School. These captains will lead the on-site clean up and will provide any needed safety instructions. There will be no buses running this year. Each volunteer will take their own car or carpool and convoy to one of the planned cleanup areas. There you will be given gloves and bags to use. Each volunteer is asked to return to Eastern Elementary at noon where they will receive pizza for a to-go lunch and a t-shirt. Volunteers need to sign up in advance. This is a rain or shine event however pick up along roadways will be suspended during active rain if it happens. ReNew The New is a volunteer organization committed to stewardship of the of the New River flowing through Southwest Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685871
8. Yoga On Tap with Blacksburg Yoga Collective Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 9:30 - 10:45 AM Suggested donation of $15.00-$20.00. The Blacksburg Yoga Collective presents Yoga On Tap with an energizing and uplifting flow. Flow with Blacksburg Yoga Collective in the beautiful settings of the Rising Silo Saturdays. These Kundalini-inspired, donation-based Yoga and meditation sessions focus on therapeutic movements and various breathing techniques aimed toward collective wellness. Meditate, chant, and move together to ease stress, manifest positivity, and improve our awareness and focus. Admission includes the class and a post-yoga non-alcoholic beverage from the brewery. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685840
9. 2023 Warm Hearth Village Arts & Crafts Fair Warm Hearth Village Center, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Admission: Free If you love unique, beautiful, locally handcrafted gifts and art, then attend the 2nd Annual Warm Hearth Village Arts & Crafts Fair. The show will feature high-quality artisanal goods from both artists on our campus and throughout the New River Valley. Handmade items for sale will include pottery, woodworking, home goods, accessories, soaps, candles & more. The Huckleberry Cafe will be open for grab-n-go refreshments. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=683666
10. Free Wine Tasting Vintage Cellar, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Vintage Cellar presents Free Wine Tasting every Saturday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Join them for a decadent wine tasting at our free wine tasting. They will teach you all about the regions and grapes from the wines as you taste. After the tasing, grab a bottle or glass and enjoy it with some food from their kitchen. Must be 21 or older to participate. IDs required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685724
11. Open Virginia Tech Football Practice Lane Stadium, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Admission: Free Fans are invited to attend the open practice to get an early look at how the Hokie's 2023 football squad is shaping up. Gate 6 will open up at 11:45 AM for fans to enter. Note: It is prohibited for fans to take photos and videos when the Hokies are on the field. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685711
12. 2023 Beliveau Bridal Expo Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Bring your friends and family and visit with the area's leading wedding professionals on display to plan your perfect wedding in an elegant venue. Wedding vendors such as florists, musicians, photographers, bakeries and more will set up in our Great Hall to talk to you about their services. This is a great opportunity to meet many of the vendors in one afternoon. Food and wine will be available to purchase throughout the entire event. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684117
13. Women's Lacrosse: Boston College vs. Virginia Tech Thompson Field, Virginia Tech Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12:00 - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Watch the Virginia Tech Women's Lacrosse compete against ACC conference opponent and #7 ranked Boston College. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684297
14. Program: Vegetable Gardening Meadowbrook Public Library, Shawsville Saturday, March 25, 2023, 1:00 - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Want to grow your own vegetables, but aren’t sure where to start? Join Dr. Emma Patterson, VCE Volunteer Master Gardener, to find out more about planning a vegetable garden, caring for it, and keeping it going through year’s end. Free seeds and soil testing kits will be provided. For ages 12 and up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685348
15. 2023 Oyster Dinner Drive-Thru Riner Volunteer Fire Department, Riner Saturday, March 25, 2023, 2:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: $15.00 The Riner Volunteer Fire Department presents their Annual Oyster Dinner Drive-Thru featuring fried oysters, baked beans, slaw and dessert. Tickets can be purchased in advanced at Eagle Express, Riner Food Center and Village Barber Shop. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685387
16. Delta Chi's Into the Wild Benefit Concert featuring Audio Fever and The Red Ferns The Milk Parlor, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 2:00 - 5:00 PM Ages 21 & Over: $9.00, Ages 20 & Under: $12.00 The Delta Chi Fraternity at Virginia Tech presents their Into the Wild Benefit Concert featuring music from Audio Fever and The Red Ferns. Proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Red Ferns is a groovy guitar band based in Blacksburg and Audio Fever is a Blacksburg based band as well. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685882
17. March Flashlight Tour St. Albans, Radford Saturday, March 25, 2023, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Admission: $15.00 Join St. Abans for their March 2023 Flashlight Tour which includes a little history and paranormal in one. This is a guided tour. Take a walk through the dark halls of St. Albans Sanatorium and join them for a flashlight tour of the building. Hear all the chilling tales of what paranormal investigators, and the public, have encountered within these 120 year old walls. A little bit of history, a little bit of paranormal. Tickets are available online in advance and will be sold at the door provided tickets are still available. Comfortable shoes and a flashlight are recommended as there will be lots of walking and many dark areas. Dress accordingly as the building is not climate controlled. You must be 18 years of age (16 if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685883
18. March's Beans and Banjos (Final Event) Meadowbrook Public Library, Shawsville Saturday, March 25, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM Admission: $5.00 requested donation The Shawsville Ruritans and The LINC Letter presents March's Beans and Banjos and the final event of this series. Nothing lasts forever, not even Beans and Banjos. March's Beans and Banjos will be the last. Instead of having a couple of bands the organizers are inviting everyone who's ever played or sung at Beans and Banjos to come out and jam to play Beans and Banjos out in style. Beans and Banjos has been going for at least 14 years. Enjoy a dinner of beans, cornbread and desserts. Organizers ask for a donation of at least $5.00 to help keep the LINC Letter publishing. The LINC Letter is the non-profit community newsletter for Eastern Montgomery and is distributed to residents of Alleghany, Elliston, Ironto, Lafayette and Shawsville, Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685325
19. Amelia Empson in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Amelia Empson plays a variety of Indie-Folk and Americana covers and originals from the Appalachian Mountains with talent far beyond her years. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=684804
20. Salsa Night 2023 Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 11:00 PM Advance Tickets: $12.00, At the Door: $15.00 Join Beliveau Farm Winery for a dancing experience with your loved one, group of friends, or come single; you are bound to have a good time no matter what. Lessons begin at 7:00 PM and the event lasts until 11:00 PM. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685126
21. 2023 March of Ales Mardi Gras Celebration German Club Manor, Virginia Tech Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM Admission: $50.00 The Blacksburg Junior Women's Club (BJWC) presents the 2023 March of Ales Mardi Gras Celebration featuring unique beers for tasting, along with wine and a signature cocktail. Coffee, water, lemonade, hors d’oeuvres and desserts will also be available. Guests will enjoy entertainment by a DJ, dancing, and a live and silent auction. The auctions feature an extraordinary variety of items donated by local businesses and individuals. At the end of the evening, discounted Uber service will be available to guests. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door if the event is not sold out in advance. All money raised at March of Ales is used to fund service projects and donations throughout the year. The funds have benefitted groups and causes such as Special Olympics, Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, Montgomery County Christmas Store and many others. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685695
22. WUVT's Jazz Night with Copy Cat Syndrome and Yung LZRD Odd Fellows Building Lodge #20 (Wilson Avenue), Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 10:00 PM Admission: $6.00 Join WUVT for a night filled with the sweetest jazz melodies provided by Copy Cat Syndrome and Yung LZRD. Copy Cat Syndrome is a fusion trio performing jazz based in Blacksburg, VA. LZRD is a jazz band from Blacksburg, VA. Entrance to this event is ticket only (sold online) with a maximum of 50 being sold. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the music starts at 7:00 PM. WUVT-FM 90.7 Blacksburg is the New River Valley's only source for independent, alternative programming. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685887
23. TechNotes Spring 2023 Concert: TechNotes Lightnin’: Feeling the 50s Haymarket Theater (Squires Student Center), Virginia Tech Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 8:30 PM Advance Tickets: $5.00, At the Door: $7.00 TechNotes presents their Spring 2023 Concert titled "TechNotes Lightnin’: Feeling the 50s". Enjoy a night full of new songs and old TechNotes favorites and chances to win epic raffle prizes. TechNotes is a co-ed A Cappella group at Virginia Tech that performs at various events throughout the year. TechNotes was founded in 2010. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685878
24. Caroline Owens & Company in Concert Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:00 - 10:00 PM General Admission: $15.00, Reserved Seating: $20.00 Caroline Owens is a 2X IBMA nominated Bluegrass and Gospel artist. She has performed alongside many of her heroes such as Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox, The Isaacs, Larry Gatlin, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Lorraine Jordan and many others. And, has made quite a name for herself in the North Carolina bluegrass community. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685713
25. Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers of Soul in Concert The Floyd Center for the Arts, Floyd Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:30 - 9:30 PM General Public: $15.00, Students: $10.00 Don't miss your chance to see the long awaited return of Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers of Soul. It will be a fun, funky night of soul. The diversely talented Hoppie Vaughan is all about the soul! He is a blue eyed soul singer, song writer, guitar and bass player. Besides performing solo, he is the front man for Hoppie Vaughan and the Ministers of Soul based out of Roanoke, VA performing classic soul, R&B, blues and funk. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685712
26. Three Band Concert with Kenny Vaughan, Sullivan Smith & Stray Lions and Friend of the Three Southpaw Cafe & Community Space, Blacksburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 7:30 - 10:00 PM Admission: $5.00 Southpaw Cafe & Community Space presents a Three Band Concert with Kenny Vaughan, Sullivan Smith & Stray Lions and Friend of the Three. Friend of the Three is a band based in Virginia that performs adult alternative, pop and rock. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685881
27. Stand-Up Comedy Show Lost In Taste, Christiansburg Saturday, March 25, 2023, 10:00 PM - TBD Admission: $7.00 The Cosmic Comedy Club returns with performances by comedians Sage Delong, Derek Budd, Julia Goyer, Tony Rodriguez, Jermaine Callando and hosted by Andrew Gustafson. Recommended for ages 18 & up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685853
28. 2023 Hot Diggity Dog Day (Fun for Your Dog) Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 12:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Bring your pup and come have a day at Beliveau Farm Winery annual canine event. There's 165 acres of dog fun for your furrr-ever friend to explore and relax. Fresh air, dog parade, lots of outdoor space. Beliveau will have food and drinks for purchase throughout the day. With every hot-dog sold, they are donating 20% of our proceeds to the Montgomery County Humane Society. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685322
29. Community Quilting Bee: Rotary Cutting Fabric Blacksburg Library, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Blacksburg Library presents their monthly Community Quilting Bee with the the topic "Rotary Cutting Fabric". This month atteneeds will learn how to use a rotary cutter and ruler to make accurate fabric pieces. Everyone is welcome including beginners. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685349
30. Book Club: The Winemaker Blacksburg Wine Lab, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: $40.00 Join the Blacksburg Wine Lab for the Wine Lab Book Club tasting & discussing featuring "The Winemaker" by Noah Gordon. About The Winemaker: Josep Alvarez is a young man in the tiny grape-growing village of Santa Eulália, in northern Spain, where his father grows black grapes that are turned into cheap vinegar. Joseph loves the agricultural life, but he is the second son, and his father’s vineyard will be inherited by his brother Donat, the firstborn. He yearns for a job growing grapes and for an opportunity to marry Teresa Gallego. In Madrid, an assassination plot, conceived against the political leader of Spain by men of wealth and power, creates a storm of intrigue that sucks into its vortex a group of innocent young farm workers in Santa Eulália. How Josep’s life is changed drastically by these events, and how, ironically, they gradually turn him into an inspired vintner with an evolving vision of life, is the fascinating story of "The Winemaker". During the Book Club, enjoy four fantastic Spanish wines to taste. Chef Bryan will create a pairing board of house–made Spanish tapas, cheese and charcuterie to accompany the tasting. Reservations required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685385
31. Willard Gayheart and Ricky Cox performing "Old Favorite Songs of the Blue Ridge" Floyd United Methodist Church, Floyd Sunday, March 26, 2023, 2:30 - 3:30 PM Admission: Free The Floyd County Historical Society presents an encore performance of Willard Gayheart and Ricky Cox performing "Old Favorite Songs of the Blue Ridge. Ricky Cox’s friendship with Willard Gayheart also goes back 35 years. This shows in the programs they present together, harmonizing and appreciating one another’s contributions as they delight their audiences. Willard is a pencil artist from Southwest Virginia. He is originally from Eastern Kentucky, working mostly from the theme "Nostalgic Glimpses of the Appalachians". His works are positive images of Appalachian Culture, presenting the region as a place alive with interesting personalities. Besides his artistic talent with the pencil, Willard is also an accomplished bluegrass musician having played as a member of the bluegrass band The Highlanders. Ricky Cox has been entertaining and educating many of us for decades. Throughout his teaching career at Radford University he shared the history and culture of our region through his music and writing, earning a number of special recognitions along the way. Ricky contributed his photographic talents to the second of two books featuring Willard Gayheart’s drawings. Note: The event was originally scheduled for Sunday, March 12th, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685328
32. Blacksburg Community Band Spring Concert Blacksburg High School Auditorium, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The Blacksburg Community Band presents their Spring Concert conducted by David McKee and Associate Conductor, Dean Chiapetto. Christiansburg High School's band director, David Miller, will be guest conducting. Jefferson Ritchie will solo on trombone. The Blacksburg Community Band, Inc. is an all-volunteer community organization formed in 1989 under the auspices of the Department of Parks and Recreation in the Town of Blacksburg. The ensemble is open to individuals of all ages and ability levels from the New River Valley and surrounding areas. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685314
33. Helping Hands Fundraiser with Spaghetti Dinner and Live Music Belview United Methodist Church, Radford Sunday, March 26, 2023, 4:30 - 7:30 PM Donations Appreciated Join Belview United Methodist Church for some fun and great fellowship all while helping support a wonderful mission. Help them fund their Helping Hands Pantry by enjoying a spaghetti dinner starting at 4:30 PM, silent auction, raffle and live music from Eddie & Sherry Richards and Spoken For beginning at 6 PM. Belview's Helping Hands Pantry supplies clothes, personal care items, cleaning items and household items to those in need in Montgomery County, Radford, Dublin, Giles County and Pulaski and other surrounding areas. The Silent Auction starts at 1:30 PM and ends at 7:30 PM with over 40 items to bid on. There are over $2,000 in prizes for the raffle. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each, $10.00 for three or $20.00 for seven. Donate a pack of diapers, pull-ups or Depends and get three free raffle tickets on the day of the event. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685880
34. Indian Run Stringband in Concert Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston Sunday, March 26, 2023, 5:00 - 7:30 PM Admission: Free The Indian Run Stringband from Blacksburg, VA plays fiddle and banjo foot stomping dance tunes and sings traditional songs with old time harmonies perfect for dancing the two step. From dance tunes to the blues, the Indian Run Stringband plays with love and abandon. They make old-time music fresh and new. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685310
35. Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble in Concert with Guest Artist Michael Burritt Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Sunday, March 26, 2023, 6:00 - 7:30 PM General Public: $15.00, Seniors: $12.00, Students & Youth: $10.00 The Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Annie Stevens, performs a concert with guest artist Michael Burritt who is one of his generation’s leading percussionists. He is in frequent demand, performing concert tours and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. He has been soloist with the United States Air Force Band, Dallas Wind Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan), Percussion Art Quartet (Germany) and the Amores Percussion Group (Spain). Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=685872
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

I have bipolar disorder with a comorbid anxiety disorder. I became symptomatic around the time I was 13 and was diagnosed at 19. I’m turning 40 in a few months so I’ve suffered/lived/almost died/laughed through this illness for over 2 decades. I have a friend who I will call Amy. Amy was recently diagnosed with generalized anxiety after a stressful life event. Amy knows about my diagnoses and we are very close, so she has turned to me for questions and emotional support. I love Amy. I want to support Amy the best I can. But the amount of emotional support she is asking for is starting to drain my own mental health resources for staying stable. Additionally, Amy makes a lot of comments about our experiences being the same and she “gets what’s it’s like for me now” when she very clearly does not. She is not making these comments from a place of ill intentions. I know mental illness is not a contest and mental health treatment is important for everyone. However, I have started to internalize it as “Amy is downplaying everything I’ve been through.” Does anyone have any advice on how I can support Amy while protecting your own mental health?

Race Information

• Name: Tobacco Road Marathon
• Date: March 19, 2023
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Cary, NC
• Website: https://tobaccoroadmarathon.com/
• Time: 3:33:18

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	PR (3:48:51)	Yes (15+ min PR)
B	BQ (3:35)	Yes
C	Negative split	Yes (59s)

Splits

Mile	Pace
1	8:42
2	8:23
3	8:03
4	8:00
5	7:50
6	8:21
7	7:55
8	8:19
9	7:58
10	8:21
11	8:02
12	8:04
13	8:15
14	8:18
15	7:54
16	7:34
17	7:56
18	8:03
19	7:37
20	8:17
21	7:54
22	8:07
23	8:35
24	8:19
25	7:59
26	7:43
27	7:33

I want thank this community for your feedback to a previous post a few weeks ago(https://www.reddit.com/AdvancedRunning/comments/11emyz2). I posted that I was contemplating adjusting my goal from 3:35 to 3:30, and I got much sage (and some snide) advice not to risk it. Most comment suggested keeping my 3:35 goal and then attempting a negative split. I followed that advice and am very grateful for it.

Background and Training

55M
I started running in July 2020 to stay healthy during lockdown. I had attempted to take up running a few times in my life, but didn’t enjoy it and never stuck with it. But this time was different, and after a few weeks I started to look forward to my runs. Since then I have gone through four marathon training cycles with a local running group. The first (Fall 2021) was cut short by posterior tibial tendon problems, and decided to DNS. The second cycle peaked at 40 mpw, and yielded me a 3:49 finish for the 2022 Tobacco Road Marathon. My third marathon cycle peaked at 50 mpw, but ended with a very difficult race at the 2022 City of Oaks Marathon. The hot day, hilly course, and inadequate fueling resulted in a disappointing 4:17 finish. I walked a substantial amount of that race. A month later, I raced a half marathon in 1:43:23 (7:54 pace), which gave me confidence that a 3:35 marathon was within reach.
The cycle for my recent marathon peaked at 60 MPW, though only for one week. 45-50 MPW was more common. I did six 20+ mile runs and a couple more that were almost as long. Most weeks I did a tempo run and an interval workout.

Pre-race

Did some half-assed carbo loading for a couple of days before the race. Woke at 3:30am for the 7am race. I had a banana, two small croissants, and three cups of coffee. An hour before the race I had another banana, and 10 minutes before the race I had a liquid Gu and a couple of gummy worms.
At the lineup, I saw the 3:35 pacing group, so I asked one of the pacers what his plan was. He said they would go out a little fast and keep the same pace up and down the hills. And if they get ahead of schedule, they would slow down a little near the end. That was not what I wanted to do, particularly since the course is mostly uphill for the first two miles, so I decided to pace myself and try to catch up with them by the end.

Race

Conditions were perfect for a fast race. Temperature began around 34 F and did not warm up much during the race. The course is relatively flat with about 700 ft of elevation gain, the hills are gradual, but long. I fueled myself for the whole race with Haribro Gummy Worms. My plan was to eat one every half mile, which I had practiced in long runs. I carried my own water, with a little added salt, in a hydration pack.
I raced in Endorphin Speed 2, and paced myself with the help of a Stryd meter. I had previously worked out that I need to run at a power of about 270 Watts to maintain a 8:12/mile pace on the flat, so to be safe I aimed for a bit higher than this overall. I started slightly slower than this and ramped up my effort over the first 4 miles and then aimed to stay at around 272 W, equivalent to about 8:09/mile, for as long as I could.
At about 7 miles, my glutes were feeling a little tired, which I wasn’t expecting. I told myself that I couldn’t possibly be fatiguing yet and I convinced myself to ignore it. Things went smoothly, and at the halfway point I checked my watch and saw that I was at 1:47:xx, which was right on schedule for a 3:35 finish. Since my first few miles were a bit slower than target pace, I knew I would be fine if I could keep up my current power. Around this time I noticed that I had been forgetting to eat my gummy worms for the last couple of miles, so I downed a liquid Gu.
At mile 16, I was still maintaining my pace well, so I decided to pick up the pace slightly to bank a little time. I began aiming to maintain a power of 275 W, equivalent to about a 8:03 pace on the flat. This was the point in my previous two marathons when it became noticeably difficult to maintain my pace, so I was amazed that I was still feeling well so far into the race. Over the next miles I kept expecting to hit the wall, but found myself able to maintain my pace.
Somewhere around mile 21 I noticed that my peripheral vision was becoming distorted, which I have come to recognize as hypoglycemia and a sign that I was about to hit the wall. This was not good, since I still had a long hill ahead, but my legs felt good, so I stayed cautiously optimistic. I took stock of the gummy worms in my pockets and realized I had been eating far fewer than planned, so I threw a couple in my mouth, slowed my pace a bit to stay just above 270 W, and grabbed a cup of Gatorade at the next station. Somehow I continued to have the energy to keep my pace going.
When I reached the last aid station, I finally let myself believe that a 3:35 finish was a sure thing. I had 2 more miles, mostly downhill. The 3:35 pacing group was not far ahead, so I picked up the pace a little, with the aim of catching them over the remaining distance, just in case I was mistaken about how much time I had in the bank. I slowly gained on them, and in the last half few hundred meters, the pacers started calling out to encourage me to catch up with them. I stepped on the gas a little, and as I passed the last turn and saw the clock at the finish line, I started to get a little emotional. A few seconds later, I saw my wife, who was cheering me on, and really had to fight back tears. Man, it felt so good to cross the finish line.

Reflections

My number one lesson from this marathon cycle is the importance of fueling adequately. I realize that this is a little dimwitted, since fueling is emphasized in practically every book, blog, and article ever written about marathoning. I had previously paid attention to fueling, but I had not recognized just how much carbohydrate I needed to consume. This cycle, I practiced fueling aggressively during my long runs, and felt a big difference during those runs and in my recovery afterwards. I am convinced that fueling was the most important factor allowing me to maintain my pace and to feel good throughout the entire marathon.
Also, I have found the Stryd meter to be a really helpful tool for pacing optimally. By monitoring power, it is easy to ensure that I am not pushing myself too much up hills and to know how much to pick up the pace down hills. The latter is probably more valuable in a race like this, where the hills are long and gradual, because it is difficult (and probably dangerous) to maintain a constant power down steep hills.
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

I (16M) find myself feeling tired of basically everything every day since December. Ever since getting into a fight with my narcissistic ass of a father about 7 months ago(who doesn’t really support the family besides paying rent, and also refuses to accept my mom wanting to divorce him even though he brought it upon himself for emotionally, verbally and psychologically abusing her and me and my 3 siblings for the last 20+ years), my life’s been going through a sort of downward spiral.
I started working because I wanted to help support the family a little bit and help my mom pay off debts that my parents both owe, but my father doesn’t pay. All I do is work now, and whatever time I have left is only enough for a fraction of my homework and sleep. I barely have enough time to spend with my little brothers, or doing anything other than work, but have barely anything to show for it, besides currently failing grades in 3/4 of my classes, missing assignments, feeling tired all the time and a bit more money in my bank account. The grades were the hardest blow to me, as I’d really been struggling to improve my grades and focus on studies (I have really bad adhd when it comes concentrating on work or anything in general, I just can’t), but was able to get them into the 80’s last semester. Now they’re at 40’s because trying to balance school, work and personal stuff is a lot to handle for me.
Nobody I know really knows how I’ve been feeling about this situation, they think I’m doing just fine (aside from some school stress), which is why I wanted to get some advice about this from you guys on reddit. I can’t let my family know about this because I don’t wanna pass the burden on the them, and I want to handle these feelings on my own without them stressing, but all I feel is sad, empty and drained/tired of it all. I’m not gonna kms because I know that right now, I need to be strong for my family. If I go now, I’m abandoning them to be stuck with him, as well as throwing away all chances to become the man I want to be and give them a better life where they don’t have to worry (mom especially), but with my current grades and situation, it doesn’t feel like I can make that dream a reality.
I hate feeling this way, because I want to do this for them, but all of these emotions, probably strengthened by my adhd (I was/still sort of am really emotional, for some reason strong emotions really hit hard, I remember hearing that adhd makes emotions feel stronger)are giving me a sense of confusion (over why I feel this way) and emptiness. I know I can’t and won’t give up, as I’m the one my family knows they can always count on, and I won’t go back on that or show them my current mental state, but every day, getting out of bed and just telling myself “that’s life” or “it is what it is” gets harder and harder. I don’t like the idea of thinking I’m depressed or something (never had depressing feelings that lasted more than a day), but at this point I feel like I am. I feel guilty for writing and posting this, but I can’t see any other way of getting this off my chest without dumping it onto someone else I know. Thanks and sorry for having to read my rant.