Thrifty Thursday for September

 Yay September! Bring on the better weather and more thrifting finds!

These tanks are kind of awesome—super comfy, great for sleeping in but a little pricey. I would definitely pay $5 for a semi-fancy, comfy sleep tank.

Lululemon Power Y Tank in Heathered Slate:  Originally $52, paid $5

I don’t typically go for pastels, but the fun color combination definitely caught my eye.

Lululemon Wild Tank in Heathered Pretty Purple/Bleacher Stripe White Iris Flower/Grapefruit:  Originally $64, paid $7

I like how this tank is simple, but fun since you can read it when you look in the mirror.

Lululemon All Tied Up Tank:  Originally $48, paid $4

So a few years ago Athleta had a program where you got to try out new pieces of clothing and in exchange you give them feedback and then you got to keep the clothes afterwards. I only got into one trial group, but I got to try out the precursor to these capris!

The ones that went into mass production are on the left, the ones I tried out are on the right. The big differences are the side pocket (it’s not really big enough for much.)

The mass produced version has a pocket in the waistband instead.

The mass produced version also didn’t have reflective strips at the bottom hem, which may have been a way to keep the seam from fraying in addition to the extra reflectivity. It seems strange that they only had the reflective strips at the waist where it would likely to be covered up by a shirt, but whatever. Still cool to find the mass produced version after trying out one of the earlier versions!

Athleta Sonic Reflective Capri Pant:  Originally $79, paid $7

My sister introduced me to Liberty of London when we were in high school. We both loved the floral patterns and vintage pieces were somewhat easy to find in thrift stores. I was super jealous when she found a beautiful Liberty of London dress that she wore to one of the big dances. (I want to say it was a prom, but anyways.) Then when we went to London a few years ago, it was one of our favorite shops to check out and we both stocked up on fabric. It ended up being the most expensive shopping out of the whole trip, but so worth it! So yeah when I found this shirt AND it fit, I had to get it!

Such a beautiful pattern broken up by the occasional bird!

Liberty Catesby Floral Perfect Shirt:  Originally $88, paid $5

M

So those are my finds for the month. Anyone have any good thrifting finds this month? Any good races coming up? I have the SeaWheeze Virtual 10k coming up and I’m kind of excited for it. Space is still available and you can sign up for just $5 on Strava! The proceeds go towards three different charities—Back on my Feet, Black Men Run and Girls on the Run! 

Thrifty Thursday for August

 And now we start on my more recent thrifting finds!  Despite the ongoing pandemic, I've found some pretty good pieces to add to my wardrobe. 

It feels like I’m forever looking for a good, lightweight rain jacket that will pack easily, but yet still keep me dry in the rain.  (Just while walking around, running errands, let’s not add the running factor to it since then it’s just wet outside, wet and HOT inside.)  I saw this in my size, grabbed it and didn’t let go.  One thing I learned while working in retail is that store branded anything is typically made by reputable companies, and then the store just slaps its branding on it.  REI rain jacket?  Sure, let’s give this one a try!

A quick in-store google search showed that this jacket can pack into itself, still available in this color (beach stone grey) from REI for full price, AND fairly highly rated at 4.1ish stars out of five. Sold!

REI Rainier Jacket:  Originally $89.95, paid $18

So Oiselle has a fabric called lux—it’s not quite fleece, but slightly thinner, super soft and doesn’t pill similarly to most fleece.  I’m forever trying to find loungewear in similar fabrics and found something that is super close!  I found a similar pair of joggers and once I found these, once again I had to have them especially at the smaller price point.  (They’re amazing pajama pants!)

Aerie Offline Hugger Jogger:  Originally $59.95 (usually on sale between $41.96 - $45.96), paid $5

Running in DC, Maryland and Virginia in the summer is always a slog because of the humidity.  As a woman you’re constantly questioning if THIS will be the run where you tear off your top and just run in your sports bra.  This tank is light and airy enough that you can keep it on just a little longer.

North Face Vision Muscle Tank:  Originally $50, paid $4

It’s also no secret that I'm forever looking for a new pair of joggers. And yes, I found these in the same trip as the one above.  These look a little more presentable, but have a super soft lining that make them feel like sweatpants. 

And also, the back pockets are big enough for my phone.

Athleta Lined City Joggers:  Originally $98, paid $7

Coach purses are getting to be harder to come by when thrifting.  I find a real one maybe once a visit, but even fewer are worth buying to refurbish.  (And vintage bags?  I think I’ve found two in as many years.  Granted, some of that includes the pandemic when I wasn’t thrifting, but even pre-pandemic they’ve been harder to come by.) This one theoretically should be a quick fix.  Give the outside a light soak, use a soft toothbrush with some dish soap to lift the makeup from the leather, let it dry, condition, boom done.  (Also, can someone please explain why there’s a makeup stain on the outside of a bag?  Obviously, someone put makeup on their body…but that’s a thing now?)

But why???

Coach Campbell Belle Purse:  Originally $418, paid $13

So there are my finds for the month!  Anyone have any good finds this month?  Any good races coming up?  (Since they're happening again!)  Leave a comment below to start the conversation!

Thrifty Thursday for July

So in case you missed it, I'm still playing catch up on some of my older (pre-covid) thrifting finds while I  work on getting back to thrifting regularly.  Since coming back to thrifting, I've been a lot more picky about what I bring home with me and thankfully I'm still finding a lot of great items I  can't wait to show you!  For now, here's the last post with my older finds...

I'm not a fan of buying fast fashion when I go out thrifting.  It's cheaply made and doesn't last very long, but occasionally I'll make an exception.  This was one of them.  It was brand new with tags, super soft, and lightweight so it got a lot of wear while we were in quarantine.

American Eagle Open front Cardigan:  Originally $40, paid $7

Finding tall rain boots that can accomodate my wide calves is really hard, so when I found these (in my size) I had to get them.  

Tretorn Langta Boots:  Originally $85, paid $4

This bag was in perfect condition so I had to bring it home!  It's perfect to just throw a couple things in when I don't need much.  (Which let's be honest: Right now it's most days.)

Kate Spade Keisha Crossbody:  Originally $178, paid $15

I got this back when I thought I would be traveling more.  It has so many pockets that it would be great as a carry on or as a bag to shove last minute necessities into before leaving for a road trip.

Sherpani Wisdom Tote Bag:  Originally $80, paid $12

Anyone find anything good while thrifting recently?  Any races coming up?  Leave a comment below to get the conversation started!

Thrifty Thursday for June

Note:  I originally wrote this post about a year ago.  When I got ready to post it last July, I held back because of covid.  The world had started to reopen to smaller capacities in stores, and I wasn't super comfortable going out into the world.  I wasn't even sure if I still wanted to be known as "the Thrifty Runner" anymore.  (How could I call myself that when I wasn't posting thrifting finds?)  I wanted to leave my original captions unaltered as a record of how I was feeling at the time and how I was still optimistic that things would turn around quickly and I would get to do everything I missed in 2021.  The rest of my more recent comments are in purple.  Now that I'm back to thrift shopping regularly, I have one more old post that will be published here in July and then I'll be showing some of my more recent finds starting in August!

 

Remember baseball?  I've been a huge fan of the Sox for a long time.  (I even got to go see the Sox in their golden age when they reversed the curse.  It was magic.  Amy Poehler threw out the first pitch.  The lineup was amazing.)  Anyways.  I found this jacket and had to have it.  To bring to Boston for Marathon weekend.  I guess it'll have to wait until 2021. Haha, yeah... a trip to Boston this year isn't happening for me either.  October is crazy busy so instead I'm hoping to be able to crew for my friends running the virtual Boston that weekend.  For once I'll watch the race from the comfort of my couch this year. Hopefully next year.  For realsies.

Boston Red Sox Women's Double Header Full Zip Jacket:  Originally $60, paid $5

Crops are a year round piece of clothing for me.  I'm usually apprehensive about any bottoms that don't have drawstrings.  Thankfully, I've worn these and they barely move!  

Lululemon Ebb and Flow Crop II:  Originally $78, paid $10

This is a shirt that was created by the Human Rights Campaign before gay marriage became legal (and definitely before DOMA was overturned.) In my mind, this shirt is a little piece of history.  

Human Rights Campaign Fundraiser Shirt:  Originally $29 paid $2

Someday I'll make it back to Disney World.  And now I have the perfect bag for it!  It reminds me a lot of those Pan Am flight bags that were huge a few years ago.  Just a couple pockets allow for enough organization to keep the essentials away and the pleather/vinyl/plasticy fabric (not usually my first choice) will keep my belongings safe from sudden downpours. 

Ahhh Disney. Still hoping to make it back sooner rather than later!

D-Tech Flight Bag:  Originally $30, paid $5

Someday there will be a reason to dress up again.  I don't wear heels often and have maybe three pairs because they're just so uncomfortable.  (I typically wear flats for all occasions.)  These are actually very comfortable, don't dig into my achilles tendon and not a tall enough heel to make me nervous about walking in them. Here's hoping that this will be the year to finally wear these!

Clarks Heavenly Heart Dress Pump:  Originally $100, paid $7.50

Now that the country is starting to open up, I feel a little better about asking:  Any good thrifting finds?  Any good races coming up?  I have my first race back this coming Sunday and I am SO excited for it!

Why I ran a Virtual Marathon

Hi.  Remember me? Holly (Thrifty Runner) here!  So...2020 was crazy, right?  I wrote this awhile ago and because of job/depression/anxiety/impostor syndrome issues, it sat in my drafts folder...along with drafts for the fall races I got to run in 2019, 2019 Bird Camp and the ONE race I got to run in person in 2020.  So I'm publishing this now in the hope that it'll be the kick in the butt I need to start writing again and keep me hopeful that there's even a remote chance that racing can start again later this year.  

So without further ado, here's my recap of my second marathon ever...which was virtual because 2020.  Enjoy!

...

I never thought I would only run one race in 2020 and it would be one that I signed up for on a whim and never took super seriously.  It was just a training run.

Then Covid.

When Covid hit in March my entire race season was bumped to the fall and then cancelled, went virtual or given the option to defer to the next year's race.  I had a friend who was signed up to run a marathon in the fall and I was one of those people who said "why would you want to run a marathon virtually?  That sounds like a TERRIBLE idea. DEFER!"  

Then I thought about it.  And honestly, it didn't sound like the worst idea.

I needed routine.  

Like a lot of people, I lost my job due to covid.  Not only did I lose a paycheck, I lost a sense of routine.  I  cried when I had to pack up everything from my job, not knowing if I would ever need it again.  (I still don't, but I sincerely miss it.)   Having a run on my calendar and knowing I have to get it done to move on with my day doesn't sound like much, but it's something when you don't have much else on your schedule.

I needed something to work towards.

I was just running for the sake of movement.  I  didn't have any sort of training plan so I'd run 30 minutes one day, an hour another, if I was feeling extra anxious I'd go for a longer run.  After a point it felt weird not having anything prescribed and I started dreading getting in my runs and boot camp workouts.  (There are still some days I don't want to run, but having that end goal helps!)

I needed an event on the calendar to be excited about.

With having so much cancelled and so many scary things happening in the world, I needed something to genuinely be excited about.  

I needed to get out of the house.

The last time I ran outside just after all the shutdowns and race cancellations began was April 6th.  Until I  started training for the virtual marathon all my runs were inside on the treadmill because being outside and knowing the virus was out there too was terrifying since I'm considered to be borderline high risk.  So my husband started doing all of the grocery shopping and errands outside of the house and I stayed home.  I spent the entire summer indoors and didn't run outside again until August 23rd when I was officially in training.  I ran two half marathons on my treadmill.  Even though I picked really good movies to watch while running, it wasn't the same.  

I needed something to be proud of in a time of so much disappointment and sadness.

With so much going on, I wanted to have a story to be able to tell people later when we're able to get together again.  

It was the 45th year of the Marine Corps Marathon.

This race has a special place in my heart because it was my first 10k ever, and also my first marathon.  Since it was the 45th year, there was a special medal with sand from Iwo Jima inside of it.  That was enough to make me decide I had to get that medal.  

I found a training plan that would put me at running on the original MCM race day.

The training plan I used was by Lauren Fleshman and is 11 weeks long.  It was intense, but doable.  Just for good measure since I was actually 12 weeks out when I started, I gave myself a week to ramp up the mileage again and did a long run of 6 miles instead of 8.

Race day was super flexible--just run 26.2 anytime from September 27th to November 10th.  

How often is THAT an option?  If my original choice for race day doesn't have great weather, I'll bump it to another day.  The fitness will still be there!  

No waiting around for the race to start.

I can just go out my front door or drive to a course and run.  No waiting around.  No time to get cold on race morning!  

Cost!

When I ran the MCM in 2017, it cost $166 and it's gotten more expensive since then.  (It was $180 in 2019, and before going virtual it was $171.90.)  In 2020?  $49.34!  You will be hard pressed to find any in-person marathon for that much.  

So here's how it went...

I did my 20 mile run, and was starting to contemplate if I should just go ahead and do my marathon the following weekend.  I consulted a few running friends and a lot were encouraging to just go ahead and do it.  Everything was aligning to it being a fantastic weekend--chilly when I would start, but not get super hot that day.  I also had a Friday off from my new job, so throughout the week I slowly started getting ready and planning everything out.  

The Brooks race merch dropped the day before I had tentatively planned to run and I was so excited to get a hoodie, half zip and a finisher's shirt.  Later that day I got my shipping confirmation and it was all due to arrive the Monday after, so I had to run it now.  That same morning I  locked myself into picking up my packet with my shirt, medal and race mask (because 2020) the following weekend, so I had to do it ideally before getting my hands on the swag.

I decided to go to the NCR trail where I had run my 20 miler for my first marathon.  If I was going to have my redemption marathon, I wanted to do it in the same place where I had a terrible training run for my first marathon.  (My IT bands got angry super early on. I pushed through it and paid for it right up through race day.)  The trail is flat and would be beautiful with the leaves changing.  The trail is also somewhat known for a hill covered with garden gnomes.  I've never made it far enough to see it, and I at least wanted to make it far enough to finally see it.  

I loaded my hydration vest with gels, two water bottles and mixed some Nuun Endurance in one of my larger bladders.  I put a couple picky bars on top of my pack so I would eat one on my drive to the trail head, and have another for after I finished.  I also filled a small blender bottle with water and put a scoop of Nuun Recovery into a small container so I could mix it after finishing.  Before I left, the bottle went into a small cooler with an ice pack with a bigger bottle of water that I would leave plain.  

On race morning, I was feeling good and ready to go.  Even though I had decided to run my full marathon that day, I promised myself if I wasn't feeling good I could turn around at any time and try again later.  No pressure.  

And it felt magical.  I got to the trail a little after 7:15 and there were very few cars in the parking lot so I was feeling good that there wouldn't be a lot of people at least for awhile.  Once the sun was up, the views were stunning.

So as my watch ticked off the miles I was in shock.  I had trained to be able to run my marathon in 5:30, maybe 5:15 if I was doing well so I knew I had to keep between a 12:00 and 12:30 per mile pace.  That first mile was 12:08 so I  was like "perfect.  Gotta keep that up."  Then I  started hitting miles in the 11:00-11:30ish and started thinking "Oh no.  This feels good but I am SO going to bonk!"  And I  just kept going.  And going.  Boom.  Nailing my paces every time.  I made it to the fabled gnome hill and I  was NOT disappointed.

It was just as glorious at mile 11 as I had imagined it would be.  I even hit a 10:59 mile for mile 15!

The scenery was still gorgeous.

Then I hit mile 18 and I was ready to be done.  My IT bands started twinging,  so that didn't help at all.  My paces started getting more towards 12 minutes + because I was over it.  I  texted my husband and started counting down how much further I had to go.  He sent a few texts back encouraging me.  I knew I  had to finish it.  There was only one way back and it was right in front of me.  I took the time to enjoy my surroundings and remember I may not do this again, so I needed to embrace it.  My slowest mile was number 25 at 13:09.  

The second my watch said I hit 26.2 I  stopped my watch.  I wasn't in the same place where I started my watch, but I could at least see my car.  I walked over to a bench and started stretching and looked at my watch and I was in shock.  My watch said 5:08:54.  I not only hit my goal of breaking 5:30, I freaking obliterated it.  It felt amazing to text my husband that I finished, then immediately I texted some of my friends that I'm in a group text with and told them what I had done.  (I hadn't even told them I was going to attempt my marathon JUST in case it went sideways because 2020.)  

After some more texts and stretches, I walked back to my car feeling pretty good--definitely not like after my first marathon!  I opened the back door and pulled back the cargo area cover, sat down, pulled out my picky bar and mixed my Nuun recovery while eating.  It felt amazing to be done but I  knew I was on borrowed time.  I needed to get home, eat some more, keep rehydrating, shower and nap and I had an hour to do it, maybe two.  

So after drinking my Nuun, I headed home. I felt triumphant and was so happy to be home and tell my husband about my morning and show him my pictures.  And I was so ready for food, a shower and a long nap.  

After everything, would I do it again?  Shockingly, YES!  I'm a slow-ish runner who is not super likely to qualify for Boston and I'm not focused on that (at least at the moment.  Maybe someday though!)  The convenience of choosing when AND where to run the race was so totally worth it.  And with it being a Marine Corps race?  Even better.  

The next weekend when I drove out to Quantico to get my swag, it was SUPER easy (and if you're in the DMV you know that part of 95 is generally a nightmare.  I managed to luck out and it wasn't terrible!)  Once I got home, I ripped open the envelopes for the marathon and the 10k and was not disappointed.  (Okay I was a little salty that the 10k and the marathon distances got the same masks and both said 26.2 on them.  However in my case it was nice to get a backup in case anything happens to one of my masks!) The swag pack also include the tech fabric half zip (pretty similar to 2019's premium), a patch, a postcard with a note from Rick Nealis (the race director) and some Honey Stinger waffles!  

Would you ever run a virtual marathon?  Have you already?  Leave a comment below!

2019 Parks Half Marathon Recap!

This is another race that had been on my radar for a long time.  A lot of friends have raved about how much they love the race.  What was holding me back?  Keep in mind, I'm not a morning person so the 6:45 start time, and having to drive over an hour to the start was not very attractive.  But, in the interest of chasing a 2:15 half, I signed up anyways.

The day of packet pickup I had a raging headache.  The kind that you couldn’t do anything about.  I ended up trying to drink a lot of water and it helped some, but not a lot.  I sucked it up and drove out with my husband just in case I didn’t feel up for driving back.  It was super easy to find parking since there were volunteers directing people to spaces and I lucked out with one right in front of the shopping center.  While there I also picked up a few gels because I was running low and I wanted to try a new to me huma gel with electrolytes.  

That night my headache was still raging.  Woke up, it was still there.  I could've just gone back to bed but instead I got up, got ready and went to my race.  I drank most of my cherry limeade Nuun on the drive there, and finished it as I walked to the start.  I parked at the Metro station close to the start and started messing with my aftershokz headphones out of nervousness and felt a little snap.  I looked down and the blue portion of the earpiece was broken but the black part was still holding on.  Right before my race.  Dang it.  I could still hear out of the headphones, but they were super fragile and couldn't sit on my ear.  After eating my picky bar, and using the portajohns I made it a point to look for tape, a band aid, ANYTHING to at least temporarily fix it.  I knew the majority of the race was through a park so I needed music. Thankfully, I got my hands on a band aid and patched it up (at least temporarily.)  

Ready to go...I  think?  

My headache was still raging, but I didn't have much of a choice other than to ignore it and run this thing.  Soon it was time to line up.  The race was really organized in this respect because they had formal corrals with pace times and barriers held up by volunteers.  

Since the race starts on a downhill, it was really easy to go out way too fast even though I was in a further back corral.  When my watch beeped at the first mile mark and I saw 9:32 pop up and tried to pull back, but the second mile popped up at 9:52.  Then just at the 5k point, you turn a corner and come face to face with a hill for an out n back portion. That's where my pace really started to suffer and I dropped any hope of having a PR.  By mile 4 I remembered I needed to take a gel sooner rather than later so I took it at the next water stop.  That was just too late and it totally threw off my fueling strategy.

At mile 5 I was really just ready to be done.  I stopped to use the bathroom (which I rarely ever do mid-race), and had a hard time pushing myself to keep going.  I took my gel with caffeine and electrolytes and that helped get some energy back, but it could only do so much. I was unable to ignore my headache and tried so hard to focus on anything else, but at that point it just became a downward spiral.  Just past high five hill (where volunteers wear giant Mickey hands to high five runners up the hill) I got stuck behind two people running together through a heavily wooded portion of the route and since I do run/walk intervals I would get ahead of them, then they would get ahead of me, and I would pass them again and they'd pass me again.  I'd have to ask them to move out of the way so I could pass every. Single. Time.  The path was just way too narrow to run side by side like they were doing, especially since the path wasn't closed to non-race participants.  (So every once in awhile someone not racing would come running towards you.)  At one point I just let the ladies go on ahead and drifted off a small group of people who were pacing one another.  I focused on their conversation and it actually helped get me out of my funk for the most part.  

It's been a really long time since I was so thankful to just be done with a race.  But for this one, I was really happy to be done.  The course was pretty crowded and I was still in a crappy mood.  Once I crossed the finish, I got my medal and neck gaiter and got in line for food.  The spread was awesome!  There were breakfast foods, pizza and pasta.  I filled up a plate and managed to find a group of running friends I hadn't seen in awhile.  

Once we were done with our food we walked over to the metro stop (you essentially park at one metro stop, run towards a different one)  and hopped on a train to get back to our cars.  Before I headed home, I had to make a stop to get some duck donuts (there aren't many locations in Maryland, so I had to stop) and of course coffee (any excuse to get a pumpkin cold brew!) 

After getting home, showering and taking a nap I opened a beer and told my husband about the race and had a chance to reflect on everything that happened.  I always tell myself it's never a bad race unless there's something you don't learn from it.  As hard as it was, it wasn't bad.  This race convinced me that for one thing I needed to rethink my fueling strategy.  Drinking a pre-race Nuun, eating a picky bar 30 minutes out from gun time, then taking gels every 45 minutes wasn't enough.  I needed more calories and with some of the things I had on hand, I decided on a new strategy--fuel in liquid form with electrolytes, AND gels.  And just in case maybe have some chews on hand too.  My 2:15 half marathon is still elusive.  I may hit it someday, but as long as I learn a lot along the way it'll make the journey worth it to me.

Overall, I would consider doing this race again with some things in mind.  The time of year is not so great--the first half of September is still summer, still miserable.  They account for this with an early gun time of 6:45 am.  It took me an hour to get there, but I got there early enough that parking was a non-issue.  I'd also go into it knowing that the start is FAST and to hold back for later in the flatter portion of the course.  You get a lot for your registration fee--a shirt and bib at packet pickup then a medal and an extra premium when you cross the finish (in 2019 it was a tie dye buff) and the spread of food at the end was amazing. Getting back to your car post-race was also super easy since you just had to get on the metro for a couple of stops.  You get a lot for your entry fee so if you've been wanting to try it, I'd go for it at least once!  I don't know if I'll personally run it again, but I would still keep it under consideration.

Thrifty Thursday for May

I miss thrift shopping.  I've had dreams about going out thrifting again, but for now reminiscing on old finds will have to do.

Since I've found these I've worn them and they are awesome!  Just the right amount of compression and they're also lightweight.

Sweaty Betty x Modelfit Zero Gravity Capris:  Originally $135, paid $5

I'm super thankful I stocked up on warm, cozy clothing before quarantining.  It's been very cold so far for May (only a couple days have hit the 70s, and it's not forecasted to get very warm for the next week.)
Calia Effortless Cozy Cardigan:  Originally $50, paid $7

This jacket is so cute but made of fabric that's still a little too lightweight for right now.  It also feels a little weird getting windbreaker-type jackets when I'm not going outside much these days.

Athleta Wailea Bomber Jacket:  Originally $108, paid $10

This pullover is so comfortable!  Still fairly lightweight, but fleecy on the inside.  It's great to keep me warm before a workout and immediately afterwards.

Lululemon Kanto Catch Me 1/2 Zip:  Originally $98, paid $5

This is another find that I couldn't believe when I got my hands on it.  Once I saw it was in my size I  didn't let go and once I tried it on I knew I couldn't let this one get away, even if it's hand wash only.  

When I was looking through the sweaters this is what I saw first--this distinctive plaid pattern that is Burberry's signature.  I love that the sweater is not necessarily in your face about being designer, but if you recognize that plaid, you'll know it's Burberry.  I did a lot of research into how much this sweater cost originally and couldn't find any definite answers.  I found it as low as $200 (not super likely for merino wool made in Italy) and as high as $490 (more likely since a plain black merino wool sweater is $460. Any sort of decoration or designs in a sweater's knit will only increase the price.)

Burberry Snap Sweater with Nova Check:  Originally $490?  Paid $20

This is the part where I  usually ask about thrifting finds, but nobody's thrifting these days.  So what do you miss most while in quarantine and having everything shut down?  Leave a comment below to start the conversation!