What about the upper body?

In an August, I posted a thread on the Whisper Blog titled Rhythm Running, describing efforts to improve foot-strike and stacking of the forefoot, hips, and shoulders. The drill included runners running the first 100m corner stretch of the a track while within earshot of a speaker playing a metronome beat varying from 170 beats per minute, to nearly 200. The idea is to work on listening to the body’s rhythms, feeling postural stacking, and sustaining a mantra of simple, quiet cues.

“Work hard from the ground up, relax from the head down” is often said at practice and means letting the legs do the work, while the mind focuses on cues stoking efficiency and quietness.  These cues aim to suppress the mental and emotional (and physical) rigors of running by focusing on breathing, relaxing the body, and mechanical efficiency.

Drills or actions we perform to promote effective running posture includes:

• Drawing the shoulders away from the ears, while gently retracting the scapula (the two triangular bones in your upper back) toward the spine, rotates the shoulders back, lifting the chest, and expanding intercostal muscles and the diaphragm to allow optimal inhalation and expiration.

• I often ask runners to be as tall as they can while running. For example, if a runner is 5’2, I will ask that manipulate their body posture to run like they are 5’4”. How? By seeking height (traction) from the spine, from the sacrum to the top of the head. Doing so stacks the spine into proper curvature, and in tandem with scapula retraction, one has a nice posture to work from.

• In a perfect world, the chin is parallel with the ground, with the eyes gazing ahead.

• Venturing to the hands, I ask runners to pretend they are holding a potato chip that they cannot break, or a hollow egg they cannot crack. Palms facing one another with thumbs resting on the index finger, the hands should remain on the inside of the elbows throughout the entire swing while never crossing midline. Additionally, smaller angles at the elbow (75°-85°), with hands riding along the false (lower) ribs.

We spend a lot of time performing various activities where runners can learn more about their body, and their body’s proprioception. Activities include resistance training (click here to see our training page and here to access our resistance training plan), standard drills, hill drills, cross-training, mobility training, balancing on stability balls and Bosu Balls, and once every great while, juggling!

(The) Whisper Community

The idea of supporting families who may not have the financial means for their child(ren) to participate in something as simple as running arose soon after the formation of Whisper Running. With a board aligned, a nonprofit was formed in August 2020, and as good of an idea as it was, sustaining the momentum proved harder than anticipated.

Fast forward to the fall of 2025, Nicholas Marty, a long-time participant of Whisper Running, decided he didn’t have enough to do between working the land on his parents property, training for and running ultra marathons, and being a full-time student at Washington State University, that he wanted to take the lead and return Whisper Community to its original state, and so he took the reins. Nicholas worked tirelessly to help recruit members for the Board of Directors, file paperwork with the IRS to ensure good standing, and last month, our first 990N was successfully processed!

In the words of former board member in 2019(ish) Peter Rosenkranz, Whisper Community is “about the kids.” More specifically, Whisper Community is a Vancouver, Washington-based 501(c)3 non-profit aiming to provide equitable access to youth running participation for athletes in Southwest Washington by helping families overcome financial barriers that inhibit participation.

Access to youth sport participation at any level should not come with financial barriers - we’re talking about children seeking play, albeit in a more structured form. And so, with this in mind, and behind the leg work of Nicholas The Great, and the commitment of our board, Whisper Community is here!

In addition to supporting a child’s desire to be part of a team sport, Whisper Community is the proud new host of Lake to Bay Relay & Ultramarathon, as well as the Halloween Dash Bash Open 5k event.

Click on the tab below to learn more about our mission and events, or to make a donation today.

How Junior Olympics Works

Junior Olympics serve as a place where youth runners may extend their fall cross-country season along with other runners from around the region. As local middle and high school XC seasons conclude around the middle of October, club racing continues their sport into the latter fall months. Once November arrives, it’s Junior Olympic season!

Junior Olympic meets go in the following order:

• PNW Association meet at Magnuson Park in Seattle on November 14, which includes all club teams in western Washington. Any team affiliated runner may participate in Associations. To advance to Regionals on November 21, runners must place in the top-35 or be on a top-5 finishing team in their age and gender division.

• Region meet at the Pasco Sports Complex on November 21, which includes club teams from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. To race in this meet, runners must have finished in the top-30 in their age bracket at Associations, or been on a top-5 placing team in their age bracket at Associations.

• National meet at Moncus Park in Lafayette, Louisiana, on December 12, which includes teams from around the United States. To race in this meet, runners must have finished in the top-30 in their age bracket at Regionals, or been on a top-5 placing team in their age bracket at Regionals.

If your child would like to take part in the USATF Junior Olympic series, they will need to have a USATF membership.  To register with USATF (Whisper Team code #36-0310 - $40/year, click here. Upon registering, age verification is mandatory if your child would like to participate in USATF meets in November.  To verify your child’s age, select “Athlete Verifications” and upload a copy of their birth certificate or passport. Once USATF registered, their USATF membership will sync with their preferred teams ahtleitc.net roster, and the coach (Dave) will perform the actual registration into the meet(s).

COURSE WALKTHROUGH, TRAVEL, LODGING

On the Friday’s before JO meets, course walkthroughs will be provided. Coach Dave will communicate a time to meet so that your child can see the park, walk/jog on parts or all of the course, and visualize their race plan. It is completely understandable that meeting for Friday afternoon walkthroughs means kids will miss part of school, and parents will likely have to take time off from work. If you cannot make it to the walkthrough, join us for dinner, or stay overnight prior to a JO meet, it is okay. However, if your child is racing JO’s, it is expected that if the team qualifies for Regionals and/or Nationals, that your family will be committed to going all the way.

While the Calendar offers hotel suggestions, families may stay in hotels that better suit their lifestyle and needs.

Nationals - travel, length of stay, team fun

To best acclimate to the environment, it is encouraged to travel to Louisiana on Thursday, December 10, and return home on Sunday, December 13. We will have a course preview on Friday, December 11, along with a team dinner. Families who aim to travel to Louisiana on Friday and return home after the race on Saturday may certainly do so, but we (“We” as in Carly, Marsha, and Crystal) often plan team/family functions so the kids can make even greater memories. More to come on this topic!

Whisper has been fortunate to field teams and individuals at the national meet since 2017, and we hope your child can join us in our pursuit of another year of great competition in a positive and inspiring atmosphere - USATF Junior Olympics! See our Join the Team page for more information and to get started.

To see details about lodging, pre-race dinners, course maps, and general meet information, click on the meet dates located on the Calendar page. As meet information becomes available, the Calendar pages will be updated. As always, you can contact Coach Dave Caldwell with questions.

Thank you!

Rhythm Running

This past week, with the help of a metronome, we dipped into the archives to participate in a rhythm drill.  From a bystanders perspective, the exercise appears as a mechanized routine for cattle, but when combined with other drills, the dividends can be very rewarding.

The activity starts with a metronome. I use an app to sync with our speaker that is brought to the corner of the track so runners can hear it for longer durations, usually ~60 meters in distance. Runners begin their trot from the traditional starting line, then once within earshot of the metronome beats, they’ll aim to sync their stride by raising their landing foot at the sound of each tone.

When I first began using this drill, I had runners focus on the landing of the foot at the sound of the tone, but on one chilly evening during our Winter Training session, one of our coaches, Kyle Leif, a local Physical Therapist, suggested the kids raise their foot from the ground at the sound of the tone, rather than strike the ground. When asking him about this, he said the raising versus landing is to focus on lift, rather than an abrupt or unintentionally prolonged (and hard) stomp, which makes complete sense.

The goal of performing and mastering such drills is to improve mechanical efficiency so runners can run at greater intensities with lower heart rates for longer distances.  Drills that improve (by decreasing) vertical oscillation, stride length (by increasing), and stride frequency (by increasing), amongst other things, are continuously practiced, not to necessarily build machines, but to, again, improve efficiency, better self-control, and increase poise. 

Click here to watch a moment of the drill, where we performed this during the warm-up phase of practice. We began with 174 beats, and with every 120m stride, increased the metronome cadence by three beats, until we reached somewhere in the 190’s. The next goal is to take this drill and blend it in with intervals, tempos, or threshold training, where we can execute the drill for longer durations, well beyond 120 meters.

Admittedly, the metronome can only be tolerated for so long before it begins to drive you bonkers. However, the key to running well is to be consistently intentional with effective actions that become regular. Like penmanship, if it is taught and practiced well at the onset, then it continues being pretty for the rest of ones life. However, if ones penmanship looks like a physicians scribble, then as runners, we have a lot of work do to. Another part of the equation, unlike penmanship however, is that there is a genetic predisposition to how a child runs - their patterns will mimic how their parents run or ran, for better or worse.

Keeping the focus on the lower body, two drills you can take on the road, minus the metronome, are the following:

• Sidewalk Training: it’s not difficult to find long stretches of sidewalk, where you can find a rhythm that balances the cracks in the sidewalks (aka, expansion joints) and your gate. When your left toe lands at the next crack (expansion joint) in the sidewalk, count the number of strides before it lands in the next crack. Then, aim to stay in the rhythm of X-number of strides per X-number of sidewalk cracks. If you find that you are 1-2 inches behind the expansion joint on your fourth stride, aim to increase the “push” from your big toe on each stride to increase stride length by a single centimeter (or two). It is important, that while executing this drill, the focus be on pushing off the toe rather than reaching on each stride. Reaching can lead to heal striking, which is a force sending energy into the opposite direction of where we aim to go.

• Find a good runner, one who runs slightly faster than you on a typical run, and run to their cadence. Running off their shoulder or just behind them, aim to sync the landing phase of your stride with theirs, so each time their left foot strikes the ground, your left foot strikes the ground. If you find yourself getting progressively closer to them, then your stride is slightly longer than theirs. If you fall further behind, then your stride is slightly shorter, in which case you’ll need to push off slightly more with each step to lengthen your stride, being sure to push horizontally, rather than vertically. When this drill was brought to the attention of one of our runners last week, she fell off pace (behind) quickly. This is the same runner whose stride frequency is higher than average, but her stride length is very short. This drill helped her internalize and feel what we’ve been discussing for so long.

One morning while on a run with Micah, I asked him what drills he performs when focusing on rhythm. Funny enough, immediately he said his hands. When I thought back to who his coaches throughout his career, I couldn’t help but remember Bob Williams, the Clark College XC/TF coach in the mid 2010’s. Bob was sharp as a tack, always studying and learning about gate, energy systems, drills, etc., even at his ripe young age (mid-60s’s???). Coach Bob taught running from the top down, while I teach running from the ground up. Both can be effective, but it is interesting how two philosophies can be used in an effort to attain similar results.

The Flush

List five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This is a common grounding technique used to shift focus from tension or anxiety, to simple, tangible thoughts to reduce tension or anxiety, regulating the mind and body. This exercise takes approximately 20-60 seconds, which is the perfect amount of time between hard repetitive tasks, like running repeats or intervals of any distance.

Another technique includes the turning of a ring (on a finger), where each turn of the ring implies a fresh start to a new task. This is a great method of cueing a relaxation response, and it’s even more useful if one has a familiar breathing technique (i.e., box breathing) or a history with Progressive Relaxation Training (PRT).

Professional golfers use the “Six Seconds” rule, where the golfer executes a swing, observes the response of the ball, then processes the play to know whether and how to make adjustments on future like swings.

Baseball players. When a hitter gets an out, they have between the batters box to the dugout to process the at-bat, which includes the pitch sequence, pitcher cues, or whatever baseball players thing about during that time to process the at-bat. Once they reach the dugout, there may be some discussion with the hitting coach or another player, but the batter typically spends their energy on the next task, whatever that may be.

Earlier this week, I shared a Flushing technique with a runner that I had the pleasure of running intervals with. She’s fairly new to the program - less than a year - and I know this technique had never been discussed with her, so its introduction brought about a fresh take on a new activity. It’s called, Flush.

Interval after interval, we zipped around the track hitting goal pace after goal pace, in an effort to bring confidence and rhythm for her next big race. After the fourth 400m, she looked at me with “Are you sure we only have 20-seconds left in the recovery interval?” eyes, to which I said, “Flush the toilet.”

Looking puzzled, I explained, “After using the restroom, what do you do? You flush the toilet, right? And that flush brings fresh water!”

Rather than marinate in dirty toilet water, the Flush method is one where you’ll tap your waistband with your thumb, similar to flushing a toilet with your thumb, ridding unproductive thoughts, and bringing focus to the next interval. It’s a similar concept to the turning of the ring, but with the flush comes a bit more time, where you can imagine unproductive thoughts being washed away, and productive thoughts seeping into ones pores, followed by actions of relaxing the shoulders, a couple of hops, wiggling the hands, or any other method of reminding the nervous system the purpose of the process.

Unproductive thoughts can range from feelings of fatigue, to taking the next interval off. But when you’re in the heat of the battle, similar to lap three of a mile race, or the final corner of an open 400m, taking an interval off is not in the cards, so we have to make hard decisions to move forward. Once the decision to continue is solidified, we toe the line and go - three quick steps and we’re off on the fifth interval. Fresh steps, fresh pace, back in rhythm.

Repeat as needed. Hopefully not too many more intervals.  One only has so many flushes.

That brings me to: some toilets get clogged. There’s a time for prolonging the rest between intervals or taking an interval entirely off. Then there’s a time for knowing when to press forward. Considerations include:

• Ensuring the workout is age, event, and intensity appropriate.

• The time of year or season.

• Managing the psychological ramifications of incomplete workouts, while avoiding Perfectionism. It is okay to not run all the intervals, but shorter workouts like 6x400 is doable, so long as the intensity is right. Missing one interval of a 15x400m workout is one thing, but missing one of six is less than desired. You have to know when to know when.

The next day at practice, the distance group had a workout of [(Grade Level x .5) x 1k]. Prior to the fourth interval, I instructed the group to flush their toilet. Some looked puzzled, but after a very brief description and rationale of the Flush, for the most part, the kids understood the intent. However, the Flush will certainly be a topic of discussion next week, along with Breathing Control and Progressive Relaxation Training - the tools to guide autoregulation.

The sole of a runner, by Micah Goff

I first started running in middle school, long before there were things called “super shoes” or “super spikes”. The shoes I ran in were whatever my mom could afford at the time, and they were fine by my standards. It wasn’t until my junior year in high school that I got my first pair of running shoes that really stuck with me, the Nike Pegasus 32. From that point on, I became more aware of all the different types of shoes that were at my disposal as an athlete. Shoes that all had different purposes, but shared the same goal, giving the runner an enjoyable experience during their training. This unlocked a new way for me to get excited about running outside of just gaining fitness, which I feel like has been important to have during some rougher periods of my running career. I could lace up a different shoe to have a different experience for all my runs, keeping the sometimes monotonous training a bit more exciting.

With all the new shoes coming out nowadays, there are so many great ways to enhance your own training, but also a lot more opinions about which shoes are the best. The opinion I’ve always held when it comes to picking out the best running shoe for yourself, is making sure it meets one criteria; is it comfortable ? A shoe shouldn’t need to be broken in overtime, it should fit well out of the box. If you have to get blisters, and then calluses, to wear the shoe, then they’re probably not the right shoe.

So next time you are getting a new pair of running shoes, take some time, try new models out, and see what the world has to offer. It may just change your experience with running the same way it for me.

Bottoms Up!

After a long Sunday run, I realized the warm days of summer are upon us, and with that comes the importance of hydration.

During cooler months, which in the Pacific Northwest run October through April, I reinforce to the team the value of healthy eating. Aside from optimizing performance and aiding in recovery, an additional role food plays is in warming our bodies from the inside, as one of the biproducts of digestion is heat. Couple that with dressing in layers, and the kids are primed to run and play outside.

On the flipside, May through September is the season of supporting optimal eating with appropriate cooling through consuming the right foods and plenty of water, and what better foods than the following?

• Watermelon, watermelon, and watermelon.

• Other fruits: Strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruits, peaches, pineapple, blueberries, and any delicious apple option you can find.

• Vegetables: Cucumbers, carrots, celery, zucchini, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach.

There are plenty more, and a quick trip around the handy WebMd site will even tell you the micronutrients found within many of these delicious options!

The first time I truly felt any sense of nutrient deficiency was during one of a handful of Hood to Coast experiences in the early 2000’s.  After slugging through my final leg in 2009, which I believe was leg number 35, I found enough energy to b-line it to the team van where only bliss awaited me - a bowel of fruit and a bag of mixed nuts.  As my vision narrowed, nothing else mattered, I was locked in.  Door, open, food, mouth.  Within minutes, I could feel the cells of my body recalibrating to normalcy. 

Mike, myself, and my bride, when we were young.

Boston 2012 had a similar experience.  The heat was brutal – one of the top-10 hottest Boston Marathons in it’s 130 years.  As dialed-in as my nutrition and hydration were, nothing could have prepared runners for the 89° temps that reflected off the windows of the buildings, scorching us like ants under a magnifying glass.

Fast forward through many similar experiences with the heat, and we come to Sunday, May 3, 2026.  Four miles into a Sunday run and I made the decision to peal away early from my running partner, Micah, opting for the shorter 9-mile route.  Having gone under the knife just eight months prior and still finding my way back, a 9-mile run is my current ceiling, and until I feel more confident with my Achilles and fitness, anything longer would have only degraded the run further.  Returning back to the trailhead, the water fountain was a glorious sight.  Even better was that it worked – nice job, City of Camas.

While Sunday wasn’t nearly as bad as past experiences, it certainly serves as a reminder that bodily cells need nutrients, and proper fueling matters - not in the form of energy drinks or crappy foods, but in the form of whole foods, water, and responsible eating.

Upon my quest to support this post, I was reminded of the time Kristen Myklebust spoke with our team about fueling for optimal performance in 2022. We’ve been fortunate to have some outstanding presenters speak on the not-so-easy-and-sometimes-confusing topic of nutrition during our annual health seminars during Winter Training, and a handful of their presentations can be found on the Whisper Sports Physicals page.

Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!

Image from centralmourology.com.

So what’s the current recommendation for water intake? The general rule of thumb is 2-4 liters per person per day, but as you might have guessed, it depends on a number of factors, like water intake from other foods (i.e., the good stuff mentioned above), body size, activity levels, medications, among other things. To know whether you’ve consumed an adequate amount, the ole’ eyeball test should work! See the handy urine color chart at right.

Additional benefits of adequate water consumption includes lubricating joints, regulating body temperature (the point of this post), increases mental (and cognitive) acuity, increases muscle and tendon ranges of motion, and more.

Finally, before venturing out for a run, consuming a glass of water prior is a great way to set yourself up for success. Not necessarily chugging it all at once, but casually, like while you’re getting dressed, tying your shoes, and setting your watch. Of course, one should come to practice well-hydrated, but that’s not always the case, so consuming water during runs or workouts should come in small doses, just enough to get your mouth wet, and no large gulps.

For more information on water intake, check out How Much Water Should You Drink on the Harvard.edu website.

Making friends and building a team

We can count on one hand our bestest of best friends we’ve had since childhood to now.  They’re likely, hopefully, on your phone, a mere text or call away.  The friends who have seen you at your best, your worst, your silliest.  The ones who have seen you dance, sing, cry, and laugh.  They’ve joined you on trips, adventures, they’ve been there through relationships, for better and for worse.

This is what we’re cultivating at Whisper - friendships and lasting memories.  Yes, we endure the trench work, but the chatter before, during, and after practice is like listening to the sounds of crickets, frogs, and nature at play as an evening winds down - it’s therapeutic.  The sounds soothe the soul, making time pause, even if it's just for a moment.

Alongside Kyle on my morning run, we talked about program culture as it relates to the chemistry of our team. As we discussed while slugging out 6ish miles, traditional team sports are inherently cohesive, as they share the same ball, run designed plays that depend on teammates being in the right place at the right time, etc.  Meanwhile, running is a bit different.  When training, cohesion comes in the form of unspoken mutual respect, admiration for a teammate who is performing the same work beside them, or as in the case at Whisper, a periodic hi-5 from a teammate.

Moments of vulnerability also stoke team cohesion, whether is training in a new pack, trying a new event, leading drills, leading packs, or being an example (for better or worse) in front of peers. No kid wants to fail, but it’s understood that failure at Whisper is okay, and in turn, kids try harder.  The long-term goal of working through vulnerability is that it enhances team cohesion (in a roundabout way), which will hopefully transfer to the classroom or workforce down the road. 

As I’ve been saying for the last few months, Whisper is in the midst of a youth movement, with ~100 kids in the winter program, half being of elementary age.  Meanwhile, we’ve taken on some olds in the form of parents to help guide the future of our program.  If you’ve been at practice, you’ve seen these parents running alongside the groups, helping corral the kids and work through the rigor.  The coaches, listed below, understand the priorities: 1) help develop good humans, 2) build great athletes, and 3) help runners reach their highest potential.

• Coach Stuart is a Registered Nurse, with the Mechanical Circulatory Support and Shock team at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.  

• Coach Sam is an Account Director at OpenAI.  

• Coach Jesse is an Instructor of Psychology at Washington State University, in addition to leading Workforce Development and Training Admin for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.  

• Coach Hillary owns the Goddard School

• Coach Kyle and Coach Sarah are Physical Therapists.

• Coach Micah is a Global Sales Operator Representative for Teledyne, ran collegiately, is still a high-performing runner, has coached at the high school level, and is wise beyond his years in the world of running.  

• And if you’ve been here long enough, then you are well aware of the Great Nicholas Marty, a legend of sorts, who has amassed a nice running career, is currently attending WSUV studying Finance (and other stuff), and is also spearheading our non-profit branch, Whisper Community.  

From Bring Your Own Spoon/Mug nights, to gift drives, and simple knuckles and hi-5’s, efforts are made to make kids feel welcomed at Whisper.  A post, “i need a friend” was published in 2019 on this very topic - companionship, and ultimately, team cohesion.  As stated in the 2019 post, If your child needs a friend, it is our goal to help them grow a friend, organically.  Please feel free to let the coaches know how things are progressing with your child’s emotional growth in the area of friendship, specifically their happiness and their desire for companionship.

Seminar: The Comprehensive Runner held on 2/7/2026

To the presenters, thank you for your time and devotion aimed at enhancing athletes journeys and ambitious through your teachings.

The Sports Medicine-based topics and presentations from the seminar are below.

Topics & Presenters:

Stress In Sport by Maddie Gregory

Hormones & Performance by Ally Bray

Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome by Brenna Ori

Nutrition & Iron by Amy Colagiovanni

Sleep & Athletes by Gen Eng-Surowiec

On deck - 8th graders

Some of my fondest moments during spring track come from working with eighth-grade runners, especially at meets, as we talk through race strategies for the event ahead. Knowing our time is short - just a few months before these same kids transition into fall cross country as freshmen, and possibly never wear a Whisper singlet on the track again - I try to slow the clock and fully appreciate the sport of track and the relationship we have built during their time with Whisper.

A few years ago, it was Justin, Huckleberry, Harrison, Payten, Cohen, Tanner, Eva, and Maya.  A couple of years ago, it was Conner, Cooper, Emerson, Elsa, and Charlie. Last year it was Seamus, Tristan, Mason, Karter, Emma, and Sierra. And while we’re at it, a tip of the cap to some legends of the past: Bethany, Charlie, Cordova, Daphne, Evelyn, Amato, Jacob, Logan, and my favorite, Grayson. The group that started it all? The 2017 team that went all the way to Tallahassee, led by Kira, a Bowerman transfer who was laser focused and steadfast in her leadership and pursuit.

Yes, there are several unmentioned, like the Whisper OG’s, Ethan, Amara, Serena, Kiley, Paige, Micah, Abby, Flolo, Ashley, Emily, Candi, and Callie.

This blabber began after reviewing the 2025 wrap video, where a handful of seventh-to-eighth graders grew before our eyes - like in under three minutes. I know the pain and joy that comes with children growing, graduating, and flying the coop.  The memories of their growth, the deepened voices, the gangly limbs, the awkward smiles, etc., are times I will assuredly cherish.

To the seasons and families of the past, you are fondly remembered and thought of often. For the 2026 track & field and cross-country seasons that await, and the families involved, welcome to the team! The ride ahead will be filled with ebbs and flows in development and participation, but assuredly, the memories will last a lifetime, and I am honored to play a small part.

And the boys in the image ahead.  Sam (left) and Finley (right) are the current gangly fellows on deck.  They are now the fast kids who will lead the ship, and provide a vision for their younger teammates to emulate, and one day, be just as fast as them.  Just yesterday, they were in awe of Tristan and Mason, and now they find themselves on this pedestal. 

Be patient, Sir Lucas (center), your time is next.