How much is too much $ for races, spin playlists and dumbbells.

I can actually say that waking up this morning physically hurt to get out of bed for my early spin class.  The best part about being an aerobics instructor is that you have a ton of motivation (um, your job is on the line) to get up, be positive and get a killer workout.

1.  You Make Me Feel….. by Cobra Starship

2.  I Can Transform Ya by Chris Brown

3.  Love You Like A Love Song by Selena Gomez

4.  Beat It by Fall Out Boy

5.  Let’s Get Crazy by Pitbull

6. Coming Home by P. Diddy

7. Sail by Awolnation

8. The One That Got Away by Katy Perry

9. We Found Love by Rihanna

10.  300 Violin Orchestra by Jorge Quintero (I just had to play this one again this week)

11. Wild Ones by Flo Rida…LOVING this one.

12. More by Usher

13.  What Doesn’t Kill you by Kelly Clarkson

14. Alejandro by Lady Gaga

I am really loving the fact that after I teach spin I have about 25 minutes to hit up the weight room.  In case you can’t tell those are sets of 50 lb, 40 lb and 30 lb dumbbells;)  Okay, they are really 12, 10 and 8.

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You can only get into the weight room through the women’s locker room….girls only.  I kind of love that.  The Gold’s gym that I go to is only $10 a month and so it is always packed to the brim and you can’t have more than 1 square foot in the weight room.   It feels like a whole new world to have my own bench, mirror and floor area to do whatever the heck I want.

I also love that they have posters all around the room next to the different equipment with ideas of what to do for people like me that are beginners with this whole lifting outside of a body pump class or without a Jillian DVD.

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Since I am obviously enjoying talking about money today can we talk about how when I was looking up the NYCM to apply I saw that they raised their prices from $196 to $255 this year (US residents who are not members of the New York Road Runners) and for international applicants they will pay $347 if they are accepted.  For a marathon?!?!  Yeah, it was my favorite race that I have ever done but is it worth not paying my rent next month to sign up?  I answer yes, I don’t want to know what Billy’s answer is.

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If you are a gym member and you feel comfortable sharing, how much is your gym pass a month? Do you have a women’s only section in your gym?

-I think Utah is just out of control cheap and only 10 bucks….I know the Gold’s in Cali that I go to in the summer is at least 4 x that much.

Favorite part of your body to work on when lifting?

-My shoulders…I love that burn and I think toned shoulders look amazing!

Where do you draw the line when it comes to paying for a marathon or half-marathon?

What day of the week do you have to wake up the earliest or do you wake up at the same time every day?

Tuesdays.

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121 comments

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I used to pay $85 a month for Boston Sports Club, which was pretty cheap for Boston (and it included access to their gyms with indoor pools!). Ever since I became a PhD student I pay NOTHING :-) I love being able to use the amazing, new fitness center at UVa!

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AHHH That is so so awesome that it is FREE!!! That saves so much money a year!

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I am so jealous! I miss the AFC on grounds so much – wah00wa! I am trying to get back to cville for post-grad studies one of these days… le sigh.

Janae- first time commenter here, long time stalker. I literally LOVE your blog and your energy. thank you for being daily inspiration to so many.

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YAY for talk about Charlottesville– I live in Cville! I go to ACAC though. Claire, do you run? Wanna go for a run sometime??

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Lindsay!! Thank you so much! You really made my day!

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I’ve never heard that it’s $10 all the time here now?! Did you just sign up on a super good promo or something? Back when I paid for one it was more than that…You should come to the AF one with me…it’s WAY less crowded all the time.

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It is only for the 9th east golds gym!! I would but that is a drive!! PS is dinner next thursday night okay with you…Cafe Rio?

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Oh that’s cool that they do that deal…But you can still go to all the other gyms right? We should meet up at the Univ. Prkwy one again sometime…I work super close to that one, so it’s not much difference. Hah, I hardly ever use the gym right now anyways! YES to dinner!

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My 24Hour membership is $31 a month, so it’s not terrible since I can go to any 24hour in the country. It can get pretty busy though, especially during peak hours.

I sometime struggle with how expensive races are getting! Triathlon have always been a lot of money, but I could somewhat justify it because there is essentially 3 courses to monitor and time. With running courses, I get irritated when the registration is over $100…sigh. And it’s becoming more common too :(

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That is a crazy good deal if you can use them anytime and anywhere! Tri’s are out of control!!!

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$10?!?! I about fell out of my chair when I read that considering a normal membership at your run-of-the-mill gym in NYC is $80-$100. Can I move to Utah?

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AHHHHHH that is out of control!?!?! YES PLEASE….plus you don’t even have to sign a contract! It is just for one gym but still…it is a crazy good deal!

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Wow, that’s a pretty hefty race fee… I think that’s a lot, especially when you add in other expenses like travel, food, etc.

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We are in texas…land of $$ apparently. We pay $169.00 a month for just my husband and I at Lifetime Fitness…it is a beautiful gym but…UGH! And the worst part is that I am an instructor and between teaching at the Y and running outside …I do not really ever even go to lifetime. I miss my 9th east Gold’s Gym days…LOVED Laura’s step classes :) now they charge me $10 a day when I come to visit..boo.

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My husband and I go to Lifetime too! I think we pay about $140/mo, but it’s so worth it compared to the other gyms I’ve toured around the area. I love being able to do anything I want without fighting for a place or eyeballing something to come availible, and the Eucalyptus sauna feels so good.

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My gym is $50 a month and it’s just okay, I actually may drop the membership and buy weights for my house. There is no women’s only section and the gym is always crowded with younger guys that are usually rude. I only go at times now where there aren’t classes being held so that I can stake out an area in the rooms they use for classes.

$255 is a lot to pay for a race, especially in NYC because everything else is so expensive there too. But quite honestly, I would pay it because I love racing and I feel like those experiences and memories are unforgettable.

Love nice sculpted shoulders!

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I have a Golds membership here in DC. It is $45. I have been using the gym at the Army base though since they have a large pool and that is free.

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That is one expensive race! I just signed up for a half and was SUPER excited that it was $50, that’s pretty cheap around here. I don’t have a gym membership, I just run outside or do a workout DVD. In Seattle you can usually run outside year round as long as you don’t mind the rain. I have to wake up early on Tuesdays too!

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Registration for the Chicago Marathon opens up tomorrow (Feb 1) at noon CST! It’s “only” $150 to register. Are you in!?!?!?

$150ish is pretty much where I draw the line on half-marathons or full-marathons. (This is only for the Chicago Marathon and for the Disney races, by the way. For any other race, my price limit would be even lower than that – probably about $120!)

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My health club membership is only $25, which is a good rate in town (military discount). “Thee” place to be be in town is $50 for a single membership, but doesn’t include child care – so it would have been outrageous for me to add that on every time I went.

I love the shoulders too! Oddly as a runner, I hate to do legs…

It really depends on the race for me. For big races in big cities where you get a lot of extras, I’ll pay up to $100… not sure I’d ever pay that for NYC. But for small-medium size towns, $40-50 for a half.

I have kids who get up at the same time. every. freakin. day… that’s my alarm clock. :)

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Free through my university, but I pay $65 for unlimited group fitness classes all semester. I’m definitely gonna be sad when I graduate and have to start paying for a gym this summer.

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I pay $50 at Washington Sports Club in DC but get a huge discount thanks to my employer. Normally I think its about $90. But I can go to many locations and have access to a pool and tons of classes so I think its worth it.

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My gym in New Zealand costs $70 a month when you convert it to US money. That’s with my hubby’s discount I get for him working in the film industry. Most people pay twice that a month for the same gym. I was going to Xcel in Utah, but I can’t remember how much I paid.

I love working my shoulders too. Definitely a sexy body part. Back muscles are a close second though.

I don’t think I could pay that much for a race. That’s crazy expensive! Especially when you factor in flights, hotels, and food.

I get up at a different time every day. Wednesday and Friday’s are my earliest though. 5:10 wake up call.

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I go to Golds in NY (not the city, not even NEAR the city) and I’m still on my parents family plan so I pay 19 since I’m the 3rd member. I haven’t bothered changing my address in fear that they’ll hike my rate. Who care’s if I’m married, lol.

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Must just be your Gold’s that is that cheap. I go to the one in Bountiful (Ut) and it’s about 40 a month.

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I think so too! There is no pool or classes so it is a lot different than most gold’s gyms!

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I pay $24 a month at my gym but it is a dive and I don’t have childcare. It is the only place with a pool that is close to me. Crazy that I live in a city with a pool on every corner but I no place to swim( unless I pay $65 a month to swim Masters) Our city needs help.
I hate how expensive races are becoming. It makes me sad because if they keep jumping up like this I won’t ever get to race. Boo

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I pay $69/month for my Gold’s Gym membership and $128/month for unlimited classes at my hot yoga studio. I don’t really mind paying for the yoga studio because I go to at least 3-4 classes a week so I get my money’s worth. I hate paying for the gym though. I use it only about once a week (or less) for spin or gravity classes. I’m thinking of cancelling.

I’ll pay a lot for a full or half marathon, but don’t like paying for races shorter than that. Signing up for longer races forces me to train and stay in shape so it’s worth the money.

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I would have no limit for some races. I put my name in the NYC lottery and I had no idea how much it was. The other race, I will never qualify for, but may run for charity, is Boston. It is my hometown, I have volunteered for the race many years. I would pay whatever it cost.

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I would not spend over $200 for a race, unless I knew I had a chance to win it. I am ok with spending $50-$80 for a race with a nice goodie bag and tech shirt. My July marathon in UT was, like $75 to sign up for and a local marathon in May that I may sign up for is $50.

I have a cheapie 24hr gym that I go to that is $10/month with a 3 year contract. I did a 2 year contract & it’s $16 a month. Our local Golds (now Axiom) is like $40/month.

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I used to belong to a gym and it was $24/month. I could go to any 24Hour Fitness too…and there was one just one block away from my downtown apartment. It wasn’t the greatest gym, but the convenience factor was awesome.

NYCM is outrageously expensive. Uh, that said…I’ve already entered! :) I don’t know that I would run it repeatedly at that price, but I really want to do it once and since I qualified, I am going for it!

Generally, I try to keep my race entries to under $100. I don’t like paying more than that, so I enter early.

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I cancelled my gym membership a few months ag0- but the month to month plan was $32 and I could use any 24 hour fitness. We bought the 2 year membership from Costco for the husband and that equals out to $12.50/month and that’s also for any 24 hr fitness. Ours gets really crowded, too.
I just paid $150 for the Disneyland Half and that seemed crazy. I guess I’m gonna have to change my perspective… cuz I really want to do the NYCM someday. Paying for the superior quality and the experience, right?

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We moved to a small town Northern Cali over the summer and the gym membership is kind of pricey. It isn’t the best gym I have ever been to, but it is the only one in town. I pay 45 a month, my equipment at home is nicer. I love the spin classes though so I will pay. We do not have a women’s only area, but one is being built/made. So I have been told.

I have been looking at races and was surprised at the cost of some of them. AND you have to pay extra for shirts, so not cool!

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Gym membership is $20/month here in CT. I have yet to register for a 1/2 marathon so can’t comment on the fee, but I’d say around $50 is pretty reasonable, as long as it includes some food! Favorite body part to train is legs cause I can kill it when it’s leg days. I like making the guys at the gym look bad… is that horrible to say? I wake up when my kids wake me up!

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You are so lucky its that cheap, when we lived in Vegas it was like $16 a monh and so huge and nice, I was spoiled. Now it’s $55 per month for the mediocre community center. Blech. AND yes the NYC marathon is too expensive! But I still went in the lottery! :-). Once, I just have to do it once. But it’s annoying how long it takes to do the lottery because of I knew I wouldn’t get in Id probably sign up for Chicago. And I like to just kind of not tell my husband how expensive it is…! :-)

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Yowza that’s a lot of dough for a marathon, but we all have our priorities. I would probably not pay that much, but then again I don’t have a desire to run a marathon. I would pay up to $100 for a half marathon; I’ve never priced one, so I could be shooting myself in the foot before I even begin.

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In Chicago I paid $65/month to go to Cheetah gym — which I loved. That’s city life for you. It was a beautiful facility though and very chic, if you can imagine. There were exposed brick walls and lots of live plants and cool decor. It was not your standard gym.

24 hour fitness only charges $20 or less/month and those are EVERYWHERE in CA.

My home gym is FREE though and it’s the one I like best. :)

Races are out of control these days. When I look at smaller races I get so excited because their marathons are under $100 when RNR charges that much for a HALF!! It’s pretty absurd – yet I still pay it.

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Ok people are making me so jealous with your awesome inexpensive gyms.. I pay $60/month for the crappy gym I go to. The gym itself isn’t too bad, but they only have about 5 treadmills (one of which is ALWAYS broken..), 30 minute limits on them and it’s so busy that there’s always someone waiting to boot you off at 30 mins. Brutal. Oh- and it closes at 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

I’m considering just buying a treadmill to keep at home- it would pay for itself in less than a year!

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My gym is $19.99 a month – I like it but it’s super no frills – no classes (I miss spin) and no pool. The 24 hr. fitness that looks awesome is close to $70 a month. I just can’t afford it. I’d like to someday, because I would love to do a try someday and for that I need to spring for the gym with the pool.

I will pay that insane price for the NYC marathon if I get into it because it’s my dream marathon. I don’t run that many race a year so if it’s one I really want to do, I’ll suck it up and pay the asking price.

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Only $20 per month (1 year contract) at Club Fitness in St. Louis/Illinois. Can’t complain.

My earliest day(s) are Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 4:30am. Gross. I used to have to get up at 3:30am to hit up the gym and run…but then I moved to an apartment that’s only 5 minutes from work. Thank goodness! Getting up at 3:30 IS as insane as it sounds :) Now, 6:30am is “sleeping in”.

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DUDE that is CRAZY CHEAP. I pay $29/fortnight, so around $60/month. That’s discounted though.. I used to work at the gym, so they gave me a better deal.

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Oh gosh I had the same thoughts as you when I saw the NYCM price. $255?! For real? I’m still debating on whether or not to sign up. I think you should do it if you loved it

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I hate to give myself rules with entry fees. Everyone has their thing that is personally worth it to them to spend money on: tickets to sporting events, optimal flight times, a daily latte, weekly bottle of wine, spa services, cleaning lady, going to expensive restaurants, ………..I guess if anyone was making a financial bad decision I wouldn’t encourage that, but if it was just “can i justify this”……I say enjoy the runner’s version of a latte factor.

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Wow that is super cheap. I go to Steiner in salt lake city, I love the spin classes and the pools. But I pay $46 a month but there isn’t any contracts so its perfect for the busy months when I an outside running etc. I just dont go or pay. Although if I wanted to pay for a year, I can do it for like $250 total. So I think I might go that route.

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Oh my goodness that is expensive!! I signed up for the 5K in Little Rock this March and it was only $30.

That is awesome that you get to utilize the weights. :)

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Our gym is normally $27/mo, but if we go 30 times in 3 months it gets knocked down to $17/mo! Definitely keeps me and hubs motivated to go.

I like to work my abs and my butt the best. I always feel good about it when I can barely get out of bed the next morning :)

The most I’ve paid for a half is $55 and for a marathon $100 (but that sucked because I had to drop out and didn’t even get a shirt… boo). If it was something that I really wanted to do, I don’t think I would let money stop me!

I wake up at 7:15 every day. Actually my alarm goes off at 7:15… I don’t get up until 7:45 on most days ;)

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I guess the demand to run the NYC marathon is going up… I would think they would just make it harder to qualify instead, but it sounds like they’d rather have extra money. That’s an absurd price, though.

We do not have a women’s section in my college campus gym. You get a lot of odd looks from guys when you venture into the weights section, too, which always makes me uncomfortable. Ladies can lift the weights too, dudes!

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I love working my shoulders and chest muscles :)

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I have a friend who found a local gym in her ~out in the country~ area. I don’t think it’s expensive at all (think…YMCA only not corporate) but she recently went and they had no water so they were closed. They had forgotten to pay the bill. The next day she went and they had no electricity…see a pattern? haha. I’m feelin’ for her.

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My gym membership is only $21 a month. It is open 24/7 and includes classes, an all girls section and I’m allowed to bring a guest for free as many times as I want. I can even bring the same guest over and over. They also have a $10 a month option which is without the classes/guest option.

I don’t think I could put a limit on a race fee, especially if it’s a race I really want to run & have heard great things about.

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That is an insane fee for a race! Yikes.

When I went to the gym, my fee was $32 a month, but you could pay the full year in advance for like $25 a month.

I’ve been getting up at 6 to run recently. Otherwise, i’d get up at 6:45 to get to work.

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Mondays and Tuesdays are usually my earliest days, because I work at a high school and they start at 7:15. :)

As far as how much money I would pay for a race, I can’t really say for sure … but probably not much more than $100. I paid about that (after taxes) for the Nashville Rock and Roll Half, and it hurt a little to give up that much $$!

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I was shocked when I saw the price of NYC this year too! I ran it several years ago and wanted to go back this year, but at $255 plus airfare and hotel I just cannot squeeze it out of my race budget. Crazy expensive.

I am running Big Sur this spring – HIGHLY recommend this race.. you have to run it at some point! – and will probably find a different fall option. Good luck with your race decision!

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I go to Gainesville Health and Fitness Center here in Florida (which is a local gym, but it’s gotten some attention nationally for how wonderful it is, ahhh I love you gym!) and I pay $52 a month, but if I was staying for longer it would go down a lot. I could cry when I think of having to move and leave my gym.

I love working on my triceps. No jiggly arms!

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Since I’m a grad student, the school pays for my gym membership! But otherwise, it would be $200/year (not really that bad either).

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Ugh I’m jealously you have a girls only weight room, I wish I could get rid of all the huge muscled, grunting men that cramp my style when I’m lifting my 10lb weights.

Holy moly nycm is an expensive one!!

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That’s a $59 increase! That’s insane!?!?! Where is that money going!? I think the amount I’d pay has to do with the importance of the race to me. I’m skipping out on a few races that I thought I’d do because it was just too much money.

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I just use my old college ID to get into my college’s gym…. lol don’t tell ;) so right now it’s free!

I don’t have anything else great worth contributing but everytime I read your playlists for spin I wish I could take your classes! I love all of the music you put. In my little town in New Mexico, they don’t even offer spin classes!
L. A. M. E.

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I go to golds in south Carolina and it is $19. I’m pretty sure that is the cheapest gym around my town.

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Yikes that is a lot to pay for a marathon – especially compared to how much you pay for the gym (which is astonishingly cheap!). I actually don’t belong to a gym anymore, but it was far and away more pricey than yours. And I’ve never been to one with an all women’s section, but that sounds really nice. There are too many creepers in the weight room just waiting to ‘show you’ how to do the moves ‘right’ in my experience! :)

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wow – that’s a lot of cash to run a race. i don’t belong to a gym these days due to our Trinidad situation…but now i realize you don’t have to go to a gym to get a great workout in!

xoxo from Trinidad

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A women-only weight room??? Get out! That is genius!!! No gym membership here, just Jillian and Co DVDs and my town’s blacktop. Love to work my arms, definitely shoulders, biceps, and triceps! Feel the burn….

Never entered an expensive race, so I shouldn’t comment, but $200 + seems crazy!!

I wake up the same time everyday in the Winter, but once it warms up and gets lighter out I will start running before work again. Then I will get up earlier on some days. But for now its all about hibernating until 12 min before I have to leave for work!

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student so I don’t have to pay for the gym (and MIT undergrads don’t go to the gym as much as undergrads at other schools so it’s never crowded).
I don’t lift…maybe I should work on that?

I signed up for NYC this year, so obviously I don’t think it’s too much (my boyfriend said “what is this? A marathon for the 1%?). That being said it is a crazy high price to pay so I am going to work SO hard to stay healthy so I can fully enjoy it…and probably stick to cheaper races before/after for a while. And remember how awesome the for-yo at 16 Handles was???? Totally worth it all around

Tuesday for me too…5:45which I know is nothing for a teacher but is early for a grad student. Thankfully my super running buddies make it worth it.

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Wow $10 a month, that’s a great deal! My sister goes to Planet Fitness and she pays $20/month but that is for the gym and tanning. I pay $32.99 a month for Golds Gym and they have the Les Mills classses. That was one of the cheaper prices because I have a 2 year membership.

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The gym my sis and I go to (in San Jose, CA) is also only $10 per month! That said, it doesn’t have all the cool commodities of a lot of other gyms… no pool/sauna/steamroom/body pump/spin. Also, we have to make sure and go at a slower hour because it can get PACKED. It gets the job done though.

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I am so glad someone else like’s Awolnation – “sail” bc its not what most people would consider a ‘workout’ song, but I just can’t help but like a ‘bad a$$’ when it comes on!!!!

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I used to have a Gold’s membership that was only $12/month (after a $49 registration fee). But you’re right, it was always completely packed, in the weight room and the cardio room. And boy, was the weight room stinky!

I love sculpted shoulders too. They always look great in a tank top or sleeveless shirt, which I wear all the time in the summer.

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I gasped at the price increase as well, and I’m local! Though I contemplated *not* running it this year, I realized that it is my favorite race and the cost is mostly justified for what you get out of it (also, NYPD is charging hence the increase). Though it hurt my credit card, I’ll just eat out less – I don’t need coffee, froyo, or dinners out as much as I want to run NYCM again.

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I’m signing up for the Chicago Marathon tomorrow for the low, low price of $150! NOT! It’s on my list of races inwant to do so imma pay it!!

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There used to be a gym in Orem called Lifestyles 2000 on 800 South. I had a lifetime membership me and my hubby bought ages ago when we were first married for 595.00 and then we pay 2.00 dollars a year to renew. Welll…………. Gold’s gym came in and bought up all of our memberships and then tried to change our contracts and say we had to start paying their prices. Bill Gephart did a story on channel 2 news about it and said it was illegal to change a contract and that Gold’s gym still had to honor our contracts. Wahoo!! So I probably get the all time prize for paying the lowest fee of 2.00 dollars a year to renew. (besides the other people who have lifetime memberships as well) Pretty sweet eh?

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so far i have not drawn the line yet and it is becoming a serious problem. i have like my fingers double crossed for NYC. i want to get in but at the same time hope that i dont because i have no money to pay for the entry fee. haha. races are getting so dang expensive!

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I don’t have a gym membership but would probably be willing to pay around $20 a month tops. For marathons and half marathons, it would depend on the location, but I don’t think I’d pay more than $100, and that’s only for a really awesome one. For normal ones, I’d pay $60 or $70 for a half.

Tuesdays are my early day too! We have meetings at school at 7 so I have to leave around 6:20. Since I refuse to wake up earlier than 4:50, I save the workout until after school on Tuesdays.

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oh p.s. fro yo sounds delightful. I think my piano schedule may be a bit challenging to meet up so late in the evening. How about we just get a group together when the next big local race is happening? That would be superb-O!!

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I was just looking into signing up for NYC yesterday! A couple of my girlfriends and I want to sign up for a marathon (it would be the first for all of us) but it just seems like a lot of money esp. since NYC is so expensive already. We are also thinking about Chicago since it is only $150. Have you ever done that one? We are open to suggestions in other cities too if you have any. :)

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i have a money debate every time i sign up for a race. most of the time i end up justifying it and just save other places. the most ive paid is 110, but i did enter the NYCM lottery and will be 100% ok with paying that much if it means i get to run NYC!!!

i get up at crazy different times every day, its never the same.

i use the gym at my apt that is free and every once in a while the gym at the hospital i work at which is free, no fees here!!

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Gold’s Gym in WI is $10/month, with pool and group classes, but it was getting way to crowded. So I joined a gym with more one-on-one classes and a personal trainer, so right now I’m paying $200/60days of unlimited classes and personal trainer, including supplements, a t-shirt, and nutrition planning.

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Even though i am a college student and have a free rec center on campus, I pay $20 a month for the YMCA because our rec center is super small and old.
I have only spent money on one big race (a half marathon) which will be my first (!!!) and it cost $60

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Do Canadians count as international? We’re right next door!!! Lol I wanted to enter the lottery but damn that’s pricey!

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Yeah, I wish I could pay 10$ and somewhere there must be one. Just not close enough for me. I pay like 75$ a month living on Capitol Hill DC. That’s with the teachers discount. At least we get parking too.

The most we have paid so far is 100 for the DC rnr half. The full was like only a few more. That seems a lot to me. Unless I had hopes of placing ….

Monday I get up he earliest because I usually have no idea what I’m teaching for the week. Then I get up later and later as the week goes on.

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My gym membership is $20.99 per month for unlimited classes, tanning and I can bring a guest every time. There is also a charge of $49.99 once per year. I enjoy it and feel that it’s super cheap!!

I enjoy working on my arms… doesn’t matter what muscles, just arms in general.

I will pay pretty much anything for a race as long as it’s good stuff I get in return!!

I pretty much wake up at the same time every day but that will change when I start getting up in the morning to go to a class or run outside.

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oh yes, you go J! Hit those weights. Keep the muscles strong.

NYC probably raised its rates because it is bigger now. More people to pay on the race directing side and more athletes to cover with insurance, etc. Sad but true, i have been a race director. Wish it could be free but those darn laws get in the way.
;)

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you have a women’s only section in your gym?!? SO JEALOUS!!! I really hate when huge smelly men are like waiting behind me to use the machine I’m on ugh. I love that playlist too, I’m definitely downloading the ones I don’t have – my iPod needs a facelift haha! And money for races and running things….well okay, judge me all you want but I’ve cut out buying “normal girl” clothes and accessories (unless I absolutley need them) in favor of buying race entries and running gear. Lol if I ever get a real job and stop being a student, that MIGHT have to change since I own zero professional clothes but…works for now! :-P

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That is way too much in my opinion! I like to support the local races as much as possible. I like the vibe of small, local races, and usually the money is going towards a good cause, plus it is not nearly that hard on your wallet. I am sure that those races are cool to experience, but I say stick small and local.

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Holy expensive! I’m not sure how much is too much. That’s definitely a little too high for me =X
I have the free campus gym but I also go to another gym that my dad pays for. I think it’s $25/30 per person? (It’s usually like 45/50 but we got it a LONG time ago so we have the cheaper rate!) We don’t have a girls only section. I feel like that’s sexist, I can lift weights just as well as the guys ;)
I like back and shoulders and legs like squats, lunges, etc.
I usually wake up around the same time but I try to get up earliest on Monday mornings!

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In my building at work, I could get a very basic gym membership for $75 a quarter. Not terrible, but instead I went and ran outside over lunch today. 3 miles in 34 ish and 1 mile walked (half on the way to the lakefront and half on the way back)

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I pay $20/month for a 24 hr fitness facility and that includes bringing a friend for free every day and access to all classes.

When lifting weights I prefer shoulders and chest, no real reason why.

On an unrelated note, have you been watching the biggest loser this season? No one I know really watches it other than my husband, and I’ve been getting a growing dislike for Conda. I just want to know if her attitude has made others dislike her or just me…hopefully I’m not crazy.

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I’m not a fan of Conda either…too much of a trouble maker! It’s not just you :)

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Thank you! I’m glad I’m not alone.

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We are so lucky because one of my husband’s clients owns an amazing athletic club – one of the oldest in the country, it is beautiful – and we have lifetime free passes :D
I was considering doing NYC this year before they up their qualifying standards, and I balked at the price. Not this year! Too much!

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do not get me started on the gym prices in oz!! our gym (which is a big chain like 24 hour fitness in the usa) is around $85-100/month per person!!! crazy.

and $347 for NYC. robbery. we will be eating tuna fish and crackers for dinner if we get into NYC this year, but i still think it’s worth it.

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$60 a month here in Richmond, Va for American Family Fitness. They give discounts to teachers, policeman, EMS workers, and firefighters, but not to nurses! I still feel like I get my money’s worth every month!

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We are staying in the Raleigh Durham area for the next month, so we just got a gym membership today. It is 74 dollars a month for both of us. I thought that was SUPER cheap. I used to pay about 80 bucks just a month for me when we lived in the states a couple years ago.

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Agreed about toned shoulders- so sexy! I also love working my back, super hot! In terms of burn, I’m much more of a lower body girl- I’m usually dripping after a good session of squatting and what not!

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Hooooly craaaaaap.

Pretty sure Dallas would leave me if I paid that much for a race. (At least right now, at this point in our lives). That is insane.

I like it when races are $20 and there aren’t hardly any people so I can win :).

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$10 that’s crazy cheap!! i’ve been to placed that charged $15 just for a day pass…the cheapest i was able to find was $30/month.

that’s an upbeat playlist and i’m sure u’re one awesome instructor…like u said, u’d have to be to haul urself to a class THAT early in the morn!! :P

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Our gym is $58 a month for both of us. But that is still cheaper than what I was paying for just me somewhere else. And the new one is open 24/7. I don’t mind sharing.
Legs and shoulders. Legs because I keep thinking it will make me faster.
I have paid up to $150 for the Disney Princess. But it would have to be a special race to pay that much again. The RnR series has gotten out of control.
I am up earliest on Tuesdays (trainer) and sometimes Saturdays for my long run.
The Kidless Kronicles

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I pay $55 at Lifetime which I think is a bargain for what I get. Fabulous facility and two hours of daycare per day…which Sophia loves! I love doing the leg press and triceps. As for race pr,ices, they are too much if over $100 but that’s because I’m an amature.

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Our gym is $40/month, but I cancelled after buying a treadmill and free weights! I love being able to work out at home, and not having to fight the crowds at the gym!

My favorite race is Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL and it’s only $60 for the full! You get a dri-fit shirt, a finisher’s hat, finisher’s metal, certificate with your time (a REAL one they mail to you, not one you have to print off like RnR races!), and a picture of you finishing. Can’t beat it! I have a hard time justifiying paying over $100 for other races!

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I pay $25…however I just downgraded to a smaller gym for cost savings!! It is tiny, but they offer fitness classes for free to members (Spinning)….so it’s worth fighting the crowd!
Favorite part of my body to strength train is abs. Then biceps. I channel my inner meathead sometimes. You know…HUGE arms, little tiny legs? I joke. I kid.

I draw the line at $100 or so for a normal race. I would probably make an exception for NYCM or even a RNR (ONCE a year tops). :)

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I live in NYC (from UT too!) and my gym is $75/month and that is cheapo for the city!

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My gym is pretty expensive for Charlottesville – I think I pay $99 a month but that’s cheap for the gym because I paid for one year in advance, its like $125 or something if you pay each month. It’s a REALLY nice gym, though, so I can’t complain =)

Also, love that song 300 violin orchestra that you mentioned last week and this week… you should check out the song Thunder by Nuttin’ but Strings, it’s really good and kind of along the same lines. One of my spin teachers played it when I was in college and I am still obsessed.

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Oh, and in terms of race fees– I will pay a hefty fee if it is a race that I REALLY want to do and I know it is an awesome race. But I am more likely to sign up for races on a whim if they are cheaper entry fees… like the UTAH VALLEY MARATHON that I just signed up for!!!!!! Surprise!!!! Hopefully I can find a plane ticket and hotel cheap enough so that I can come… but the race fee was so cheap that I decided to risk it since the race was filling up.

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I pay $33/month for a Y membership (this includes fitness machines, swimming pools, rock climbing and most exercise classes… i think Zumba is the only one that costs extra). I’ve been a member since high school so I still pay on a “family” membership with my dad… even though I’m now married and have my own house. I use this same technique on my cell – I stayed on the “family” plan so I only pay $27/month. Maybe someday I’ll grow up, but for now I just give my dad $60/month and call it a bargain!

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After reading these comments I need to find a cheaper gym! I pay $60 a month just for myself at LifeTime Fitness, which I love. I don’t spend money on much else other than bills/groceries through the month so I can justify it. I’m registering for Chicago and unless it was a big race, I wouldn’t want to pay over $100 for a marathon.

My favorite body part to work is my booty…when I’m shaking it in Zumba :) that is my favorite workout of the week!!!!

Thursdays I wake up the earliest because those are my long run days!

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Your spin playlist looks…or sounds…awesome!

We paid $12 a month for our gym membership, but we got an awesome deal for it. (We had to pay for 2 years in advance). I think it’s normally $30 a month. We don’t have a women’s section but I really wish we did. I was using some of the weight lifting equipment the other day and I was totally intimadated by some of the body-builder men!

I also like to work on my shoulders…and my triceps!

I haven’t done a half-marathon yet but the ones I’m looking at for this year are about $70. It sounds expensive to me, but that seems to be the going rate!

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If you are a gym member and you feel comfortable sharing, how much is your gym pass a month? Do you have a women’s only section in your gym?

The gyms I teach at range from $40/month to $120/month, there are no women’s only sections other than the locker rooms

Favorite part of your body to work on when lifting?

Legs, I could work my legs forever!

Where do you draw the line when it comes to paying for a marathon or half-marathon?

I think in general the prices for all races are out of control. I’d say 50-60 for a half, $100-$120 for a full.

What day of the week do you have to wake up the earliest or do you wake up at the same time every day?

Same time everyday, 4:30 a.m.

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I pay $30 a month for the gym at work – to me it’s worth it since I can go during lunch or after work. At times, especially early in the new year you have to fight the crowds but during the day things are slow. I love the fact that I can work out when it fits into my work schedule. Also spin classes and weightlifting classes are a plus (no extra cost) as well as the Zumba classes when they are offered (extra cost but I’m loving it!).

I’ve only paid around a $100 for a marathon when I ran Miami last year. I’m seriously thinking of signing up for the Chicago Marathon this year and $150 is better than what I thought it would be. Have you ever ran the Chicago Marathon?

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I had two gym memberships last year – One was Equinox for $155/month and that only granted me access to the two Boston locations. But, it was worth it because it was super clean, there were always open machines and the bath products were top notch. It was closer to $175 for full access. The other was a Gold’s Gym membership for $99/year. After each contract expired, I didn’t renew and went to Planet Fitness for $99/year. I don’t like to pay an activation fee in addition to my monthly dues, so I didn’t renew Gold’s. It was a bummer since I was a member for seven years and they didn’t seem to care when I canceled. Anywho… That is off topic!

I love to work my triceps and biceps – Love the burn!

And, the most I would pay for a race (and it must be the right one!) is $200. That is why I haven’t entered the lottery for NYM… :(

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wow, $10/month for a gym is unreal!! i pay $41 for my local YMCA which is perfect for me.

um i dont lift. cause i’m strength training lazy. i do TRX and i prefer to do lunges/squats mostly bc they are easier than upper body things since im so weak up top.

i usually dont have a cap when it comes to paying for races – the Ironman was $700…so that was hands down the pricest race i have ever done.

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I used to work out in that little gym a lot, it was so nice to have only girls and it was a good place to do abs after running outside:)

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I paid $99/yr for the planet fitness I go to. It is far from the best gym but its there and its close and thats what matters on my super tight budget.

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I live in Washington DC and my gym membership is 55 dollars a month. I got to WSC but I have a govt discount. My roommate doesn’t and I think hers is closer to 75. We go to one of the cheaper chains around DC. I know people that pay over 100 bucks.

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If you are a gym member and you feel comfortable sharing, how much is your gym pass a month? Do you have a women’s only section in your gym?

I pay 24.99 per month and that gets me access to 6 local clubs although i frequent the one closest to my house most often

Favorite part of your body to work on when lifting?
Shoulders

Where do you draw the line when it comes to paying for a marathon or half-marathon? With four kids i cant go over $100 and typically my half’s are in the $60 range

What day of the week do you have to wake up the earliest or do you wake up at the same time every day?
I wake up at 5 everyday gym first thing and its done

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Here in Northern Maine its 50 bucks a month! We don’t have any other real options but as a nursing student just let me say the wallet cries come renewal time :(

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I pay $90 a month for my gym and I never thought I would, but I rationalized it with myself that I was looking at paying $70 for a yoga studio, so for an extra $20 to have a really awesome aquatic center and the nicest locker rooms I’ve ever seen plus cardio stuff when I want it, it’s worth it! No women only areas though!

I don’t lift much anymore, but when I did, my booty!

I think my line is about $90 for races, including tris. I tend to do smaller, charity races and sign up early to get a good deal!

I try to get to yoga on Mondays and spin on Tuesdays at 5:30am, so on those days I get up the earliest, but haven’t done it in a while and most of the time I’m about a 6:15 riser. Very lucky, because my start time at work is flexible if I need to hit the snooze!

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What a timely post, I just opened my credit card statement and saw the $255 for the NYC Marathon charged on there. Hurts the wallet, but when I was reading your’s and SkinnyRunner’s posts about it, I knew I just had to run it this year! I can’t wait!

Looks like I’m overpaying for my gym here in Albuquerque, $125 per month for just my husband and myself. Ouch!

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OMG!!!! BEST playlist I have seen in a while! <3 transform you by Chris Brown and More by Usher

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Wait, there is a secret “women’s only” weight room at BYU? I have been going here for years and I thought I knew this school pretty well. And now that I have two activities classes in my schedule (swimming and volleyball) I spend a lot of time in the RB. Is that where this special gym is? And if so, why do the women get their own weight room while the rest of us have to crowd into the albeit newly remodeled one in the Field House?

-A little jealous but mostly just curious,
Colin

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I pay $5/month for my local YMCA. We have a corporate membership through my work so it’s super cheap. It includes access to the pool and all the group exercise classes as well!!

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Hey Janae! Just wanted to let you know that after reading about your love of spinning, I finally decided to take a class at my University. So far, I am lovin’ it. Fun music plus a great workout…I’m in. Thanks for the cyber motivation, I bet you are an awesome teacher too! :)

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I’m loving Kelly Clarkson lately- Mr. Know It All and Stronger are great for spin cycles! I joined a gym with my fiance and we pay wayyy too much [about $100/ month] in my opinion but it’s convenient to our house, the classes are free, and we can use any of the clubs throughout the region…

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