/*
                                                                                                     
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                                         .o:--..`` ``..--:o`                                        
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                                       `/y+o/---....---:+o.                                         
                                   `...````-os+/:---:/+o/--.`                                       
              `-/+++++/:.      `...`       :h+d+oooo+/+-`   ...                                     
            `/++//:::://++-`....`         -.`//````````:`     `..`                                  
           `o+/::------://o/`           `-` -.          -`       `..`                               
 `---.-o/:./o/::-..``..-ЗАПУСКАЕМ      ..  ..            -`        `...       ``..``                
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          `:s+/:--....-::/+s-`      .-   `-                -`           -///:--------:/:`           
           ./s+//:::::://oo-``..НЕЙРОННУЮ: СЕТЬ:::::::-`РАБОТЯГИ        `+:--........--:/`          
            .:ooo+++++osso-`    `.:-...`/` ./::-------:/:`   -`         :+--..``````.--:+:...-+:-`  
             `.-/+++++/+-.-`    -.   ``:so:/:--.......--:+`  `-```````o+/+--..`````..--:o/-..:s+:.  
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                `.---..``-..-    .-/..`````-oo+/:::::/+o+-        `-``-`  `-.  ````                 
             `:++++/+++++-  ..``.-/:`      /y-:/++o++/:.`..`       ./.   `-                         
            -++/::::::://+/..:-``:` ..   `-.`  ```.```    `..`   `..`-` `-                          
       ``  -o//:--....-::/++` -.-`   `-`.-`                 `..`..`  `-.-                           
  -----ss+:++/:--.```..-://s.  /.     `::                    `-:.     ./`                           
  `````/:..+o/::-..``.--:/+s. ..-`   `-``-`                 ..` `-`  `-`-`                          
          `-s+/::-----::/+oo---``-` ..    .:-    ```      .-`     .-.-  `-`                         
           `:oo+//::://+os/..:`..-/:`      :y.-:::::::.`.-`        ./-`  `-`                        
            `./+oooooooo+/.`-    .-:...`.. .//:-------://`        `- `..` `:.                       
              ``.-::::-.``-/`  `-` `-  `oo:+:--.......--:/`      `-    `.:--h.``..```               
                          -.-`.-    .-   `+:--..`````..--//`    `-       /s-//::::::::.             
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                        -` .-`.-`     -.`-o/--...```..--:+/.``-:....``:-.+:--....`...--:+`          
                       ..`-.   `-.   ``:os:o/:---...---:++.  `-     ``///+:-..``````.--:+-````-.`   
              `.:///////.-`      .:-..` -``-+o+/:::::/+o/.  `-         `:+:-..`````..--:o/:--/ys+-  
            `-++///////+o/. ``....`-.    :` `.:++++++/:.`  .-           -o/---......---/o.   `.`    
           `++//:-----::/+o:..`     .-`   :    ```````    .-           `+so+:--------:++-`          
  `````:-``:o/::-..`..--:/+o`         -.  `-             .-          `../../+o+////+o+:.`           
  -----syo/o+/:--.```..-://s.          .-` `-           .-        `...     ``-:////:-``             
       .` `/s//:--....-::/+s.            -. `-`        .-       `..`                                
           .+o+/:::--:://+s/-..`          .::+y  ```  .-     `..`                                   
            ./oo++////+oso-`   `....       :y-+:::::::/`   ...                                      
             `.:+oooooo/-`         `....-. .//:-------:/:-.`                                        
                ``...``                 /+:+:--.......--:+`                                         
                                         `+:--..`````..--//`                                        
                                         .o:--..`` ``..--:o`                                        
                                         .+/--...```..--:+/`                                        
                                         `-o/:---...---:++.                                         
                                          `-+o+/:---:/+o/.                                          
                                            `.:+oooo+/-.`                                           
                                               ``````                                               
*/

#ifdef aimbot
#pragma comment(linker, "/stack:200000000")
#pragma GCC optimize("Ofast")
#pragma GCC target("sse,sse2,sse3,ssse3,sse4,popcnt,abm,mmx,avx,tune=native")
#pragma GCC optimize("unroll-loops")
#endif

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
#include <cmath>
#include <string>
#include <unordered_map>
#include <unordered_set>
#include <map>
#include <set>
#include <queue>
#include <ostream>
#include <istream>
#include <typeinfo>
#include <iomanip>
#include <cstdio>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <cassert>
#include <limits>
#include <fstream>
#include <array>
#include <list>
#include <bitset>
#include <functional>
#include <random>
#include <cstring>

#define mt make_tuple
#define x first
#define y second
#define pb push_back
#define ppb pop_back
#define mp make_pair
#define umap unordered_map
#define uset unordered_set
#define elif else if
#define len(v) ((int)v.size())
#define f(i, n) for (int i = 0; i < (n); i++)
#define rof(i, n) for (int i = ((n) - 1); i >= 0; i--) 
#define apply(v, act) for (auto &x : v) { act; }
#define log(args...) {string s = #args;deque<string> deq;\
string buf = "";int bal = 0;for (char c : s) {\
if (c == '(' || c == '[' || c == '{') {bal++;\
} else if (c == ')' || c == ']' || c == '}') {\
bal--;} else {if (bal == 0) {if (c == ',') {\
deq.pb(buf);buf = "";} else {if (c != ' ') {\
buf += c;}}}}}if (!buf.empty()) {deq.pb(buf);}\
smart_io::precall_print();smart_io::_print(deq, args);}

#define print    \
smart_io::precall_print(); \
cout,

#define scan cin,

#ifdef fast_allocator
const int MAXMEM = 50000000;
char _memory[MAXMEM];
size_t _ptr = 0;
void* operator new(size_t _x) { _ptr += _x; assert(_ptr < MAXMEM); return _memory + _ptr - _x; }
void operator delete (void*) noexcept {}
#endif

using namespace std;

char string_in_buffer[(int)260];


void fast_scan(int &x) { scanf("%d", &x); }
void fast_scan(long long &x) { scanf("%lld", &x); }
void fast_scan(unsigned long long &x) { scanf("%llu", &x); }
void fast_scan(double &x) { scanf("%lf", &x); }
void fast_scan(long double &x) { scanf("%Lf", &x); }
void fast_scan(char &x) { 
	scanf("%c", &x); 
	if (x == '\n') {
		fast_scan(x);
	}
}
void fast_scan(string &x) {
	scanf("%s", string_in_buffer);
	x = string(string_in_buffer);
}

template<class TFirst, class TSecond>
void fast_scan(pair<TFirst, TSecond> &p) {
	fast_scan(p.first);
	fast_scan(p.second);
}

template <class T>
void fast_scan(vector<T> &v) {
	for (auto &x : v) fast_scan(x);
}

void fast_print(const int &x) { printf("%d", x); }
void fast_print(const long long &x) { printf("%lld", x); }
void fast_print(const unsigned long long &x) { printf("%llu", x); }
void fast_print(const double &x) { printf("%.15lf", x); }
void fast_print(const long double &x) { printf("%.15Lf", x); }
void fast_print(const char &x) { printf("%c", x); };
void fast_print(const string &x) { printf("%s", x.c_str());}
void fast_print(const char v[]) { fast_print((string)v); }

template<class TFirst, class TSecond>
void fast_print(const pair<TFirst, TSecond> &p) {
	fast_print(p.first);
	fast_print(' ');
	fast_print(p.second);
}

template <class T>
void fast_print(const vector<T> &v) {
	if (v.empty()) return;
	fast_print(v[0]);
	for (int i = 1; i < v.size(); i++) {
		fast_print(' ');
		fast_print(v[i]);
	}
}

template <class T>
void fast_print(const vector<vector<T>> &v) {
	if (v.empty()) return;
	fast_print(v[0]);
	for (int i = 1; i < v.size(); i++) {
		fast_print('\n');
		fast_print(v[i]);
	}
}

template <class T>
void fast_print(const T &v) {
	for (const auto &x : v) {
		fast_print(x);
		fast_print(' ');
	}
}


using namespace std;


namespace smart_io {
	string print_start = "";
	string sep = " ";
	bool first_print = false;

	void precall_print() {
		fast_print(print_start);
		print_start = "\n";
		first_print = true;
	}

	void _print(deque<string>) {}
	template<class T, class... Args>
	void _print(deque<string> names, T kek, Args... args) {
		if (!first_print) {
			fast_print("\n");
		} else {
			first_print = false;
		}
		fast_print(names.front());
		fast_print(" = ");
		fast_print(kek);
		names.pop_front();
		_print(names, args...);
	}
} //namespace smart_io


template <class T>
ostream &operator,(ostream &os, const T &object) {
	if (!smart_io::first_print) {
		fast_print(smart_io::sep);
	} else {
		smart_io::first_print = false;
	}
	fast_print(object);
	return os;
}

template <class T>
istream &operator,(istream &is, T &object) {
	fast_scan(object);
	return is;
}

namespace typedefs {
	typedef long long ll;
	typedef unsigned long long ull;
	typedef pair<int, int> pii;
	typedef long double ld;
}

namespace numbers_operation {
	template<class T>
	T floor_mod(T a, T b) {
		if (a % b == 0) return 0;
		if (a >= 0 && b >= 0) return a % b;
		if (a <= 0 && b <= 0) return a % b;
		return abs(b) - (abs(a) % abs(b));
	}
}

using namespace numbers_operation;
using namespace typedefs;


signed main(signed argc, char *argv[]) {
	int n;
	scan n;
	vector<int> v(n);
	scan v;
	int cnt = 0;
	int it = -1;
	for (int i = 1; i < n - 1; i++) {
		if (v[i - 1] == v[i] && v[i] == v[i + 1]) {
			cnt++;
			v[i] = it--;
		}
	}	
	f(i, n - 1) {
		if (v[i] == v[i + 1]) {
			cnt++;
		}
	}
	print cnt;
}

Measured memory_bytes: 256