INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Ideally, you should have the girth about 3/4 as tight as you prefer it when you first tighten it. Then move your horse a few steps steps, forward or back. Next, tighten the girth gradually once again. As a general rule, your girth should be tight enough so that you can fit 2 fingers under it but the saddle won't move easily. Always tighten the girth again once you have warmed up, as horses tend to puff their stomach out when being tacked up. Remember to check the tightness of the girth right before mounting.

SUMMARY: Make sure the girth is tight enough.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You should give yourself at least 3 months to train, and if you've already signed up and paid for the race that's a great motivator to keep training. Find out about ultra-marathons in your area by searching online or by asking other long-distance runners you know. Doing long runs on back to back days is important so you get used to the feeling of running on tired legs. You can run the whole distance in one day, but this is not a common training strategy. You will build more endurance and strength by breaking up the distance of your race into 2 days of harder effort. For example, if your race is 50 miles (80km), be able to run 25 miles (40km) one day and another 25 miles (40km) the next, or 35 miles (56km) one day and 15 miles (24km) the next, 2 months before your race. Once you can do this, practice it this way for 3 weeks per month until race day, doing a shorter distance one week per month and the week right before race day. Become comfortable on hills, because your ultra race will most likely include some hills. Include hills on your regular distance runs. In addition, do some hill-repeat training days, either once a week or every other week alternating with speed workouts. Once a week or bi-weekly, run for 12 mile (0.80km) up a gradual hill at 90% of your maximum effort, recover in your run back down the hill, and repeat this until you have run for 1 hour. Speed training improves your ability to run at your average pace but with a lower heart rate. This makes your normally paced runs feel easier. Speed workouts also help prevent stress injuries, since repeatedly running long distances day after day can cause muscles to overcompensate. There are different ways to do speed intervals. One is to do a 40-second sprint with 1-2 minutes of easy running in between, working up to longer intervals gradually. Another is to run at 90% for 1 full minute, with 3 minutes of walking or jogging in between. Do speed training sessions for about an hour, once per week or bi-weekly. If you do them bi-weekly, you can alternate them with the days that you do hill workouts. Take 2-3 days off per week when training for your ultra-marathon. A sample week could be one or two days of moderate distance runs, a day off, a hill or speed workout day, another day off, then your 2-day long distance runs back to back. Doing this will give your body some time to recover between long or hard runs so you do not get injured..

SUMMARY: Sign up for the race 3 months in advance. Do long runs for 2 days in a row once a week. Do hill workouts. Do speed interval training to push your threshold higher. Give yourself recovery days.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Journaling can be a great way to process your thoughts while your partner is away. You can also easily keep a journal if you're deployed. Write in a journal a few times a week, chronicling your thoughts and emotions regarding your partner's absence. When you and your partner are reunited, share some of the most heartfelt sections of your journal with your partner. While distance is difficult, it can sometimes provide the opportunity for self-exploration and personal growth. While your partner is away, take this as a chance to explore some of your own interests and passions. Join a book club. Take a cooking class. Take up a new hobby, like running or knitting. Try to make the most of the time you have alone to better get to know yourself and your interests. If you're deployed, it may not be difficult to keep busy. A particularly active deployment should keep your mind engaged. However, some deployments are less hectic than others. While it may be hard to, say, join a cooking class when deployed, you can look into solitary pursuits. You can try reading and writing, for example. Try to explore subjects that interest you by reading books on these subjects during your spare moments away. During your separation, you and your partner should both have access to healthy support networks. People are social by nature, and even if your partner is gone you need people you can reach out to. If you're being deployed, do not hesitate to get close to your fellow soldiers. Open up to them about your struggles and stress, and talk about how you're managing your long distance relationship. If you're staying at home, reach out to friends and family members. You should also reach out to your partner's friends and families. Spending time with people close to your partner can help you feel close to him or her from a distance. It's important to keep things in perspective while your partner is away. Have friends and family members you can talk to when you feel frustrated or afraid in your partner's absence. If you know another person with a partner in the military, this person may be able to help you keep things in perspective. While this time is difficult, keep in mind it will not last forever. Try to keep in mind that things are temporary, and your relationship may be stronger after your partner returns. If you're deployed, some of your fellow soldiers have probably also left partners at home during deployment. Try to talk to fellow soldiers about how you're feeling, and ask them for advice on how to cope. Some soldiers have probably been deployed multiple times, and may have advice for you on how to keep things in perspective.

SUMMARY: Keep a journal. Explore your own interests. Find a support network. Keep things in perspective.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: It's the button with the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the taskbar. Click a product such as Word or Excel to launch the program. If you don't have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, you can download it online. It's below the icon with an image of a key. It's the in the "Activate" option. Type the email address and password associated with your Microsoft account. This will complete the activation.

SUMMARY:
Open Start . Click an Office product. Click Activate. Click Sign In. Sign in with your Microsoft account. Follow the prompts and click Next.