Cross Country 2014

My cross country season of 2014 was not only my final cross country season ever, but it also was my final season and eligibility as a BYU cougar. I was determined to make it the best season yet and accomplish my last goal at BYU, which was to become and All-American. To be an All-American you need to be in the top 40 at nationals. Unfortunately I placed 46th at nationals which was both very exciting, as 46th is still pretty good out of field of 300 of the best collegiate runners, but also disappointing. The season on a whole was very exciting and I had a fantastic time with my teammates, Jed, my coach , and my family. In preparation for the season I was able to put in 70 miles a week in order to be in the best shape of my life. This was also the first summer that I consistently was weight lifting three times a week.

Cross country camp was another success. So after three terrible camps, I finally had two successful camps and it made the experience so much better. Last cross country season was great, but I knew that I was stronger and faster this year. This was confirmed when me and my teammate Carrie ran the time trials almost a minute faster than we did last year. We very excited and so was my coach.

My first race of the season was the BYU Autumn classic. Minnesota and UCLA came to race which was very exciting. Weber, Utah State and Idaho State were also there. My parents were able to come and watch. I was determined to win this race in order to show myself, and my team, that I was ready to lead our team this season. By midway through the race I was well in the lead and finished my first cross country race in first place.

The next race we had was in Minnesota. This was the first time I have ever raced there. The course was beautiful but the race was terrible. I was not prepared properly for the heat and was mentally not there. I started the race perfectly but ended up falling back placing 30th overall and third for our team.

Notre Dame was our third race and I was so pumped to race right. I put myself near the front of the group and just picked people off the entire race. With about 1000 meters left of the race I knew I could get in the top ten with steep competition. I out kicked several girls and was able to place 10th place. It was so exciting and I got a backpack.

Our fourth race in Wisconsin and it was a disaster for our entire team. My coach had us wear pink calf sleeves for breast cancer awareness but they cut all our circulation off and couldn't feel our legs 200 meters into the race. I still placed 60th overall, which was better than the year previous, but I was hoping this would be a preview for nationals so I was really disappointed. Our team did really bad and it made it pretty obvious that we were not going to make it to nationals as a team. I still love the Wisconsin cross country course. One of the best in the nation!

Conference was a very exciting race for the team and made up for the fact that I did not do all that I wanted. I was really hoping to win the race but I just didn't have a finishing kick like normal. It was disappointing, but our team won conference for the first time in about ten years. I took fourth place and Carrie Jube had an outstanding race placing second! I told here after the race that me and her has to work together to get to nationals as individuals.

Regionals was a very bitter sweet race. I was determined to make it to nationals but wanted my team to go as well. As it turned out we were the first team to not make it to nationals. It was so heartbreaking. I was able to take fourth place at regionals and Carrie took 5th so we were both headed to Nationals. I as so happy she was going with me. It was one of my best races of the season. For awhile I was a little too far back but I ran a very patient race and made the right moves when I needed to. Carrie also really helped me because there was one time I felt like I was done but she kept moving forward and was able to go with her. My parents also came to the race which was really great. 

Nationals was so much fun. Of course Jed came with my which made it so fantastic. He has been my number one fan and supporter during my running career. As my collegiate running has come to an end I think of how none of this would have happened if I didn't have the support and love from Jed. He pushed me to be the best runner I knew I could be. He was the best and I love him so much!

At nationals the weather was perfect, unlike last year. My parents came and supported as well. I started the race off very smart and was in the top fifty. I pretty much stayed between 40-50 the whole time. I felt like I gave every ounce of strength that I could give but it wasn't enough to be in the top 40. Sometimes I wish I would have started faster to see if I could have held the top 40 but maybe I would have died hard and not even be in the top 50. I'm happy with my 46th place but most of all I am so happy for my experience to run at BYU for the last five years. It was so fantastic and I couldn't have asked for better teammates/friends and memories.

Summer 2014

Summer 2014 was simply amazing. Jed and I knew that the next 4-5 years were going to be crazy so we really tried to live it up. I worked all summer at the shave ice shack, and Jed worked at intramural. With both really loved out jobs. We did some really fun adventures like go to Goblin Valley to camp and explore with our really great friends the Fassmans. We explored so much that we left our camera at the top of a peak and had to scavenger hunt our way back up. We were so lucky to find it!

 We also went to our first concert together, one of our favorite artist, Young the Giant!

We spent a lot of time with our families as well. For fourth of July we spent time with Jed's family in Brigham City. Unfortunately we didn't get to play softball in the morning because I had to work but then we went up to Brigham. This was really fun for me as I have never been in Brigham for the fireworks. They put on a fantastic show! We also got to attend Jed's niece, Brooklyn, baptism up in Brigham.

For Jed and I's anniversary Jed put together a really fun get away. We went down to St George. I had never been there before. We stayed one night at a really fun hotel called Inn on the Cliff. It had a breathtaking view. We spent the day swimming because it was so hot. Then we met up with Troy and Emily Hartman and their kids and stayed at a condo with them. We swam to our hearts content and hiked Snow Canyon and explored a fun lava cave.

We hit up our fair share of National Parks this summer. Our first park was Zion National Park. We went with our friends Maggie and Derrick Hunter, and Kayla and Josh Hagen. It was such a blast. We hiked the narrows which is basically hiking up a river in a slot canyon. We all got our fair share of bumps, bruises, and blisters but it was totally worth it. The first night we camped there is one I will never forget. It was 98 degrees all night and all 6 of us where sharing a tent. I am embarrassed to say that I had a complete freak out moment in front of all of my friends as I was unbearably hot. I couldn't take my wedding ring off and it usually easily slips off as it is a little too big. I had to stand outside the tent for awhile before I made myself tired enough to sleep in the heat.

Our last adventure for the summer was our visit to South Dakota. We were babysitting the Petersen children with my parents. It was such a fun trip! Don't let anyone fool you that South Dakota isn't pretty because it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. We went to Mt Rushmore, where we found out Jed got accepted to optometry school, the Badlands, and hiked Mt Harney with the whole Petersen family. The sites were breath taking and we had a lovely visit before it was back to our last year at BYU.

Goin' to Graceland!

Spring and Summer of 2014 was a busy yet rewarding time for Andrea and I. While she was wowing us all with her amazing track season, I spent my time preparing for what would hopefully be my future career. After Winter semester ended at BYU I spent my time working full time for BYU Intramurals. I would go to the office from about 9:00 to Noon then umpire softball in the evenings as well Saturday mornings. In between work shifts I went to work studying for the Optometry Admission Test or OAT. I purchased some used study materials from another student and worked my way through the thick book one subject at a time. It is interested how much better I study when I am not required to by classes but those few hours spent studying each day were surprisingly enjoyable. Luckily I had recently completed my Organic Chemistry courses so most of my time was spent on studying Physics and General Chemistry. When I had the time I also got more shadowing hours in either with Dr. Plothow in Provo or my dad's office in Brigham City. I took advantage of a few of Andrea's race weekends to take the train up to Ogden where I would be picked up to shadow at the Brigham City office for a few days. The train also offered me some much needed hours to continue studying. Between studying, shadowing, volunteer work, and Intramurals it was a busy time for me but very rewarding.

I took the OAT on July 6th, on our two year anniversary. I can't even remember why it was that it landed on that day but Andrea was very forgiving of it happening. I am still surprised how calm I felt that morning. Andrea and I had asked both families to keep me in their prayers leading up to the exam so I know that I had lots of help. The exam lasted about five hours and aside from running out of time on the math section I felt very confident and calm. I would have been extremely happy with a 320 but when my score came back as a 370 I couldn't believe it! It is amazing what prayer and preparation can do together. Andrea and I celebrated both our anniversary and my testing success with some frozen custard from Rita's that night.

The next few days were spent feverishly trying to complete my online application with transcripts, my personal statement, volunteer and work experience as well as letters of recommendation. The application for the entering class of 2015 had opened on the 2nd and I wanted to be one of the first ones in (thanks to some great advice from multiple people this proved to be a huge advantage for me since optometry admissions and scholarships are on a rolling basis). My application was submitted on July 15th and I received an email from my top choice, Southern College of Optometry, less than two weeks later letting me know I had been invited for an interview on August 11. I flew out to Memphis on the 10th and spent the day driving out to see the temple as well as some of the surrounding communities. I made sure to buy some Memphis BBQ at Corky's which was everything it was made out to be (topped off with a pecan pie of course).

 

SCO on evening of Aug 10th

The interview process started at 8 the next morning. There were about seven other applicants there at the same time and they gave us some time to visit and meet each other. We then met individually with a faculty member and then came back together for a campus tour. I was impressed with the school facility as well as how much the administration took into account feedback from the students while improving their school. My tour guide was a BYU alumni and he had some great insights into life as a married student which helped ease some of my concerns. It was also reaffirmed multiple times that Southern hospitality is alive and well. I felt very welcomed and it was easy to talk to the students and faculty.

We were told that the admissions board would be meeting the next monday. (Weeks later I found out that my dad had marked that day on his calendar and fasted for me - something that shows what an amazing example of faith he has been to me throughout my life.) Andrea and I were at Mt. Rushmore when I got a call from Mike Robertson, the head of Admissions at SCO. He congratulated me on my achievements and offered me a seat for the incoming class of 2015. Weeks later while I was in Aspen Grove for a work retreat, I received a second call letting me know that I was awarded the Presidential Endowed Scholarship at SCO. The scholarship was worth $60,000 (about half tuition) over the four years! The scholarship board specifically shared with me how impressed they were with my leadership and work experience with BYU Intramurals. I of course accepted the seat and scholarship as soon as I returned home to Provo. The entire process went more smoothly than I ever could have imagined!

At Mt. Rushmore soon after getting the great news!

Andrea and I have been so extremely blessed in this entire process and we owe so many people so many thanks for all they have done. We are now anxiously awaiting our move to Memphis and look forward to our time there!

Track 2014

After coming off a fun and exciting 2013 cross country season, I was more than excited for what was in store for the 2014 indoor and outdoor track season. Unfortunately things got off to a very rock start with my indoor season. My first race at the University of Washington I matched my time from the previous year in the 3k (9:43) which was a huge disappointment because I excited for vast improvement. My next race was in New York City. Though the race itself wasn't fantastic, the trip was an incredible experience. We got three day subway passes and were able to tour the city at our will. I saw the empire state building, the Rockefeller center, time square, the 9/11 memorial, and other fascinating sights of New York. I raced my very first indoor 5k in New York. I was hoping to break 16:20 but was feeling the same way I felt in Washington and got third in the race with a 16:48. My last indoor race ever for BYU was in Washington once again at the MPSF championships. With a disappointing season behind me I was more than ready to jump start the outdoor season with end on a high. Halfway through the race I realized we were running a lot faster splits than I ever had and was excited about how competitive I felt. I finished the race with a great kick, out kicking about seven girls and placing 6th overall with a pr of 9:23. This got me on the top ten board at BYU at #8.

With my high from the end of indoor season I was ready for an exciting outdoor steeple season. I knew with a 9:23 open 3k time I could break 10 in the steeple and make my way to nationals. Though I never did break 10, I still felt like I had a very successful last season.  My first race was at USC and I did the steeplechase. I won the race with a 10:26 which was about where I was last year at the end of the season. This was a big comfort for me because my form was on spot, I was running by myself, and I knew I had so much in me.

The next race I ran was at Stanford. This race was a great breakthrough for me. I was very disappointed that I wasn't in the fastest heat because I felt like I deserved it. Instead though I was able to  lead my heat and place second to a professional with a new PR of 10:09 which punched my ticket to regionals and was on target for nationals.

My next race was at Mt Sac. I warmed up way to early because the races got major delayed and I ran my second fastest with  10:16 but I was still very disappointed. I ran a fun home meet mile and won with a 4:52 and that was super fun and felt fast. It was also a senior night where they honored us with a plaque. My last race before regionals was in Virginia. This was a very disappointing for my whole team. I ran the 5k with hopes again to breaking 16:20 but instead ran a 16:36.

Regionals was in Fayteville Arkansas and because of that my Parents got to come watch me steeple and visit my Grandma in Rogers. I was in the third and final heat of the race. Top three automatically qualified and the next three fastest times went after that. I wanted to get top three so I didn't have to gamble with time. Leading up to the race something was really wrong with me and I was having a terrible time finishing practices and racing hard. I was nervous for this race but knew I only had this chance. At the beginning of the race, I put myself in great condition but immediately new this was going to be a struggle. With three laps to go I was in 12th place and I thought all hope was lost. With two laps to go my coach randomly yelled, "you can do this!" which he later told me he thought he just lied to himself and me when he said that. I took that as my opportunity to move. With one lap to go I was in ninth. On the first barrier I passed three people to be in 6th, on the third barrier I got to 5th, on the water jump I moved to 4th, and on the final stretch I literally willed myself into 3rd places punching my ticket to Nationals. It was an incredible experience and one I will never forget. I wish I could say that Nationals went just as well but it didn't, my body still wasn't responding and I dropped so far back in the prelims that I placed 19th out of 24 girls. It was still a great experience because they flew Jed out and we got to see some awesome track. It also showed me that I could do great things in the coming cross country season and I was ready to work hard. I was honorable mention All-American from the experience as well. I tried for a year to get a medical red shirt for my freshman year season but without sufficient medical records my case got denied. This was my last competing collegiate track season. I feel so blessed to have been able to run at such a great University. I am so happy to have to track opportunity that I did but also to have the support that I did from my wonderful family and loving husband Jed. Jed has always been 100% behind me and has pushed me to be a better runner than I could have ever imagined. He has seen the ups and downs and truly has helped and blessed me through it all.

Regionals