Top 10 Events from 2009

So, I've been super busy in Utah for the past couple of weeks...you know...Christmas and wedding planning and stuff, but I have spent some time thinking about 2009. I've come up with a list of my top 10 events, in no particular order except for probably #1.

#1. I got engaged.
#2. I completed the St. George Marathon with zero training...not a good idea.
#3. I finished the Boise 70.3 Ironman in pouring rain...even when I wanted to quit.
#4. I hiked the Narrows in Zion National Park and lost 5 toenails.
#5. I crunched the side of my fiance's truck...not a fun way to finish the year.
#6. I did the inaugural Princess 1/2 Marathon and DisneyWorld with my friend Katie.
#7. I got a new nephew who's super cute.
#8. I was nominated for a teaching award and was a finalist.
#9. I got to be a program director and decide it definitely wasn't/isn't for me.
#10. I read the Book of Mormon with Tim.

Fall 2009 ~ Teaching Reflection

Well, today is my last day of work for the year. I've been thinking alot about this semester and how it's gone and just sort of thinking about the madness of being me. I can't believe how fast the past 17 weeks have flown by and while some days the semester dragged, at least it's over.

I started a new job in August as the interim program director for the ISU athletic training program. This position landed in me in what felt like a million meetings. All of the sudden, my free time was gone. I couldn't leave work when I was done working because I never felt like I was done working. This is one of those jobs where you actually take your work home with you. I actually lost sleep this semester because alot of the stuff I was involved in required lots of thinking time. I wasn't able to focus on my teaching as much as I would have liked because I was dealing with lots of piddly administrative stuff that takes up way too much time. I wasn't able to get involved with the different organizations on campus because of this time commitment. I did, however, decided that being an administrator is not really for me and that I'm much happier working as a clinical coordinator.

I spent ALOT of hours working on my teaching portfolio for a University Teaching Award that I was nominated for. I was named as a finalist (1 of 5), but didn't receive the award. It was definitely an experience trying to put all of my teaching experience from the past five years into one document. The document ended up being over 60 pages and was not a even sort of fun experience, but it's done and will definitely go into my dossier for performance evaluations in February.

I'm trying to think of some of the highlights of the semester and I'm having a hard time coming up with some, which is a little sad. However, I will say this... I've had the opportunity to teach some pretty incredible students. I've received lots of compliments from my students regarding my teaching and my willingness to work with them. I've learned that some of my students come from incredibly challenging backgrounds and they are doing wonderful things here at ISU, in spite of those challenging backgrounds. I've also earned the respect of several of my colleagues and I will say that makes me smile.

I think that mostly I've learned that I truly love teaching. I'm not an administrator. I'm not into the piddly stuff that takes up my time. I've missed being able to go to Yoga Wednesday or to head out for a long ride on the bike in the afternoon. I've missed being able to attend teaching workshops and to really reflect on the different things that I can do better or change in my courses.

I guess I can say that I'm relieved the semester is over. I'm ready to head to UT to spend time with my fiance and loved ones. I'm all set to come back in the spring and teach a bunch of new courses. Oh and I'm totally looking forward to planning my wedding. Only 171 days left...

Pearl Harbor

Today is the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I was reading an article this morning about an 86 year old survivor who is making his first trip back to the memorial. He is nervous about it. The article talked about how the events at Pearl Harbor changed his life forever.

I've been to the USS Arizona Memorial. I've shed tears there for all of the young lives lost there. I've seen the drops of oil floating on the surface. I've felt the spirit of reverence that exists at Pearl Harbor.



I'm so grateful to the men and women who willingly put their lives on the line for our freedom each and every day. I'm grateful to their families who willingly support them from afar. I'm grateful for the soldiers who've been killed defending our country. I'm grateful for the opportunity that we have to honor those men and women. Probably we should do that more often.

Weekly Workouts

It's finals week in my world, which means I only have to wake up early on 2 days this week, so I'm planning on getting some good workouts in without being super tired. I haven't put together a schedule, but I do plan on posting my workouts this week so here goes...

December 7, 2009 ~ Ultimate Calorie Blaster
I burned 496 calories with an average HR of 151 and a max HR of 178.

December 9, 2009 ~ YogaX
I finally made it to Yoga Wednesday and Sherry and I did yoga with Tony. I was actually very surprised that I did ok, but I will admit that I wasn't pushing myself too hard.

Thanksgiving in Maui

Last spring or late winter, my mom called me up and asked me if I wanted to go to Maui for Thanksgiving Break. My brothers were spending the holiday with their in-laws and I was alone (this was pre-Tim) and so after some frequent flier mile shuffling, the trip was planned. I would fly from Bloomington, IL to Kahului, HI and spend a week in paradise. Of course, I should probably mention that Tim was invited but had to work...bummer for him.

On November 21, my mom's 50th birthday, I arrived at the Bloomington airport at 5am. I flew to Atlanta, hung out there for awhile, flew to LA, hung out there for awhile, and then flew to Maui. Needless to say, it was a very long travel day. However, as soon as I walked out the door of the gate (Maui's concourse is outside) I started grinning. I was in my happy place. I love Hawaii! I met my parents, called Tim to let him know I arrived safely, grabbed my parents, stopped at McDonald's for a Big Mac, and then headed to Papakea.



Sunday morning, I woke up at 2am starving, and then tried to sorta fall asleep. I got up and went to sit on the balcony and watch the sunrise and the ocean. Here's the evidence. Well, there was evidence, but apparently all of my photos were erased during the security x-ray. I'm totally sad about that... I guess I'll have to rely on my phone pictures...not sure about the quality.



We woke up and had fresh pineapple and then headed to church. It was a conference, so we actually got to hear L. Tom Perry and President Thomas S. Monson speak, which was cool. It probably would have been much cooler if I wasn't jetlagged and struggling to stay awake. Apparently, I had a booger the whole time too...my mom mentioned it after 2 hours. Nice, huh... At one point, I got up to walk around and realized you could see the ocean from the foyer...how cool is that. I don't remember what we did on Sunday afternoon...yeah...no idea...

Monday, we woke up early, headed to the Farmer's Market, bought lots of yummy goodness, went for a walk, went to Whaler's Village, had lunch at Leilani's, and drove around. We also headed to the Maui Ocean Center and made arrangements to go whale watching for Thanksgiving. We spent some time by the pool and ate great food.





On Tuesday, my dad headed to the Maui Invitational, my mom and I did lots of shopping and wedding planning discussions. I actually bought a necklace for the wedding so that was my productive moment.



On Wednesday, we went back to the Farmer's market, walked around Front Street, ate at Leilani's again. I was totally digging the fish tacos. It seems like we did something else, but I don't recall what it was. I was in my completely relaxed mode that required absolutely no thinking. Probably that's the point of vacation. I was in flower heaven, but I'll only share one of the photos. This lady was selling these bunches of tropicals at the farmer's market.



If there's any chance of having something like this at the wedding party, I'm totally hoping that can happen.



My parents enjoyed the shuffleboard so much that my mom actually did the splits. She stepped on one of the shuffles? (no idea what the sliding things are called) and she went down. I totally missed it or we would have some video to share with the world.

On Thanksgiving day, we headed to Lahaina for our whale watching cruise. I took 4 Bonine because I absolutely didn't want to get seasick. No need for me to barf over the side of a boat. We had maybe the greatest whale watch ever. We saw 3 whales breach, lots of tail slapping, several blows, and it was so incredibly amazing that I actually got tears in my eyes. Because my parents are friendly (I'm not...ask anyone who knows me), they talked the guy with the nice $5000 camera setup for the pics. Here they are!















After the whale watching, we ate at Leilani's again, celebrated Thanksgiving with some hula pie, and then went back to the condo for naps.

Friday morning, my dad woke up at 2am to go deep sea fishing and got to barf off the side of the boat for a really long time. He actually came home with barf on his shirt. Note to self...avoid experiences where you barf into the wind onto your shirt. My mom and I hung around the condo and relaxed. Apparently, whale watching is exhausting because she took a couple of naps. We ended up at a place called LuLu's where I had a Magnum PI burger and garlic french fries that were so awesome. Probably Tim wouldn't have wanted to kiss me after that meal, but they were so good, they'll probably be showing up at the Hansen household.

On Saturday, I was sad. I didn't want to leave Maui. How could anyone want to leave all of this?









We went down to Lahaina and rode in the ReefDancer, a yellow submarine, and I finally saw a sea turtle. We also saw all sorts of cool stuff...like eels and sea urchins and tons of tropical fish. Here's a shot of the octopus.



Then, we had a delicious lunch of coconut fish and chips. Yep, food is still an important part of the Hansen family vacation. Then, we headed to the Maui Ocean Center to check out the aquarium. All of my cool pictures were on my camera (still sad the pictures are gone), but I did get one cool picture of the sea turtles.



We watched the sharks get fed and I've decided that perhaps one day I'll outgrow my irrational fear of sharks and be okay with being in the ocean. After the aquarium, it was off to the airport. My parents headed to Honolulu and I began my long trek back to Bloomington. I was at the airport in Maui at 4pm and didn't get back home until 6pm on Sunday. Oh and just to prove I was actually in Maui, here's the one picture of me that I have.



That was at Honolua bay where there were tons of surfers down below. You probably can't seem them in the picture, but they were hiking down the cliffs with surfboards to enjoy all of the great surf.

It was an awesome trip and I've already told Tim that we have to go back because I certainly didn't get to do everything that I wanted to while I was there. How fun will it be to go back to my happy place with my husband...I never thought I'd be typing that sentence. :)

What Are You Thankful For?

Over the past couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to post what I'm thankful for each day on Facebook. What a fantastic way to start off the day...acknowledging the many many blessings that I have in my life! This is only a short list, but could go on and on...

I am thankful for:
1. My life.
2. My truly incredible fiance and best friend.
3. My family, all of them.
4. A job that I love to go to each day.
5. My students and the lessons they teach me.
6. My friends and the joy they bring into my life.
7. My faith.
8. The talents and opportunities that I have been blessed with.

Oh...and here's one last one.
9. The opportunity to spend this Thanksgiving in Maui with my parents.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Words of Wisdom from Tinkerbell

Today, I was reading the Tri-ers thread on the Weight Watchers message boards and the ever wise and wonderful Tinkerbell posted these fantastic words of wisdom that I absolutely need to remember, so I figured I'd post them here.

16 Things I’ve Learned in 16 Years as a Lifetime Member

1. Food is not the enemy and there is no such thing as a “bad food.” Food is fuel and there’s no room for cheap fuel.
2. It’s the little things that matter.
3. Your weight will fluctuate.
4. Keep a well stocked pantry.
5. Cooking and nutrition knowledge are the key to eating well.
6. Eat mostly whole foods and eat a rainbow every day.
7. Eating well is cheaper in the long run.
8. Set fitness goals each year. The difference between “working out” and “training” is that training has purpose.
9. Mindfulness is different than obsession.
10. There is a simple way to lose weight. Eat less + Move more = Caloric deficit. It doesn’t take a huge shift to lose weight, just small consistent changes.
11. Never go hungry.
12. Make subtle shifts in thinking and self talk to make big differences in behaviors.
13. Set new life goals every year.
14. You’ll have to make some rules for yourself…and follow them.
15. Camouflage is your friend.
16. There is no such thing as a “perfect woman.”

How Do I Love Thee?

Workouts and Eating

Well, Tim is in town for the next 10 days so I'm fairly certain my early morning workouts will not be happening. You know...the whole stay up late talking and hanging out and wedding planning and stuff. However, I am definitely planning on staying on track with my eating. I'm also planning on going to Weight Watchers on Thursday morning so we'll see how that goes.

I had every intention of making it to WW this morning, but didn't make it. I did however, weigh in at home and tracked my weight for the week. I haven't been drinking enough water and it showed on the scale. I think the candy bars I ate also showed up. Ooops!

Trusting in the Lord

Planning my Race Schedule for 2010

Yes...because I am a crazy person, I have already started thinking about my race schedule for 2010. I guess I'm just one of those people who have to have stuff, like races, to look forward to. So, while I'm sure this will change and adapt over the next few months, here's what I'm sort of considering. I should probably keep in mind that I have a wedding to plan (WOO HOO!) and some traveling to do as well as my job and my other responsibilities, but I do feel the need to continue to challenge myself. Oh and I love to race...so why not do what I love?!

January 23 or 30 ~ Chilly Chili Run ~ Lake Bloomington
April 3 ~ Lincoln Memorial 1/2 Marathon ~ Springfield, IL
April 10 ~ Mt. Pleasant 1/2 Marathon with Julie ~ Mt. Pleasant, WI
May 1 ~ Illinois 1/2 Marathon ~ Champaign, IL
May 15 ~ Pocatello Endurance Festival Bike 30K ~ Pocatello, ID
JUNE 5 ~ GET MARRIED
June 26 ~ Cache Valley Triathlon ~ Hyrum, UT
July 3 ~ Patriot Border Run 10K ~ Lewiston, UT
July 10 ~ Cache Valley Super Sprint Triathlon ~ Logan, UT
July 24 ~ Pioneer Day 5K ~ Logan, UT
August 28 ~ Bear Lake Brawl Olympic Triathlon ~ Bear Lake, UT
OR
August 28 ~ Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon ~ Logan, UT
September 18 ~ Top of Utah Marathon ~ Logan, UT

I'm sure I'll be adding other races here or there because that's what I do, but for now, that's sort of what I'm thinking.

See...I told you I'd be adding races... Check this out!

Goblin Valley Ultra I'm thinking I may need to do this next year! Maybe I'll try the 50k distance? Oh and apparently, there may be a trip to Disney World for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon... I love racing!

Workouts

November 1, 2009 - Super Body Sculpt
I did this workout Sunday evening and planned on making it an easy workout...yeah...not easy. I lifted heavy and was sweating like crazy. I used 15lb, 10lb, 8lb, and 5lb dumbells and my muscles were definitely tired. I burned 410 calories.

November 2, 2009 - Ultimate Calorie Blaster
I woke up at 5am this morning and took my measurements, hopped on the scale for my monthly at home weigh in, and then did this workout. I used my 8lb weights for "light" four-limb cardio. I burned 498 calories and was glad when it was over. I also did full planks and am hoping to get back into that habit quickly.

November 3, 2009 - Supercharged Sculpting
Apparently, my body is getting used to waking up at 5am. Yikes! I actually was awake at 4:45am and laid in bed until a few minutes after 5. This workout went fine. My right knee is a bit sore and I'm not sure why. I may change up my workout tomorrow, but we'll see. Oh, and I used 15, 10, and 8lb weights and burned 338 calories. I should mention this is strictly strength training with no cardio intervals at all.

November 4, 2009 - Get Ripped 1000
I didn't want to wake up this morning, but I finally got up around 5:15am and started my workout. This is a tough interval workout with plyo type cardio and compound strength training moves. I burned 644 calories and drank 64 oz of water. I was definitely sweating. I'm considering doing a short cardio workout tonight since I have my weigh in tomorrow. I was feeling ambitious last night and ended up doing Maximum Calorie Burn Plus Abs and burned 465 calories. What a great way to spend the evening!

November 5, 2009 - Cardio Express + Weigh in
I hopped out of bed this morning and did my workout...only burned 345 calories, but it's only 30 minutes because I had to get ready early to head to my weigh in. I lost a very disappointing 0.2 lbs. But, oh well...at least it was a loss and while I was surprised, I can honestly say that I've been very diligent about following WW and working out so who knows what's going on. We'll see what happens next week.

November 6, 2009 - Get Ripped to the Core
I ran out of time today to workout. I woke up early to do laundry and then didn't get home after work until 9pm so no workout today. However, it was nice to have a rest day.

November 7, 2009 - Walk with Julie (10 miles)
Julie and I walked for 6 miles. I ended up with 2 nasty hamburger looking blisters so I was happy to be done walking.

You're Never Alone

I can totally relate to this video. I can remember very specific experiences during many of my marathons where I felt this way and received the same answer.

Workouts

October 26, 2009 - Supercharged Sculpting
I did this workout and actually used my 15lb dumbbells for lower body stuff. It definitely brought my heart rate up and I know from previous experience that lifting heavy leans me out faster and better than light weights.

October 27, 2009 - Aerobic Body Shaping
I woke up this morning at 5:10am to complete this workout. My heavy weights for the day were 15lbs, medium weights were 10lbs, and light weights were 5lbs. I probably could have upped my light weights to 8lbs for one set, but it was too early to think about that. I'm considering hopping on the trainer tonight while I'm watching the Biggest Loser, but we'll see if that happens.

October 28, 2009 - Complete Body Sculpting
I got this workout done at 5:20am. I was tired and I used heavy weights yet again. I'm looking forward to my purely cardio day tomorrow.

October 29, 2009 - Fat Blasting Cardio *Weigh in at Weight Watchers*
I set my alarm to wake up for this workout. I woke up, apparently turned the alarm off instead of hitting snooze...yes, I'm a snooze person. Then I woke up an hour later...after dreaming that a lady gave me a very nice golf club bag thingy. All I could think was "I hate golf." Anyways, I did make it to Weight Watchers this morning. I was pleased with the number on the scale at my house...not so much at Weight Watchers...who knew that clothes weighed 2 lbs?

October 30, 2009 - Get Ripped to the Core, Screaming Pumpking 5k
I was awake at 3am and didn't get a workout done this morning. I'm definitely going to do something after work...just can't decide if I want to go to Peoria to run in the wind and the rain. I did do Get Ripped to the Core after work on Friday and even got to use my new HR monitor. I burned 448 calories.

October 31, 2009 - Walk with Julie and/or Jiggle Free Buns and Jiggle Free Arms
I walked with Julie and Renee this morning for 80 minutes. It was chilly and I was definitely cold when I got home, but what a great way to start a Saturday.

Create

I saw this and absolutely had to post it! Hope you're inspired!

Wedding Dresses

So, I think I've picked out a wedding dress. I'm 95% sure this is the dress I'm going to wear. However, in order to look smokin hot in this dress, it's time for me to get serious with my workouts and eating. So, in order to motivate myself, I've decided to start posting about my workouts and goals for the next several months. Feel free to skip these postings since I'm guessing they won't be too exciting. I may add pictures, but we'll see...

Goals for this week

1. Weigh in at Weight Watchers on Thursday morning, regardless of what my scale at home says.
2. Follow my menu.
3. Workout at least 5 times this week.

I'll let you all know how this goes.

Lifting Burdens

Strengths Finder 2.0

At our last faculty meeting, our school director gave us the book "Strength Finder 2.0" by Tom Rath and encouraged us to read it and then take the assessment to determine our strengths. The premise of the book is that by capitalizing on our strengths, we are much more productive. This morning, while I was giving an exam I read through the beginning of the book and then this afternoon, I took the assessment. The results were somewhat interesting, so I thought I'd post them. Here are my strengths...

1. Learner
People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning rather than the outcome, excites them.

What makes you stand out?
Chances are good that you have an insatiable — that is, incapable of being satisfied — appetite for information. Armed with newly acquired facts and skills, you routinely pinpoint areas where you need to make upgrades for the sake of efficiency. In the process, you probably discover ideas and techniques to do something you already do quite well even better. Instinctively, you are a rational thinker. That is, you exhibit good judgment and exercise sound reasoning. These thought processes serve you well whenever you set out to acquire true knowledge and/or gain a skill. You school yourself by reading, investigating, examining, experiencing, or receiving instruction in a subject. Because of your strengths, you treasure books and other publications because they are rich sources of information. You regard the printed word as a gateway to a vast world of new ideas. Your quest to interpret events, grasp facts, or understand concepts appears limitless. Frequently you read to broaden
your perspective on very familiar, as well as altogether unfamiliar, topics. By nature, you endorse the importance of acquiring additional knowledge and gaining new skills. You regard education as an ongoing activity. It’s very likely that you may devote yourself to things that intrigue you. Sometimes your attention intensifies if you are encouraged to immerse yourself in a specific activity or topic.

2. Input
People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often
they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

What makes you stand out?
It’s very likely that you enjoy reading as long as you can savor each sentence and consider each idea. Your goal is to comprehend everything you read. It makes no sense to you to rush through books, magazine or newspaper articles, Internet sites, or other forms of written material just to say you finished them. By nature, you absorb the written word like a sponge sops up water. You revel in an opportunity to lose yourself in a book. Time seems to float by when you are the grateful guest of an entertaining or informative author. Your only choice is to finish the book as quickly as possible. Because of your strengths, you rely on your passion for reading to help you launch conversations. Engaging in small talk or casual chitchat is likely to be difficult for you. As a result, you tend to draw on the ideas you find on the printed page or the Internet to spark discussions. Writers’ thoughts generally prompt you to use questions to break the ice — that is, conquer the first challenges in starting a dialogue. This tactic permits others to begin talking and allows you to simply listen. Chances are good that you may master specialized vocabularies to perform certain tasks correctly. Perhaps you realize every field of study and work has its own glossary of terms. You might add new words and definitions to your vocabulary. If some people ridicule you for being singleminded
— that is, determined to gain fluency in this new language — you might ignore them.
Sometimes doing your job properly seems to be more important to you than being popular. Instinctively, you are the team member who usually acquires lots of information by perusing all kinds of written material. These materials can include newspapers, books, memos, and electronic documents.

3. Command
People who are especially talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take
control of a situation and make decisions.

What makes you stand out?
By nature, you earnestly apply yourself to seeing things as they really are. You bring a practical, matter-of-fact, and unsentimental outlook to various discussions, projects, or planning meetings. It’s very likely that you quiet outspoken people with your quick and clever thinking. You rely on facts and reason to support your ideas. Many individuals choose to submit to whatever you tell them to do. Few dare to resist and ignore your orders. Frequently your mental agility overpowers people who traditionally like to take charge. Because of your strengths, you are unsentimental and not often swayed by emotional arguments or passionate pleas. People are likely to describe you as quite realistic and practical. Instinctively, you now and then make daring requests or bold demands of certain individuals. Perhaps your life becomes a bit more meaningful when people respond favorably
to your call for extra effort. Driven by your talents, you keep a tight rein on your emotions. You are cautious and reserved. Rather than add to the drama of a situation, you simply study the facts. You waste little time discussing your own and others’ feelings. Instead, you consider the evidence. You weigh the consequences of whatever is said and done. People realize you need time to think. They know your judgment is rarely clouded by personal feelings or opinions.

4. Achiever
People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and
work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you make an effort to be friendly and talkative whenever the situation demands. Even so, you treasure your work or study time. Why? You yearn to produce tangible results each day. Socializing, while important, fails to provide outcomes to which you can point and measure. As a result, you likely resist devoting time to activities that impede progress, compromise productivity, or waste precious time. Instinctively, you probably have a reputation for working many hours so your team, class, or workgroup can reach its goals. Chances are good that you ordinarily take time and exert extra effort to comprehend what you are reading. You probably refuse to rush through written material. Why? You likely intend to commit to memory as many facts and concepts as possible. By nature, you tend to be quite selective about the company you keep. You prefer to spend time with individuals who are trustworthy. You consciously avoid people whose words and deeds indicate they value honesty less than you do. It’s very likely that you do a fine job of imparting knowledge to individuals. You spend a lot of time preparing appropriate stories,
vivid examples, graphic illustrations, or useful materials to enliven your training sessions.

5. Belief
People who are especially talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are
unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you may be zealous — that is, fervent and enthusiastic — about solving problems that affect the quality of your life. Once in a while, you devote all your time and energy to a specific cause. Perhaps your core values explain why you participate in certain social, political, educational, religious, legal, or environmental activities. It’s very likely that you may convince certain people that a particular project or cause improves humankind’s quality of life. Occasionally you persuade them of the importance of protecting the planet’s resources for future generations. Perhaps you help people realize they can accomplish more good as a group than they can as individuals. By nature, you sometimes like to assist people. Why? Maybe failure to act violates one of your core values. You may hope your actions or good examples will make the world a little bit better tomorrow than it is today. Instinctively, you may be attracted to individuals whose honesty and integrity are above reproach. Perhaps you seek to penalize people who betray trust by taking things without permission. Chances are good that you might feel best about yourself when you are honest and forthright. Perhaps telling untruths or omitting important facts violates your personal code of ethics.

So, does this really describe me?

ISU Homecoming Town and Gown 5k Race Report

On Saturday morning, the alarm went off at 6am to rise and shine for a day of ISU Homecoming festivities. I felt like crap...sore throat, headache, runny nose, etc, but I decided that I would get up and head to the 5k, because hey, it's always a good time.

I checked the weather and was debating on what to wear and ended up in capris, a long sleeve drifit, and a red pullover. I also remembered to grab some gloves and ear warmer since my ears were hurting as well. I thought about running over to ISU, but decided I would just drive because I was pretty sure I wouldn't want to run or walk home. When I arrived, the lines were out the door. I got my number and headed into a super hot lecture hall to drop off my stuff. I ran into several people I know and was actually glad to be doing a local event because its been awhile since I've seen alot of people I know at races. Finally, it was time to head to the start.

On my way to the start, I bumped into my friend Chad's wife (I cannot remember her name and it's been bugging me since Saturday) and we talked a bit. I was planning on running with her, but when the gun went off, 600 or so people took off and away we went and I lost her.

Because I haven't been running much lately...like the last time I ran was a marathon and the time before that was a race in July...I really didn't have any expectations for the race, but I did want to finish around 33 minutes or at least under 35 minutes. I started running and was pleased to hear my time was 10:40 at the first mile. I was happy about that. I started to get hot and took off my gloves and ear warmer and then started on my second loop. Mile 2 was right at 21:40 so I knew I was probably going to finish under 33 minutes. I picked up the pace and ended up finishing around 32:20 or something like that. I was pleased, didn't feel any sicker than I had before the race, and was ready to go home.

I headed inside, grabbed a piece of bagel and a bottle of water, bumped into my students (Nice job Betsy and James!), grabbed my stuff and headed back to my car and then drove home. It was definitely a fun race and a much more pleasant experience than the St. George Marathon. I actually felt more motivated to run than I have in a REALLY long time.

The Blessings of the Temple

Dog Washing

Yesterday morning I got to work and received this e-mail from my mom.

Hi,

Just wondering if you could take Simon and Sassy for a bath today? They both smell like SKUNK!!!! Simon has a tummy ache and so Dad let them both out for approximately 5 minutes and they came back with THE SMELL.

Love
Mom

For whatever reason, Naughty Simon and Sassy Mavis love rolling on dead skunks. Why?! Who knows?!

Well, since I'm in IL, I told my mom that maybe Tim, my wonderful fiance, would be willing to drive Simon and Sassy in the weiner truck. When I talked to Tim yesterday, I asked him if he would be willing to do me a favor. He said, "sure" and then he discovered what the favor was and he was definitely unsure. However, because he's such a fantastic terrific guy, he agreed.

So, yesterday, he met my mom at the vet's office and was greeted by this.

How could that sight not totally make you grin?!

Sassy loves to get bathed so she was definitely looking forward to getting out of the truck and into the lovely walk-in bathtub. Simon, on the other hand, was ready to run around and Tim was the lucky person who got to be dragged around while Simon peed on every bush and sniffed the grass and as Tim said "was very hyper."

Apparently, Naughty Simon got to have his bath first. Of course, this was after my mom discovered that he didn't smell much like skunk. Simon is not fond of baths, which I'm sure you can see from the expression on his face. He is always a bit apprehensive of the walk-in tub.

Small edit: After Tim read the blog he said that the look on Simon's face is very similar to the look on my face when I'm wet.
But he was definitely happy when he was done, as you can see by the rapid tail movement.
Sassy is a much more experienced bather and she LOVES to have baths. She actually prances up the ramp into the tub. You can see from her expression that she is in blissful heaven.
Because Tim is making such an effort to become a dog person, he wanted his dog washing moment captured for posterity. Sassy must have got water in her ears because she doesn't look like she's enjoying her bath quite as much.
While Tim was washing Sassy, my mom was drying Simon, who hates to be dried, so he ended up in the kennel while they finished up with Sassy.
Sassy got to enjoy her favorite part of getting a bath, which is the drying part. She will literally stand in the bathroom while you dry your hair and wait to get blown on...weirdo.
I've decided that Tim must really love me because he is willing to bathe dogs and be dragged around with a leash and then actually let me post a story about it. Someday he'll be a true dog person...or at least tolerant enough to let me love them!

Dogs are Awesome!

Apparently, the owners of this dog thought the neighbor kids were coming over and swimming when they weren't home. They came home to a very wet deck and wet patio furniture. Little did they know (until they set up a recorder) what was actually going on!

I think this is why my parents do not have a pool...yet...

St. George Marathon Expo

So, I finally remembered my cord to upload the pictures off of my camera and realized that I took or Tim took only 4 pictures with my camera. I'm so glad that I remembered to charge it and bring it so I could use it. These pics were taken at the St. George Marathon Expo.

Choose This Day

St. George Marathon Race Report

Last Thursday afternoon, I flew to Las Vegas, met Tim there and then we drove to St. George for a weekend involving a marathon, General Conference, family, friends and In-n-Out cheeseburgers. The drive to St. George was uneventful, although we did stop in Mesquite for a water stop. I was mostly just SO happy to see Tim after a month apart.

Friday morning, we woke up to my dad making waffles with homemade peach syrup which was delicious! We headed to the expo, where I bought all sorts of stuff and even found my favorite sunglasses. I needed a replacement pair after my other pair got all scratched up during the branch to the lip incident at Zions. Tim bought me a very cute hat and my parents tried out all of the "healing" muscle balms. By the time we arrived at the car, my dad smelled like old people. We headed to see my friends, the Perkins, and then had lunch with my grandparents. Of course, my grandma had all sorts of questions for Tim. We stopped at the bike shop for some nutrition ($8 for 3 clif blocks) and then headed back to the condo. (THANKS LARRY AND NYLA FOR LETTING US STAY THERE!) My dad and Tim snagged a quick nap and my mom and I headed to Harmons for some steak, shrimp, chicken, and other meat for dinner.

My pre-race meal consisted of a baked potato, steak, shrimp, and grilled zuchini. My dad is such a fantastic cook! Oh, and my mom brought some homemade salsa which made the meat even better! After dinner, we dropped some chips and salsa off to my Illinois friends, Howard and Sherry Hill and Danny and Carolyn Trancoso. We talked with them for awhile and then headed to Nelson's Frozen Custard for the best ice cream ever. Can you tell that food is important to the Hansen's? Tim and I shared a tin roof sundae concrete and then it was time for the hot tub and bed.

The alarm went off at 4:20am, but I had been awake off and on since 2am. You know...the whole I hydrated for the race and then had to pee all night sort of deal. I planned on eating a bagel for breakfast, but apparently sundried tomato bagels do not even sound or smell sort of appetizing at 4:30am. I ended up eating a banana. My mom and I drove over to catch the bus to the start and bumped into all of our friends. We all got to enjoy a long bus ride to the start, which was a great help to all of the wonderful hydration.

It was FREEZING at the start of the race. My mom, Sherry and I got to shiver in the portapotty line for about 30 minutes. My mom drank some hot chocolate and was bumming clothes and foil blankets from people. After the long stand in line in the freezing cold wait for a portapotty with no toilet paper, my mom and I headed over to stand next to the campfires. I finally started to get warm and then it was time to jump into the start. We bumped into Howard, Danny, and Carolyn and chatted for a minute and then we were off.

I felt like crap from the beginning of the race. I knew that I hadn't eaten enough for breakfast and so I started eating my clif blocks from mile 1. My mom and I decided to do a 5:1 run/walk strategy which worked well for awhile. I should probably also mention that my mom has a broken toe and was running along just fine. I got rid of my throwaway shirt after about 3 miles and was a little chilly, but was tired of feeling hot. I hit the portapotty at mile 6 and was noticing that my stomach was not digging the gatorade...at all.

We hit the hill at Veyo and decided to do a 1:1 run/walk because that hill is HARD. It's 1 mile up a 5% grade. Killer... We got to the top and I noticed a seriously gross man. I think he pooped his pants because his shorts had all these brown streaks around them and he had brown splatters on his legs and socks. He was carrying a huge backpack (why?!) and talked to himself. Creepy... I said in my head that I needed to beat him...just because he was yucky.

After the hill, I started having some difficulty breathing. Nothing serious, but if I took a deep breath I started coughing. I couldn't believe we were only at mile 8 and I was ready to be done. I knew that my dad and Tim were waiting at mile 16 and that was all that kept me going. That and the fact that my mom was running too. I mean, geez, if she could run a marathon with a broken toe, I could run too. Did I mention that the last time I ran was July 24? Note to self: Never ever run a marathon without doing at least some training.

While my mom and I were suffering through the race, my dad and Tim were taking pictures of people they knew. Here are some of Howard and Danny. Sorry Danny, no idea why your picture is so overexposed.



We saw my dad and Tim at mile 16. I mostly just wanted to cry and be done. My legs were killing me. I had a bloody nose. My back was spasming and everytime I ate anything my stomach started cramping. It was oh so much fun! Note the look of joy on the man on the right side of the picture.

I think this may have been the only real smile I had during the race.



Here's how I was really feeling.



My mom and I talked with my dad and Tim for a minute or two and then headed off for the rest of the race. Mostly, I just wanted to stay there with them and ride in the car back to the finish, but I sort of forgot to. I also forgot to give them my ipod which was driving me nuts.

The last 10 miles of the race were SO hard for me mentally and physically. I was tired and thirsty and hungry. I didn't want to be running. My stomach was feeling awful. My legs were in pain and I couldn't wait to take my shoes off. There were a few times that I stopped to stretch my back and really just wanted to sit down and be done. My mom asked me if I would be ok if she left me and I said yep, I'm fine. At one point, we were running down a hill and noticed the shuttle van slowing down and asking people if they were done and wanted a ride. I turned to my mom and said, "That's the perfect visual lesson of temptation. Here, come get on the bus, we'll take you to the finish line, it will be so easy and fun. We have air conditioning. You won't have to hurt anymore." We both laughed a little and then continued on.

We made it down to the Diagonal and my mom left me. I was in tears and just wanted to be done. I knew I wasn't going to make the 6 hour cutoff and then I started seeing people with medals and realized they were very similar to last year's. I thought to myself, "Geez...why would I keep running. I already have a medal like that." And yet, I kept going. I passed a man sitting in a very comfy chair and asked him if I could trade places. He was snacking on something and he said, "Sure, I've got an extra chair right here." I kept going. I think the only reason I kept going was because I knew that Tim and everyone else would be at the finish line. I knew that if I stopped, they would worry and not be able to find me because of the course being shutdown. So, I kept going. I made it to mile 25 and wondered if I had anything left. Apparently, I did because I kept going. I was literally talking myself into running to different points. "If I can just make it to the yellow sign, I can stop and walk."

Tim was at the finish line taking pictures. Here are a few of them. He missed Sherry because she is so super fast!

This is the back of Carolyn finishing.

Here's Howard.

Here's Danny.

I finally made it to the road with the finish line. I could see the finish line. I wanted to run in, but wasn't sure if I could do it. I was plodding along and then I saw Sherry. She told me I looked good (yeah...right) and said that Tim was up ahead. Then I heard Howard and saw him and then I saw Tim. I'm not sure if I smiled or not. Mostly, I just wanted to be done.





When I crossed the finish line, I stopped, took off my shoes, threw them in a trash can, much to the amusement of the first aid people. I took off my socks and threw them away too. The lady handing out the medals said, "Where are your shoes?" I just looked at her and said, "in the garbage." I don't think she knew what to think. I was so hungry that I went to the Blue Bunny truck and got 3 ice cream sandwiches and then downed a yogurt in record time. There was no water to be found though. That was annoying.

After wandering around looking for water, I got out of the runner's area and found Tim. I handed him my ice creams and then we walked over to the gear check to grab my clothes. We were walking along and I just sat down. I was so tired of being on my feet and I just wanted a drink of water and I couldn't find anything.

We found Howard and Sherry and took a few more pictures.

Ice cream after a race is delicious! Although, I'm sure I have food in my teeth and on my face in this picture.

After the race, Tim and I headed back to the condo. We stopped and got some ice which felt so so good on my legs. He also bought me some yummy salty potato chips which were yummy too. I was so hungry after this race. I sat in an ice bath and then grabbed a quick shower and then ate yet again. My dad made some yummy grilled chicken sandwiches and we had chips and homemade salsa again. Then, we settled in for an afternoon of General Conference. I was seriously achy and couldn't walk too well, which Tim found highly amusing.

Yep, I look so attractive in my shorts and 3 layers of clothes and Tim's grey socks.

We spent the rest of the day gorging ourselves on cheeseburgers from In-n-Out and visiting with the Perkins and just relaxing. Sunday morning was a quick wake up and clean the condo (Yes, we did vacuum the stairs Larry!) and then my parents and Tim headed back to Logan, and I drove to Vegas to fly back to IL.

During the marathon, I was pretty sure that I would never ever do another marathon in my life. However, by Sunday I was back to making plans to do the Top of Utah marathon in Logan next September. Anyone want to join me? I think my mom and Tim are in!