Boise Women's 5K

School is crazy! I have been managing my time wisely though.  6am I wakeup and excercise (Just got Bob Harper's new workout DVD's AMAZING!! I'm so sore.) And class from about 7:45am-12:30.  I watch Alex my nephew till about 4:30 everyday after class.  He's getting so big.  He walks everywhere now, it's his preferred method of transportation.  He still cries everyday when his mom or dad drops him off.  That makes me a little sad, I swear I'm nice to him.  Thomas had a shift change schedule so now he gets off work at 2pm (has to be there at 5am though) that really helps cause he can play with Alex while I do homework.  Thomas has pitched in so much around the house.  He makes dinner pretty much every night and does the dishes and cleans up. While I sit on my bum on the couch reading textbooks and typing lesson plans/papers.  So that is my excuse for not blogging.  I'm writing papers and on the computer for like 8 hours everyday doing homework and just don't have the energy to do more. 
Thomas and I had such a great weekend in Boise.  We went there for two reasons: #1 so that I could run a 5K with my good friend/old roommate Tess #2 So that Thomas could meet with the head of the MRI department at Boise State. 
I knew it was going to be an awesome weekend when as soon as we pulled up to Boise State campus Thomas got a call from the hospital saying that they wanted to offer him a job as an ER tech! Finally!
The Dept. head was super nice and sat down with us for an hour looking through Thomas' transcripts and explaining things to us.  We thought for sure he would need to do a year of pre reqs to be able to qualify for the MRI program.  But the dept. head gave us hope that he can do some pre reqs online and maybe get in for this next fall.
After our meeting we headed to the Women's Expo.  There were a ton of vendors.  There were food booths, health booths, gym booths, just everything imaginable. We came back with a couple bags of coupons and freebies.  We stopped at the Subway booth and saw Jared from the Subway commercials.  Nice guy. He seemed kind of bored of greeting people and smiling.

After the expo we got sandwhiches and headed to a nearby park called Camel's Back park to eat them.  Boise has such wonderful parks! This one had a huge sand hill that you can hike to the top and then a bunch of dirt trails that wind around for miles.  Perfect for running. 



Tess and I at the start line




Tess, Me, Ariana, Crystal



Saturday morning a couple of Tess' friends came and met us at her house and us girls drove together to downtown Boise where the race started.  I was so surprised that there were no lines for the porta potties!? That is unheard of in running race world.  The race had a buch of different waves.  First were the wheelchair participants, then the elite, and then our red wave which is the competitive wave.  Before the gun went off they have music blasting and even teach you a dance.  They sung the national anthem and we couldn't hear a word, also as the lady is singing a big helicopter flew over so that didn't help.  When the gun went off we were ready to go.  It took only about ten seconds to cross over the start mat and as soon as we crossed over the mat there was no hold up or dodging really.  At first I was just going to run easy and wasn't going for time but I knew once I started I needed to just push myself.  I started focusing on people ahead of me and telling myself to stick with them and then pass them.  There was an 11 year old girl whose headband fell off.  I wanted to pick it up for her but she looked back at it and shrugged and kept moving.  Then there was a lady pushing a stroller booking it.  I stuck with her and then passed her on the hill.  The first mile was flat, second mile uphill, and third mile downhill.  I loved it.  At the top of the hill they have these old men playing bagpipes to greet you.  At the top of the hill is an old train depot, really beautiful building.  And we started in front of the state capitol building.  This race had me the closest to throwing up then I have ever gotten while running.  I think what started it was at the top of the hill there was a strong smell of food.  Talking about food or smelling food while running just sends me over the edge.  So gross.  So my goal was to for sure get under 9 minute miles and throughout the race I was running a little over an 8 minute mile.  The last quarter mile or so is a straightaway and it kind of fools you because you are running on the left and there are people going towards the finish line on the right plus there is a balloon arc halfway through the straightaway but it's not the finish line is the start of "tuxedo row"  where men in tux tops and short shorts high five you.  Once I got to tuxedo row I just sprinted and made it through.  Official time 24:16 (and the Garmin showed that it was exactly 3.1 miles). 

We finished!!

The Smith family

Oops forgot to take the sunglasses off. 

All four of us girls ended up being split apart but I think we all really enjoyed the run.  We met in the park that we finished in and got our goodies.  I loved that they hand you a sack with all the food afterwards instead of having to stand in a million different lines to get what you want.  Post race food included an apple, cheese stick, chocolate milk, yogurt and berries cup, cookie, and ice cream bars.  There were more vendor booths in the park to look at too.  Ryan (Tess' hubby) and Thomas met us at the park after the race.  They had gone to Boise State football stadium where ESPN was hosting College Game Day while we were running.

The beauty of the blue field.

Go Broncos!

 We laughed cause they were going around town with Graham (Ryan and Tess' 11 month old son) in his stroller and it was probably funny for people to see two men and a baby walking around.  We couldn't have asked for better weather for the weekend.
Saturday night Tess and I went to a dinner and then the broadcast of the genereal relief society with her mother in law.  I love that President Monson talked about not judging other people by their outward appearances.  This past week I had to do some simulation activities for my special education class that I'm taking.  One of them was to be in a wheelchair for four hours.  People were super nice and helpful but I could also tell that they talked down to me a bit, like I was a child and mentally handicapped. When I mentioned to one girl that I was married she acted totally surprised, like a person in a wheelchair can't get married.  I was amazed at how people get around in a wheelchair.  I have a lot of my classes at a building at the top of the hill.  Going down a hill in a wheelchair is scary! You try to break but it hurts your hands.  I ended up rolling into a patch of grass and couldn't get out so had to ask for some help.  This nice girl took me all the way down the hill to my class.  I entered the building on the second floor, somebody showed me where the elevator was and got in only to realize it doens't go to the bottom floor! What!? So I had to go out the building again and go all the way around looking for an entrance to the basement floor.  It was a tiny little side entrance.  I was late for class.  Then I had to go back up the hill.  There was no way I was going to make it on my own.  My arms hurt just from wheeling around on flat ground.  Luckily this super nice guy offered to take me up the hill even though he wasn't going in that direction.  Poor guy, he was sweating like crazy by the time he got me up there. 
The next day I had to where four different eye masks that simulated different visual impairments like being cross eyed, tunnel vision, and only seeing form one eye.  People were so rude about them.  Actually only guys were rude and made comments.  Do people really think I'd just walk around wearing an eye mask because I think it's cool? But serisouly, what if I had just had eye surgery and had to wear these masks, why would you make fun of somebody?  By the end of the day I was fed up with it.  So when I walked past a guy and his girlfriend (who I always see making out in the hall next to my class)  and he laughed when I passed and said "did you see that!?"  I turned around and was like "Do you want to know WHY I'm wearing a mask?" He was shocked and didn't respond but his girlfriend said yes.  I found that I would much rather just have someone ask "what happened?" then to have them stare and talk behind my back.  Anyways I think this was a wonderful activity and definetly made me feel more compassion for those who live their whole life with these disabilities. 
Back to Boise, Saturday night we watched the Boise State football game and then Sunday morning went to part of church with Tess and Ryan.  We had so much fun hanging out with them and can't wait to move to Boise and be able to hang with them even more. 
On our way home Sunday evening we stopped in Pocatello where I spent most of my childhood and had dinner with the Larsen's my childhood friends family.  Her mom is such a wonderful cook! We counted all of the different food dishes she made and it came out to like eight or nine! I haven't been in their home for like 12 years so it was great to be back and catch up. 
We love our little getaway weekends and are so grateful for our amazing friends.