Red Rock Relay 2011: TEAM LEG-IT

While I was in England, I attempted to run a couple times. It didn't really work out. I probably have more fingers than number of times I ran. Needless to say, it didn't even come close to preparing me for what came two weeks after I got back from Cambridge.

I ran the Red Rock Relay September 9-10th with a team of eleven people. The Red Rock Relay is a ragnar-type race, that goes starts up in Brian Head, goes through Cedar City, St. George, and through Zions National Park. It's 187 miles long. Each team member runs three separate legs, ranging from 3-8 miles and varying in difficulty.

Team Leg-It.

Back row: Carter Zufelt, Andrew Martinson, Jeremy Robbins, Keven Mcfadyen,
Jenna Bothwell, Kyle Smith, Tyler Dalton
Front Row: Me, Trent Mcfadyen, Spencer Johnson, Katherine Pendleton.

Awesome people, every single one of them.

It was hard. Summer in England + running in Utah elevation meant my lungs were crying. Actually, lack of training meant all of me was crying. We were all so tired. Exhausted. Starving for real food (I lived off cliff bars, energy bars, and Gatorade that entire weekend. And grapes. I brought grapes. And cheeze-its). Uncomfortable. Stomach problems for everybody up the wazoo. It hurt to walk. We were sleepy and couldn't sleep. We ran through and over forests, canyons, mountains, and desserts. We ran in rain, snow, hail, and blazing sun. To top it off, the last day one of our vans broke down, and me and half the team were stranded in the middle of some little town in southern Utah. We didn't even get to all run through the finish line.

Yet, it was one of the most epic experiences of my life. It was SO beautiful. My team was so awesome. The runs were exhilarating (except for maybe that last one...which was miserable). Something about running is so meaningful to me. Sometimes you hate it--because your legs are screaming at you and your lungs somehow can't seem to find any oxygen in the air and why did that 55-year-old man just pass me like nobody's business and you can feel the sweat running down your forehead and it's not even mile two yet and where the HECK is some water?!?

I figured out halfway through the relay that drinking water while I was running made me feel sick to my stomach. But I digress.

But then you get the flip side of the coin. Sometimes you push through all that mind-crap and all of a sudden you open your eyes. And you can literally feel your heart pushing your blood through your veins and you can make your legs go faster. And you're breathing in the cold night air and you can just begin to see the beginnings of the sun creeping up behind the mountains. And there's nobody in sight. Just you, and the mountains, and the sound of your feet hitting the pavement again and again and again. And suddenly everything is back in perspective and it all just makes sense and you've never felt quite so empowered before in your entire life.

Those moments are what I love about running. And experiencing that with a team was amazing. You've got support. You're all in pain, but that's the beauty of it--because you push through it for the sake of the team, even if you wouldn't do it for yourself.

I mean, LOOK at this!!
How can you not be inspired?

PRE-RACE
1) Jenna and I. Such good friends.
2) Snap bracelet we passed at each transfer. And my trusty running shoes.
3) Spencer and I under the start line.

Our team was short a person, so some of us took extra legs. All of my legs were pretty short, so I took a fourth. My first leg was 3 miles, second leg was 4.7 miles, third leg was 4.5 miles, and fourth leg was 3.1 miles.

My first leg was the first leg of the entire race and I got to take a ski lift up to the top of this mountain. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake...and then I saw that the path was about a foot-wide, steep, and rocky. I still tried taking it too fast and I biffed it trying to turn down one of the switchbacks. The elevation also got to me and I was panting so hard, considering I was running downhill. Not my best run.

First Leg
1) Taking the ski lift up the mountain.
2) Running down the mountain.
3) Right after having passed the bracelet to Andrew.

Second leg ended up being all right. However, I had taken two extra-strength excedrin about two hours before my leg because I was having a really bad headache...it was a terrible decision. Not only did that mean that I spent the two hours I was supposed to spend sleeping wide-awake in my sleeping bag with nothing to do but listen to my heart beat extraordinarily fast, I was also really jittery when I had to go run and my heart rate was still going crazy. It just felt weird. I've sworn off excedrin. However, after the first mile and a half, the medicine either wore off or I'd gotten it out of my system, and it ended up being a good run. I don't have any pictures specific to any of my runs after my first one...so the rest of the pictures will just be conglomeration of the entire experience.

More scenery.
And Andrew and I--earning our Red Rock stripes.
You get one after each leg. 

Third leg was my favorite leg hands down. I was booking it down the mountain--made really good time; it was maybe the best time I've ever made on a run. It was around 3:30 in the morning, I believe, and I just felt so alive. It was a fantastic run.

1) Snow van (my van)
2) Kevin in the exchange passing the snap bracelet on to Tyler
3) Trent (what you feel like during your run)
4) Trent (what you feel like after your run)

1) If you're thirsty...you gotta drink while you run. We refused to stop.
2) Carter booking it.
3) How you doing? You need water?
4) Spencer getting a pep talk during one of his legs.

Fourth leg came only 35 minutes after my third leg and it was awful. Kevin (the team leader) offered to switch me out, but I turned him down. Even though I was still tired from the last run, I just wanted so badly to be done with all my legs so I could just sleep. Dumb decision. It ended up being uphill for the entire three miles. Not only was my time not so hot, I wanted to die the entire time. I staggered up to the exchange, slapped the bracelet on Andrew's wrist, walked around for a bit, ate half a bunch of grapes, leaned my head against the car window, and was out for about three hours. I don't remember anything. But I was done. I had done it. I woke up and I still couldn't believe it.

Twenty-nine hours and six minutes after I had crossed the start line, our last runner crossed the finish line--and our entire team was done. We celebrated by eating at Wendys...and chilling out in a parking lot while the boys tried to fix the radiator of the broken-down van.

1) Trent's back. ha.
2) Jenna and I post-race. Pre-shower. Gross.
3) Carter wid da RRR medal.

1) Post-race. DONE.
2) All three RRR stripes.
3) Repping those hard-earned stripes at church the next day.

If I thought I was sore after hiking Mount Timp....I was wrong. I learned what sore meant after the Red Rock Relay. I got home late Saturday night, thanks to the entire broken-down van adventure. I actually debated sleeping on the couch because 1) I didn't want to climb the stairs up to my bedroom and 2) I didn't want to have to get on the top bunk. I eventually decided to sleep in my bed after all. I could barely walk down the stairs the next morning. I hurt so badly for the next couple of days. But with a smile on my face. You betcha.

Red Rock Relay 2012, here I come. 

Come further up, come further in.

I've been uplifted, inspired, and enriched today.

I'm grateful for Christ and for the Atonement. For the gospel. For inspired leaders. For purpose and meaning. For family. For all these things and so many more.

“If there are any principles which have given me strength, and by which I have learned to live more truly a life of usefulness, it seems to me I could wish to impart this joy and strength to others; to tell them what the Gospel has been and is to me, ever since I embraced it and learned to live by its laws. A fresh revelation of the Spirit day by day, an unveiling of mysteries which before were dark, deep, unexplained and incomprehensible; a most implicit faith in a divine power, in infinite truth emanating from God the Father.”

-Sister Elizabeth Anne Whitney

I'm especially grateful for all the worthy priesthood holders in my life. They blow me away with their diligence in not only keeping themselves worthy, but also  in their willingness to serve. Teachers. Leaders. Home teachers. Friends. 

"The blessings of the priesthood are available to every righteous man and woman. We may all receive the Holy Ghost, obtain personal revelation, and be endowed in the temple, from which we emerge ‘armed’ with power. The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates all of the righteous against the powers of darkness."

-Sister Sherry Dew

President Uchtdorf just gave a talk in the Relief Society Broadcast in which he gave the sisters five things to "forget not." All five were so ridiculously simple; incidentally, they were also things that I needed to hear. 

1) Forget not to be patient with yourself.

2) Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.

3) Forget not to be happy now.

4) Forget not the "why" of the gospel.

5) Forget not that the Lord loves you.

I've always loved C.S. Lewis. In The Last Battle, as the Pevensie children and many of the other beloved characters of the series explore the new Narnia, the unicorn exclaims,

"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!"

I feel like lately I have been getting all these little glimpses of "the land I have been looking for all my life," of "my real country."

There's only so far you can go or understand in this life. At the same time, life is a learning process--and I don't think God puts up walls. Rather, for those who earnestly seeks, He knocks them down. As Christ said in Luke 11:9, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

If that's not an invitation to "Come further up, come further in!", I don't know what is.

Hike of Hikes

The weekend after I got back from Cambridge, some of my friends decided to hike Mount Timpanogos.

I've been meaning to do this for the longest time.
Probably since this one time Freshman year when...

Mackenzie: Can you believe the snow on Mount Timpanogos already?
Me: Where's Mount Timpanogos?
Mackenzie: It's over there. [points]. It's huge. Some people hike it and get to the summit by sunrise. Seriously though, it takes all night.
Me: ...so legit.

Anyways, since that inconsequential conversation, I've been meaning to hike it. The mountain. The Timpanogos.

We started our hike around 1:30 in the morning with a big group of about 18 people. It would be a seven mile hike--with sunrise being around 6:30. Not going to lie, I was thinking, "Seven miles in five hours? Easy-peasy."

Before the hike.
Me, Jenna, Jessica, and...someone whose name I
can't remember.

The hike ended up being the hardest hike I've ever done. I think that out of the original eighteen, only five made it to the top. But man, was it worth it.

I didn't have a headlamp for the first part of the hike which made it a little tricky--a friend lent me his headlamp for the second, which made things a lot easier. The trail was also pretty rocky--and quite steep in parts. It got cold. And I got tired. But it was so beautiful. So many waterfalls and cliffs and the path just goes on and on. Maybe my favorite part was seeing all the other people making the same journey. You could see bobbing lights all the way up the mountain. I don't know--something about that...I loved it.

We hit the halfway point (there was a little shack). There was a group of people that decided to just stay there. I was tempted for about ten seconds--and then I decided I was going to make it to the top if it killed me. 

Rob, Matt, and I left for the summit. We got to cross these lovely icy slopes. 

tricky tricky.

And climb up rocks...

matt.
and me in the bottom right.

And I was SO TIRED. With every step I took, I was giving myself a pep talk. I devoured every granola bar I brought with me--and downed every ounce of liquid I had brought. My legs just got shakier and shakier.Oh, and I had to pee for the entire last half of the hike up to the summit, but thanks to me being a girl...let's leave it at, well,  that's con #574 of being a girl.

But we got to see this at the almost-the-summit-but-not-quite: 

Sunrays just beginning to peak over the horizon.

We booked it to the summit because some kids kept saying that we weren't going to make it in time. Puh-lease. There was no way. We made it in time, even if I was pretty much dying on that last stretch.

victoire épique

We did it!!!
Repping Cambridge on the top of Mount Timp.

We signed the Bible that was in the little shack on the summit to document our achievement. We chilled out for a while on the top. And then we headed down down down. The hike back was almost like a second hike because you could actually see everything that was around you. And it was breath-taking.

And after the hike?

I peed, showered, and slept. In that order.

I also walked like a duck for the next day and a half.

Meaning, I waddled.

Really attractive.

snapshots of pembroke college (and other things)

Like the last post, this one also has a plethora of pictures.

Putting together these two posts made me want to revisit Cambridge more than ever.

I miss it.

Last English scone with butter and jam.

These Cambridge streets got class and charm.

Cambridge Union Society Building.
Where we had a lot of our classes, ate really awful sandwiches and
really good doughnuts, and had our plenary lecture/debates.

1) one of the many courtyards.
2) student housing inside the college
3) Pembroke College Chapel right in the middle.
4) outside of the Pembroke library.

the real dining hall was under reconstruction.
we ate here.
cool tent, ay?

Pembroke Cafe.
Where I usually ate lunch everyday because
they had the best paninis and wraps.

More of Pembroke College.
It has BEAUTIFUL gardens. 

snapshots of kings college

Title is pretty self-explanatory. This post is chock-full of pictures.

1) the outside of Kings college.
2) Kings College Chapel

1) pathway way in the back of kings--other side of the Cam
2) bridge to cross the Cam on Kings property
3) the Cam right outside the windows of Bodley's Court
4) back gate of Kings--Kings' crest.

1) path to get to the Kings College punts
2) looking across the Cam at the Kings College Chapel
3) Kings College Punts + many ducks
4) bridge on the left hand side of Kings College

1) Gibbs Building and front lawn of Kings
2) Bodley's Court
3) beautiful architecture (outside of the Kings bar, I believe)
4) Back lawn, part of Kings College Chapel, and a "Please keep off the grass" sign.

1) Kings library
2) desk where I did most of my research for my Gothic Architecture final
3) table where Chris, Katelyn, and I had a study party, complete with
illegal chocolate, ribena, nutella, and crackers.
4) where I wrote my Reformation paper and did research for my Shakespeare paper.

Last time punting in the Kings College punts.

Last PKP Formal Hall

Our last formal hall.
It was surreal.
Like,
It feels like I've been here for forever...
and now you're telling me this is it?!
kind of surreal.

We had drinks on the lawn,
a delicious dinner,
a nostalgic moment on the banks of the Cam,
and then we partied at the final bop
where BYU outdanced
every other school that was there.

This summer has given me the
memories of a lifetime.

Warning: Entourage of photos ensues.

Cate, Lauren, Jacqueline, Jenny, and me.

Brendan and I. 

I don't remember who took this...but
that's the Kings library right behind me.

On the Kings grass for the last time.

Main course and dessert.
I forgot to take a picture of the appetizer.
But the menu of the night is featured right below!

Menu
******************

Olive oil cured tuna nicoise, toasted pinenuts,

baby basil & tomato confit

******************

Ribe-eye steak with butternut squash dauphinoise,

roast shallots, truffled kale, & port jus

******************

Lemon slice, white chocolate & honeycomb mousse with a 

chocolate twist

*******************

Fairtrade coffee

JERCK-ing in Amsterdam.

It was Jenny, me, Rob, Chris, and Katelyn--aka JERCK. Jenny came up with it. I can't take credit...acronyms were never my specialty.

Anyways. Back to the point. Our very last week in England...we took a trip to Amsterdam.

We took the overnight bus there. Like always, it made for a great night's sleep and a wide-eyed, glowingly fresh look the following morning. We got off the bus in Amsterdam...only to get on another bus to reach the city center.

We had arrived at around seven, so nothing was open. The streets were empty--the city was just beginning to wake up. We just walked around, getting a feel for the city. I didn't realize until later in the day when we were surrounded by hundreds of people how spectacular this time was. It was really just us and Amsterdam.

in front of one of the canals.
our group, except for katelyn (who was taking the picture).

We stopped at a little bakery to get some breakfast. I got a strawberry cream croissant and a chocolate croissant. We took them to-go and walked over to the canal. We dangled our legs over the side, enjoyed the view, and ate. The chocolate croissant was good--the strawberry one was to die for.

chocolate croissant + THIS = breakfast of your life.

Amsterdam is just a beautiful city. Chris had studied abroad in Amsterdam before and knew where everything was...which honestly, was wonderful and made everything even better.

Amsterdam!

We ended up in the Vondle Park, where we slung off our backpacks and just chilled for a while.

beautiful park. good friends. great time.

We were waiting to meet up with a friend of Jenny's from the Hague. So while we waited, we did lots of walking, some looking around in stores, some sitting down and relaxing. Lot of atmosphere enjoying. And then we decided to do a cheap-o lunch so we went to the supermarket.

banana strawberry smoothie. pringles (no duh),
fresh baguette (still warm), and boursin cheese (fave french cheese).
it was so good.
i mean, really really good.

We finished lunch. Jenny's friend finally joined us. And then Chris took us all to a bike rental place, and we went for a bike ride! We rode over bridges, past canals and windmills, and into the countryside. It was beautiful! Such a lovely day. While the city was fantastic, the countryside was just gorgeous. Unfortunately, I was so busy riding my bike, that I entirely forgot to take pictures. Except for when we stopped at this little gem.

rob, jenny, and i with our bikes.
in front of a windmill.
YES.

We finally got to a little town, parked our bikes, and went to a little outside cafe/bar for drinks.

orangina ftw.
never has a drink been so refreshing.

We rested for a bit before pedaling back to Amsterdam. We were starving by this point. So we went to a Japanese Wok place and got some takeout. We ate right next to the canal again. I mean, how many times in your life are you going to be able to eat next to a canal?

Rob. Me. Canal. Food. 

And that's where the fun stopped. Well, kind of stopped. You see, Katelyn and I both took our laptops with us to Amsterdam. Mostly because our final essay for our Shakespeare class was due on Sunday night...and it was already Saturday night. I was not only finishing up that essay, but also working on my final essay for my History of the Reformation class that was due on Tuesday. Katelyn still had most of her Shakespeare essay to do. These essays were worth 45% of our grade. Although both Katelyn and I tend to procrastinate until the last possible minute (as evidenced by our many late night semi-productive study sessions), we were both freaking out.

We went to Mcdonalds, bought Mcflurries, and camped out in the back to use their wi-fi. Management couldn't see us, which was good, because we were there for hours. Rob and Jenny were also doing some work. Chris read a book. Productive night in Amsterdam.

Study Sesh. AKA being productive.

Did I mention that we were there for a very long time? Because we were. We left the Mcdonalds late at night so that we could take the tram to our hostel. 

We got detoured, however, by the gorgeousness of Amsterdam at night. All the city lights reflecting on the canals, the bridges, the everything. It was just beautiful. And then we came to an outdoors concert. A man was just singing in one of the squares with his guitar and he was really good. He had a crowd of people just sitting on the ground all around him. We joined their ranks. It was such a beautiful night. And I love music. And the atmosphere of Europe. Just magical. There was a man sitting slightly to the left of us that was incredibly high. He did interpretive dance throughout. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing--it was just ridiculous sometimes. 

Jenny and I had our own room so Katelyn and I camped out there to continue working on our papers. I ended up falling asleep...with all intentions of waking up early. I didn't. Oops. Katelyn continued working on throughout the night, literally falling asleep as she wrote. The crowning sentence of her paper as she theorized about The Tempest was "That awkward moment when the tram arrives really quickly so you have to step on super awkwardly, e.g. what's on the lawn right now." She caught it later. Obviously, she had been super tired.

Eventually, all of us got at least a couple hours of sleep.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We woke up the next morning, still tired. Couldn't be helped. We just knew we would sleep well on the overnight bus back from Amsterdam to London that night. We ate a breakfast at the hostel, which was actually pretty good. My entire time in Europe, I had very positive experiences at all the hostels (with the exception of when Katelyn got bedbugs in Marseilles). I don't get why people are so fussy about them...they're a great place to sleep as long as you're not picky.

We then headed back out to the city center. One of the streets we walked down just reminded me SO much of downtown Holland...just on a much bigger scale. It was a quiet morning.

downtown Holland, Michigan, anybody?
also, katelyn & chris being adorable.

Everything was closed in that area so we headed for a different part of Amsterdam. We walked through a bit of the Red Light District. It was sketch during the day. I'm sure it's super sketchy at night. It's just so sad. 

Katelyn really had to go back to the Mcdonalds to finish her paper, so we split up for a bit. Katelyn and I needed to work on schoolwork and Chris came with us just because he's such a nice person and fantastic boyfriend. Jenny and Rob decided to explore Amsterdam a little bit more, but to come back to the Mcdonalds at 2:00 and we would decide what to do then.

Katelyn and I worked. And worked and worked and worked. Jenny and Rob came back. By this point, I had gotten to the point where I felt like I could do something fun again. I had emailed my final essay in to my Shakespeare professor and had gotten a lot of research done for my History of the Reformation class. Katelyn was still working on her Shakespeare essay though, so she and Chris stayed at the Mcdonalds while Rob, Jenny, and I headed out to check out a museum. 

First, we played on the big Amsterdam sign though.

Then, we split up. Rob went to the National Museum. Jenny and I went to the Van Gogh Museum. Holy cow, was that a fantastic museum. So much AMAZING art. The museum followed his entire career, and you just see and feel his artistic mission and journey. It was moving. 

Jenny and I with our museum tickets.

We went back to the Mcdonalds and hung out for a while with Katelyn and Chris.

Katelyn was still working on the paper, so Jenny, Rob, and I decided to rent a paddle boat and go down the canals. Great decision. We struggled a bit with the steering, but it was an absolute blast.

Afterwards, we met up with Katelyn and Chris, and it was time to BOOK it back to the bus station to catch our bus. We made a brief pit stop in the supermarket to grab something to eat for dinner later. We were sweating it a bit, but the important thing is, we MADE IT. I scarfed down my food, got on the bus, and slept like a rock.

We pulled into London very early in the morning, took the train back to Cambridge, and had Chris back in time for his 8:00 meeting. Katelyn and I grabbed some breakfast at the Pembroke Cafe. Then I went back home. Crashed again.

Woke up. Went to class. And life resumed as usual.

I <3 Amsterdam.