Month: January 2017

PMBA Ambassador // University of Utah

PMBA Ambassador

Just saw on the University University of Utah Eccles School of Business website that they had my photo and details listed under the Professional MBA Ambassadors list!

PMBA Ambassadors is a program where alumni can mentor prospective and current students over all facets associated with the program (career guidance, coursework, networking events, etc…). By being am ambassador, my personal goal is to provide helpful guidance to students to make it a little more easier — however minuscule — for them during their time at the University of Utah.

Receiving my MBA while working full-time was one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever had to overcome in my relatively short career, but it was also one of the most rewarding things. I knew after I completed the program I wanted to give back as much as possible as a way of saying “thank you.” So if you have any interest in going back to school to get an MBA, feel free to shoot me an e-mail or contact me through the website — I’d be happy to give you my opinion!

Eugene & Janey Heath Engineering Endowment // Texas Tech University

Two years ago I started an effort to memorialize my late grandparents, Eugene and Janey Heath, by creating an endowment at Texas Tech University’s College of Engineering. You can read my testimonial concerning the gift, and my motivation behind it, here.

Although the endowment became fully funded after the first year because of the generosity of my family, today marked the completion of my initial pledge amount as I sent the university the last of my obligated donation. I am incredibly proud to have seen this project through its entirety and look forward to contributing, unencumbered, in the future!

For those looking to make an indefinite mark at your alma mater, I highly recommend establishing an endowment. With dollar-for-dollar employee matching and the lowering of creation thresholds, starting a fund has never been easier for a graduate. The amount universities (and their conferred degrees!) give to their graduates extend well beyond the price they recoup through tuition. I’ve had incredible experiences and created lasting relationships through my time at Texas Tech — so giving a little bit back after graduation was something I always knew that I wanted to do. Today marks a personal milestone for myself, my family, and my university!

50-Mile Running Training Plan

So in about 2 months I’ll be running the 50-Mile Buffalo Run on Antelope Island. To better prepare, I’ve switched to using Hal Koerner’s 50-Mile training plan — lasting a grueling 16 weeks — as my loose guide which has become very challenging both from an effort and time commitment standpoint. This is my first time to follow a a regimented training plan (my typical “training” just consisted of my running as long as felt like, whenever I felt like it!) and, like some fellow ultra-marathon redditors have mentioned, I have mixed opinions.

The pros of following this training plan are:

  • Uses the power of guilt as a motivating factor (have you kept up with what you are suppose to keep up with?)
  • The back-to-back long runs help you experience what it’s like to run on tired legs
  • Running 50 miles (or more) requires putting in a hefty amount of miles per week; this training plan helps you schedule it as best as humanly possible

The cons of following the plan is:

  • Like one redditor mentioned, I think it is extremely difficult to keep up with 60-70 miles per week and not get injured. Most of my more recent miles come in the form of trail running in snow. One false move and you can easily turn an ankle leaving you out an indeterminate amount of time in recovery (which, of course, happened to me)
  • Needs more hills. A lot more hills. I feel like 5 miles of uphill is comparable to a half marathon of flat running. Additionally, most long distance trail races encompasses a lot of elevation, so having hill training is crucial
  • More rest days after back-to-back long runs. I feel like one day is hardly enough recovery time after running up to 50 miles (Week 12) in two outings.

I must admit that after following the plan thus far, I am in the best shape I have ever been prior to a race. I’ve grown accustomed to the daily 6 to 10 mile weekday runs — enough that it isn’t much effort to accomplish anymore. The second of the long runs are still killer and I’m relatively weak on the uphills, but I feel that I can close that effort gap before race day in a few months. Will keep you posted!

BYU Math Contest + Number Sense Tests // Update

Received word back from the BYU Math Contest organizers that the problems I submitted a few weeks back made the cut and will be used in the problem pool for this years test!

In other news, I crossed the 3,000 question threshold for my automated Number Sense Tests which will mean less test-to-test repetition. My goal is to get a bank of 10,000 questions before I begin work on having user-generated exams via the website so students aren’t beholden to my weekly posts.

Anyways, 2017 is off to a great start!