Eat, Pray, Race...

And hassle the people at the front desk of the Holiday Inn. That’s pretty much the Cliff Notes version of my weekend in Mexico. When my bike didn’t arrive with me and the rest of my luggage on Friday, I was assured by the airline’s customer service that it would be put on the next plane to Monterrey and delivered to my hotel when it arrived. So, my pre-race Saturday was consumed mostly by eating, light training, a pre-race meeting, and hourly trips to the front desk to check on my bike’s status…just in case. After mid-afternoon came and went and I realized that Mexicana Airline’s customer service desk was closed on the weekends, I began to wonder if my bike even left Denver and if/when I’d see it again. Fortunately, one of the junior girls who was there racing for a qualifying spot for the Youth Olympic Games was kind enough to lend me her bike and let me make a couple of adjustments to it (thanks Jen!) so I’d at least have a bike to ride race day. At that point on Saturday evening I was resolved to the fact that if it had two wheels and moved, I could make do. But, I told the front desk that if in the rare chance that my bike did show up, they could call me at any hour whenever it arrived.

So, race day began at 1am when the front desk called to tell me that my bike had finally arrived. HOORAY! When I woke up again at 6am, I quickly put it together, made sure the brakes worked and weren’t rubbing and the gears shifted ok, switched out my cleats and pedals (from Shimano – my back up pedals to Sampson – the ones I’ve been riding), and rushed down to the race site, hoping to get to ride the bike course that I (at this point) still hadn’t seen other than on a map. However, since there was a race taking place right before ours (on the same course), I was forced to warm up elsewhere. This was a huge mistake I’ll never make again…

The race started just after 9am with a pontoon dive start into the narrow man-made canal that runs throughout the city of Monterrey(think San Antonio’s Riverwalk). Upon diving in, I immediately was punched and smacked by the girls surrounding me (as is customary in ITU racing), momentarily subluxated my shoulder, then regained my focus and continued on sprinting. After making a u-turn about a ¼ of the way through the swim, I noticed a slight gap between myself and the main pack ahead of me. The last ¾ of the swim was spent sprinting to try to close the gap between myself and that pack. However, my efforts were unsuccessful and I exited the water by myself, with a pack ahead and behind me.

So, I spent the first part of the bike time trialing to try and catch up to that pack that seemed to be just a couple of blocks ahead of me. However, after making up little time through the first ½ lap, I decided not to completely kill my legs and took some time to make sure my straps were tight on my bike shoes, take in some fluid, and wait to be swallowed up by the bike pack that was a couple seconds behind me. In addition, this was my first time seeing the bike course, so every turn was a little bit of a surprise. Like I said before, big big big mistake. Next time if my bike is lost I will run the bike course, no matter how far I’ve run earlier in the day…. Anyways, back to the race. The pack eventually caught me right before the end of the first lap and I was able to settle in right in the front third of the pack. We weren’t able to make up any time on the lead pack, however, were able to control our losses to the main chase pack and I hopped off the bike about 3 minutes off the leader.

I usually hop off the bike and think to myself, “the hard part is over, the rest is a piece of cake.” I’ve run so many 10ks in my life! But, after I hopped off my bike this past Sunday, I was having trouble getting into a good rhythm and lacked the energy I usually have. The run was a 4 lap course through Fundidora Park and very spectator-friendly. The cheering is always very helpful, especially when you are running on empty – literally. I ended the race by losing a 3-way sprint finish for 23rd place and finished up in 25th.

Despite not having the perfect race, I have so much to be thankful for in addition to having my first World Cup race under my belt. It was such a blessing that my dad was able to make this trip with me and be my cheerleader/luggage handler/bodyguard/psychotherapist when my bike didn’t arrive. Thanks to my family for being so supportive as always! And although it didn’t arrive until right before the race, I was pretty stoked to be able to race on my Sampson bike. I am in love with how smooth this bike shifts and the overall riding experience is amazing – I wouldn’t want to be racing on anything else! Now it’s time to get back to training, try to regain some speed for future races, and enjoy spring in Colorado – hope it’s as gorgeous where you are as it is out here!!

Gracias por leyendo!
Thanks for reading!

Montage for March

In the middle of March, I competed in my 2nd race of the season - the Miami International Triathlon. I had a good swim and was able to break the 20 minute barrier for the first time ever in a mile open water, but the legs were not there for the bike and run. I battled fatigue for most of the race and finished a disappointing 9th place. Although this is not at all the race I was hoping for, I must comment on what a fun course this was. Parts of the bike course were on a track (very exciting!) and a good portion of the run was on a shaded trail with a turnaround at the ocean. If you're looking for a race course that's not just out and back and flat, I highly recommend - I know I'll be back!

While I was in Florida, I had the opportunity to teach Spanish for the day at Citrus Heights Academy in Clermont, Florida. My lesson plan included Spanish holidays, the Quinceanera tradition (similar to the sweet 16 celebration in America), and formal commands as well. After the lesson, the students were able to test their knowledge through a fun game of Jeopardy.

Back in Colorado, I had the chance to hang out with my aunt, uncle, and cousin for the weekend and show them some of my bike routes around Boulder, including the always gorgeous Estes Park. Although we'd been hit pretty hard with snow a couple of days before,we were still able to access most roads in Rocky Mountain National Park and take in some amazing views!

So after a whirlwind March, I am back in Colorado training hard for my first ever World Cup which will take place on April 18th in Monterrey, Mexico. I had originally planned to attempt a doubleheader at the end of March, with a race in Ishigaki, Japan the weekend after Mexico, but ultimately decided it best to focus on this one race. I think my body will thank me for this decision a few months down the road...

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

Power Bar Team Elite

I am pleased to announce that after about 14 or so years of supporting Power Bar, they are returning the favor. For the next two years (2010-2011), I will be a member of Power Bar's Team Elite. This is a team composed of athletes from various sports, all who are Power Bar enthusiasts like me. My personal favorite Power Bar has always been chocolate but oatmeal raisin is growing on me too. :) Not only do they make great bars but also gels, beverage mixes and other nutritional products. This is a company I use in my everyday life and I am excited to spread the word of Power Bar goodness to the world!

USAT Elite Development Race #1 Recap

Last Sunday, I competed in my first race of the season at Clermont’s Lake Louisa State Park. The race was draft-legal format, similar to many of the ITU races I do, however, did not count towards any kind of ranking.

Although the elite women’s race didn’t start until 1pm, the park entrance closed at 10am due to the earlier start of the age group race. So, once I was inside the park, I had about 3 hours of downtime on my hands to read, relax, and cheer for the age groupers and elite men who raced before me.

A little past 1, the race began as we (the elite women) ran into the chilly, wetsuit-legal water of Lake Louisa. After stumbling a bit on the start, I was able to gain some ground back while dolphin diving towards the first buoy. After a fast and furious first couple of minutes which I’ve come to expect in this style of racing, I was able to settle into a pace and into the draft of a couple of girls ahead of me. I exited the water in 9th place and was thankful for a nice long run up the beach, across the boardwalk, and over to transition to give me plenty of time to get my heart rate back under control (dolphin diving is hard!) and tear my wetsuit down halfway.

I exited transition onto the bike and quickly joined with 2 other girls to form a mini-pace line. We worked well together and after about 1 lap (out of 4) we were able to catch the pack ahead of us and pick up the tempo. Then, halfway through the 3rd lap, another pack of girls came storming by my pack. Luckily, I happened to look over just as the last person came by and was able to hop on her wheel. At that point, our big pack was whittled down to 5 from about 9 and that’s the way we remained for the rest of the bike leg.

I had no idea what to expect for my 5k run split after the bike since I’ve been doing 10k/endurance training all winter so I decided to take my run out as fast as I possibly could and give it my all until I bonked. I was able to keep a good pace until about the last quarter mile when the heat and humidity started to get to me… so much for all the heat acclimation of living in Florida for 22 years! I finished up in 4th place and was very pleased with the result for my season opener considering I’d put in a good training block the previous 3 weeks.

One of the more rewarding parts of the weekend was being able to see my coach and help her out/participate in technical clinics. A couple of people were competing in their first draft-legal race so I was able to answer some questions about procedures/what to expect in this type of race. Also, I got some videotaping done on my swim and run form which is always helpful for tracking progression and seeing where I still need work.

In just a couple of hours, I will begin the drive down to Miami for yet another race this Sunday. The Miami International Triathlon is a non-drafting Olympic distance race… not my specialty, but I’m excited to see how much difference a year can make!

Race Time!

Only four days to go before my first race of the season. The race will be a sprint race (about 1/2 of the distance of most of my races) and will take place at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, FL. For more information about the race, click here

USAT Hall of Fame Banquet

Barb and I at the HOF banquet

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend the USA Triathlon 2010 Hall of Fame banquet in Colorado Springs, Colorado (just a short 2 hour drive from Boulder). What an amazing event and electric atmosphere! The room was packed with people who (just like me) are ablaze with passion for the sport of triathlon. Although the main reason I went was to support and celebrate the accomplishments of my coach, Barb Lindquist (one of the five inductees into the hall along with Paula Newby-Fraser, Valerie Silk, Carl Thomas and Jim Curl), I also came away from the event with a deeper understanding of triathlon’s roots. That is, where the sport came from and the “founding fathers” involved in creating the sport and molding the standardized distances in today’s racing. I am truly grateful to the race director inductees for the impact they have made on the sport, because without them I may have been doing a 3 hour race instead of 2! In addition, the successes of both Paula Newby-Fraser and Barb Lindquist have really helped to put triathlon on the map and often times in the center of national media attention.

In other news, I am writing this post from Clermont, Florida – the location of my home/training camp this month. With lots of nice soft surfaces nearby, the National Training Center, and easy access to traffic-less roads, it serves as the perfect sea level training location while the snow continues to fall in Boulder, CO and I am excited to have a great group to train with! Only 2 weeks to go before I do a draft legal sprint race to tune up for my non-drafting race the following weekend in Miami. Time is flying by…

Hope everyone is healthy and happy!
AHahn

My New Baby!

Introducing the Sampson prototype that I will be riding for the 2010 racing season...now I just need to think of a name for it!

2010 Sponsors

I am excited to announce the new team of amazing companies that I will be working with in 2010 and beyond in addition to my sponsors from 2009!

Sampson – If you are looking for a quality bicycle or components, you should look no further than Sampson Sports. They offer some of the lightest and therefore, fastest bikes out there and I look forward to revealing to you my Sampson racing bike for 2010!

CycleOps – This year, with the help of CycleOps technology, I look forward to training and racing with power metrics. While heart rate can tell how your body is responding to a given workout, it is also important to know your workload (which is measured in watts) or how much torque is being put on the pedal. I look forward to documenting my workouts and races with this technology and sharing some insight as to why power is very important for improving speed and efficiency on the bike.

Kiwami – In 2010, I will be sporting a Kiwami racing suit. The Amphibian is designed to be both breathable on land (while I’m biking and running) and water repellent (while I’m swimming)… the perfect combo!

2010 Race Schedule! (Tentative)

Miami International Triathlon – March 14th
ITU World Cup Monterrey, Mexico – April 18th
Littlefoot Triathlon - May 16th
ITU Pan Am Cup Ixtapa, Mexico – May 22nd
Cap Tex Tri – Memorial Day Weekend
Hy-Vee ITU Elite Cup Des Moines, Iowa – June 12-13th
ITU World Cup Holten, Netherlands – July 10th
Nautica NYC Triathlon – July 18th
ITU World Cup – Tiszaujvaros, Hungary – August 8th
ITU Pan Am Cup Kelowna, Canada – August 22nd
Accenture Chicago Triathlon – August 29th
ITU Pan Am Cup Premium/USAT Elite Nationals Tuscaloosa, Alabama – September 25th
Toyota US Open Dallas, Texas – date TBA mid-October
Miami Man 1/2 Ironman (Yikes!) - November 14th

Hope to see you somewhere along the way!

A Palouse Christmas

Pretty winter scenery in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

My sis and I at the top of Silver Mountain on Christmas Day

Apparently Hahn is a popular last name...who knew?

Ready to cheer!

What running at sunset looks like :) Happy 2010 to all!

Thanksgiving Round 6

When you stop and think about it, most of our holidays revolve around the same theme: giving thanks for something or someone in our lives. Christmastime is definitely no exception to this rule. Whether or not you’re affiliated with a religion that celebrates Christmas or Hanukkah, chances are you still give thanks during this time of year and partake in some kind of celebration and/or holiday traditions. So, in reality, Thanksgiving is really “Thanksgiving Round 4 or 5” if you count the holidays in the year preceding Thanksgiving in which we give thanks…which technically makes Christmas “Thanksgiving Round 6.”

This time of year and always, I have a lot to be thankful for. I could blog on and on forever about why triathlon is a team support and how an athlete would not progress without the help from its sponsors, friends, family, etc. But for now I’ll just say thank you (you know who you are!!)

Thanksgiving Round 6 is my favorite time of year for many reasons. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that gives me this euphoric feeling. Although, I think part of it is the fact that people seem to be more open to helping others out. That being said, if you missed Black Friday or Cyber Monday (have they had this before??) and still have holiday shopping left to do, I’d like to help you out by giving you a couple of alternative gift ideas to the iPhone or Wii that will bring joy to both the loved one on your Christmas shopping list and a complete stranger!


Feed 5 bear -$60, For the child on your list, buy a stuffed bear and help support Industrial Revelation to promote the fight against child hunger in East Africa.


Personalize a pair of Converse sneakers - $62 – For anyone on your list who could use a new pair of sneaks… 5-15% of the proceeds go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.


This holiday season, don’t have a cow, give one! At the Oxfam America Unwrapped website, you are able to choose what gift you want to give – and the choices range from animals like sheep and goats to chairs/desks, which help to create a better learning environment for children. The gifts start at a mere $10 and best of all, your friend or loved one gets a free card with details about how the gift is being put to use!

UNICEF – And last but not least I had to include the gifts you can buy at the UNICEF store. In 2004, I had the pleasure of meeting and working with UNICEF representatives from across the globe while attending the 2004 Athens Olympic Youth Camp in Greece. UNICEF’s main mission is to give children healthcare and reduce the number of deaths by preventable causes. At the camp, each country’s representative discussed the obstacles for lowering the child mortality rate and what legislation needed to be put in place to promote change. By purchasing things such as water purification and first aid kits, you will be helping children to begin their lives in good health and hopefully stay that way. I strongly believe that health is the most important thing a human being can have… how neat that we have the opportunity to share it with others?

So, although it’s been said many times, many ways… Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/ Happy Kwanza/Happy New Year to you!

Check back in a couple of weeks when I will unveil my support team of amazing companies for the 2010 racing season along with my racing schedule!