20 Questions With Your Author

Hey, y’all! Remember me? I’m just now looking at the last time I posted on here… somehow, I blinked and over 1.5 years went by in the blogosphere. How did that happen?!

First off, I feel the need to thank everyone (friends, family, my wonderful sponsors, and even strangers) who read my blog and supported me during my triathlon racing years. Whether I’ve personally met you or not, your kind words and encouragement have meant the world to me!

Next, I’m excited to announce that I will be reincarnating my blog! As I was in the midst of my master's program in Internet Marketing (which I'm now done with woohoo!), I kept thinking that a lot of the information that I was learning was just too good not to share. So, this time around, my blog will be dedicated to sharing branding and marketing tips and tricks with you. I’ll also be using examples from my own life that I think you may be able to relate to. My hope is that you’ll be able to take these helpful hints and apply them to your own personal brand or a business you’re associated with. If you have any questions at all about the information I post, please feel free to reach out in the comments or via email: mandy.hahn7@gmail.com.

Now, it dawned on me that even though I’ve been blogging on here for nearly a decade now, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. What I mean is that (from what I’ve revealed) you may only know me as Amanda the athlete and not much else. So, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share some fun facts with you to let you get to know your author (a.k.a. yours truly!) a little bit better. I hope you enjoy this Q&A below and be on the lookout for your first branding tip next week!


What are your nicknames? Mandy, Manders, Panda, Han Solo.

Are you right or left handed? Left (writing), right (cutting, golfing, texting, driving, etc.) …

What are your secret talents? I’d tell you, but then they wouldn’t be a secret now would they?!

What was your first job? Data entry at the local blood bank when I was in high school.

What are your favorite sports to spectate? 3-way tie between gymnastics, ice skating, and basketball.

What is your favorite podcast? Hidden Brain.

Who are your favorite artists? This is a tough one but the artists with the most songs in my iTunes library include: One Republic, Coldplay, Goo Goo Dolls, Taylor Swift, and Celine Dion.

Do you have any pets? Yes! I have a 2-year-old ragdoll Siamese cat named Merlin and a 30-40-year-old desert tortoise named Maxi. Random fact: Maxi the tortoise was found in the middle of the street by my husband’s grandma a few decades ago and we thought she was a “Max” until just a few years ago…

What is your favorite way to spend free time? I enjoy reading, traveling, cycling, and playing the piano.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show? Say Yes to the Dress (don’t judge!) and Cash Cab is a close second.

What is your favorite color? Cerulean (blue).

Who are your favorite authors? Jodi Picoult, JK Rowling, and Malcolm Gladwell.

What is your favorite food? This one is a toss-up between steak and ice cream.I heart them both equally!


What is one beverage you could drink every day for the rest of your life if needed? Tea, tea, tea! Southern sweet tea (cold) or English Breakfast tea with honey (hot).

How many places have you lived? 4.

What is your favorite place you’ve traveled? Queenstown, New Zealand. I visited this gorgeous country in 2003 and have daydreamed of going back ever since!

Name one fun fact about yourself: Legendary musician Tom Petty and I are both Gainesville High School alums.

I never leave home without? My Timex sports watch and a scrunchie.

What is your favorite dish to cook? I’m famous (or infamous) for my quick and easy “Mandy’s 5 minute meals” which include simple and easy to make meals like pasta.

Who would I want to have dinner with (dead or alive)? Princess Diana, Maya Angelou, and (last but not least) Jesus to name a few…

That's all for now, folks!

The ABC's of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Triathlon

For the first time ever, both the women’s and men’s Olympic triathlon events will be broadcasted live. You can check out the action for the men on August 18th at 10a.m. ET on USA Network, while the women’s race will be contested on August 20th at 10a.m. ET on NBC. Both races can also be streamed live online at Nbcolympics.com. For those who know little about triathlon and/or only have experience in long distance racing (Ironman, 70.3), I created a list of tips and terms that I hope will help you better understand and enhance your Olympic triathlon viewing experience. :)

A – Aero bars. Unlike triathlons that are non-drafting, to ensure the safety of all the athletes, only clip-on aero bars are allowed on the road bikes during the Olympic triathlon. Clip-on aero bars must have a solid bridge and not exceed the foremost line of the brake levers. Because athletes are so limited in their extension on these types of aero bars, they are becoming less used in competition. Keep an eye on the athletes’ bikes…most won’t have aero bars.

B – Breakaway. When a small group of riders or an individual successfully opens up a time gap ahead of the peloton (main group). With such a hilly bike course in the Rio triathlon, it is likely that some breakaways will form on the bike to try and “break” the stronger runners in the field.

C – Circuit race. All International Triathlon Union Olympic distance races are contested as circuit races, making the race more spectator-friendly. The Olympic triathlon in Rio will consist of: 1 lap for the swim, 8 laps for the bike, and 4 laps for the run.

D – Domestique. An athlete who sacrifices their own race to specifically work for a teammate(s). Their main job is on the swim and bike – to try and protect their teammate as much as possible and control or counter any moves in the 40 kilometer bike portion of the race. Once they get to the run, their job is done as they have hopefully helped their teammate exit T2 (transition #2) in a good position. Domestiques have been used in past Olympics to help countries secure a medal...be on the lookout for them in Rio.

E – Energy gels. Even though this is considered a shorter distance race (~2 hours), nutrition is still of the utmost importance. Some athletes will have energy gels such as Power Gel, GU, Hammer Gel, Clif, etc. taped to their bike to allow for easy access during the cycling portion of the race. Others may choose to get their nutrition solely from their drink mixes (placed in their water bottles).

F – FTP (Functional Threshold Power). The ability to sustain the highest possible power output over a 45-60 minute period. Watch for the announcers to chat or guesstimate what the athlete’s FTP is during the bike portion of the race.

G – Goggles. Protective eyewear with side shields worn during the swim. The main job of goggles is to protect the athletes from water leaking in, dust, wind, glare, etc.

H – Heart rate. Athletes keep an eye on both heart rate and power during the race to measure their output and know that they are staying within their zones that they’ve practiced training in.

I – ITU (International Triathlon Union). The international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, and other variations of the sport. Outside of the Olympics, the Olympic triathletes compete in mostly ITU sanctioned events.

J – Junk miles. To get to this stage of the game, all of the athletes have followed carefully formulated training programs and worked with a coach to ensure that each training session has a purpose…these athletes just say no to junk miles!

K – Kilometers. The Olympic distance race is measured in kilometers, with distances consisting of: a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bike, and 10 kilometer run.

L – Legal to draft or draft legal. The Olympic triathlon features a draft-legal bike leg, which means that athletes are allowed to bike in a pack and work together. Riding in a pack reduces the impact of the wind on the riders and allows riders to save energy. This also places an importance on having good bike handling skills!

M – Mental game. A lot of physical training is done in preparation for the games, no doubt. However, the mental game also plays a huge part in the overall plan of most athletes. Positive self-talk and having positive mantras to say during the race help an athlete to stay calm and deal with whatever obstacles/challenges may be thrown their way.

N – Neoprene cap. A cap placed under the racing cap if water temperatures are cooler. Sometimes athletes also use a neoprene cap solely in race warm ups to help stay warm.

O – Olympic Games triathlon. This is the fifth time that the triathlon will be contested in the Olympics. Olympic triathlon made its debut in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics.

P – Penalties. During the race, you may notice athletes having to stop and serve a time penalty in the “penalty box.” Common penalties include: a false start on the swim, unsportsmanlike/dangerous conduct(which could result in disqualification),improperly racking the bike in transition #2 (T2), and not placing cap/goggles/wetsuit, bike helmet in the appropriate box in the transition area.

Q – Questions. The Olympic courses are very technical, and athletes often have a lot of questions heading into the race. Luckily, they will get their chance to inquire about any concerns to the race director/race officials in an athlete briefing which is held the day before the race.

R – Road bikes. Because of the draft-legal/ ITU style of racing for the bike portion and the athletes being in such close proximity, only road bikes are allowed in these types of races.

S –Six. The number of athletes representing the United States in the Olympic triathlon (3 men, 3 women).

T – Transition area. This is a marked area where the athletes will store all of their equipment and do a quick change from swim to bike and bike to run. Unlike most age group races, athletes will have their own rack, with their name, race number, and country’s flag on it. They will rack their bike (with their cycling shoes clipped in already) and position their helmet, sunglasses, and running shoes in a way that’s quick and easy to get in and out of the transition area.

U – USA Triathlon. USA Triathlon (USAT) serves as the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, and winter triathlon in the United States.

V – VO2 max. A measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use. This is another metric commonly referenced during a triathlon.

W – Wetsuit. If the water temperatures are below 20 degrees Celsius, wetsuits (suits made of a material similar to rubber) will be allowed for the triathlon in Rio. Besides providing warmth, wetsuits help the athlete’s buoyancy in the water. Note: air temperatures can sometimes also factor into the official decision of whether or not to make the race wetsuit legal.

X – X-tra credit. Ok, I admit this one was a bit of a stretch… But, here’s some extra credit info for you: the first Olympic champions in the sport of triathlon were Simon Whitfield (Canada) and Brigitte McMahon (Switzerland) in the 2000 Olympic Games.

Y – Yankz. A company that offers a type of elastic shoe lacing system that makes it easy for an athlete to get their feet into the shoes, and tighten the laces very quickly. Every second in transition counts, so be on the lookout in Rio for the athletes to have various brands of shoe laces that are quick and easy to tighten.

Z – Zero: The chance of you NOT getting hooked on this sport after watching/competing.

Hope everyone enjoys watching the races. Oh, and most importantly, best of luck to our Team USA! Go Greg, Ben, Joe, Gwen, Katie, and Sarah!

Releasing the Balloon

Let’s play a quick word association game. I say balloon, you say whatever pops into your head first….okay, what was that word? If it was birthday party, graduation, helium, or hot air balloon, quickly nod your head wherever you are reading this. Now, if the word you thought of happened to be venoplasty, please get up and do a 5 second dance around wherever you are sitting. I’m pretty sure I didn’t embarrass any of you here. ☺ Next, nod your head if you’ve ever heard of a balloon venoplasty procedure. Why am I asking all these random questions you may wonder?

I haven’t updated my blog in awhile because I usually like to have a good mixture of good news with bad news if I can so I don’t come across as a “negative Nancy.” After consulting with various doctors the past 18 months over chronic blood clots and leg pain (and being rejected by many doctors who think a procedure is too risky), I’ve finally found a doctor who is willing to do a balloon venoplasty procedure on the popliteal/femoral vein in my right leg. This is very good news!

When this option was first presented to me, I honestly had little to no knowledge of what the procedure entailed. After scrolling through WebMD, I learned that “angioplasty [aka venoplasty] is a procedure in which a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted through a vessel and guided to the place where the vessel is narrowed. When the tube reaches the narrowed artery [or vein], a small balloon at the end of the tube inflates for a short time. The pressure from the inflated balloon presses the fat and calcium (plaque) against the wall of the artery to improve blood flow.”

I wish I could say that I’m 100% sure that this procedure will fix all my problems. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Some of the risks of the procedure are that it could cause small tears or even more blood clots. However, with the pain I’m in now, it’s a risk that I’m willing to take. In a way, I feel like I’m symbolically releasing a balloon. Before I was clenching tight to the balloon (holding onto the idea that my body would heal itself with the help of blood thinners) and I wanted to control how everything would happen. Now that I’m “releasing the string of the balloon”, I feel that I’m also releasing my need to be in control as well. I’m reminded that whatever the outcome of this procedure, God already knows what will happen at every step in my journey ahead and that this is all part of His plan. He is in control!

Since this surgery is so specialized and only one doctor has agreed to perform it, I’m now playing a waiting game…waiting to get scheduled, get the procedure over with and begin another type of road to recovery. I hope to get my legs back to 100% sooner than later…I need to be able to jump up and down and cheer for my fellow USA triathletes when they compete in Rio later this summer!

Thank you for your continuing support and prayers!

What I think when I hear the words "balloon venoplasty" along with that 99 Red Balloons song

What is actually happening in my leg

On Pins and Needles

In my 9 years as a pro triathlete, I’ve been relatively lucky when it comes to injuries. Of course there are always little niggles to look after, but only 2 foot injuries come to mind when I think of injuries I’ve had that required a boot, complete rest, and over 2 months off from racing. These types of injuries are what I’d refer to as “type A” injuries, and I treated them similar as someone using a GPS device to predict their time of arrival would. What I mean is that most people race the GPS device, trying to squeeze in an extra green light or do everything in their power that will allow them to arrive at their destination quicker than the predicted time, even if it’s only by a minute. I believe this same mentality applies when rehabbing from a type A injury. An athlete can perfectly follow the plan prescribed from their doctors and physical therapists, in hopes of getting stronger than before and facilitating a quicker return to racing than originally promised by the doctors.

The other type of injuries, I’ll refer to as “type B.” Remember that scene in “Meet the Parents” where Ben Stiller and Robert de Niro are racing home from a restaurant as Ben Stiller is frantically trying to cover up evidence that he lost the family cat Jinxy and replaced it with a fraud? While they are racing home, they are forced to stop at most every red light along the route. Time after time, they hit the gas pedal, and are quickly forced to slam on the brakes seconds later. This is similar to a type B injury in that it takes a long time for an athlete to even be properly diagnosed with their injury and learn what the steps to recovery are. Many tests are done and the athlete is hopeful that a solution will come about soon, only to realize that they are back to square one when the tests come back negative or inconclusive (even though there’s obviously an issue).

Unfortunately, in 2015, I’ve experienced both a type A and type B injury. While trail running in January after a weekend of (much-needed) rain in SoCal, I hit a slick patch of mud and slid out, only half-falling as my hand caught my body from completely sliding out. I immediately felt pain in my right calf, and hobbled 3 miles back to my car hoping my leg would loosen up and ease the pain. A few days later, I visited my doctor fearing the worst and was relieved to get a diagnosis of a pulled muscle and advice to stay off of it as much as I could. However, as a couple of weeks went by, I noticed that despite resting it, my leg was just getting more painful and more swollen until it grew to be about 2 times the size of my left leg. When I woke up to a completely blue foot and the pins and needles feeling one morning, I knew it was time to take action and go to the ER. After a few tests, I was diagnosed with a torn gastroc and a massive blood clot behind my right knee. I was told several times how extremely lucky I was to be alive and that the clot hadn’t broken off and spread to my lungs (pulmonary embolism). After 4 months of physical therapy and 6 months of Coumadin and weekly blood draws, I am happy to report that my leg is feeling better and my blood clot has cleared up.

As I mentioned above, I’ve also been dealing with a type B injury this year. Late last year, I experienced two episodes in a short time span where I temporarily experienced vertigo and blacked out for a few seconds. The first episode occurred during a triathlon in northern California. The sensation only lasted a couple of seconds before it subsided, so I wrote it off as a freak incident and continued on racing. The other came while I was driving on a teensy weensy little freeway in SoCal called… the 405. Luckily, nobody was injured in either incident and I somehow managed not to crash into anyone in the latter incident (thank God!). At this point, I started to think that my body was trying to tell me something.

In the following months, these vertigo episodes became more and more frequent, getting to the point where they were daily occurrences, mostly happening while I was lying down trying to sleep. In addition, I’ve lost the ability to balance on my left side. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve seen physical therapists, ENTs, neurologists, ophthalmologists, audiologists, neurosurgeons, and interventional neurologists, all who performed different tests to figure out where my issues are stemming from. These tests have included: 8 MRIs, 1 MRVenous 2 CT scans, a cerebral angiogram, an ENG, and a handful of ultrasounds. I compare the amount of times I’ve been to the hospital this year to the amount of times I’m usually at the airports traveling to races. The hospital workers now recognize my face in the same way the airport workers at DIA and now LAX do.

As I strive to rid myself of these vertigo and balance issues, I take comfort in the fact that the brain is truly an amazing organ. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment. By doing physical therapy exercises that focus on balancing, I’m creating new neural pathways that will compensate for whatever damage I may have. While my balance may never be as great as it once was, my goal is to improve enough to where I feel comfortable doing things such as riding my bike outside or doing weight exercises balancing on my left leg again.

Although this past eight months has definitely has been a struggle, I have faith that this experience will only make me stronger. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank those friends and family members who have constantly checked in on me, sent me cute cat videos, cards, etc. to make me smile, and most importantly, been a shoulder to cry on when I needed it. No names needed, you guys know who you are, and I know that a shout out on a blog will never be enough to say thanks!

Going forward, my return date to triathlon racing is TBD since there really is no timeline for my recovery at the moment. In the meantime, I look forward to running that other race with perseverance: LIFE! and doing the best I can to enjoy the day as much as possible while I regain my health.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers and I wish you the best in all your endeavors.

Stopping to Smell the Roses

Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to stick to our daily/weekly routines and not check out the sites and activities that are right at our fingertips and in our backyards when we live in a certain location? In Los Angeles, there is no shortage of fun things to do no matter what your interest may be. However, prior to the beginning of this year, most of what I’d seen included stretches of PCH and canyons to bike up and down (very beautiful, I might add!), beaches that I’d practiced open water swimming in, and trails that I frequented for my runs.Ahh, the triathlete lifestyle.... Now that I’ve had some forced downtime due to injuries (blog post coming on those soon), I’ve also had a little time to explore more of my non-triathlon related surroundings.

In late March, I had the opportunity to check out the Cherry Blossom Festival at Descanso Gardens, a turnaround point for one of my favorite bike routes in Pasadena but somewhere I’d never actually stopped in. I’d always heard of the gorgeous Cherry Blossom Festivals in Washington DC and wanted to go, so was very excited when I heard one was just miles away from me. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the flowers in the garden, especially the rose and tulip gardens. But the highlight of the day for me probably had to be making an origami flower at the kids station: in my defense I didn’t see a sign stating an age limit and I’ve always been a kid at heart haha! Good times! Ironically, in the following weeks, I noticed that most of the intros for the show “The Voice” before the live performances were shot at Descanso Gardens. My husband, Tony, and I constantly found ourselves saying to each other, “Hey, I know that archway!” or “Remember that tree?!” Too funny... The benefits of living near Hollywood I guess?

Another little gem Tony and I discovered is Mount San Jacinto State Park which is actually located at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway about 8500 feet up in the air. After about a 10 minute trip up in a rotating car, you're there! After climbing stairways to get access to observation decks, you’re able to get even closer to 10,000 feet and see breathtaking panoramic views of the desert. Just walking around and taking in the views, this was a great reminder of what acclimating to altitude was like in Colorado – lots of deep breaths needed and a good workout for my heart! In addition to the altitude, I was a fan of the cooler temps – about 40 degrees cooler than the entrance to the Aerial Tramway down below and cool enough for a down jacket for this native Floridian. While walking around the grounds of the park, I learned how to tell the age of the trees (counting the rings) and also how to identify the various types of birds that were flying around (among other things). Since the park allows you to do as little or as much as you choose, this is definitely a location I’d recommend for all ages and family vacays too!

I look forward to exploring more exciting locales in my area in the near future and sharing their “fun” rating with you!

Crystal Pepsi & Redefining our Comfort Zones

It was the first day of the fall semester at FSU. Just another first day like any other I’d experienced in my past 17+ years of school (yes, Preschool and Kindergarten count here), or so I thought. When most people enter a classroom or any type of room for that matter, they do what best allows them to stay in their comfort zone: look for people they are friends with, people they’ve had classes with before, or look for people who are dressed similar to them. Since I always came to class straight from my morning run and weights practice, I tried to look for the other people (athletes) who were…what’s that word?....oh yeah… sweaty, just like me.:)If all else failed and there were no athletes to sit next to, I’d always try to sit next to whoever looked the friendliest. But anyways, back to my story.

On that first day of my English class after we’d chosen our seat and settled in, our professor mentioned that we'd be completing an exercise to help us get a little bit out of our comfort zones this semester. To help us do this, she had us write down on a piece of paper something from our past that we wish could be brought back: a toy, food/drink not sold in stores anymore, or any tangible object. As many thoughts ran through my head, I decided on something that I liked and thought nobody else would have thought of: Crystal Pepsi. Surprisingly, in a class of 22 there were a lot of requests for Furbies, and I do believe that their dreams for a comeback came true a few years later. Even more shocking to me was that someone had thought of the same response as me! As the teacher read out our responses by similar categories and read our names to go along with them, she asked us to shuffle around our seating arrangement and sit next to whomever shared our “blast from the past” desires. As I moved to sit next to my new Crystal Pepsi BFF as well as a guy who’d put down Surge for his response and was obviously on the same wavelength as us, I realized that I probably wouldn’t have made an effort to get to know these two had our teacher not placed us next to each other. Just more proof that change is usually unwanted, but often creates a great result. While this story doesn’t end with me becoming best friends with these two or hanging out on the weekends, I am happy to report that I was able to get out of my comfort zone that semester and make a connection with people I may not have gotten to know otherwise. And you can bet I made sure to smile and wave whenever I’d see them around campus during the remainder of my time at Florida State.

Now, I realize that besides my parents and my cat, most of my readers are triathletes. So, now that you’ve seen an example of redefining comfort zones in a social situation, it’s time to triathlon-ize this post… how can this relate to triathlon? The truth is, this topic is relatable on many levels. First, I’d like to highlight the observation that it is easy to get complacent in our daily routine and our expectations for training and racing. However, it is impossible to achieve better results while going about things in the same way. Therefore, it is very important as we strive to grow and become better as both athletes and people to ask ourselves how we can get out of our comfort zone and promote change.

I believe that most of this change needs to come in the way we train so that it will carry over into our races. We need to ask ourselves what our weaknesses are and figure out the steps necessary to addressing them this season. What did you not like about your training plan from last season? Would you respond better to a different kind of strength plan? Do you need to incorporate more hills and power drills into the training plan? Did you swim enough yardage to be comfortable with your race distance? Similarly, did you do enough intervals to be comfortable with switching gears in a race? Where do you feel you played it safe? These are just a few of the many questions you need to be asking yourself and your coach when it comes to maximizing your triathlon performance.

In my case, there are many times during my professional triathlon career when I’ve been forced out of my comfort zone. For example, when I realized I needed to work on my biking strength early on in my pro career, I decided to move Colorado and train in the altitude and mountains, although I didn’t even know a handful of people. This was a not an easy decision and it was very lonely starting out. I often thought about moving back to Florida and accepting a slot in the Master’s program I’d put on hold. However, I felt that God had a purpose for me there. For me, this was probably the biggest leap of them all during my career and I am so thankful I stuck it out! Also, once I was a couple years into my racing career, I realized that although I was burning a ton of calories training, I could not in fact eat whatever I wanted and that a healthy, balanced diet would be a better option than a Smashburger and milkshake, a typical dinner for me. I accepted that it was part of my job as a professional to be healthy for myself, and be a good role model for others. I slowly stopped buying frozen meals and ordering myself pizzas for dinner, and finally took the time to learn how to cook. It was a small yet a little overwhelming change in my daily routine that I feel greatly helped my training, racing, and overall health.

These are just a few examples from my experience (there’s many more I could write about), and I hope these spark some ideas for you on how to get out of your comfort zone this year. I look forward to your feedback and hearing your personal goals and ideas on this topic as well. Let’s keep growing, keep loving, and keep giving thanks for the abilities God has given us – both as triathletes and otherwise!

Finding Balance in 2015

As I sit here looking through my blog (which basically serves as a diary for me), I realize that I've been keeping it for over 7 years now - whoa Nelly! That's a realllllllly long time. As I look back through the memories, some make me smile (fun times experiencing other cultures, races where family and friends came to cheer, podiums, etc), others make me cringe(how did I swim to the wrong buoy?!), and still others spark my memory as to what I didn't share about certain races. Hey, this a "tell-most" not "tell-all" blog after all... ;)

But, mostly what I notice while I'm looking through my blogging archive is that my amount of blogging has declined steadily since 2008. Not good! So, one of my resolutions for this year is to kick that number back up, especially since I enjoy writing so much. I doubt I'll reach the 25 posts mark that I had in 2008 as an excited newbie, but am thinking somewhere in the teens would be a good goal.

Another resolution for this coming year is to put less pressure on myself. Yes, being a pro triathlete certainly has its strains, but it's very important to enjoy the process and not get caught up in race results. This is something I've been working on for a couple of years now, and if I'm being honest, I've made progress but still have a ways to go.

As I enter my 9th year as a pro triathlete, I'd first and foremost like to thank my sponsors who have kept me going for all these years and those that are supporting me this coming year... Sklar Exploration, Serious Cycling, Premium Remodeling, and Rudy Project, you all are very awesome and most appreciated!

At the moment, I'm dealing with a nasty sinus infection turned ear infection (tis the season) which has kept me out of the pool now for over a month and derailed my winter training quite a bit. Once I get healthy, I look forward to a year filled with lots of hard training, hard racing, and lots of fun along the way. It's times like these where I'm always able to check myself to make sure that I'm being the best wife/sister/daughter/friend/triathlete that I can possibly be. God gave me these roles knowing that they'd be a lot, but I also trust that he will never give me more than I can handle! I look forward to the growth that will take place throughout the year, and to becoming my best version of myself.

To my readers, I wish you much joy and peace heading into 2015. I hope that this is the year you will chase those impossible dreams (whether they be in work, racing, relationships, etc) and not be afraid to fail... for we all know that great failures lead to great successes.

Until next time,
-A

Canadian Nationals in Magog

The following week I traveled to Magog, Quebec to race the Canadian National Championships. As opposed to the previous weekend, this weekend’s race was a sprint (half of an Olympic distance). Initially, I was pretty bummed when I heard the race distance had been switched from an Olympic to sprint. However, by the end of the race I was thanking my lucky stars…

This was my 2nd time racing in Magog and I can say without a doubt that it is one of my favorite race venues. The organization and atmosphere is top notch! Not to mention, the swim takes place in a lake that I could just swim in for days, as opposed to those races where you come out of the water caked with dirt,etc.

I knew with just a 750m swim that I’d need to get out to a good start and get on some feet. After the gun went off, I saw in my peripheral vision some girls running to the right, and I immediately followed them and dolphin-dived til I got on their feet. I wasn’t able to stay with them for the entirety of the swim, but the good start put me in a great position coming out of the water.

After a quick transition, I was out to start the very hilly/technical bike course. I had no idea what place I was in coming out of the swim, but was enthused to see only about 4 girls ahead of me on the first lap. Near the end of the first lap, a group of about 6 of us formed a pack and started to work together for the remaining 10k of the bike. Because of the nature of the course, we were really the only large pack to form – most everyone else was going it alone. Unfortunately, on one of the last hills I mis-shifted and my chain briefly came off. Luckily, I was able to think fast and shift it back on, but I lost my mini-pack in the process. I sprinted the downhill as there was only about 3k left at this point, but was never able to get back on. I entered the 2nd transition about 10 seconds back of my group.

Mad at myself for making such a rookie shifting mistake on the bike, I took off kind of like Roadrunner in those Looney Tunes cartoons. I wanted to reel those girls back in as quickly as possible since it was such a short race. All of the sudden, I felt a stitch in my left side and I started to be thankful that this was only a sprint 5k run! After a little over a mile, the stitch subsided and I was finally able to get back into a quick pace and finish at a decent pace, though my legs were pretty spent by this point and I was running out of "real estate." Once again, my run left me feeling that I can do so much better than this and that all my hard work is not showing as of yet.

The positives of this race:
• I finished 10th overall
• I was the 2nd overall elite (not counting the U23 results). Basically, I was second out of the old people ;)
• Getting good points towards my world ranking
• There was a Tim Hortons visit post-race which included baked goods
• Spending the weekend in Magog staying in a beautiful lake house with great company

If only I spoke French, I would consider vacationing there. Bonjour and merci can only get you so far...Now that I’m back home from training in Colorado for the summer and racing in Canada, I’m looking forward to staying in Cali for a bit and not having to pack and fly with my bike. My next race is in Pacific Grove on September 13th. Thanks for reading and as always, for the support! Cheers!

Toronto ITU: Shoe Know It!

In mid-July, I headed to Canada for two ITU Pan American Cup races. The last time I raced in Canada was back in 2012, a race that I traveled to on my own. That trip included many miscommunications and a motel room with a front door that wouldn’t latch (eeeek!). Luckily, this time around I had a support crew which made me much less stressed and enjoy the races a whole lot more!!

I cannot thank Canadian triathlete Leanna Lee and her family enough for hosting me for the time I spent in Toronto and in-between my Toronto and Magog races! I’ve only ever flown through Toronto so I was excited to finally get the opportunity to explore this beautiful city. In my week there, I was able to visit the CN Tower (one of the world’s tallest) as well as the Bata Shoe Museum. Even though I own mostly athletic shoes and sandals, I was intrigued by the evolution of shoes from the days of the ancient civilizations to today. Fun fact: for about a century, men wore heels higher than women to show their status in society. Luckily this fad didn’t last haha!

The first race of my Canadian double took place in picturesque downtown Toronto: the Toronto ITU Pan American Cup/Pan Ams test event. After a very chilly (16 degrees C) wetsuit-legal swim, I exited the water leading the second pack. I was pretty pleased with my position considering that most of my body was numb and that the swim was a bit long as well! It took about 5 miles into the bike before my feet and legs thawed out and I was able to get into a good rhythm. My pack knew we had a lot of work to do if we wanted to catch the leaders in the group ahead, and once we were swallowed up by a couple of girls from behind, the pace quickened and we began to chip away at the lead. A hard effort on the bike was made even harder by a pesky little 100 meter-ish climb we had at the beginning of each lap, but by the end of the bike our work had paid off and the front pack was in sight!

Coming off the bike, I tried to stay calm and have a good turnover… and not let that aforementioned pesky little climb take too much out of me on each of the 4 laps. This was not my fastest run ever (by far!), however, it was one of the fastest I’ve had in awhile since my foot injury late 2012. Knowing what I am capable of on the run, I usually end up beating myself up but I have to remind myself that you can't come back overnight and must accept and celebrate progress. I ended up 11th on the day and am so thankful to Leanna’s family, friends, and coach for cheering for me as well! Always nice to know at least one person out there is supporting you. Afterwards, we celebrated by going to a little hole-in-the-wall place in Kensington Market, where we began an afternoon eating marathon that included: fish tacos (my first ever), fresh squeezed pineapple juice (I’m a fan!), cupcakes (yum!), English breakfast tea, and burgers. Don’t judge…we earned it!

Dallas 2014

In early June I headed to Dallas, hoping to avenge my 2013 race on the same course, where I suffered from mechanical problems on the bike and was eventually lapped out after stopping to fix them.

Unfortunately, the story had the same ending this year as well. However, I had no mechanical problems to speak of, the DNF was totally my fault this time. I exited the swim in what I thought to be a good position but had a pretty bad run up to transition and transition which left me with a smaller bike pack than anticipated. I lasted for 6.999 laps out of 8 laps on the bike and (along with the rest of my pack) was lapped by the larger lead pack with a couple hundred meters to go, thus ending my race.

This was definitely a disappointing result as I had hoped and prepared for so much more. However, failure just makes an athlete work that much harder. And, I feel very fortunate to have no injuries on the radar! My bad mood didn’t last for long as I woke up early the next morning to cheer on my very talented friend, Valerie Eipper, the other age groupers, and the paratriathletes as well. The smiling was infectious out there and you couldn’t help but be inspired by the dedication and talent of these athletes. In addition, I was reminded how ridiculously lucky I am to have a job that I love and also happens to keep me healthy and fit.

So, this is where I’m at right now. Luckily, I believe it’s about the journey (not the destination) and I will live to fight (read: race) another day. Don’t feel too sorry for me… I am currently doing a training block in beautiful Colorado and will leave next week to race in Toronto and Montreal… life is not too bad…

As always, thanks for reading! And check back in a couple weeks for updates on my Canadian adventures!

Memphis in May: Taking a Gamble

After struggling with a sinus infection that turned into an upper respiratory infection for most of March and April, I knew I needed to decide when I’d throw myself back into racing and test exactly where my body was at. I thought Memphis in May would be the perfect opportunity for me to do that, as well as get an Olympic distance non-drafting race under my belt before the ITU Pan American Championships just two weeks later.

Having raced here in 2012, I was familiar with the course, which helped ease the stress a bit. However, the conditions couldn’t have been more different than 2012. Instead of a hot, humid weekend, I was now dealing with a rainy and cold climate that left me wishing I had packed a couple more pairs of sweats and maybe a beanie or two!

Quick side note: although this was the Memphis in May Triathlon, the venue was actually located in Tunica, Mississippi, one of the casino centers of the south. Before the race, I met a man in the elevator who asked me what my winnings were for the weekend, and I smiled and told him I’d find out tomorrow (figuring he was talking about the triathlon, obviously!). He gave me a funny look, before telling me he’d lost $100 already on the slots but was on the comeback trail for the rest of the weekend. Now I understood… casino!

Anyways, onto the race itself… since it was such a cold morning, I decided to skip my usual swim warm-up and just prep for the race with a bike and run – that way I’d be able to keep myself as warm as possible for race start when I ran into the chilly water. The only problem with this plan was that a sweaty post-run warm-up me made it very hard to get into my wetsuit. I recruited my husband for help pulling the wetsuit up, and, as we both tugged, unfortunately some fingernails punctured my beloved wetsuit pretty good. At that point, I didn’t want to be cold so I figured I’d take my chances with it. As you probably guessed, by the time I got out of the swim, I’d taken on the form of a whale with all the water I picked up during the swim. However, all things considered, I was very pleased with my swim and felt I was in a good position for the bike.

Since it had been raining most of the weekend, what was once a grassy area had now turned into a mud pit. As I slogged my way through the run and to my bike I could only think of how many people pay hundreds of dollars to do a mud run and here I was competing in one for free….#winning! Once on the bike, I was able to settle into a good rhythm. This bike course involved very long stretches of road before turns, so I tried to make the time pass by quicker by challenging myself to look at my power meter often and try to up the ante every couple of minutes. Another entertaining part of the bike was reading the signs of the roads we turned on – most every one had the word “casino” in it somehow…”Casino Strip Blvd, Casino Resort Rd, etc etc.” With about 10k to go on the bike and biking into a headwind, I really felt like I was starting to lose some steam and my legs were starting to cramp a bit. I was passed by two girls within the last two miles and knew I’d have my work cut out for me on the run.

As I started the run, I immediately noticed that my legs felt heavy and the energy I usually have to run just wasn’t there. I tried to hang on to my goal pace as much as I could, but after a couple of miles, I had to accept that I’d have to pace myself a little bit more to make sure I was able to finish. I crossed the finish line in 9th and although I was disappointed, I was mostly just happy to be back racing. Sometimes you just have to look at the little victories.

In addition, I was grateful for the awesome company, including two friends who drove all the way from Chattanooga to watch me race: thanks James and Kimberly! After the race, I did a quick recovery spin, with two ladies I admire very much and don’t get to see enough of at the races: Abby Geurink and Natasha Van der Merwe. Wishing both of them best of luck at their races until we meet again!

Like I mentioned, I had a quick turnaround til my race in Dallas on May 31st for the ITU PATCO Championships. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but I couldn’t help thinking, “Let your faith be bigger than your fear.”

Thanks as always to those who support me both in good times and bad: Premium Remodeling, Sklar Exploration, and Serious Cycling. Your support allows me to do what I love!