An Early Birthday Present!

I am excited to announce that as of Wednesday I have met all the qualifying standards (race results from Pan Am Champs, Austin race, fitness tests, etc.) and will be adding another competition to my race schedule… I will be representing the US at the Under 23 World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia in early September! Thanks to all of you who have supported me up to this point and to God for giving me the strength and motivation to get out the door this winter and hop on the treadmill/ trainer in my garage when the all the Florida girl (me!) wanted to do was sit inside by the heater and sip hot cocoa. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you all!

At the beginning of this week I drove down to the Olympic Training Center to complete a couple of fitness tests (swim and bike to run) to make sure that a) I hadn’t been slacking off since the qualifying races in May and b) that I had maintained a level of fitness that would allow me to contend for a top-10 spot at the World Championships.

I had a lot of down time in Colorado Springs and was able to see the new Harry Potter movie in IMAX! I’m a huge HP fan and thought that although the movie made good use of cinematography and acting, the book was way better and HP and the Goblet of Fire is still the best movie in the series.

One final early birthday gift – When I was out biking last Sunday I got completely soaked (something that is becoming somewhat routine) and was obviously a little annoyed. However, on the drive home I saw the most gorgeous sight ever – a triple rainbow!! I had no idea they even existed but was awestruck for the rest of the day and suddenly didn’t care that I was soaked or would have to clean some serious dirt off my bike when I got home. The saying goes that the best things in life are free and I couldn’t agree more… I don’t need/want anything more for my 21 +? birthday in a couple of days!!

Don’t Stop Believin! :)
AHahn

Catching Up...

Hello all! I hadn't realized how long it had been since I updated this until a couple days ago and I figured I should post something to keep my loyal reader(s?) happy. :) So, here's what I've been up to the past month.

- I raced about a month ago in Canada, a race that I now refer to as the "Canada-saster"... I thought I was just having a really really bad off day and that my legs were really tired until I realized after the race that my brake pads were rubbing against my back wheel... not sure if my bike was knocked in the transition area or what but I do know that having wheels that actually spin makes a huge difference...

- I traveled down to Florida to attend the wedding of a good friend from college (Kara Newell)- one of my 10k/cross country friends. It was basically an FSU XC and Track reunion and it was great to catch up with everyone and get in a little sea level training. Speaking of training in Tallahassee, FSU just opened up this amazing 50 meter outdoor pool that is also open to the public... if you are ever in the area I highly recommend checking it out!

- I came back to Boulder for exactly a week before I traveled out to San Francisco, California for a race this past weekend (July 11th). This was supposed to be a draft legal race, however, the field was so small that I ended up riding most of the bike solo. My legs were toast by the time I approached the running portion of the race, so I moved along the best I could and ended up finishing 7th. Besides the race, it was a fun weekend. The day after the race, I was able to meet up with a friend and bike along the coast of California for a couple of hours. I wish I'd had a camera with me for the ride, but I believe this is one of those situations where a picture would do the scenery no justice. After rushing back to my hotel, packing up my bike in 11 minutes (new record I think), and getting out of my hotel before they charged me a $50 late fee, I had a couple of hours to roam around and explore before my 8pm flight out of SFO. I ended up parking by the Fisherman's Wharf, getting some lunch, and eating it down near the seals by the pier. Afterwards, I walked past a ton of Michael Jackson impersonators to Chinatown and Ghirardelli Square to take in all the sights there. I absolutely love the cultural melting pot that is San Francisco - each race, religion, and culture delivers something special to the city.

- That's all the racing I'm doing for awhile. Next up is Elite Nationals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the 3rd weekend in August. Til then, I'm training, acclimating to this heat, and of course...watching the Tour de France! Go Lance!