Countdown to Florida!

This is what I'm seeing right now...I have a feeling the scenery will be a bit different when I hop off the plane in Florida in a couple of days. The start to my 2009 racing season can't come soon enough!

The Ace of Base

If you read my last post, most of you probably realize that I definitely jinxed myself by commenting on the weather. 15 inches of snow and a week full of treadmill runs/trainer rides later, I am happy to report that I am still alive and well. Although at first I was not a happy camper, I always try to look for the positive in everything and here's what I came up with. Snow means: a free car wash, pretty scenery, an opportunity for me to make snow angels after my long run in the snow plowed roads, and a chance to get in an extra strength workout while scraping snow off my car and shoveling a path out my doorway. Yea!

This past week marked the end of my 3 month long base training phase (hence the title of this post) which means that the high-intensity workouts will slowly start to creep into my training and increase throughout the season. In a month from now, I will be in Florida recovering from my first race of the year - time is flying!

Until then,
AHahn

March Madness: The Final Four!

Wendy, Angelina, Max the dog, and I after a long run

Wendy and I at Garden of the Gods





Don’t be fooled by the title of this post... I’m not going to waste your time by telling you how poorly my basketball bracket is doing right now or lament over the fact that the team I picked to win it all barely escaped in the first round of the tourney. Rather, I intend to give you an update on recent happenings in the life of Amanda Hahn.

1) Following an off-season from racing that has spanned approximately half a year, I will finally toe the starting line next month for my first race of the season: St. Anthony’s! St. Anthony’s is an Olympic distance race (non-drafting) that takes place in St. Pete, Florida at the end of April. Besides a sprint triathlon that takes place each year in Gainesville, this is about as close as it gets to me having a “hometown race.” I have competed in St. Anthony’s 5 times to date (it was my 1st pro race) and the atmosphere, fast course, and great competition make it one of my favorites!

2) It has only snowed two days this entire winter since I’ve returned to Boulder! I am in complete amazement and it seems I am not alone. Everyone I talk to says we’re due for a blizzard sometime before the end of April, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this amazing weather continues because we all know my tolerance of trainers/treadmills... somewhere around zero.


3) It had been three months since I’d seen my best friend from high school, Wendy, and she decided to spend the first part of her spring break to come visit me in Boulder. Luckily, she was a good sport about being left for three to four hours at a time while I did my longer bike/run workouts. On my recovery days, I had a little more time to show her around the area, and we even had the opportunity to drive down to Colorado Springs for the day. She was able to see The Garden of the Gods (I showed her the route for my bike/run bricks from this summer), Downtown Manitou Springs, and a somewhat close view of Pikes Peak (we missed the last train that headed up to the top of the peak). It’s always good to see a familiar face and catch up with friends I rarely get to see anymore.



4) Four months! After countless years of track workouts, I took a four month hiatus from the track following the end of my racing season last year. Of course I wasn’t exempt from all running workouts in general, just ones that involved running in circles. I must confess that when I finally stepped back on the track last week, I was a bit nervous/excited. The workout went better than expected and I am happy to say I am back on track! There's something about that oval that brings a curve to my face... :)

There you have it: the final four. Consider yourself in the loop!

Thank You!

I'd like to send a big THANK YOU out to Newton Running for supplying me with my racing shoes for the year! These shoes are absolutely amazing and are designed to promote a forefoot strike (as opposed to heel strike)when running. Just by wearing the shoes, I have seen a significant change in my running form. Also, I am happy to say that I've been able to get rid of my chronic knee pain since switching to these shoes!

This is my 3rd week back in Colorado and I must say it's been an adventure...everyday I wake up wondering whether it will be 65 and sunny or 20 and snowing. I am beginning to select my races for the 2009 season, so stay tuned for more details!

GU

A very important part of both racing and training for any distance of triathlon is proper nutrition. That is why if an athlete doesn't take in enough calories while exercising, they will most likely either "bonk" or have a tough time recovering from the effort. That being said, I am excited to announce GU as my "nutrition" sponsor for 2009. GU offers energy gels and a high performance sports drink (GU2 0). As a competitive swimmer in the earlier stages of my life, I fell in love with the chocolate outrage flavor of GU. GU provides a quick energy boost without the cramping that comes with some other energy gels/bars. In addition to the GU energy gel that so many have become familiar with, GU also recently created a new product called Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel which helps mitigate lactic acid buildup in the body. Both the original GU and the Roctane are great tasting and most importantly, keep me fueled and feeling peppy for my training sessions and races. To learn about how you can get some GU for yourself, please visit: http://guenergy.com

Rudy Project

I'm pleased to announce Rudy Project as one of my sponsors for 2009! Rudy Project is absolutely tops when it comes to sunglasses and helmets. I've worn their sunglasses for quite awhile now and am absolutely in love with how comfortable they are. At times I even forget I'm wearing them (no joke!). The glasses include side panels which are useful in blocking wind, water, and any other debris that may come flying at me while I'm exercising. Their helmets are also designed to be comfortable and aerodynamically sound. If you would like to experience the Rudy Project difference, click here!

Back to Boulder

Yesterday marked the end to my time training at my parents' house in Florida as I returned to my home in Boulder, Colorado. One of the main reasons I stayed in Florida for most of January was to take advantage of the warmer weather and escape the harsh winter of Colorado. So, you can guess how excited I was when our captain relayed that it was 60 degrees as the plane pulled into the runway of Denver International. :) I'm biking outside this week..no complaints here!

But before I can even think about training, I've got a bike to put together and suitcases to unpack...

Twas the Week

Twas the week after New Years and throughout the US,
You could find stressed faces; the economy was a mess.
The holidays were over and much to my dismay,
All the Christmas lights had been taken down and packed away.

The stock market continued its woes,
And kept many businesses on their toes.

But over in Gainesville the town was aglow,
Because of a man who promised change and delivered; not Obama, Tebow!
The chants of the Gator faithful could be heard everywhere,
From Archer Road to the Downtown Square.

I can’t wait to see what ’09 has in store for me!
Maybe a tropical vacation, a check from Hy-Vee?

But for now I’ll go train in the Florida sun,
First a swim, then a bike ride, then maybe a run.
So Happy New Year to all, hope ’09 is bright!
But now I must go, so I bid thee good night!

Going Out With a Bang in 2008!

Much thanks to my friend Wess for agreeing to do a 1/2 marathon with me only 2 days after Christmas!

A couple of weeks ago, I got the crazy idea to compete in a ½ marathon to end 2008 after only 3 weeks of training coming off a season-ending break. To my surprise, my coach ok’ed the idea to see where my fitness was at at this point and it was “game on” for the Florida Half Marathon in Clermont, Florida.

I had no idea what to expect for the turnout with the race being only 2 days after Christmas and was pleasantly surprised that there were enough entrants that I was able to run with someone throughout the race. I’d planned on starting out conservatively at 6:30’s and building as the race went on, but was unable to stick to that plan because of the way the course was designed. The entire course was rolling hills (which Clermont has become famous for) and the majority of the downhill section came at the front end of the race. I hit halfway at a little over 40 minutes, but knew what I’d be up against coming back on the out and back course. I hit the 10 mile mark at 1:05:20 and then started the major uphill section of the course. Needless to say, it took me almost 23 minutes to run/jog/power walk the last 5k of the race and I finished in 1:28:10. I finished as the first overall female and it was about a 15 minute drop from the last time I ran a ½ my senior year of high school!

Although this was a tough course, I enjoyed every minute of it. The only running I’d done outside the past couple of weeks had been the sprinting from my car to the inside of the gym or wherever else I was going in Michigan/Illinois while I was up north visiting family for the holidays… I will take 80 degrees and humidity over -9 + wind any day!!! Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

In Loving Memory of Harris Armstrong

I know most posts on my blog usually pertain to triathlon or some other aspect of my life but this is a special case. This is one story I feel I had to share with the rest of the world. To give some background information, I never actually met Harris Armstrong. However, I feel connected to him just the same.

His grandmother, a former student of my grandfather and friend of my family, contacted me my sophomore year of college at Florida State University after learning that I lived in Tallahassee. The first time I arranged to meet her, she baked me homemade chocolate chip cookies, a lasagna dish (my favorite), and brought me a gift bag of stationery and other assorted goodies. She recounted to me stories of how much my grandfather was loved as a professor and how much she adored my entire family. Also, when she found out that I was a student-athlete, she shared with me how much her grandson (Harris) loved athletics and what a great golfer he was becoming at such a young age. She gave me her contact information in case I was ever in a bind or just needed someone to talk to and became like a second mother to me in Tallahassee, always dropping by to bring me baked goods and check and see that I was doing ok with school and life in general.

Her grandson, Harris Armstrong, passed away last week after more than a year-long battle with cancer in his spinal cord. But by no means was his life wasted. It can be argued that he accomplished just as much in his 12 short years on this earth as some do in an entire lifetime. When he was only in 5^th grade, he qualified to be on the high school golf team. Further, he was twice a runner-up in the Golf Channel's Drive, Chip and Putt National Championship.

But his athletic accomplishments or the fact that he met some of golf’s all-time greats along his journey (Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus) is not what needs to be highlighted here. Rather, the way he represented himself both as a person and an athlete. Harris exuded qualities that represent the essence of any sport: respect, character, sportsmanship, camaraderie with competitors, and most importantly, a genuine love for the game. And, he had an unwavering faith. When he first discovered that he had cancer, he did not stress- instead he prayed. Harris had a strong faith in God and took a particular liking to Romans 12:12. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. It was Harris' faith that kept him strong until the end.

I can only hope that I am able to impact as many people in my lifetime as this little ray of light did in only 12 years. I send my deepest condolences to the Armstrong family in this time of grieving. The memory of Harris will always be in our hearts.

Let it SNOW!

I created a new sport today. Yes, you read that right. You may have heard of walking, power-walking, even snowshoeing, but I bet you’ve never heard of power-sloshing. You might be wondering what exactly power-sloshing is? Power-sloshing is what I was doing today when I was supposed to be running. However, because of the 2 feet of snow on the ground, I ended up running for about 15 seconds or so, hurdling a pile of snow that hadn’t been shoveled (and was in my way), and occasionally sloshing my way through some ice/snow bits on the road/sidewalk. I repeated this process for about an hour and decided when I got back that the effort put forth was more equivalent to a marathon than that of an hour training run. So, if you’re looking for a holiday weight-loss plan, forget Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, and all of the other dieting plans. Just go power-sloshing!

After a couple of weeks off to recharge my batteries, I’m starting to get back into the swing of things with regards to training. I will be building up my volume for the next couple of weeks so that I will have a good aerobic base built when the “killer” workouts start back up. I can’t wait! :)