Girls on the RUN

Hello and Happy Holidays!

WOW! 2009 is about to come to an end!!! I truly hope that each and every one of you had a year full happiness and success. The end of the year is a great time to celebrate with family and friends and it’s also a great time to give! (Especially to a tax deductible charity!!!)
For the next few weeks, I'm going to be gong head-to-head with 60 other elite athletes in Who Gives? Racing for a Cause, a competition in partnership with Athletes for Hope and GlobalGiving.org , to see who can rais the most money for their favorite charity. The "Race" has already started and runs through January 15th.

I am raising money for Girls on the Run, which is an incredible organization that educates and prepares girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living. The program culminates in a 5K race event which gives the girls a chance to shine and gives them an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I have set up a scholarship fund for 6 low-income schools, so hopefully we can get some programs set up in their schools!

Girls on the Run is so awesome. I was lucky enough to be able to participate in their 5K race this past May. My experience was amazing as I got to see young girls inspired to run for FUN and to see the confidence and self-respect they had gained through the program. Their smiles were all shining so brightly! Hopefully, I can make a positive impact in their lives by working side-by-side with them through the 12-week program. I only wish such a program existed when I was younger!

No donation is too small, even a $10 donation can provide healthy snacks at a site. ($65 provides a pair of running shoes, $125 sponsors 1 girl for an entire semester.) Each donation also helps me get one step closer to winning the grand prize of $10,000 for GIRLS ON THE RUN!!! This would make a HUGE impact in the lives of so many girls. There are a lot of great competitors in the Race, so I'm going to need all the help I can get in order to win!!!!

Check out my donation page: http://www.globalgiving.com/4422

Thanks in advance for your support!

amanda :)

P.S. if you want to follow my progress, check out the competition, and see who's in the lead, visit: www.globalgiving.org/athletes-for-hope. Please help me spread the word!

Thanks STEVENS, RETUL, and OLD TOWN!

Yippee--My brand new STEVENS bike arrived late last week, I rushed it down to Old Town where Brian built it up for me, then it was up to the Denver Retul Studio yesterday for the best bike fit in the world. I had a great time working with Todd Carver and the group of trainees he was teaching to use the Retul system. Retul is so amazing because you get your bike fit to your body size/type, while you are riding! They use motion capture technology to take quick precise measurements to get you dialed in to the best position for you. Love it, thanks guys!!!

So why am I so excited about getting another bike? Well, my VOLT is not just "another bike", it is a high-end, first-class time trial and triathlon racing machine!!!! Super light, aerodynamic (front and back brakes are hidden in frame), internal cable wiring...what more could a girl ask for?! Now that my new VOLT is ready to fly, that means it's time for me to get my booty whipped back into shape, fun fun. And I think the weather will be nice enough tomorrow for my "maiden journey", an easy aerobic 3hr ride with a high of 45F predicted and sunny.

Thanks to everyone who made my early Christmas possible!!!!

Clearwater!!!!

8th Place at Ironman 70.3 World Championships!!!

Clearwater was AWESOME!!! I arrived on Monday (actually early early morning Tuesday, after an all day flight from Canada!) and got settled into my hotel. The hotel was awesome, fully equipped kitchen and a block from the transition area, so much better than last year. I hung out for a few days and got ready to race fast on Saturday. I helped out with the Lifesport swim clinic on Thursday morning...it was windy and cold, absolutely freezing...what was going on, I was in Florida for goodness sakes! But Randy flew in that afternoon and brought the sunshine and warm weather with him...so by race morning it was perfect. I was so excited to see Randy since I hadn't seen him in FOREVER! On Friday afternoon, I had a short interview and filming with the Ironman crew and then off to the race meeting, where we found out they had decided to move the swim from the ocean to the bay. Darn it! I was looking forward to some fun in the ocean on race morning. But it ended up turning out good anyways...and now the race start was literally outside of my hotel room.

I didn't sleep much the night before the race...it was weird, my mind wasn't racing or really thinking of anything...I just seemed to lay there and keep saying 'sleep!'. Oh well, I'd already gotten my solid 10hr of sleep the night before, so I'd be good to go. I got out of bed before the alarm went off and all of a sudden the adrenaline (and caffeine) started to pump into my system and I was ready to go!!!

Did all the pre-race stuff and then headed down to the swim start with my Ipod blaring Miley Cyrus :) Fun times! I felt loose, relaxed, and ready to go during my swim warm up. Met up with Mags for a pre-race hug and a wave to Coach Lance. Then it was time to focus and get ready for the sound of the gun! We were off and I had a pretty good swim. It was a bit hard to see the buoys and figure out exactly where we were going...but it was all good. Once we turned the a few buoys, it was a solid swim the the huge pirate ship next to the exit ramp. The ramp was pretty narrow...so we crowed up it and I bolted to the transition area. I ended up crossing the timing mat first...fastest swim split! I had a descent T1, a bit of a hiccup, but was out on the bike before I knew it. I just put my head down and trusted my new cycling legs! All the hard work and the epic sessions with Coach Lance in Victoria were going to pay off...and I was bound and determined to stay with the lead girls. Julie Dibens got away and was up the road but the rest of us hammered along together (legally!). The men had started 5min behind us...so before I knew it they started whizzing by...and they were one huge group, it was crazy!!! They swarmed around us...and were gone after not too long. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. I just tried to stay steady and keep on pushing home to T2. As I turned onto the main road before crossing back over the bridge...a car totally pulled out in front of me to cross the road, absolutely oblivious to me (or that the roads were blocked and a race was going on!) Thank goodness they had their window down, I was yelling at them and they finally saw me and braked just in time for me to swerve around them. I arrived in T2 in 5th place and was ready to go show off my new running legs. The crowd and support was amazing...I had so many people cheering for me!!! It was great to see Randy and Coach Paul about 1mile in...and then Coach Lance at the top of the bridge. I felt pretty good and just tried to get the legs moving forward. I was running so relaxed and felt like I was just floating. As I finished the first lap everyone was yelling that I was gaining on 4th place. I kept on pushing and passed her, sweetness, I was in 4th!!! and ready to run some more girls down. Well, unfortunately, my legs decided they were done and they blew up big time! Mags and Laura came running by and I knew it would be so good for me to go with them and be able to use their energy...so my mind was saying GO! and my legs NO! I did my best to keep it together...but oh I was hurtin. I have never blown up in a race before and let me just tell ya, it was not very fun. I went from steady 6:30miles to 8:00min miles, OUCH! At that point, it was time for survival management and just making sure I got myself across the finish line! I got passed by a few more girls and ended up finishing in 8th. So 2 spots ahead of last year and 7 min faster, I'll take that!!! Mags ended up sprinting into 3rd place, congrats girl!!!

Had some fun post race hanging with the Lifesport team and then a day and a half at the beach with Randy. It was so hard to leave the sunny beach knowing I was heading home to snow in Colorado! But oh so nice to be back home!!!

Thanks to everyone for all the support, couldn't do it without you! Thanks to Ramon Serrano for the race photos above. Fun photos to be added soon(don't have my memory card with me right now.)

Garage Sale!!!

Thanks for all of your support and cheers this past weekend!!! I spent a few days hanging out at the beach with Randy...and am now back to the cold snow in Colorado: joy, joy!!! I'll get a race report, Clearwater adventures, and pictures posted soon. But first...I'm having a garage sale! Let me know if you are interested in anything!!!! triusa@gmail.com

Cervelo P3C 2008 Frame
Ridden for less than 3 months
Great Condition, Like New
51cm Frame
MSRP=$3,300
Asking=$2,800

Cannondale System Six Si Team
Cannondale Integrated Carbon Compact Crank
Dura Ace components
FSA carbon Handlebars
Great Condition
52cm Frame
Asking=$2,999


Xterra Vector Pro X2 Full Wetsuit
Brand New
Whatever size you need, Men’s or Women’s!!!!
MSRP=$600
Asking=$400


Aquaman Boink Wetsuit
Women's Size Small
Used 1 season
MSRP=$460
Asking=$150


Aquaman Metal Cell2 Wetsuit
Women's Size XS
Used for 5-6 races
MSRP=$530
Asking=$250

Profile Design Razor Aluminum Seatpost
Aerodynamic Competition Post
Brand New in Box
270mm
Asking=$40

Newton Sir Issac
Men's Size 11
Used 2-3 times each (2 pair available)
MSRP=$149
Asking=$70

Saucony FastTwitch2 Racing Flats
Women's Size 7
Worn for one race
MSRP=$90
Asking=$40

Spira Striker Running Shoe
Women's Size 6.5
Brand New in Box
MSRP=$175
Asking=$60

Newton Distance S Racer
Women's Size 7
Brand New in Box
MSRP=$155
Asking=$100

Newton Distance S Racer
Women's Size 7
Slightly Used: 1 yellow pair; 1 pink pair
MSRP=$155
Asking=$50

Olympic Torch Run!

On Friday the Olympic torch arrived from Greece! It actually landed in Victoria (where I am) to start the torch run for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. I wasn't able to make it to the actual start of the relay (because I had swim practice!), but Simon Whitfield, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Triathlon, from Canada, had the honors of starting it off, pretty darn cool!

I did manage to make it to one of the hand-off points along the route. I got to see an older Olympian run down the beach of Elk Lake and pass it off to the rowers, who then rowed across the lake with it. Fun Fun!

And speaking of the Olympics, Oct 31st was 1,000 days out from the start of the 2012 Olympics!!!

Camp Canada!

WOW---hard to believe I've been up in Victoria for Camp Canada for 10 days already! Amazing how much I've accomplished and that I also survived the swine flu. Can't be 100% sure that is what I had...but whatever I had was not fun. I mean I usually get a cold/flu at some point during the year, and while its never fun to be sick, this took sickness to a new level. The good part, I'm almost back to 100%, just a bit of a lingering cough and fatigue left. Mags, my training partner in crime, was also sick...so we've been hacking up a lung together during our workouts. And coach Lance has miraculously not gotten sick (knock on wood for him!) as he's been there for almost all of our workouts, helping to push us to the next level! Thanks Lance!!!


My homestay, John and Madeleine, are wonderful! They have a beautiful place and have been so kind to open it up to me for 3 whole weeks! They are such wonderful people that have had some amazing adventures that I love hearing about. John has taken me on a few rides and Madeleine has kept me well-fueled with delicious meals. Thanks so much!!!

The weather here has been pretty good. Mainly in the 50s with some rain here and there...but I'll take that over the reports I'm getting from Colorado. Lots of snow and ice and its COLD, COLD, COLD!!! Brrrr....

About to do some self torturing massage and stretching then get a good nights sleep to gear up for another big weekend. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

CRASH

(I actually wrote this right after the Dallas race...its just taken me awhile to post! Now 2 1/2 weeks later and my road rash is almost completely healed up, still a bit of a scab below my knee...that one was pretty deep!)

I’m on a plane again…headed back to Colorado. Not the most comfortable flight in my life, considering it is a full flight and I’ve got some major roadrash, whiplash, and muscle soreness going on! But I will survive and like most accidents, it could have been A LOT worse!

I spent the past week in Texas, visiting with family, recovering from the Kaiser Permante LA race, and getting geared up for the Toyota Dallas US Open, the final race of the Liftetime Fitness Series. On Thursday afternoon I headed out the door for a run and it was so HOT and HUMID…I came back dripping with sweat…it was just pouring on out. Well, that weather quickly changed, when I woke up Friday it was freezing! And that weather carried over to race morning. I woke up to 40 degree rain and sleet. We pulled up to transition and when I went to unload the car I discovered that my back wheel was flat. Nate, Sarah Haskins, husband was next to us, and offered me Sarah’s extra back wheel (THANKS so MUCH!!!) I had to make an adjustment to my brakes because our wheels were a different width…and the cable screw stipped out, Oh NO! The on-site mechanic did what he could…but I soon found out it wasn’t quite enough!

We swam in Joe Pool Lake and since the water temp was much much warmer than the air, the pros had a non-wetsuit swim…which really wasn’t that bad. When the gun went off, I had an okay start and just started swimming as fast as I could. Haskins and Groff had a bit of a gap going around the 1^st bouy, so I tried to reel them in, and ended up coming out of the water just behind them. I had a good transition and was ready for a solid race. I was feeling good and just knew that it was going to be my day. There was a gap between me and the girls behind me, so I took a few extra seconds to put on some gloves (and I had toe covers already on my shoes.) This ended up to be a lifesaver! Once on my bike, I put my head down and was ready to chase some people down. We got to the first corner and as I tried to apply my brakes, there was no slowing down…uh oh, my back brakes weren’t working! So I went into the turn at full-speed on wet-slick roads and went flying. I skidded across a lane and into the grass. I was so determined to have a good race, that I didn’t check my body or my bike…I just picked up my bike and got on and took off. While I’d gone down, a few girls had passed me so I was on a mission to catch them. I felt strong but the gap was growing and growing…something had to be wrong. That is when I realized my brakes had shifted and now one side was slammed up against my wheel. I hoped off my bike, fixed it as best I could, and was off once again. When I got to the first incline and got out of my saddle, I discovered my shifting was messed up. My gears were shifting all over the place and I was going nowhere! Great! But again, I was determined to have a good day…so I tried to avoid the slipping gears as much as possible and to just keep on moving forward. I was welcomed into T2 by my cheering family. It was so great to see them there!!! That gave me the energy to power out on the run despite my numb feet and cold muscles. I took off like a bullet…and tried to hang onto that pace. I dropped of my pace a bit at miles 2 & 3, but kept on pushing and had a good last 3 miles. I definitely negative split that run!!! I ended up 11^th, just out of the money…But it’s a day I’ll still take. Not the ultimate result I was looking for but learned to stay tough and focused when faced with not just one, not just two, but several obstacles and challenges!

Now its time to get healed up (Thanks for working me and getting my body back in alignment today, Camille!)

Hangin out with the Stars of Hollywood!!!

Last weekend...I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Malibu and brushing arms with the stars....now my primary reason to be there was to race! but on Sunday when Mr AC Slater showed up in Transition, I must admit, I was 'star-struck'...good thing my key race was on Saturday! But before I get to the juicy details of my time with him...A huge thank you to my AWESOME homestay: Craig and Laurie!!! You guys were great, thanks for your hospitality and all the fun...can't wait to come back in a few weeks for the LA Tri!



Race day was fun! A dark, early morning always gets me excited (I'm not always happy about he 4:30am wake up calls...but what can ya do?) After warming up and getting transition ready, we headed down to the start. The water was a bit choppy, which I was happy about! The gun sounded and we were off...unfortunately I got pummeled by a few waves and lost about 20 seconds getting to the first buoy! That only meant one thing, it was time to put my head down and GO! I swam my way back up to the front and exited in a good position. Then it was out on the bike. The course is deceivingly tough with a bit of wind and rolling hills. I came into T2 in 3rd and stayed there through the whole run. So I ended up on the podium...along with a great field, congrats to them: 1st-Laura Bennett, 2nd-Becky Lavelle, 4th-Alica Kaye, and 5th Taki.

So after the race...it was time for some fun. I got a tour of Hollywood and then off to the best sushi place in LA: K-ZO! Yum yum yum! And the best part was that Kari, one of my fellow TCU swimming alumni, and roommates knew i was in LA (thanks to Twitter!) and joined us for dinner. She brought along photo albums from all four years at TCU...I laughed so HARD! Good ole memories :) And after looking at all those pictures, we totally forgot to take one that night!!!

Then Sunday, it was back to Zuma Beach, for the celebrity and sprint triathlons! I was honored to be on a relay team with Sam Rubin (a local newscaster) and Avi. We had a blast...and it was cool to know that the event raised over $1million for Children's Hospital! Since I'm not a big TV watcher...I will admit, I didn't know a lot of the celebrities there...but I did know Mario Lopez aka AC Slater. Oh, I don't know how many days my sisters and I rushed home from school to catch 'Saved by the Bell' before heading off to swim practice, seems like we could never get enough of the gang!! Anyways, I swam on my relay, so I was standing next to his bike, when he cruised into transition and spent about 10min there...had to dry off, change clothes, tie up his shoes, and even dig in his gym bag to pull out a comb to fix his hair! His entourage was blocking the paparazzi...But, since I was in transition, I figured, what the heck, I'm gonna go get a picture with him. So I sat down next to him, asked him how his swim went, and wished him good luck out on the bike...and somewhere in there he called me 'Honey'!!! Yes, that is right, AC Slater himself called me Honey :) I also got a pic with Alan off of Two and 1/2 Men...then lots of snapshots of the others racing: Teri Hatcher, Cold Case guys, Jermey Piven, the producer of LOST, plus lots of big wigs from the studios! Had tons of fun...and can't wait to go back again next year!!!

And for those of you that didn't get enough...

Here's all the pics of AC Slater!!! Enjoy :)