Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Greetings!  Well the winter has flown by and I've had a blast with trail runs!  I did two 50k trail races this past winter and I'm now hooked for sure.  My aspirations are to complete a 50 miler, 100 miler and one more "epic" run adventure in 2010 (I'll confirm this one down the road and let you know what I'm talking about). 

I've also had my first triathlon race(s) to blow out the pipes for the year at the Lone Star Triathlon Festival.  I did the sprint race on Saturday and then the quarter on Sunday.  I actually felt great for the sprint on Saturday and took the overall win, but come Sunday it was a different story.  I was leading the race and didn't feel too bad but then my front wheel flatted and I lost oodles of time changing it out.  You can't really "come back" in a short race like that with a flat but I mangaged to hang in for a 4th place finish.  It was a tough women's field for that quarter race so I can't complain at all. 

I was scheduled to race at the Aflac Irongirl race in Las Vegas this coming weekend, with a stellar invited women's pro field, but unfortunately I've come down with a case of bronchitis.  I've had to withdraw from the event and I'm super sad about that as I was looking forward to the race.  I'll take some R&R and get myself better while I do some re-arranging with my race plans.  Check back for updates on that.

Lastly, if you live in Austin stop by my new venture: Hill Country Running Company.  We opened our doors last week and things have been going well.  www.hillcountryrunning.com  

Happy Training!

Fish

Friday, September 21, 2007

A lot has happened since the last time I posted anything.  Let's see, I'll just make a list to recap things quickly:

1. Jamie and I packed up our current house

2. Jamie and I loaded up our RV and drove from Austin, Texas to Penticton, Canada for IM Canada

3. On the week long drive up to Canada Jamie and I came down with bronchitis

4. I start IM Canada and ends up pulling out after the bike from being way too sick

5. Jamie and I drive back to Austin via a couple stops in Yellowstone National Park and North Texas State Parks

6. Jamie and I MOVE everything we own into our new home

7. Jamie and I now live in their dream home (still needs a lot of work in terms of unpacking and landscaping) and things are settling down a bit...for now

That's where I'm at right now.  I little dishevelled but all in all I'm so happy to be in my new home!

The dissapointment of Ironman Canada was really hard to deal with.  I was ready for that race, but I do know I made the right decision by pulling out.  I was able to recover properly and thus I'll be racing in Kona no problem.  Had I tried to gut things out I know for sure that there would be no way I could head out to Hawaii...I'd be in bed with pneumonia.

On the flip side of things my fitness is really good right now.  I think it was the boost of "race fitness" from doing what I did at Ironman Canada (swim and bike) and being able to bounce back quickly after my sickness.  This last weekend we headed out to Burnet, Texas for our insane double training weekend.  We do a supported VERY hilly ride on Saturday (101 miles+) and then a nasty little sprint triathlon on Sunday morning (Burnet Tri Hard Challenge triathlon).  I love that weekend as it really pushes you mentally...especially getting up the morning after a hard 100+ mile bike ride to race.  I actually posted a faster time than the past couple years and felt great the whole weekend.

A few of the Texas Iron group at the Burnet Triathlon

Now I've just got a couple more weeks of training (fine tuning I should say) before I head out to Kona.  I'm really excited to race in Hawaii this year because I literally don't have any expectations.  No pressures, nothing.  I am fit, but I want to just go out there and execute to the best of my ability.  I also want to have fun, and that's the biggest thing I haven't had happen in a long time in Kona.  This year's race is about celebrating my fitness, my journey, my experiences and to have fun.  What happens in the end is anybody's guess, but I know that if I enjoy myself things will conclude with a happy ending.

Mahalo and tune in to www.ironmanlive.com on October 13th.

Cheers,

Fish

Sunday, July 15, 2007

This morning my lovely hubby and I raced at the Austin Couples Triathlon.  What a hoot!  What a hot morning!  I love doing races like that in my own backyard, but this morning I couldn't believe how freaking humid and hot it was.  I had gone for a 10 minute warm up jog prior to the race start and I literally had lost gallons just by sweating!  Then getting into the water didn't help matters much more as the water temperature was pretty toasty.  However, Jamie and I had a great day and I actually felt really strong during the whole event. 

I was happy to feel good again in my triathlon element as my last two races were a complete disaster.  First off, my Muskoka race was terrible.  After some bad travel up there, and lack of sleep, I didn't perform nearly as well as I should have.  I did gut it out and finished the race, in 7nth place, but felt terrible afterwards.  The travel back home didn't help matters anymore as we experienced even worse circumstances.  That really didn't help me to recover and perform well again the following weekend at Buffalo Springs 70.3.  By the end of that race I was ready to call the season right there and go on vacation...FOR GOOD!  I took the next week light, got sleep, and tried to let go of everything that had happened.

After another week Jamie and I were off to IM Austria with our travel group from Premium Plus Sports.  We had 29 athletes in the group racing at IM Austria, with 12 being Texas Iron athletes alone!  I love the chance to go over there and help out with the tour group, but I love training in Austria most of all.  I had about one week to get in some good miles and start my build for Ironman Canada.  (Yes, Canada....it wasn't originally on my game plan but after much soul searching post 2 distasterous long course races I realized I need to do an IM race prior to Kona.  I need the race, the fight for the finish, and the race fitness from the event heading into Hawaii...thus I'll be racing at the 25th anniversary of Ironman Canada in August!)  It was awesome training, especially since I got to share some of it with my hubby. 

On the last day of our trip we decided to be spontaneous and our long ride.  I knew "kinda" the direction of this very old castly (when I say old I mean old!  Built in 1248!) I told Jamie to head in a certain direction, towards a certain mountain ridge while trying to cross over a river.  We had no idea of what roads we were on but this was an adventure and something that we both were having a blast doing at the moment.  We headed down random bike paths and small roads in the general direction of my navigation skills.  I was suprised that he was trusting me so much on this one.

Trust me...we're on the right path...I think?

As we were starting to get a little dismayed in not finding a castle, we rounded a corner and out of no where it appeared!  OH MY GOSH!  How cool was the site???  I actually suprised myself in finding the darn thing, but what an awesome sight it was as we came around this small village road.

I knew that there was a small cafe in the castle so I convinced Jamie that we needed to make a trip up to the top of Landskron and have lunch.  We headed off to the castle gate entrance, at the base of that BIG ASS hill but were stopped by the security guard.  He told us we couldn't ride our bikes up the hill (it's about 20% grade) and that we could only walk to the top.  Ok, so now that we are totally on this be spontaneous kick, we hid our bikes at the base of the hill and walked to the top, IN OUR FREAKING SOCKS ON A ROCK HIKING TRAIL! 

When we finally got to the top we dined on the most yummy Wiener Schnitzel, potatos and a giant glass of Coke.  I don't know if it was the view, the adventure, or the food itself but that was one of the most tasty lunches I have ever had.  Jamie and I just sat back, took in the view, and giggled continuously about our castle adventure.

We made our way down the mountain side (yes, my feet were SCREAMING AT ME BY THIS POINT) and headed back into Klagenfurt, where we were staying.  I have to say that was one of the most memorable long rides I have even done, and the fact that I got to share it with Jamie made it even more fun!  I also think that it energized me again for the reasons why I do this sport.  Why I love to take my bike on a ride, even if I'm not quite sure where I'm headed.  Why I love to take off into the woods for a long run, not knowing what I might encounter along the paths.  I love the fact that I can do these things, and I don't take it for granted one bit. 

Thanks for reading and I'll update you on my IM Canada build as it progresses.  My next race will be at the Steelhead 70.3 at the start of August.  I'm excited to head back up to the event as I really enjoyed my experience last year.  Cheers and happy training.

Fish

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Holy smokes.  it's been a long time since I've posted an update.  WOW.  Sorry about that.

Things have been pretty crazy these past couple months.  Our big hometown race, Capital of Texas Triathlon, got cancelled due to terrible race morning weather.  It was pretty sad not to see the event go ahead in some manner but I can understand why the race officials made the decision they did.  You basically needed an Ark to get around transition by 7 a.m. and Town Lake looked more like a class 3 rapids then a calm dowtown river.  I felt so bad for all the athletes who put in so much time, effort and made some big sacrifices to train for this event.  I hope they can channel their energies into another event and not be discouraged by the unforseen circumstances.

How am I doing?  Well, I've never been fresher.  Literally, it's June and I've raced one time.  Go figure?   My first few races didn't happen because my coffee table decided to take my knee out.  However that's all healed up and I feel great.  The one race I did get to do, Gulf Coast, had me sidelined to a 2nd place finish due to a flat tire that took way too long to fix.  Let's just say I'm itching to go.  I had made the decision to race only one Ironman this year (Kona) so I gues you could say I'm just easing into the season.  Anyhoot, I'll be happy to get things going next weekend at Muskoka.

Speaking of Muskoka, this is going to be an interesting adventure for me.  I watched my husband, Jamie, race there when we first met.  We were actually only dating for a couple months, and a long distance relationship at that!  I flew up to Toronto, he picked me up, and we spent the weekend at the race.  He raced and I just did some training while I enjoyed the cooler temperatures.  Yet I always kept the thought in the back of my mind about actually doing the race some day.  Fast forward seven years and now I'm doing it.  It's actually an interesting format because it's set up like the Lifetime Fitness Challenge.  The pro women will be given a pre-calculated head start from the men, but the race distance isn't like any other race.  It's a 2k swim, 55k bike and 15k run.  To make matters worse, I'm RACING MY HUSBAND!  Yep, for the first time we are actually going to race against each other.  Of course there is a waiger being made between us, as to who finishes first: the size of Jamie's new flat screen TV that will go in our new house.  I CAN'T LET HIM BEAT ME!

After that weekend I return home, take a couple days to recover and then head up to Lubbock for BLST 70.3.  I'm actually pretty excited about it because my friend and training partner Louie signed up for the race.  You don't understand!  This guy is so hard to get to commit to a race that it drives all of us nuts.  He'll train with us in full on Ironman training and then doesn't race.  It'll be good to get his ass out on the race course at a major half Ironman.  I'm excited to see how it goes for him.

Well, that's about it for now on the racing stuff.  On the personal side I'm in the process of trying to sell my current house and finish building our new house.  Plus we are traveling our asses off these days so I'm savoring any moment I get to be at home.  I can't wait to get the whole sell a house/build a house/move to storage/move to house epic out of the way.  Moving really makes you realize how much shit we accumulate in life.  Really, do we need all this stuff?

Thanks for reading and happy training!

Cheers,

Fish

Monday, April 2, 2007

Wow am I tired!  I didn't even race this past weekend at the Lone Star Triathlon Festival, but I am just wiped out.  Jamie and I both went down to help support the race and our many Texas Iron athletes who were racing.  We also had a run aid station on both days so there was a lot of work to be done.  We drove down in our Airstream on Friday, set up camp in the parking lot at Moody Gardens and got ready for the two days of racing.  Jamie raced in the sprint on Saturday, while I helped run our aid stations on both days.  I had originally planned to use the weekend as a final tune up for Ironman Arizona, but alas I am regulated to letting my knee heal with some time off.  However, here I was thinking I would have an easy weekend but I honestly think I'm more tired, sore and worn out from being out on the course during the entire weekend.  Yep...somehow I still manage to whine even if I'm not training or racing!

Anyhoot, our Texas Iron athletes rocked both days both in racing and by volunteering.  I love the support they give each other and how they all give back to the sport.  YOU GUYS ROCK!  If you want to check out Coach Susan's photo album from the weekend you can here  I also posted some of the photos on our Texas Iron site under Athletes 

Just to clarify what I'm doing in this picture:

I'm shaking Cowbells on my belt

for the athletes as they came thru our aid station

"MORE COWBELL!"

I'm back home and taking another day off in order to recover from the weekend.  I'll start back into things tomorrow, and by the end of the week I should be up and running again!  WOOOOHOOO!  Jamie and I are planning to keep with our annual Hill Country tradition and head back down to Kerrville for the Easter Hill Country ride this coming weekend.  It's three days of awesome riding around the Fredericksburg and Kerrville landscape, and it allows us a chance to kick back and relax.  Plus it gives me a great reason to eat like a piggy over the Easter weekend.

For now my race plans are to stick with Gulf Coast Triathlon as my first race of the season.  I chose to head back to Panama City, Florida this year as it's my 10 year long course triathlon anniversary .  Gulf Coast was my first long course race, and in my mind the first race I had really ever trained for.  I wanted to celebrate my 10 year anniversary by flogging myself at the May 12th half Ironman and reflect on how much I've grown since the first time I raced there.

Congratulations to everyone who raced at the Lone Star Triathlon Festival.  Kudos to Keith Jordan for another awesome race and special thanks to all the volunteers. 

Cheers,

Fish

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

D-Day.  That's what I kept telling my husband today was.  Today was the day I would get my MRI diagnosis and my decision would be made. 

I met with Ted Spears, my ortho, this morning and we went over my MRI images.  Good news is that I don't have any structural damage to my knee joint which would entail surgery.  THANK GOODNESS!  Bad news is that I will need to stay off my knee in terms of any weight bearing activity for a couple weeks.  My lateral knee has some extreme swelling and inflamation that needs time to heal.  Sadly I have to wait a bit before I can start racing, so no Lone Star Triathlon Festival or Ironman Arizona for me.  UGH.

The thing is that I'm actually ok with that.  When I originally looked at what races I wanted to do this year I had contimplated not doing an Ironman until Kona anyway.  I will need a couple weeks to make my decision on any adjustments to my racing schedule, but for now it looks like I may only add in a half IM or similar distance during the second half of April.  For now I'm going to let my knee heal and stick to cycling, swimming, weights and water running. 

Thanks to everyone who has been super supportive!  My sponsors rock and my friends are awesome.

If you are racing at the Lone Star Triathlon Festival be sure to hoot and hollar as you pass through our run aid station.  You'll be greeted by our "Western Theme" volunteers and I promise it will be the best aid station out there!

Cheers,

Fish

Monday, March 26, 2007

What a fantastic weekend we had in Alexandria, LA.  Jamie and I hosted a triathlon weekend for Run Wild, a fantastic running and fitness store located in Alexandria.  Elizabeth and Don Cassano brought us in to work with a group of local and regional triathletes.  We did a lot of swimming, bike skills, transitions, running, form work and then closed off the weekend with a tough transition workout (bike to run repeats).  It was fantastic and we really enjoyed making new friends in Alexandria.  You can find out more about the Run Wild store, and all the local events they help to put on via their website Run Wild.  I hope to post some pictures from the transition workout on our coaching site Texas Iron within the next few days.

On a personal note I'm having a tough time this past week.  I did a very dumb ass move about 2 weeks ago and now I'm paying the price for my lack of coordination.  Right before our camp I was logging a lovely little trainer session in my living room.  Well low and behold my Dumb Ass self somehow unlocked the skewer on her bike and long story short went tumbling into the corner of my SOLID WOOD COFFEE TABLE!  My leg never clipped out and I was stuck on my side, leg twisted, knee into the corner of the table and my dog skimpering away in fright as I almost came crashing down on her as well.  My knee turned black and blue on the side and I did experience a bit of pain in the side of my joint, but I brushed it off to a normal bruise and tried to blow off my "one man crash" while nursing my ego.

Fast forward....

Now it's 2 weeks later and I'm in some terrible pain.  Last week I trained thru things as it never seemed to get any worse for the time being but it also never got any better.  I can run, ride and swim but as the week progressed onward, even with a few days off from running, I started to really feel it .  By Friday I tried to log a wimpy little 30 minute run and was cursing as I finished back at home in pain.  Frig!  So the weekend was spent workout free, which was fine because we were hosting the camp in Alexandria.  However my knee turned into a grapefruit on Saturday and by Sunday evening, after I got home, I was hobbling into the house. 

I met with my trusty ortho doc this morning, Ted Spears, and we have an MRI schedule for tomorrow morning.  He's pretty much ruling out, but not completely, a tear based on my reaction to his pushing, pulling, turning, pushing and poking some more.  We think it may be a bone chip/fracture in the joint at worse case, and at best case it's a BIG BAD ASS joint bruise which is much easier to fix at this point in time.  I won't know the final diagnosis until Wednesday morning, so until then I'm stuck only swimming and doing some upper body weights.  Even as I sit here writing this entry I'm pissed off from the constant pain.  My husband suggested I start drinking, heavily....which at this point is starting to look like a very good idea.

I still haven't ruled out any of my upcoming races yet.  I'm schedule to race this coming weekend at the Lone Star Triathlon festival, and then two weeks after that I have Ironman Arizona.  If I only have a joint bruise and no break/fracture/chip then I'm racing.  If it's the worst case scenerio then I'm most likely off to surgery in the next week.  ARG.  But I'll take it in stride and not worry too much for the time being.  Some extra rest never hurt anyone and besides, it's pouring rain outside right now so who would want to go ride or run anyway?

Stay tuned....

Cheers,

Broken Fish

Friday, March 23, 2007

WOW.  I've only been home a couple days and it's been crazy.  I've been trying to catch up on work so much that I haven't had a chance to update everyone on our camp.  Now I'm running back out the door to do another camp in Alexandria, LA this weekend.  Life is crazy and non stop, but that's how I like it.  I promise to post an update next week, but for now you can catch some of our pictures from our Texas Iron Tough as Iron camp, courtesy of our lovely photographer Susan Farago.  She's so awesome about documenting all of our adventures.  Susan even made a friend out in Kerrville on the last day of camp (see below).

Texas Iron Coach, Susan Farago, with her new friend

Check back as I promise to be better about my updates, but for now click here to view the camp slideshow.

Cheers,

Fish

Thursday, March 8, 2007

I'm heading off to Lost Maples State Park this weekend for the ever so infamous Leaky Death Ride Weekend.  Then next week we have our Texas Iron Tough as Iron Endurance Camp in Kerrville, Texas.  I'll have lots of photos and a full recap after those weekends, which I'm sure will entail many hillarious adventures.  We have over 47 athletes coming down for the camp and the bike routes are going to be awesome!  Not to mention the trail runs in the park after a killer long ride.  Check back after the 18th and I'll try to get an update posted as soon as I can.

Train safe!

Cheers,

Fish

Thursday, February 1, 2007

What a winter we are having.  I can't believe how cold it has been by "Texas standards".  We've already had a major ice storm that shut us down for a few days, snow, cold sleety rain and very chilly morning temperatures.  I've broken out more winter apparel these days then I'd like to see.  I know.....I shouldn't complain at all, but I feel really bad for my friend Tereza.  She's down here for two months training for Ironman South Africa, and the first couple weeks were spent on the trainer.  However, things are coming around and she's been able to get some quality time out on the road so I know she's gonna kick ass next month.

I started back into a training regime at the start of the year.  I took a really nice, long and healthy break after Ironman Florida and I'm so glad I did.  I feel a lot fresher, happier and ready to ease back into things this year.  My ultimate focus for this season is Hawaii in October and giving it a full fledged concerted training focus.  All races, events, etc... that I do this year will all be in the grand plan for a solid October race.  My wonderful husband has already committed to helping me have more time to train and focus this year by taking a large load of the business requirements (coaching, training sessions, talks, etc..)  We also hired 3 more AWESOME assistant coaches to help out with the work load, so I've got a great set up for this season.  It's exciting!

Since "easing" back into things, Tereza and I have already done a 25k trail race and I just ran the 3M Half Marathon last Sunday.  The trail race was a freaking riot!  It was in Bandera and it's so much fun. We've made it an annual training event now.  We had a lot of Texas Iron athletes out there camping, running and volunteering.  I posted some pictures from the event on our TI site at http://www.texasiron.net/TxIronAthletes.htm I had a pretty decent run considering I hadn't run over 2 hours prior to that day.  I felt great up to the 2 hour mark and then the weight of 20 lbs. of mud stuck to my shoes took over.  The last 30 minutes were so rough and hard.  I could barely lift my legs and make it up the last few climbs.  Tereza came by me at one of the muddiest and hardest sections and I thought I was going to fall over.  She came in first and I came rolling in a few minutes later.  Wow did our legs hurt after that one.  A couple weekends later I ran the 3M half and I can honestly say that it was one of the hardest half marathons I've posted in quite some time.  I have no idea why I felt so bad out there on race day, but I'm chalking it up to a mental victory in that I managed to finish.  Oh well, it was one of those days.  ARG!

My plan is to use the upcoming AT&T Marathon, on February 18th, as a base run and put in some more bike miles with Tereza.  Come March I've got a couple mega training weeks to focus on my build for Ironman Arizona.  I'm really happy that I've got a good amount of time to build into this early season IM race and not rush things.  It'll definitely pay off in the end.  I'm also super excited about our training camp in March http://www.texasiron.net/TxIronTrainingCamp.htm as I'll get to do some mega miles with the athletes who attend.  I can't wait.

I'll be good and update my news section as often as possible this year, so check back regularly.  Thanks for your support and train safe!

Cheers,

Fish

Congratulations to Andrea for being named in the

2006 City Sports Best of Texas Polls!

Andrea was awarded as one of the Clif Bar Athletes of the year:

Best Female Triathlete category.

Texas Iron won big as well in the following categories:

Best Male Triathlete

Best Triathlon Club

Best Triathlon Coach

Best Swim Coach

Best Bike Coach

Best Run Coach

December 2, 2006

Ahhhhhh!  I love the off season.  I love not feeling guilty about not working out.  I love eating foods that I would normally leave out of my diet during the season.  I love sleeping in late.  I love wine.  I love spending quality time with my husband and pets.  I love everything about this time of year!

I took two weeks completely off after Ironman Florida and enjoyed the freedom.  I hosted the race commentary for the Silverman Triathlon, which was awesome!  I had the chance to see Las Vegas, tour the course for the race and spend some time with my friend Amy who came out to cheer for some local athletes.  I'm thinking I need to put together a team for next year if they open up the $100,000 challenge to women as well.  We'll see if it becomes an option for 2007, and if it does I'm all over it!!!!

After a couple weeks of doing absolutely nothing I started to squeeze in a few light workouts here and there.  I did some water running with one of my athletes, Ainsley, and I have been doing some light trail runs from our new property.  Jamie and I purchased a lot, here in Austin, that backs on to the Green Belt.  We are starting construction this month and our new "dream home" should be finished by May or June.  We can literally run out our back door from this property and be on the gorgeous Austin Green Belt right away.  I can't wait to move in!

We also took a few days and went out to Fredericksburg, Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday.  For four days all we do is sleep, hike, eat, shop, sleep, and eat some more.  It's so nice to get away, plus we love heading out to Enchanted Rock for some hiking and trail running.  This year Jamie brought his climbing equipment and managed to show me some basic rope ties and moves.  I sorta felt like an idiot cause the rock face he had me "climbing" was prety much walkable.  There were kids and grandparents walking up the same slab I was trying to conquer in my full on harness, ropes and shoes.  I told Jamie I would love to go climbing again, but I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING HARDER then what he had me learn on.  We'll see what he puts me on next....

I am starting to think about my race plans for next year but I haven't made any definite decisions yet.  The only thing that is for sure is Ironman Hawaii in October.  I took my year away from racing in Kona and now I'm ready to go back.  I'll do an early season Ironman but again I just don't know what my final plans will be.  The only thing I do know is that I want to include a lot of fun races.  Fun races?  You know....the kind of triathlon that makes you love the sport!  The kind of triathlon that brought you into this sport.  The kind of triathlon that makes you smile even though it was tough as shit to finish.  Yeh, that's what I mean by fun.  2007 will be a very interesting year.

Happy holidays to all and I wish you safe winter training.  Enjoy!

Cheers,

Fish

October 23, 2006

Ok, so it's been some time since I've posted an update.  Part of that problem was because my laptop computer crashed, leaving me helpless in terms of posting updates.  Tim, our loyal webmaster, was already getting emails by the dozens from me just for our coaching site that I didn't want to bother him anymore then I had to.  But now things are back to working order and I'm able to post the latest and greatest from the Cleveland/Fisher household.

Training was slow going after IM Wisconsin.  That race absolutely took more out of me then I had planned.  The cold weather and brutal conditions didn't allow my body to bounce back like normal after a typical Ironman race.  It literally took me a few weeks before I was even functioning ok.  But once the crud came off me I was back into the swing of things.  The race fitness has kicked in and I feel groovy.  I'm now into my taper for Ironman Florida so it's time to rest again.  The training between these two Ironman races has been very different then what I've done in the past, but I'm confident that it will pay off big come November 4th. 

On another note Ironman Hawaii took place this past weekend.  I was squirming in my seat as I watched the race unfold.  I chose not to do Hawaii this year so I could refocus on myself and bring my Ironman preperation in another direction for a season, but IT WAS KILLING ME not to be there.  I watched the women live on the internet and all I wanted to do was jump into the race right that second.  At least I know I'll be anxious to get back out on the Queen K come next year.  For now I'll need to keep my focus on Florida and close out the season strong.

One of my athletes, Chris McCambridge, absolutely KICKED ASS in Kona.  I've been working with Chris for years and if you asked either of us how long we've been together I don't think we could answer that question.  I've watched her grow as an athlete and it's just been amazing to see her get faster and faster with time!  She won the women 60-64 age group and became an Ironman World Champion!  Her splits were just amazing, and when I talked to her about how her race unfolded I was so proud of her determination.  She was being chased hard on the marathon, and when the splits started to get close she was able to dig deep and put time back on the other women.  That's a huge accomplishment for Chris since she doesn't think her run is her strength.  Chris biked 6 hr 18 min and ran a stellar 4 hr 50 min marathon.  Her final time was 12 hr and 52 minutes.  She's an inspiration to me, as well as countless other athletes who have watched her become the best in the world.  Chris, you're a rock star!

Chris kicking butt in Kona!

Jamie and I leave at the end of the week in the Texas Iron silver bullet (aka: our Airstream trailer) and will arrive in Panama City on Sunday.  It's such an awesome way to travel and the best part is we get to stay right at the race site.  There's a lovely RV park right across the street from the run start, so talk about convenient!  I know...it sounds so red-neck to say we're staying at an RV park but I'm telling you that since we've been racing and traveling in our trailer our lives have been so much better.  I get my own home at the race and it's got everything I could want.  So feel free to wave if you see us hanging out at the RV park and stop by for a visit. 

Lastly I need to mention my new sponsor.  CycleOps is going to work with me, as well as Texas Iron for the next season.  I'm really excited about this new relationship because I'm a big believer in power use on the bike.  I've been training with my Power Tap for the last couple years, but have not been able to race on it.  Both Bontrager and CycleOps are partnering to provide me with my first wireless PT race wheel!  In Florida I will be able to use a Bontrager Aeolus race wheel with the built in wireless Power Tap hub.  How freaking cool is that?!?!  It's going to be a big help for me come race day and I can't wait to see the outcome.

Off to chill out for the rest of the evening.  It's my day off and I'm planning on a nice little nap.

Cheers,

Fish

August 28, 2006

YEH!  Don't you just love it when you finally hit TAPER TIME!!!!!  Well, that's where I am and I can honestly say that I'm thrilled to be here.  The funny thing is that I actually feel great heading into this IM taper vs. some of my past experiences.  Normally I'm so trashed that I can barely get out of bed, but this time is very different.  I chose not to race a lot this year and instead focus on my training/fitness build through out the entire summer.  By doing this I was able to put in some amazing training weeks and boost my overall ability to handle the volume and intensity better.  Thus why I feel solid and so good right now.  Plus, I stayed healthy. 

So things are going perfectly for me right now as I get ready to race in Madison, Wisconsin.  Jamie and I are loading up our Texas Iron 28 foot Airstream and we'll head out of town on Friday this week.  We are actually heading down to Kerrville, Texas for the Rio de Vino triathlon on Saturday.  I love the town and have had some amazing training trips down here (see July 7th entry) so I only thought it appropriate to do a sprint race at my favorite park one week out from Ironman.  The race is at the Kerrville-Shriener Park, where we always camp when we go down to train, so I know I'll feel right at home.  After the sprint race on Saturday we'll hang out, eat, chill and get Jamie ready for a mountain bike race on Sunday morning. 

When Jamie is racing on Sunday I'm planning to head out for a short bike ride followed by a swim in the Guadalupe River.  After that we'll pack things up and start driving north to Madison.  Our plan is to be in Madison by Tuesday mid-day at the latest.  Then I have the rest of the week to chill out before I race on Sunday.

The womens field looks pretty solid for IM Moo this year.  It'll be good though.  It will push me, and doing well amongst this field of women will show just how much work I've done this year.  I'm excited and ready to rumble.  Let's hope the Wisconsin cows are ready for our invasion.

See you in Madison or follow my day on www.ironmanlive.com on September 10th.

Cheers,

Fish

August 6, 2006

Andrea has posted her race report from the Steelhead 70.3 triathlon under "race reports"

July 7, 2006

What a week it's been.  Jamie, myself and few other Texas Iron athletes headed down to Kerrville, Texas for a little training trip.  We had 8 total riders start a VERY challenging 106 mile route on Saturday.  Now when I say challenging, I DO MEAN challenging.  We rode through various small towns, or I guess I could just say there was a small sign with the name of a town on it but I hardly ever saw any towns to match the signs.  If we were lucky we would see the remaining foundations of what use to be a town, but it still rocked in terms of bike routes.  Most everyone ran off the bike for a quick transition run and then it was time to chill out at our trailer in the park.

The next day was a long run day.  Jamie logged 23 miles, I logged 1 hr 50 min (some of my run was on trail so I have no idea how many miles I ran) and Louie logged a stellar 2+ hr run.  We threw ourselves into the Guadelupe River for a solid 45 min swim and then it was time to chill out again.  Tomorrow was going to be killer....

The next ride day (day 3) we logged 126 miles on a route that took us through Lost Maples, Leakey, Hunt and Ingraham Texas.  We estimate that we climbed somewhere between 10,000 to 11,000 feet during this ride.  I have to put out a special thanks to Louie for dragging my sore and tired ass back to home base in Kerrville.  At one point I wasn't sure if we were going to make it back before dark since we originally thought we were only riding 100 - 110 miles.  The epic ride was one for the books and one that will definitely make Jamie, Louie and myself stronger for it.

The next day (day 4) was our last riding day.  Louie and I set out on a 50+ miler while Jamie went longer at 64+ miles.  All of us had very sore butts by this point, but once you got going your saddle area just sorta went numb again.  When we finished we had 6 x 1 mile repeats thru the park on a hilly run route.  Louie is running so well these days and again kicked my ass.  The sun was out, I was tired and became VERY whiney (yes...imagine that....me whining....) but the bugger made me stick to it and I cranked out 6 very solid mile repeats. 

The last day (day 5) was just Jamie and I.  We did a short 45 min trail run in the morning, then logged a solid river swim after it before we headed back to Austin.  By this point we were both tired and ready to let the last few days of training set in.  We managed to put in 19-21 hours of training over the course of 4 days time and we were both extremely proud of ourselves.  We love training out of Kerrville and we are currently talking about a possible training camp for next year.  That will be something to discuss and plan out for 2007!

I'm off to Ironman Austria on Monday with a travel group from Premium Plus Sports, then I fly directly to Lake Placid, NY to watch IM USA.  Jamie is racing (Watch out guys!  He's in top shape!!!!) as well as many of our Texas Iron athletes.  I'll be hootin' and hollering out on the course all day.

Cheers,

Fish

une 25, 2006

Check under Race Reports for Andrea's recap of Buffalo Springs 70.3

June 16, 2006

It's hot.  It's really hot here.  I'm talking late summer like heat, with heat index numbers into the 100 + zone.  My dog won't even go outside.  She sits at the door wimpering because she knows she'll just explode if she steps outside.  My plants are dieing in the backyard because it's so hot (or maybe because I forget to water them?  Who really knows...but for now I'll blame the heat)

This time around I may actually be ready for the heat in Lubbock.  This time around I may actually feel "cold" while I'm running in the Energy Lab 2 (the out and back section of the run at Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon).  So a quick request to Mother Nature about the weather in Lubbock next weekend:

BRING ON THE HEAT!!!!  BRING ON THE SUN!!!!!  BRING ON THE WIND!!!!!!  Make it a scorcher.  I'm ready for it!!!!!

Oh, and for all of you racing at BLST 70.3 this year....WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!!!! 

C yah in Lubbock.

Cheers,

Fish

May 29, 2006

Cap Tex Triathlon

So my report is short.  Very short.  Had a great swim, felt awesome on the bike while leading and then 2.5 miles into the bike I managed to pick up a piece of nylon black rope and chew my back derailer to bits.  I couldn't even bend it back at all.  Everything is gone.  So my race ended in a 2.5 mile barefoot walk back to transition.  Oh well....

Jamie won!  Even after going of course twice (swim and bike) the bugger managed to pull off a great day.  So all is not lost in the household. 

I'm off to Iowa for a week or so to help take care of my grandmother.  I'm not looking forward to the work we (my family) will need to do with her house and other matters, but I am looking forward to some cooler weather. 

Next race....Buffalo Springs 70.3

Cheers

Fish

May 23, 2006

Post Baja 70.3 Race

It's two days post Baja 70.3 and my body is starting to come back to life.  The course was a killer one in terms of the bike, so I'm planning on a bit longer recovery time from this race than I had originally planned.  Otherwise, as a whole, I'm quite happy with how things turned out.

Jamie and I arrived in Ensenada, Mexico on Wednesday afternoon.  We immediately passed out on the bed and ended up sleeping most the remaining day away.  We rallied on Thursday and headed out for a quick peek at some of the bike course.  The race had changed the bike from a two loop to a single loop which we discovered made it over 3000 feet of climbing.  However, what goes up must come down and the decents were a bit intimedating.  The turns didn't have guard rails on them, and peeking over the edge of the road you could see the trashed vehicles around 200 feet below.  I have to admit I got a bit nervous regarding my bike handling skills after seeing the decents.  It would make for a very interesting race day.

Sunday morning came and we headed out into the harbor for the 1.2 mile swim.  The female pros were starting two minutes behind the male pros, so I had no one to draft off of, much less site from either.  I swam as best I could and tried to keep on course as much as possible, but my overall swim time wasn't that spectacular.  I had hoped to put more time on to the rest of the women's field by T1 thus I wasn't a happy camper when I saw the rest of the field running into transition as I was leaving. 

Heading on to the bike I had my plan in mind.  I would take it out comfortable and easy for the first ten miles or so, then start building into things.  Desiree passed both Kate Allen and myself before we turned into the hills, and then Kate and I rode together for a bit.  The first major climb was going to be my warm up for the rest of the hills, but by five minutes into the climbing my legs and back weren't giving me positive energy.  I kept things dialed back a bit more and simply spun up the rest of the climb in an easier gear.  Once I got on to the flatter section near the top I was able to open things up a bit.  Eventually the big decent came and I was hoping to overcome my "brake-a-rama" needs.  Sian Welch was riding with me at this point and that helped my confidence.  She literally flew down the decents as I tried to stay with her.  I never get to practice this type of turning and decending back home so all I could do was hope for the best.  I made it to the bottom, hit the turn around and then prepared for the climb back home. 

Heading back to town was brutal in terms of climbing.  There seem to be another hill lurking behind every turn and by this point I was starting to crater on my climbing ability.  I hadn't trained in preperation for this kind of riding and I could tell I wasn't ready for it.  The positive thoughts were flowing and I took great pride in being able to really push the flatter sections, but by this point I was starting to hate hills all together.  Then the final decent came and I was home free.  Thank goodness!

Heading into T2 I was in 4th place behind Mirinda, Desiree and Carolyn.  Now it was time to run and hold on to finish in the top five.  I had Kate Allen, Kate Major and Sian Welch behind me ready to go so I needed to be smart.  My game plan was to run 1.28 to 1.30, with a 45 minute first loop.  I was a very happy girl when my legs were feeling groovy from the start.  YEH!!!  Both Kates caught me near the end of loop one, but I had hope for loop two.  Nearing the final turn around I was actually starting to put some time back into the gap between Kate Major and myself.  My thought was to start pushing things after the final hill and see if I couldn't start to close the gap.  I dug in and picked things up, but after a few minutes I realized that I was going to blow up if I went any harder.  I backed off, regrouped and then kept on my steady pace for the remainder of the run.  Kate dissapeared down the road into the rest of the runners and I stayed in the same position.

I finished in sixth place amongst a very competitive field of females and I ran my goal time of 1.30 (actual split times posted from the race are not all correct).  So in all I'm content with the day.  It's a good stepping stone back in terms of recovering from my last major race and moving forward with the remainder of my season.

Now it's time for a quick vacation in Cabo before we return back home.  My next two races will be the Capital of Texas Triathlon and Buffalo Springs 70.3.  Thanks to all the Texas Iron athletes who raced in Baja and cheered for me on the course.  You guys rock and congrats on conquering a very difficult half ironman course.

I'm off to relax, have a margarita by the pool and let my sore legs heal from Sunday's adventure.

Cheers,

Fish   

May 13, 2006

Ok, I'm ready to rest this week.  The past couple weeks have been filled with strength and quality workouts so needless to say my legs are ready to rest.  Especially after the past week and a half.  I managed to log some great tempo bike / tempo transition run workouts with Louie, one of my training partners.  We spanked ourselves on a few rides lately, and then managed to run well off the bike (including a run workout at Wilke Hill....THE HARDEST AND STEEPEST hill in Austin!)  Plus I'm on new medication for my asthmatic problems and I can honestly say I feel like a new woman!  Even Jamie has noticed how much better my training and workouts have gotten in the last couple weeks.

Today consisted of the Rookie Triathlon this morning (a short sprint race just south of San Marcos- 300 M swim, 11.5 mile bike, 2 mile run) where Desiree put me to the test.  My legs were screaming at me the entire course so I have no idea how I even held on as well as I did.  She didn't catch me until just before the turn around on the run.  I slowed down for a tiny bit after that, and then actually started to put some time back into her as we approached the last turn of the run but by this point it was too late to do anything.  Des won, I placed 2nd and to be quite honest with you I was totally happy with how it turned out.  Given the fatigue I have right now I was totallyl stoked to have held on as strong as I did.  Now I can't wait to rest this coming week and race at the Baja 70.3.  The women's field is going to be a killer one with the likes of recent St. Croix winner Miranda, Kate Allen, Kate Major and Des.

After the race a few of us, including Louie (he's a glutton for punishment!), rode back home to Austin.  The ride was about 53 miles and we somehow managed to put forth a solid effort on it.  There were many sprint to the county/city signs thrown in through out the ride, including 2 successful efforts by me!  I love trying to win those sprints!  Jamie pulled the group of us back and we all hung on for the ride.  It was a very solid day of training, and now I'm exhausted.  The rest of my evening will consist of eating, watching tv, and laying on my couch.  How wonderful does that sound?!?!?!

A few weeks back Jamie and I raced at the BTU Triathlon in Bryan, Texas.  Neither of us had done any speed work prior to race day (we were still in the post Ironman recovery time frame) so it was a true test of will.  Brandon and Amy Marsh put us to the test and we barely managed a double win on that day.  Jamie woke up sick and I was still recoverying from a gastro-sickness and bee sting.  Neither of us wanted to toe the line that morning, but we did, and it hurt (no...strike that....IT REALLY HURT) to race.  The margin of victory on our end was very small (measurable in seconds) but we did what we needed to do on that day and I'm proud of both of us for it.  It's amazing what you can get your body to do if your mind is determined enough. (below are pictures from the BTU race)

We leave on Wednesday for Baja, and then after the race we are taking a week vacation in Cabo San Lucas.  It's going to be AWESOME!  Jamie, myself and two other couples are renting a villa for the week.  I can't wait to park my sorry sore post Baja race butt on a pool chair and drink fruity frozen drinks all day long.  It will be the perfect post race recovery vacation.

Off to that couch which is calling my name right now. 

Cheers,

Fish

April 21, 2006

WOW!  I can't believe how long it's been since I have posted an update.  Sorry about that. 

So my first big race of the season was somewhat of an interesting day.  I raced at Ironman Arizona and to make a long story short I was having a terrific day that ended in the emergency room of the local hospital. 

My swim wasn't anything to write home about and I partially think it was because I over heated in the water.  I love my new Helix wetsuit, but should have opted for a sleeveless version on race day.  I tend to have major issues swimming well if I get too warm in the least, and half way through the swim I was blowing up.  Anyhow, I exited the water and quickly worked my way into 2nd place on the bike.  I felt awesome on my Lemond and was super excited about the prospects for the day.  During the last hour of the bike, while still in second place to Michellie Jones, I started to feel really weird.  My chest was beginning to get tight and I felt like needles were stabbing me all over.  I dialed it back and bit and just attributed it to the heat of the day.

I got off the bike into T2 and noticed that I was starting to wheeze and cough.  No worries, I'll just use my inhaler and build into the run.  I had built the perfect lead on the women behind me that I could definitely afford a couple minutes on my first few miles. 

After running 4 miles, with a heartrate of 183+ and a 9.30 mile pace, I was really starting to wonder what was going on.  I had never felt this bad, nor run this slow in my life!  I just kept telling myself to suck it up and get over this bad patch.  Soon everyone and their mother was running by me like I was standing still.  I remember getting to mile 7 and then that's about it.  Next thing I knew I was in an ambulance covered in electrode patches, and IV drip and a nebulizer (spelling on this one?).  I saw the patches on my chest and asked the guys if I had experienced a heart attack and they said no...just a major asthmatic attack and vomiting.  In a few minutes I was in the ER room, having medication shoved into me thru my IV and a barf pan on my stomach since I couldn't seem to keep anything in me.  Sounds attractive eh?

So that's how my wonderful IM day turned into a miserable hospital visit.  Needless to say I'm pretty upset, but I'm licking my wounds and I'll move forward.  I've got a few appointments with specialist here in Austin and I hope to get my current asthmatic problems under control (it has increasingly gotten worse over the past 2 years so it's time to call in the big guns and get me back up to par)  It's so early in the season that I can't let this one get me down.  Obviously I'm fit and ready to rock' n' roll per how I was doing in the race, so I'll just have to "unleash hell" at my next big one (I love that line from Gladiator!  hee hee).  I'll race a couple local events back home as I prepare for the Baja 70.3 and the rest of my season.

Thanks for your support and a big special hug to my husband, who by the way ABSOLUTELY ROCKED AT IM ARIZONA WITH A 9th PLACE OVERALL.  He's my inspiration, my training partner, and the sanity behind me being able to do what I do. 

Cheers,

Fish

February 19, 2006

I just got home from running the Freescale Marathon.  WOW was it cold!  I'm not talking just a little bit chilly cold...I'm talking freezing with 10-20 mph winds and freezing mist.  But none the less the race went on and over 10,000 runners took to the streets of Austin for the full and half marathons. 

I talked Tereza (see below) into doing the full marathon as well.  She had a long run scheduled for today so why not just run it?  Actually, I sorta tricked her into it because I went ahead and signed her up online and accidentally put her in the full marathon instead of the half.  So Tereza, my friend Scott and I all started in the front staging area for the elite runners and we took off on our "long training run" at 7:30 a.m.  Scott and I averaged around 7.20-7.30 for the first half, and then he ran into some issues but eventually finished things out strong in a sub 3.45.  I kept going on and tried to pull out a 3.15, but my 2 potty stops put me at 3.17.  I've realized that it's much easier to "potty" in IM when you are wearing a bathing suit vs. a marathon when you are wearing 10 layers of clothing in order to stay warm.  Tereza did awesome and ran 3.23!  Tereza and I were both totally happy with our runs after the major training we did this week and no rest going into the marathon.  Now we get a couple days to chill out and let our legs be happy again.  We've decided that shopping is the perfect way to to do this so we're scheduling in shop-a-thon at the local outlet mall during the next day or two.

My other recent adventure was my trip to Gatorade last week.  I headed up to Chicago on Thursday, did some preliminary testing at the labs, and then got ready for my big day on Friday.  When Friday morning rolled around I headed over to the Gatorade Institute for a half Ironman in their lab.  No joke!  I literally did a half IM in the GSSI lab while they poked, measure, read, did blood draws, etc...  The room temperature was 83 and the humidity was set at 60% in order to replicate the typical summer conditions I would endure at a long distance triathlon.  I have never done that much inside before so I was definitely going a little bit stir crazy, but the results are going to be awesome information for me to use with my training and nutrition (for both in and out of competition).  Jamie, my husband, heads up later this week for the same testing.  It'll be interesting to see how he fairs doing a race intensity half Ironman inside.  He can't even ride a trainer inside for more then 20 minutes!  hee hee

I leave for IM New Zealand next weekend, so I'll need to start packing for that trip.  It'll be an easy pack since I'm not racing, only being a tour guide.  I will make sure to leave plenty of spare space for all my shopping treasures I tend to find in Taupo during my free time.  I seem to bring back lots of lollies (candy) and wine that you can't buy in the states.

Well, I'm off to put my tired legs up for a much deserved rest.  I'll check back in after I return from New Zealand.  Congrats to everyone who ran in the Freescale Half and Full Marathon!  Cheers and safe training.

Fish

February 5, 2006

Well I'm back into the swing of things and getting ready for the 2006 season.  My training buddy from Canada, Tereza Macel, has ventured down south once again to take in the Austin atmosphere.  I'm really excited because I love training with her!  We beat the crap out of each other in our sessions, but it's all great.  We get along wonderfully and I'm anxious for us both to race at Ironman Arizona in April.

I'm also off to the Gatorade Institute in early February to do some testing.  Both Jamie (my husband) and I will be evaluating our sweat rates, calorie needs, and electrolyte loss as well as other variables that come into play for our longer events.  I know this is going to be critical information that will help resolve my nutrition issues I have been experiencing during the final stages of my full and half Ironman races.  In other words I'll be able to back up the later part of my races (AKA the run) with this info!  

After that I will return back to Austin and run in the Freescale Marathon on February 19.  This will only be a training run for my Ironman build, but I'm excited none the less.  I plan to tag along with my friend from Dallas, Scott Powell, as we take a 26.2 mile tour of the beautiful city I live in.  I'm a little worried since the last time Scott ran a marathon, in Las Vegas, he was dressed as Elvis!  I wouldn't make a very convincing Elvis, much less Priscilla!

At the end of February I head off to Ironman New Zealand as one of the tour guides for Premium Plus Sports Travel.  It's really fun work since I get to take the US athletes on course tours for the Ironman race while I get away from things.  I also get to do some awesome training while I'm in Taupo, such as riding the 100 mile loop around the lake and running on the Ironman New Zealand course.

Once I get back home from New Zealand Tereza and I will finish up the remainder of our training block and then it will be time to let all the work sink in.  I plan to race in an Olympic distance race approximately two weeks prior to Ironman Arizona.  I love doing a shorter distance race, two to three weeks out from my Ironmans, since it gives me a chance to blow off the cob-webs.  It's also a great way to build in a transition workout and give myself one last fitness boost before the rest of my taper settles in.

So that's what I'm currently up to, and I'll update this section regularly as I progress through the year.  Thank you for taking the time to visit my site. (It was recently redone by my webmaster Tim and I'm very grateful for his time and effort.)   Thank you to all my friends and sponsors and I'll see you at the races.

Cheers,

Fish

SimplyStu goes to Trek World Headquarters and talks about Andrea's and Jamie's new Lemond Tri bikes (oh yeah, Lance's bike too!). Catch the latest Podcast on iTunes or download the interview here.
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