Former pro Andrea Fisher has her hands full with a coaching career and her two daughters, but this Austin resident is now trying to get back to the promised land - Kona. We had a chat with this talented swimming athlete who is known by friends as Fish.
Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time.
Andrea Fisher: No problem. Thanks for reaching out to me!
ST: I think you have been attending a wedding with your girls over the weekend in the Midwest. Did you all have a nice time?
Andrea: I did. It was great to see family. I don’t get to see my sister, brother and their families very often. It was also the first time my two girls got to meet their grandmother, so that was a very important thing for all of us. I have to be honest and say that traveling alone with two little ones is way harder then any endurance race I’ve ever toed the line at!
ST: Have you travels and or home been impacted by the heavy flooding around Austin?
Andrea: Weather put a big speed bump into our travels back home. My two little ones and I spent 2 days in the airport trying to get back to Austin. I have to say that we all agreed our beds felt incredible after we fell into them at 2 a.m.
ST: It has been a while since you competed as a pro triathlete. What are you up to these days in addition to being a mom to 2 cute young daughters?
Andrea: Well, I am the Adult Aquatics Manager and Masters Coach for the JCC of Austin. I also still coach athletes online and in person via my own multisport coaching company, Texas Iron. Outside of that I chase those two awesome girls around and with little time I have left over I try to build in some training.
ST: What in your view was the highlight of your racing career?
Andrea: Finishing my first Ironman when I was 24 years old, which happened to be in Kona and having my father there for me at the finish line. He is no longer with us, but there isn’t a day that passes when I don’t think about him. He has always been my pillar of strength and I miss him dearly. Seeing his face when I finished that race was one of the best sights I can ever remember.
ST: Do you sometimes miss racing as a pro or is that out of your system?
Andrea: I don’t miss racing as a pro, but I do miss the travel and exposure to the world that it provided me. I don’t get to travel that much anymore, and I miss seeing new places, meeting new friends and broadening myself as an individual because of it.
ST: I thought that endless trip to get back to Austin put that travel bug out of your mind.
Andrea: I love seeing new places and experiencing the world, however I don’t love airports, delays, cramped airline seats, etc. Especially with two little ones in tow! [laughs]
ST: I bumped into you in 2012 in Kona when you were there to race. But it did not fall in place as you had imagined. Talk about your race.
Andrea: I had some rough personal issues hit me the 2 days prior to the race and it really impacted my ability to perform to my potential on that day. I was in incredible shape and worked so hard after the birth of my first child to be there. Thus it was extremely frustrating to not be able to perform and celebrate all that hard work on race day.
ST: I think you were not mentally focused on the race.
Andrea: No, my mind was elsewhere for sure. I also let what I felt was a bad drafting call ruin my day even more. Instead of just brushing it off and moving onward, I stood fuming and bitching on the side of the Queen K as I watched my 18 minute lead dwindle away to nothing.
ST: Did you attempt to qualify the following 2 years?
Andrea: I didn’t. I had my second child the following year and I also took the time to get my world in order. I went thru a lot of personal life changes, including becoming a single mom and I needed to focus on the things that were important. For me that meant making sure my two girls were given security and stability. I also wanted what little time I had left over to make sure I experienced the things that bring me happiness. For me that includes putting attainable goals out there, and doing the things I enjoy to reach them. Realistically when it came to multi sports, that meant shorter distance races such as sprint triathlons, or half marathons. I always have the life motto to set myself up for success, and in order to do so I have to create goals that push me but are realistic.
ST: This year though I believe you are on a mission to return.
Andrea: I’m trying, but man it is hard. Work has been overwhelming and I have to make sure I’m providing a safe environment at the JCC for our community. On top of that when I have the opportunity to spend it with my girls I don’t compromise on those moments either. Thus comes the interesting challenge of trying to fit in some Ironman distance training. I’m racing an Ironman at the end of June and when I look at my training logs compared to what I used to do I just laugh. A big week for me right now is 10 hours! It will be an interesting race day, as I have to trust my ability to perform well given my years of experience. I am shooting for an Ironman World Championship spot and I know I’m not in top shape at the moment. I just need to be fit enough to get a spot, and then be in awesome shape for October. I hope my plan works out, but I know that my experience in the sport gives me an incredible upper hand on most.
ST: What qualifying race are you aiming for?
Andrea: Ironman Coeur D’Alene.
ST: You talked about 10 hours being a big week. How much time do you dedicate to swimming versus biking versus running?
Andrea: I typically get 2 swims in per week, sometimes a third if I’m lucky. My running is based on how my legs and body are responding. I’ve had quite a few injuries the last few months, including a bike wreck in February, so I’ve had to be very cautious on my run mileage. Right now 30 miles is my biggest week for this build. In terms of the bike I try for 3 rides a week, and sometimes only get 2 in. I’ve been doing some crit racing on Thursday nights as my interval workout but honestly, I’m a terrible crit rider. I have a great endurance engine with no wattage in the cottage to back up the sprint surges. Doesn’t really bother me as I just love getting out and racing on that night no matter what the result. Then I try to hit a long ride on the weekend. In total my bike mileage probably hits a max of 130 miles per week. This past weekend I logged a 20 mile run on Saturday and a 93 mile bike on Sunday which totaled out at just about 8 hours of training. Honestly, the rest of my week only brought the total to about 13 hours. It’s the best I can do right now, and I’m actually ok with where I’m at going into CdA.
ST: I think this Kona attempt will be about redemption. What would it take in Kona to feel redemption?
Andrea: I want that world title. I was ready to own it in 2012, so I’ve had to wait patiently a few years and now it’s time to see if I can pull it off.
ST: Ironman just announced separate start days for men and women at the 2017 70.3 Worlds. What are your thoughts about this?
Andrea: Kudos. Honestly I think it’s a good move, as it will allow the women to race clean and not interfered with. I know how hard it can be to race at the same time a men’s race is going on, and I hope that this will give the women a great opportunity to excel! I would have loved the opportunity to have that when I was racing.
ST: Have you been watching the TriEqual movement and what are your thoughts there?
Andrea: I haven’t honestly had time to follow it enough to comment, so I’m sorry on that one.
ST: If you were in charge, what would you like to see happen in Kona? Including slots for pros, draft distances etc.
Andrea: I think I’m just old school, or just old! Whatever one it is I just don’t see what was wrong with the original way things were run. You raced well at a qualifying race, you got your spot and you made Kona your goal race. I do believe the prize purse needs to be bigger as professional triathletes will never make the kind of money they should as a pro athlete. I feel that Kona is so commercial now and has grown away from the original principles that the race was founded on, which is one of the primary reasons the sport attracted me. I’d like to see more pros and people embrace the real reason we should be racing – for the pure love of the sport and reward in accomplishing great things.
ST: Anything else we missed?
Andrea: I have to say that training and racing for me are my personal therapeutic moments. When work gets crazy and life throws me some bad curve balls, I throw on a pair of running shoes, or goggles or my bike helmet and I escape into my happy zone. I honestly don’t care if I’m not first and didn’t win a race, as long as I know I gave it my best shot and enjoyed my experience. That’s something I never felt when I was racing as a pro. It’s for me now, and to help myself be strong in all aspects of my own life. Some fun facts now are that I’m also a world record holder in the beer mile, posting a 6.28 time at last year’s Flotrack World Championships. I’ll be racing at the Beer Mile World Classic in San Francisco in August, which will be covered by ESPN Sports Center. Between that opportunity and the Beer Mile World Championships in December, held in Austin, I’m looking to post the first sub 6 women’s beer mile time ever. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to mix Ironman training with beer mile training, but I’m guessing I’ll figure it out somehow. If I don’t get the opportunity to race in Kona this year, it just means my beer mile time will get faster!
ST: Now that sounds like a plan. Good luck.
Andrea: Thanks! I’ll take everything I can get! Great talking to you
