November 13, 2011

Randy and Amanda Star in Oklahoma Sports and Fitness

Recently, Amanda and Randy were featured in the November/December issue of Oklahoma Sports and Fitness Magazine .  The article tells of Amanda's success at Kona being the first woman out of the water, while Randy's photography illustrates the story.  Follow the link below to see for yourself!


October 17, 2011

Thank YOU!


Thank You for all your love and support Randy!!!
You're the BEST husband ever! 

Kona 2011

As athletes we dream big, we set our sights high, and we pursue our goals with heart and passion.  I have been on an amazing journey for the past 3 months as I prepared for my first trip to the Ironman World Championships in Kona.  They always say, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” Oh, how true these words are.  With the outcome of Kona being my ‘destination’, yes, I am disappointed.  I had a tough day out there swimming, biking, and running on an empty tank.  But I wouldn’t change the result if I could.  The journey that brought me to the start line and the journey I went through on race day have made me a stronger and better athlete…an athlete that will show up to the next race with full confidence that I can conquer the day and do what I am capable of, an athlete that is mentally tougher since I have battled and defeated the demons during a tough nine hour race, an athlete that will know how to fight hard even when things are going smoothly and according to plan, an athlete that is so lucky to be able to do what I do, and most importantly an athlete that is proud of who I am.  There were times during the race that it would have been very easy to throw the towel in and walk away saying, “it just wasn’t my day.”  But those thoughts were fleeting and kept in check by my deep desire to be my best and give it my all.  While my best on that day is by far no means my ‘best’ as an athlete, I dug deep and made it happen.  What more can we ask of ourselves?!

Most of you are probably interested in how my day played out…so here is a short recap:
Being a goof-ball race morning!
Race-Morning: I woke up calm and excited.  Calm knowing I’d done everything I thought I needed to leading up to the race and excited to go out and celebrate the end of this year’s Kona journey.  Things were going smoothly until about 1hr to race start, when I suddenly felt the urge to throw-up.  No time to even try to coax it back down…before I knew it all of my breakfast was on the ground…hmmm not so good to start the day on an empty stomach!!  But what can ya do?  I modified my pre-race nutrition, had Randy run grab me an extra gel and bottle of Ironman perform…at least I could get a few calories in.  Then I headed into the tent to get body marked and off to transition.  I left transition and as I walked up to Randy, he looked at my arm and said, ‘That’s not your number!’  I looked down and sure enough they had stamped ‘124’ on my arm instead of ‘125’.  Opps!  Went and got that fixed then it was time to head down to the water.  I got in the water and was happy to do my warm-up with the fish swimming below me, very calming!  Then off to the start-line. 
The swim: pretty uneventful.  I started off strong and found a good rhythm early and was in the mix of the first pack of guys.  I was on Matt Reed’s feet, with Dirk Bockel on one side and Timmy O’donnell on the other, quite the nice pocket to swim in.  The water was a bit choppy so having good feet to swim on made my effort feel quite easy.  As we approached the exit, I ran up the steps and into the change tent.  The volunteers in the change tent went crazy cheering, a few seconds later Julie Dibens came in, and that is when I realized I was the first woman out of the water, how cool is that?!  I made it to my bike and for the life of me could not get my helmet buckled.  I stayed calm, but it still took me like 45 seconds to get the darn thing on…my longest transition, ever! 
The bike: I was ready to put my head down and work hard.  The streets were lined as we rode through town, which was awesome, I tried to pull some energy from the crowd as I realized my legs were not feeling so great.  I reminded myself that there was a long day ahead and to settle in, do what I could, and I would be able to back-half the race.  About 30min in and my stomach was feeling very unsettled, I thought I was going to have to pull over for a pit-stop!  I kept telling myself, just make it to the next aid station and there you can make a quick trip into the Port-a-Pottie.   Of course, right as I was approaching my much needed Port-a-Pottie, Miranda and Mary Beth came by.  I knew I couldn’t let them go without a fight, so no pit-stop for me.  My legs came around a bit and I was able to stay in contact with them, but  as we turned up towards Hawi, my stomach started to bubble again…this time wanting to come out the top end…and there was nothing I could do to stop it.  At this point, I decided to manage the stomach by stopping the calories for a bit and just going with water.  I climbed at a what felt like a steady effort up to Hawi, but glancing at my lower than normal watts, and watching girl after girl pass me, made it that much tougher.  I hung strong and kept my head in the game, I was falling backwards, but things could turn around and anything was still possible so I kept pushing along.  Something was rubbing on my back wheel, so annoying to hear the ‘swish, swish’ with every revolution, knowing I was working harder than normal to be going so slow.  I hoped off my bike to try to fix it, not once, but twice…and never figured out what it was.  My calories kept coming up in random pukes…would have made for some great pics as it was flying out of me into the crosswinds!!!  I managed my stomach and the heat the best I could, and rode my way back into T2. 
The run: The run along Kuikini and Ali’I was amazing, so many people cheering and calling my name, that definitely helped push me along…so thanks to everyone out there supporting!!  The 10miles out and back on Ali’I were okay, I was ticking miles off, trying to get back on top of some nutrition, but just didn’t feel fluid and smooth like I had leading up to the race.  The run up Palani was tough and then out on the Queen K.  It’s funny looking back at the race, because usually, I can tell you exactly what was happening, how I was feeling, throughout the entire race.  But, as I look back at this race, once I was on the Queen K, the race became a blur.  My head was fuzzy and my body felt foreign.  I was on a mission to get to the next aid station and get fluids, ice, and lots of sponges.  Between aid stations, it was full focus on moving forward.  During the race, my mind was still in race mode and my competitiveness never let down, expectations were modified, and I just kept pushing forward.  The energy lab=a blur.  Back on the Queen K=a blur.  Turning onto Ali’i=a blur.  The finishing chute=a blur.  I don’t have a memory of any of it!  Just random bits of pieces of myself telling myself, I was strong and I could do it.  Randy said he has never seen me dig so deep or fight so hard to just finish.  He actually didn’t think I was going to make it to the finish line when he saw me at mile 23.  But even in my blur, deep down, my desires and passions kept pushing me to the finish.  I guess it’s a part of who I am, its in my heart, its in my soul, its in my blood: NEVER GIVE UP!




Kona Results: 18th Pro Woman
Swim: 51:54  ****Fastest Swim Split***
Bike: 5:20.15
Run: 3:32.47
Total: 9:50.11

August 30, 2011

Hy-Vee Triathlon Coming Up!



September 4th, 2011 I will be racing in the Hy-Vee 5150 U.S. Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. This is a HUGE race leading up to the World Championship in Kona later this year.

To keep up with the race you can follow @HyVeeTri and @DrAmandaStevens
or go to the Hy-Vee website: http://www.hy-veetriathlon.com

Looking forward to the race! See you there. :)

August 11, 2011

AMANDA STEVENS WINS LADIES DIVISION AT SUBARU SOOKE TRIATHLON


The scene was set - the professional women would be given a 15 minute head start over the men at the Subaru Sooke Triathlon in the beautiful ocean-side community on Vancouver Island's west coast. As the women dove from the pontoon in to the water and quickly disappeared in the morning fog, the men anxiously awaited their start time. The race drew the largest Pro field ever assembled on Vancouver Island with 40 Pro triathletes including representing Canada, US, Mexico, and Australia. The athletes included a wide variety of different distance specialists competing in "The Chase", a non-drafting Olympic distance event where the women are given a head-start time on the Men - first athletes across the line win $15 000 in cash & prizes.

Taking the early lead out of the water was Ironman 70.3 US Champion, Amanda Stevens of Colorado Springs in 18:46 followed closely by local rising star Christine Ridenour. Next out were a tight group of 3 swimmers including Tenille Hoogland (Courtenay BC), who is coming off an Ironman 70.3 win in Calgary last weekend, local young triathlete Alison Hooper, and Vancouver's Martina Wan. As the men exited the water, they were led by Andrew McCartney, one of the premier swimmers in triathlon, in 17:18, erasing 1 minute 28 seconds from the deficit to the women. Closely following were Olympian Brent McMahon, and local young National Training Center athlete's Aaron Thomas and Cole Stewart.

As Steven's established herself as the class of the field on the new closed bike course up the scenic Pacific Marine Circle Route with its unique coastal communities and ocean views, she became the sole race leader never to be caught by the women again. But would the men catch her? Brent McMahon also established a sizeable lead on the bike with the other men and began catching and riding through the trailing women. Other athletes that had come out of the water a ways behind began catching athletes with strong rides included Jeff Symonds (Penticton), Stephen Kilshaw (Victoria), Rachel McBride (Vancouver), and Victoria's Lucy Smith. When the bike was finished just 3 women had avoided being caught by the men; Stevens, McBride, and Hoogland. Stevens, who was first off the bike, had a 2 minute lead

on McBride in the women's race, and now only a 3:31 lead to a hard charging McMahon in the "Chase". Stevens put up a good fight but could not prevent the inevitable with the run speed of McMahon as he caught her on "Whiffin Spit", approximately half way through the run course on the famous 1km narrow peninsula that extends to protect the Sooke Basin from the ocean. McMahon finished off the run at the same torrid pace, while Stevens held on for second with a fast approaching Symonds who finished 23 seconds back for 3rd overall.

The race will be produced into a one hour feature and aired nationally on TSN and TSN 2 networks this September.
"I held him (Brent) off as long as I could " said Chase Runner Up, Amanda Stevens , " I tried to go with Brent when he passed me but he was flying"
The last stop on the Subaru Western Triathlon Series will take place in Banff on September 10th.


Pro Chase Overall Results
- Subaru Sooke Triathlon, August 7th, 2011
1 Brent McMahon, (M), Victoria, BC 1:54:40
2 Amanda Stevens, (F), Colorado Springs,- 4:08 (1st Female)
3 Jeff Symonds, (M), Penticton, BC, -4:31 (2nd Male)
4 Stephen Kilshaw, (M), Victori
a, BC, -5:06 (3rd Male)
5 Rachel McBride, (F), Vancouver, BC, -6:18 (2nd Female)
6 Andrew McCartney, (M), Victoria, BC, -6:47 (4th Male)
7 Jeff Phillips, (M), Victoria, BC, - 8:43 (5th Male)
8 Damian Hill, (M), Portland, OR, -9:39 (6th Male)
9 Lucy Smith, (F), Sidney, BC, -10:29 (3rd Female)
10 Alison Hooper, (F), Victoria, BC, -10:46 (4th Female)

Full results and information on the Subaru Western Triathlon Series available at www.triseries.ca;
For athlete interviews and other information please contact: Shantel Cordeiro, Communications Manager, Subaru Western Triathlon Series. Photos available upon requests;
Tel: 250-858-0174, or email: shantel@triseries.ca

July 19, 2011

Amanda Qualifies for 70.3 World Championship


Yesterday, Monday July 18, LAVA Magazine released the 2011 qualifiers for the 70.3 World Championship in Vegas! 24th on the list is Mrs. Amanda Stevens-Sadler :)
The race will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2011, appearing for the first time in Las Vegas. The race has been held in Clearwater, Florida for the previous 5 years, which was when it was established. Ironman estimates over 60,000 athletes will participate in the 2011 event.

To find out more information check out the following sites:

July 8, 2011

Contest Winner!



CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CONTEST WINNER: FRANCISCO VILLEGAS!!
Francisco will be receiving a PowerBar Prize Pack from my sponsor PowerBar!

We loved your story because it is very inspiring and shows that anyone at any age level can start
something new. We also thought it was very cool that you use your time and energy to help other people
in the sport now too. Rock on Francisco!! Impossible is nothing!


Here is Francisco's story:

Francisco Villegas..Marathoner/Triathlete said...

My very first Triathlon was way back in July of 2007, and OMG what a sight it was, what an overwhelming feeling it was to be a part of such event. It all started a few months back while I was sitting on the hot tub over at the gym I used to go....Well one night I was watching the Master Swim class doing their thing and it hit me " I should learn how to swim well" so I approached the instructor and he just said " Sign up for a sprint Triathlon so you can have something to look forward to" That same night I went home and signed up for the NJ state Triathlon. I had 4 months to learn the basics of lake swimming, and also to sharpen my swimming skills so I joined the master's class. The day of the Tri came and I had probably the best time of my life and the scariest to say the least but I did it and I accomplished something no one in my family ever even dream of. Nowadays I'm still the same guy who has run 16 road races, done quite a few Tri's but I dedicate myself to help others onto the sport.


Special thanks to everyone who participated, keep an eye out for the next contest! :)

June 30, 2011

New Contest!


New Contest! Tell us about your first TRIATHLON! Was it horrible? Awkward? Easy? Hilarious?
Post your story to Facebook or the blog for a chance to win something cool! :)

Contest ends July 7th!
Photos are encouraged as well!!

June 17, 2011

My New Blue Triad SL!!


(from bicycletherapy.com)

Philly Tri Q&A with Pro Triathlete Amanda Stevens: Be There!

Posted: June 16th, 2011 | Filed under: BlueFeaturedRaceVideo | Tags:  | No Comments »
Pro Triathlete, medical doctor, Ironman 70.3 Champion, motivational speaker, Blue Cycles sponsored rider, and all around awesome person Amanda Stevens will be in town next week for the Philly Tri.
She’s got a little time in her busy schedule, so if any of you have tri questions, she’ll be at the shop next Tuesday (the 21st) from 6:30 – 7:15 for a Tri Q&A. Please note, space may be limited, so please email (info@bicyctherapy.com) to RSVP. Thanks!
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete looking for an edge or you’re getting ready for your first event and you’ve got some basic questions, or you just want to get a little pumped up for the Philly Tri, Dr. Stevens is here for you

June 5, 2011

Eagleman Race Coming Up!!

Exactly one week from today Amanda Stevens-Sadler will be competing in the 2011 Ironman 70.3 Eagleman in Cambridge, Maryland.  Amanda will be competing against some of the world’s top triathletes such as the 2010 Ironman World Champion, Mirinda Carfrae and the Eagleman 2010 Champion, Samantha Warriner.  The competitors will not only be racing for a $50,000 prize purse, but also a qualifying spot for either the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona (28 slots) or the Ironman 70.3 Championship in Lake Las Vegas (50 slots). 
To keep up with Amanda from pre to post race follow her on Twitter @dramandastevens or become a fan of her Facebook page by going to www.facebook.com/docamanda.  For more information on Ironman 70.3 Eagleman go to http://www.tricolumbia.org/events/?eid=2.  

May 24, 2011

DR. AMANDA STEVENS DOMINATES AT MEMPHIS IN MAY 5150 TRIATHLON

MEMPHIS, TN-- Pro-triathlete, Dr. Amanda Stevens won the Pro Title at the 2011 Memphis in May 5150 Olympic Triathlon on Saturday, May 22. The amateur race kicked off at 7am with over 1,000 competitors. The Pros were set to start at 10:30am, but lightening and threatening weather delayed the start. The race finally got underway at 11:20 with the pros lined up and ready to race. Memphis in May is a unique race format: rather than a mass start, it is a Time Trial start, each athlete starts 10sec apart, alternating male/female in alphabetical order.


Being an "S", Stevens started at the back of the field and chased down the other competitors one by one. She pulled hard all day long, setting the bar high for the other professional female athletes. By the end of the bike, she had caught all the other women and reached T2 first. There were several girls hot on her heals and she successfully held them off to cross the line as the Memphis in May Champion. Both her swim and bike times were the fastest of the day with times of 19:48 and 57:57 respectively. She crossed the finish line in 2:00:28.

When asked about her results, Stevens replied, “This race was a bit of a 'shock to the system' since it was so short and fast! (My last two races were Ironman disance. ) It was fun to mix it up with the short course athletes and to see how much I could push myself in the Time Trial format."

The 5150 triathlon series consists of a 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run.  According to the Memphis in May website, the 2011 5150 Triathlon Series will be the largest international distance triathlon series in the world and will also be the first non-drafting international race series of its kind.  Information on the race can be found at http://www.mimtri.racesonline.com/
Stevens next race with take place on June 12 in Cambridge, Maryland.  For more information on this race and Amanda Stevens-Sadler’s other upcoming events please visit http://www.dramandastevens.com/ or follow her on Twitter @dramandastevens and on Facebook Fan Page: facebook.com/docamanda

April 20, 2011

South African Safari


So here are the pics of the rest of the animals. I gotta say the Giraffes are my favorite! So in South Africa, the "Big 5" refers to Africa's greatest wildlife: lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinocerous, and elephant. While we didn't see all five of the big 5, we got to see 3 of them (elephant, lion, buffalo) and plenty of other interesting animals!

Congrats!

HUGE Shout Out to my athletes....what a way to kick off the 2011 season!

Ironman 70.3 Galveston: John=1st place AG, Going to Las Vegas!!!

Ironman 70.3 New Orleans: Traci=1st place AG, Going to Las Vegas!!!
Marilyn=7th place AG

Caveman Triathon: Talbot=1st AG

April 19, 2011

Lions!



While in South Africa, Randy and I visited a Lion Park. It was amazing to see these huge animals in their natural environment. They were pretty much laying around being lazy in the afternoon sun, however Randy coaxed one to stand up. While he was doing that, I was on the other side of the park befriending a female lion. All but one of the females were hiding back in some shade, but there was one off to the side, right in front of the electrical wire separating us. I decided to lay down on the ground directly in front of her to get a good pic. Now remember, this was the day after Ironman....so my legs were not working properly... Anyways, I am looking this lion straight in the eye, thinking, "Wow, this is awesome!" Then I decide since she's being so friendly, maybe I could get her to stand up for me. As I'm talking to her, I noticed she tucked her hind legs up behind her. Sweet, she's gonna stand up! Then before I knew it, she was lunging straight towards me! I have never been so scared in my life!!!! I was scrambling all around since the electircal wire had become invisible to my eyes...and I couldn't manage to stand up on my legs because they hurt so bad. I am sure it was quite the site, hopefully Miss Lion got a good laugh out of it. I quickly got over my fear and within 20min, Randy and I were in with the 1yr old Lion Cubs!!! We got to pet them and see them up close and personal. They didn't seem too interested in us though! What an awesome adventure!!!

April 11, 2011

STEVENS PLACES FIFTH IN IRONMAN SOUTH AFRICA


PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA—Professional triathlete Amanda Stevens placed 5th in the Spec-Saver’s Ironman South Africa triathlon on Sunday April 10, 2011.  Beginning at 7 a.m. South African time, Amanda finished in 9 hours, 24 minutes, and 17 seconds.

          The race consisted of a 3.8km swim around Hobie Beach, a 180km cycle, and a 42.2km run.  Amanda led the women in the swimming portion of the event.  She was first out of the water with a time of 48:55 and first to transition onto the bike.  During the bike sequence Amanda held close within the top 3 spots.  Amanda started the running sequence in 3rd place but later fell to 5th, where she finished behind Chrissie Wellington, Rachael Joyce, Diana Riesler, and Sylvia Felt
When asked about the race, Amanda said, “What a fantastic day!  To be able to race in South Africa in such a phenomenally supported race was like non-other.  The crowds were lining the entire course and cheering all day long.  The competition was outstanding and the girls really made me work hard today!  It was fun to mix it up with the top women in the sport and finish in the top 5.  I am looking forward to visiting the lion and elephant parks before heading back home to the good ole USA!”
Amanda’s competitor Chrissie Wellington broke the course record by 42 minutes and 36 seconds with a time of 8:33:56.  Champion of the men’s division, Raynard Tissinks, also broke the course record by approximately 12 minutes.

April 9, 2011

It's Race Time!

Follow Amanda @dramandastevens on Twitter to see live updates of today's race!!


The Bike...

For those of you wondering, here it is!  My pride and joy and  my best friend for 1/3 of the race: MY BIKE!!
This year I am riding the wonderful BLUE Triad SL!  Blue improved the aerodynamics with the utilization of SFT2 tube shapes, added a new front end design, and helped improve my time on the biking portion of the race!  I can't wait to see how this baby performs in Ironman South Africa, which is only 15 hours away!  Better go get ready!
Interested in more BLUE bikes?  http://www.rideblue.com/index.php

April 8, 2011

Preparation for Ironman South Africa

Hey guys!

It's bedtime here in South Africa, but I thought I would give a shout out to my favorite people before I get some much needed rest!  Today I had the honor of joining some of the top triathletes in the world for a press conference at The Beach Hotel.

There was lots of talk about how exciting this race will be because of all the competition!  There are 1,745 athletes competing for the top 30 places in order to go to Kona later this year for the world championships. I am going to compete to my fullest potential and give this race everything I've got.  After months of training I am more than ready to compete Sunday.

I hope you all will join me as a race this Sunday at 4 a.m. (American CST time) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

 To get up-to date information, follow me on Twitter @dramandastevens or on my Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/docamanda. For other info on the race check out http://www.triangle.cc/event/default.asp?MicroSiteID=2

April 6, 2011

Amanda Talks South Africa

Ironman South Africa- April 10th!



For more information on my upcoming race follow us on Twitter @DrAmandaStevens or on my Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/docamanda.

Also check out http://www.triangle.cc/event/default.asp?MicroSiteID=2 for other race information. :)

April 4, 2011

Contest Results/ Coffee Talk with Amanda Episode 4: PowerBar Favorites

A HUGE thank you to all of you who voted, retweeted, and shared for me last week!!  I placed 6th so I will not be going to the next round, but I am confident now that I do have the BEST fans! :)
Instead of posting another link for voting this morning, I am going to share a new video with you!
Here is Coffee Talk with Amanda Episode 4. Enjoy!

April 3, 2011

Last day of the contest!!

The polls for the Face of Fitness Contest close tonight at midnight!  I fell again to fifth place so let's vote as much as possible! Here's the last link: http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/face-of-fitness-contest/13/2011/5

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the updates! :)  Thanks guys!

April 2, 2011

Coffee Talk with Amanda Episode 3: Quick Questions

4th Place with 2 Days Left!

HELP! I fell another place...now #4. Please vote and Share. Remember you can vote once per day per each browser (yep that's right, each browser on your computer...Mozilla, Explorer, ect) and each device (smartphone, cell phone, tablet, laptop...) THANKS so much for all the votes this far! Here is Saturday's link.
http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/face-of-fitness-contest/13/2011/4

April 1, 2011

I Need Your Help!

Yikes!  Yesterday after the polls closed we found out we moved back into 3rd place, this is not the desired outcome!  Perhaps you all could do me a favor and vote from all your electronics today as well as share the link with all your friends!  Just 2 days left, we got this ya'll! :)

Vote here: http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/face-of-fitness-contest/13/2011/3

Twitter: @DrAmandaStevens
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DocAmanda

Thanks! :)

March 31, 2011

Day #4=2nd place :)

A BIG thanks to everyone and the continuous votes! We moved up to the #2  spot yesterday!! Yay! :)
Don't forget we have 4 more days to keep voting (polls close on 4/3 at Midnight.)  Remind your friends they can vote daily and from both their laptop and their smart phone.  Thank you all so much! Have a great day!

Here's today's new link: http://bit.ly/dU5JIR

March 30, 2011

Face of Fitness: Day 3, Position 3!

Woo-hoo!  I am currently in the #3 spot with 3 days to go! Don't forget to vote from your computer and your smart phone, the more the merrier! Thanks to everyone who is voting, retweeting, and sharing!
Here is today's new link: http://bit.ly/eKsjrx.

If your not already, follow me on Twitter @dramandastevens and on my Facebook fan page: facebook.com/docamanda for updates about the contest!  Also, below on the left is a link to follow my blog! :)


Thanks again! Have a great day :)

March 29, 2011

New Bike from BLUE!!!

RIDE BLUE BABY!!!

Day #2: Face of Fitness Magazine Cover Contest

Hey everybody!
As of yesterday's results I am in 9th place to go on to the next round of the cover contest!  Woo-hoo, thanks for everyone who voted yesterday, but don't forget to vote everyday for the rest of this week.  Also, if you have a smart phone and a computer you can vote once from each place. :)  Thanks again!

I have the best fans!! :)


Here is the new link for today :http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/face-of-fitness-contest/13/2011/9 

March 28, 2011

Fitness Magazine cover contest!

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday afternoon!  I have a HUGE favor to ask all of you wonderful fans out there. I am in a contest to be on the next cover of Fitness Magazine! This week only you can help me out by voting on my picture.

To vote go to: http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/face-of-fitness-contest/13/2011/9 and click "Vote."  Then share the link with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!  Everyone is allowed to vote once per day starting today and ending Sunday, April 3rd at 11:59 p.m.  Thanks for helping out!

Have a great day! :)

February 25, 2011

Rev3 Costa Rica Race Report

Race day got off to a very EARLY start! I was up and at 'em at 3:37am, did some quick stretching, got some food down, race tattoos on, and was out the door to catch the 4am shuttle. I plugged myself into my Ipod (with my coolio Yurbuds of course!) The morning's tunes included Katy Perry, Eminem, Luke Kauffman, Wiz Khalifa and Bruno Mars.  The 45min shuttle ride when by relatively quickly, but I must say, that is the earliest I've ever arrived at a race site!!!  I got my transition area set up, a quick ride in on my bike to check the gears, a short run with some drills and pickups, and before I knew it, it was time to head down to the water.  I jumped in and out of the water then got the downlow on how the course/buoys worked.  It was a 2-loop swim, where we came out of the water and ran around a red buoy on the beach between laps.  The loop was basically a triangle with RED buoys for the turn buoy and some randomly placed YELLOW buoys for sighting (they werent' lined up with the Red ones) and an extra RED buoy for the 1/2 IM racers.  Okay, pretty simple, right?! 

The gun goes off and I am immediately in the lead and swimming toward the first Red buoy, all is good.  I usually don't have to sight too often, so my head went back down for about 20 strokes and then, I looked up and could not see the red buoy.  Nothing new, but the next time I sighted, and the next, and the next, I could never find the Red buoy.  Uh oh!  So I ended up taking everyone off course.  Finally I saw some splashing up ahead and was relieved, thinking it was the guys and I was on track.  But then the splashing was getting closer and closer, opps, they were headed towards us after already going around the first buoy! (they had a 3min head start.)  So, all of a sudden, I took a hard 90' left turn and eventually got around the first buoy.  I guess the spectators on the beach were getting a kick out of this...they said we totally looked like a 'school of fish' suddenly changing direction in unison.  Rounded the buoy, now find the next one.  Again, for the life of me, I could not find the buoy.  I was blindly swimming towards who knows where??  I even stopped and did a few breastrokes and cleared my googles (on several occasions), I never have to do that, what was wrong with me????!!!  Eventually, a boat comes up and hollars, 'derecho', which means right, so I veer to the right.  Totally off course, again, they finally come catch up to me, and then I see the Red buoy, way off to my left, argh!  Finally make it around there, and YAY, I can see the red buoy on the beach.  Finally, I took a straight line to a buoy and ran around it on the beach.  Dove back in and was ready for lap #2.  I was much more efficient and swam a decently straight line to all the buoys.  Coming around the last one, I passed Kelly, and finally took the lead on the swim, to pop up on beach as the first swimmer.  For the first time in my life, I was actually glad the swim was over :)  
Here's a look at how I swam...Lap #1 I swam the black line.  Lap #2 = much better!

Time to get on my bike!  My speedy Blue Triad SL was ready to go.  I hoped on, manuvered across the gravel section and started climbing.  The start of the course was pretty darn tough and definitely a wake-up call for the legs.  Kelly passed me within a few minutes and Annie Warner came by too, I was going to have my work cut out for me.  After climbing some steep grades, there was some fun (and a bit scary!) decending.  I was able to re-pass Annie, and headed out of the resort onto the main road in second.  I could see Kelly up ahead and just tried to keep her in sight.  My legs weren't responding too well and felt pretty flat, but I kept on pushing.  We did two laps out on the road.  Each lap had some false flats, winds, and 3x180 turns.  Then there was also the herd of cows and random skeleton of some strange but freaky looking animal in the middle of the road.  At the 180 turns I was able to see a group of girls coming up on me which included Bree, Annie, and Kate.  Kelly was having an awesome ride and had put a good gap on me and was riding strong up the road.  As we hit the climbs on the way back to the resort, the group caught me and we all entered T2 together. 

Time for an 'off-road' adventure!  The run was pretty cool, but also tough!  We ran along the beach, then through a small 'town' that was outside cheering like crazy, awesome!  Around a soccer field, and then back on the road for some uphill running, through the resort, then we hoped onto the cart path of the golf course, which brought us back to transition and then did it all again.  I had some trouble getting my legs under me, but just kept saying, "it's only a 10K amanda, Go!"  About 10min in and my stomach started cramping and rumbling...uh oh!  (I think I'd drank some bad water a few days before because I'd had some cyclical rumbling/pain...but was hoping it would stay away during the race...no such luck.)  I tried to suck it up and keep running, as Annie and Kate were just right there and I wanted to keep them in sight.  About 10min later, and no improvement, only worse.  I ended up making a very quick pit-stop and then was on my way.  The gap to Kate and Annie had opened up and I was running in no-man's land.  I kept pushing, reminding myself of the fitness I could gain from the hard effort.  Unfortunatley my legs never came around and my flat legs carried me across the finish line in 4th. 

A huge congrats to all the other girls out there and to Kelly, Kate, and Annie for finishing on the podium.  It was a tough day all around and a great way for us all to kick off our 2011 Season!  Thanks to Rev3 for putting on such an awesome event at a great destination!

February 23, 2011

Adventure: Costa Rica

What a great way to kick off my 2011 season: Costa Rica style! After being stuck in the cold and snow all winter, it was great to step off the airplane in Costa Rica and feel the heat! As I made my way out of customs, I was greeted by the Rev3 Media Crew. I hung out with them for a bit and then watched them do the paparazzi thing when Matt Reed arrived. We were then shuttled to the Casa de Golf, where several pros were staying. A few others were staying on the same 'plantation' in condo/villas. Basically, our 'Casa' was a mix between a house and a hotel. We each had our individual rooms then there was a common area with TV/computer, a dining area/kitchen (although nothing worked except the microwave), and our very own pool!  A great way to hang out with the other pros.



On Friday we headed over to the race site and got the first look at how tough the course was going to be. There was a huge climb coming out of transition with some steep grades of 8-12%, a speedy decent, and then another bit of a climb out of the resort. Once out of the resort we had two loops on the bike then back up and over the climbs into transition. The run was going to be a two loop run, more like an off-road course: beach, dirt road, hills, golf course, you name it. And to top it all off--it was HOT!

I did some tune up workouts with Kate and then had a Pro Panel and Athlete Meeting. Saturday was a low-key day.  Some of us headed to the beach to get an open water swim in.  The shuttle dropped us off and we swam one direction down the beach, then got out and walked back along the beach looking for shells.  Bree's
collection was much bigger than
mine...Then, our shuttle never showed up to pick us back up.  After sitting around for a bit, we decided to start making the trek back home.  Luckily the shortcut we took dumped us out on a road and wahla, out of nowhere our shuttle driver appeared! Sunday was race day! (more about that in my race report, coming soon)

Then after the race we hung out, did a little shopping (at these booths right on the beach were we swam and ran during the race), then headed back to the Casa.  I stretched out by the pool with a good book in hand: The Lincoln Lawyer.  I hear the movie will be out soon :) We were somewhat 'stuck' at our Casa on Sunday night, so I got creative and made microwave pancakes for everyone. Yep, you read that right, pancakes made in the microwave. They ended up tasting decent and were the perfect compliment to our chick flick: 27 Dresses (Randy I know how much you would have loved to have watched that one again!!)
Our Monday adventure started early, 4am. We were supposed to have a shuttle to the airport that was 1:20 away. Due to some confusion and logistical obstacles, we did not secure a shuttle until 5:30. Bree had a 6:50 flight...but we were optimistic we would get her there in time. We told our driver, "muy rapido" and let's just say he obeyed. We were flying down these dirt roads, going off-road a bit, passing cars with on-coming traffic flying straight at us. We were scared for our lifes! Bree and I were white knuckling our seat handles. Got some good video....but doesn't do the situation justice!!!


Unfortunately, Bree missed her flight...but we made it alive. I ended up flying all day long and was so excited to touch down in Colorado Springs. I was even more excited to find my husband waiting for me at the airport with my own personalized sign! Until the next adventure....