Athlete of the Month

The Team Sheeper Athlete of the Month award is handed out to a member of the team on a monthly basis, 7 or 8 times a year. The AOM is someone who made a notable contribution to the team or did something remarkable. Selection is made by nomination and voting by the membership.

You can nominate anyone and the nomination period is usually during the first week or two of the month. Look for notification that nominations are being sought.  When nomination close, the voting starts and once all the votes are tallied, the new AOM is crowned.

Besides bragging rights for a month, our AOM gets some goodies from our gracious sponsors, such as free shoes from TRH, a massage from SMI, gift certificates from GoRide.

The Runner's High is proud to sponsor this month's athlete who embodies the spirit of Team Sheeper. We are about more than just improving athletic skills and performances.

Tracy Fujieda

April 2006 Athlete of the Month

Are you currently employed and/or describe your employment/career?

I work at SAP in Palo Alto in business development and just had my one year anniversary. (I joined 2 weeks prior to Ironman Coeur d'Alene so I worked for 2 weeks and took a full week off - now how's that for a good first impression!) I'm fortunate to be working with a great, fun group of people. Having started my career as a software engineer in Tokyo, I assumed that I'd work there for the rest of my life. But when I came to business school, I got exposed to the opportunities that were available in Silicon Valley and decided I wanted to be part of the action. During the dot-com boom, I worked at a start-up which was truly an experience of a lifetime, and went back to working for corporate when the bubble burst.

Do you have any specific career aspirations?

10 years ago, I wrote my obituary for a class exercise to visualize where I wanted to end up in life, and according to that, I would be a big wig female executive. If I were to rewrite that obituary today, I would envision a career that provides me with intellectual stimulation, ability to work with great people, and allows me to live a rich life both on and off the job.

What other hobbies do you have?

Prior to triathlons, I used to spend weekends and my free time playing golf, and enjoyed the finesse and the intense concentration that the sport requires. I also like to read business books and historical novels (but not nearly enough) and to sleep (but maybe too much).

How did you become involved with Team Sheeper?

As I started swimming with Menlo Masters, I noticed triathletes spinning/strength training/running at the pool. I was curious as they seemed to be having such a great time but it was a bit intimidating how fit and confident everyone looked...so it did take me 8 months to actually start with the team... I run with the Tattersols too.

What is your athletic background?

Chris Evert was my hero growing up, and I played varsity tennis through college in Japan. I hated interval training so much that I would do anything and everything to get out of track workouts - so my former teammates and coach are totally shocked that I now do this for (gulp) fun!

What is it you like most about triathlons?

Fascination with the direct correlation between the amount of effort/time I put in and the improvement in my performance. As I got older, there seemed to be fewer things like that in life! But more importantly, I'm really thrilled with the friendships I fostered through the sport on this team. That's priceless.

What races are you planning for the remainder of this year, or the future, that you are gearing up for?

I agonized over my decision to not do Ironman this year due to injuries - but am looking forward to an awesome season of local races including San Jose, Half Vineman, and Big Kahuna. I pulled out of Boston Marathon this year so look forward to running it next year.

What are your Triathlon, or personal goals / aspirations?

To continue to improve, learn to train/race smarter and harder, and most importantly stay injury-free in order to keep enjoying the sport. Woody Allen said that 80% of success is showing up. The other 20% for me is showing up with a smile and grace.

What is your favorite Team Sheeper workout or memorable moment?

Gosh, Team Sheeper has allowed me to experience so many things I would have never imagined of doing - completing an Ironman, running up/down the hill over to Half Moon Bay, biking down to Santa Barbara, climbing Mt. Figueroa on the bike through the snow at the peak - each one of the seemingly insane activities make for very special memories. But I have to say that Ironman Coeur d'Alene (CDA) from last year was a life changing event. When Tim first started asking us if we wanted to do CDA during a Monday evening spin, I vividly remember being flattered that he was even asking me, but vigorously shaking my head - there was just no way I could do an Ironman. But curiosity and peer pressure kicked in and I jumped on the bandwagon with 50 teammates. Tim broke down the season for us starting with marathon phase in the fall so that us rookies could get a marathon under our belt, base training during the winter, and then Ironman training in the spring. The training was amazingly fun - all the long rides (even in the rain and cold) and runs were enjoyable when I had friends sucking wind with me. We had plenty of time to share life stories going up Bonnie Doon (Tanja and I were chatting away and we got to the top before we knew it our first Epic), Highway 9, or up and down Hwy 1, and running whether at Sawyer Camp, Oracle, or Huddard. I looked forward to every workout. According to my Ironman race plan from last year, "the reason I am doing the race is to challenge myself to a goal that I thought I would never achieve. To embark on a journey to increase my fitness level to an unprecedented level, and to enjoy the journey - camaraderie, feeling of accomplishment, confidence. Remember that I am doing it for myself - not to beat anyone or some time, but to achieve victory over myself." The whole Ironman experience (not just race day, but the months that led up to it) significantly exceeded my expectations and it would have not been achievable, as rewarding or as magical if it weren't for the team camaraderie under Tim's leadership. I'm bummed that I'm not doing it this year, but wish all the folks that are racing good luck!

Is there anything else we should know about you?

The people on the team have such a great attitude, are so encouraging, and desire to push the limits - it's very inspiring, and I feel lucky to be part of this group!