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Showing posts from 2019

Your gift to the Greenville Humane Society.

Whether it's to a friend raising money for a good cause, a stranger in need or to an animal shelter, at Trimarni, we regularly find ourselves donating to important causes. For the past few years, we've donated money to our local Greenville Humane Society  on behalf of our business - Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition. We take $1 from every Trimarni purchase, round it up and double the amount - and then give money and food to the local Humane Society. Because of your Trimarni support of our small business, you helped us donate $500 and an additional $100 of cat, dog, puppy and kitten food to the Greenville Humane Society. THANK YOU! As someone who is passionate about helping others, I can't tell you how much it means to us to have your Trimarni support. Whether it's the purchase of our coffee, one of my books, a bike fit with Karel or purchasing our training plans, your support allows us to give back to others. Here is how your donation is helping the Gr

What does our winter training look like?

We have been spoiled by incredible weather lately. For the past week we have enjoyed tempertures in the 60's for our highs! Although a few rain showers to navigate through, our "winter" training has been more like spring training.  Nearing the end of our second month of our 2020 training, much of our training lately has been focused on strength, resilience, endurance and neuromuscular firing. Although many of the sessions are intense, this is only because they stress different physiological systems. There's no "speed" work as it's just way too early to be focusing on getting faster. More so, without a solid foundation of strength, it's difficult to adapt properly to intensity and volume. Seeing that it's only the end of December, it's important to keep everything in perspective when it comes to training. I feel strong, healthy and resilient but not fast or fit. I have training sessions when I feel fresh and energetic but most of the t

Are you at risk for a performance setback?

The other day I was chatting with a friend and I told her that there was no way that I would have been able to write my new book, Athlete to Triathlete , six years ago. Even though I've been a triathlon coach for over 13 years, several things have changed over the years that have helped me become better coach triathletes and understand the sport of triathlon. For example, on Pg. 35 of my book, I address several factors that can place an athlete at risk for a performance setback. Setbacks are no fun. They are frustrating, distracting and depressing.  While motivation and excitement can help you show up to a training session, as an athlete, it's your responsibility to be an active participant in all aspects of your life. Seeing that lifestyle choices impact your training, your athletic success is built on great body-mind awareness. In my book, I will help you train smarter and improve the odds of maintaining consistency with your training, all while building confidence for ra

The 5's of mindful holiday eating

For athletes, social eating at holiday parties family gatherings and end-of-the-year events can be challenging. Even with the best intentions, it can be difficult to stay consistent with nutritious eating when you are overwhelmed by so many calorie-rich food choices. No need to skip your work holiday party, the family cookie-swap, your child's holiday function or your team social. Here are a few tips to help you feel good about your eating choices and improve your relationship with food. Sit down -  Instead of eating standing up, put food on a plate, sit down and focus on the present moment. You will enjoy your food much more when you give eating your full attention.   Slow down - Intentionally chew slower than normal.  When you eat slowly, you will notice your food and enjoy it much more.  Savor - Enjoy every bite. Use all of your senses and eat without distractions. Remind yourself that the first bite is always the most flavorful.  Simplify - Create an environment where y

The ultimate cycling experience: Haute Route Alps!!

Pic Source We are registered for the 20202 Haute Route Alps !!  For the past 8 years, we have been traveling to Europe every other year to visit Karel's family in his hometown of Znojmo, Czech Republic. For the past 3 visits ( 2014 , 2016 , 2018 ) we combined our trip with racing Ironman Austria - which is now one of our favorite race venues. For the past few years, I've been wowing over this event called the Haute Route Alps (pronounced "oat" "root". The more videos I watched and more I learned about the event, the more excited we got for a new challenge (Karel and I like to share our crazy adventure ideas together). Although we are not removing ourselves from the sport of triathlon (we are already registered for two Ironmans and 5+ half IM's between us), we are constantly seeking different/new events to keep our spark alive for endurance training and racing. Through long distance training and racing, we have both developed great endurance,

Doping in sport - what you need to know

Doping describes the act of using a banned substance to drastically alter the physiology of the human body - often used to improve performance. Justifying the use of a banned substance for financial reasons, to break a record or to level the playing field not only threatens the integrity of sports but athletes risk health problems or death.  Unfortunately, in every sport, there’s great temptation to use performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Anabolic-androgenic steroids are used to improve physical appearance by building muscle. Clenbuterol and ostarine are widely popular to burn fat and build lean muscle mass. Human growth hormone and testosterone, commonly prescribed to older adults to combat the age-related decline of these hormones, can improve muscle protein synthesis. All of these drugs are banned by WADA (World Anti Doping Agency). Most sports require an athlete to comply with the World Anti-Doping Code, which is "designed to set forth a standard set of parameters wi

Why I wrote Athlete to Triathlete (new book)

When I participated in my very first triathlon (2003), I knew little about the sport. As a collegiate swimmer, I felt extremely comfortable with the pool swim but the bike portion was super scary for me. I had a little experience with running so I was so relieved when my feet finally hit the pavement for final leg of the triathlon. I was equally exhausted and thrilled at what I had accomplished by finishing a sprint distance triathlon. It just seemed so crazy to me that my body could cover the distance of a sprint triathlon and that I did it by swimming, biking and then running.   One year later in 2004, I participated in an Olympic distance triathlon. I had just graduated from college and I was a few weeks away from traveling to Florida for graduate school. I owned a hybrid bike and helmet but my triathlon equipment list was minimal - running shoes, swim suit, goggles and a bike (with a kick stand). In 2005, I participated in my first marathon. I was in graduate sc

Our 2019 Year in Review

When looking back at the past 12 months, we have had our share of highs and lows. Memories were made and tears were shed. With every high, there seemed to be a low. But through it all, we tried to stay positive and optimistic. Life can be difficult, unfair and tough to understand. If I had to use a word to describe our 2019, it would be strength. We had to find strength to experience the highs and we had to find strength to get through the lows. Triathlon provides us with many life lessons but in 2019, life hit us hard. Throughout the year, there were several occassions when our hobby of triathlon was put to the aside in order to deal better with the hard times. As athletes, it can be difficult to stay positive, hopeful and focused during stressful, sad or difficult situations. Uncomfortable feelings can leave us with doubt, anger and anxiety. Struggle to balance stressors appropriately and health (mental or physical), joy for sport and motivation can quickly diminish. There wer