Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

This weekend we held our third gravel skills camp in DuPont State Forest. We welcomed former gravel skills campers and a few new faces. We spent over 11 hours, spread over two days, discussing, demonstrating and applying important bike handling skills for riding off road.  On Saturday, we met at Fawn Lake parking lot and discussed PSI and puncture repair kits. We then rode out to the airstrip and spent the next two hours discussing and working on specific skills (ex. cornering, descending, stopping, heavy feet/light hands). We took a break for lunch and ate in the parking lot and around 1pm we headed out on our adventure ride through Dupont forest and around Cascade Lakes. It was a beautiful day with warm temperatures in the upper 60s.  On Sunday we met at Tuxedo park in Zirconia, NC. We started off with a refresher of skills around the lake and then headed out on an 8-mile road ride before hitting the gravel into Dupont. We had a 4 mile steady gravel climb and then did a loop...

On Saturday Feb 22nd, we participated in 6 Hours in the Ridge. After Hurricane Helene, we weren't sure if our favorite mountain biking trails would ever open (or be the same) again but local organizations and volunteers have worked tirelessly to get the trails back in great condition.  However, over the past few months, our winter conditions have not been in our favor for staying consistent on our mountain bikes. We've had a lot of rainy and cold days which means closed trails. I've done very little mountain biking in 2025 following not being on my mountain bike since May 2024. Although we registered for 6 hours on the ridge a few months out from the race (it sells out at least a month out) I was feeling very unprepared. Karel and I did a 2:20 hr ride at The Farm (a great new trail system a few miles from where we live) on January 5th and then I did a panic recon ride at Pleasant Ridge (race venue) on Tuesday of race week. We also did a 1-hour pre race ride at The Farm the ...

You don’t have to be a “dieter” to be caught up in diet culture and, as a result, struggle with a diet mentality.  A diet mentality refers to the thoughts and beliefs that come from past dieting experiences, or current ideologies reinforced by diet culture.  Diet culture is a system of beliefs that worships thinness, equates health to weight and demonizes certain foods while glorifying others.  Because thoughts and beliefs influence behaviors, a diet mentality can significantly impact athletes by promoting a harmful focus on body image and weight control, often leading to restrictive eating habits that can detrimentally affect athletic performance and health.  It's time to check in with your thoughts.  Is your diet mentality negatively impacting your health and performance?

It often starts well-intentioned or unintentional. You want to lose a few lbs or you find yourself too busy to eat so you don't worry about skimping on calories and carbohydrates.  You feel great during your workouts......until you don't anymore.  Training volume and intensity increase and now you are struggling with low motivation, niggles and fatigue. You dug yourself into an energy deficient hole.  If you want to perform at your best, you need to give your body the energy it deserves. Intentional or not, failing to eat enough energy to support training demands can lead to serious health consequences.  It's time to stop underestimating what your body requires in order to recover from your training sessions and to function optimally in life.

Hydration drinks, energy drinks, energy gels. With so many different products on the market, it's important to know how they compare (and differ) in their respective functions.  For endurance athletes, it's in your primary interest to maintain a state of hydration (fluids and sodium) while consuming adequate fuel (carbs) to optimize health and performance in training and on race day. Therefore, it's important to understand that not all sport nutrition products are created equal.  By understanding the formulation and application of sport nutrition products, you can select your sport nutrition products more effectively, knowing that the product(s) you are using are being quickly digested and absorbed.  Otherwise, there's a good chance that what you are consuming is sitting around in the gut, potentially causing GI issues, dehydration or bonking (and a waste of money).

"I pretty much eat the same things everyday."  In my sport nutrition practice, I often hear this response from athletes.  While the monotony and repetition can help with meal planning, there are two main concerns. The first is lack of nutrient variety and the second is not adjusting your diet to meet the demands of your training. If you stick to a limited food selection, you are likely missing out on essential vitamins and minerals found in different food groups.  If you aren't systematically altering your macronutrient intake to support higher volume and/or more intense training sessions, you may be in a constant state of low energy availability.  By strategically adjusting your meals and snacks, you can better support your training by providing your body with a full spectrum of nutrients and energy to support proper muscle function, immune system support and bone health while reducing the risk for nutrient deficiencies, fatigue and injury.