Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

There are two things that I love about Friday night cooking - creating a delicious meal to fuel the weekend workouts and having delicious leftovers.  Last Friday I made this delicious eggplant lasagna. No recipe, just a bunch of delicious foods in the refrigerator for me to use.  Plus, Karel and I had just shopped at the Tomato Vine early that day, so we had lot of local, fresh produce to use.  With two endurance triathletes in our household, a lot of food needs to be in our house to keep us well fueled and happy. We shop a lot, we cook a lot, a lot of dishes get washed, we eat a lot and we yum a lot.  The weekends are often hard for endurance athletes when it comes to meal prep and planning. Endurance athletes have every reason to feel too exhausted to prep and cook food but that is no excuse not to do it. If you want your body to perform and stay in good health, you have to nourish it on a daily basis - especially on the weekends when ...

After a few years of working as a clinical RD (PRN) while also working as a registered and licensed dietitian specializing in sport nutrition, I was finally eligible to apply and take the Board Certification exam in Sport Nutrition from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. With two application and exam window periods available every year, I applied to take my exam back in February 2015 and spent all of the spring and early summer studying to take my exam in the late June 2015 testing window. This has been a big goal of mine for several years.  I'm a big believer in higher education and I enjoy advancing my knowledge in specialty areas. Certifications and advanced degrees also force me to stay educated in my specific areas of practice.  The CSSD (or Board Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics) focuses on fueling athletic performances. Unlike other nutrition certifications, the CSSD is a highly credible specialty certification.  ...

If you want to conquer yourself and reach your goals, you have to believe in yourself. It’s human nature to enjoy doing things that you do well in and enjoy the most and to put off things that are uncomfortable or difficult.  Don’t be afraid to fail when trying something new. Many people resist making changes because it is uncomfortable to change. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. If you believe in yourself and your own ability to be successful, you will put yourself into a position to be eligible to reach your goals. Beliefs drive behaviors. If you believe in yourself and your abilities, you will succeed. If all an athlete had to do was to follow his/her training plan to be successful, “coaching” would be an easy job. One of the most important, yet overlooked, areas of fostering performance gains is the mental side of training. Many athletes let their mind get in the way of the body. As a goal-driven, hard-working and dedicated athlete, it’...

If I had to give only one tip to an athlete who was training for an endurance race (marathon, half or full Ironman), my suggestion would be to always have a plan.  Now, I am guessing that most athletes who are training for an endurance race, have some type of training plan to help ensure that the training provides the most appropriate training stress to induce performance gains without risking injury or burnout.  But what about a nutrition plan? I'm not talking about a meal plan that tells you to eat the same thing every day but instead, a plan that you create for yourself, on a daily basis, that assists in making sure you meet your health and energy needs. This plan doesn't have to include percentages, grams or calories but instead, it is a plan that you create, describing how you will nourish and fuel your body, dependent on life, training and the past.  There are some endurance athletes who are excellent planners when it comes to the diet. They prep ...

In 30 days, Karel and I will be boarding a plane to Kona, Hawaii. Holy Moly.....we will be racing in the 2015 Ironman World Championship in 41 days!! This upcoming Ironman is very special for three reasons. 1) I absolutely LOVE racing in Kona. The island, the competition, the energy, the elements, the race vibe...it all makes me so excited to race for 140.6 miles! 2) This will be my 10th Ironman and 4th Ironman World Championship! I can't believe I have been racing endurance triathlons for 9 years and my body has allowed me to qualify for Kona at 4 of my 6 Kona qualifier Ironman races.  3) I will be sharing the race course with my best friend and hubby, Karel. This is his first Ironman World Championship and 4th Ironman that he will finish. We love racing together and sharing our personal race stories to one another, after the race.  Around this time of the Ironman journey, I find that Ironman athletes can make a few mistakes as it relates to training. There...