Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Now that the stress of traveling is behind us, it's time to do a little catching up on the fun that we have been having here in Europe. Despite all the obstacles that we go through to get here, I really do love being here.....and here's why.......  Karel gets to spend time with his family.  The only time you'll find me at a McD's is in Europe. A delicious cappuccino.  Airbnb on the top of the mountain. Could this be any more quaint?  Spending quality time with my athletes/friends while enjoying meals outside in nature.  Bright bikes and exceptionally made Alto Wheels making an appearance in Klagenfurt.  Riding one loop of the Ironman Austria bike course on Wednesday. We managed to miss the rain and the temps were near perfect - not hot, not too cool.  Endless views for 110-112 miles (2 loops).  I love riding through the many small towns during the bike portion.  Bike-friendly roads....

This is our fourth trip to Europe to visit Karel's family and third trip combining the trip with a visit to Klagenfurt to race Ironman Austria. We competed in the event in 2014, 2016 and now, for the 20th anniversary, we will be racing on this amazingly beautiful course on Sunday. Every time we have traveled to race Ironman Austria, something happens. We could fill a chapter of a book on all of our traveling nightmare stories that we have experienced over the years but for some reason, traveling to Europe for a triathlon event has never been easy for us. Let's just say that we are so happy to be in Klagenfurt, Austria right now. Here's a recap of the past few days. I had booked a flight on KLM as we really enjoyed the experience on our last trip to/from Europe. Also, with KLM, I had more options for our layovers (I like 2.5 hours to help us get through customs/security checks and for our luggage/bikes to have enough time to get from plane to plane) and I could select o...

Coffee....lots and lots of coffee. Only kidding..... Well, not really. In addition to coffee, professional athletes put a lot of focus on nutrition as they train to perform because it's their job. Unlike the age grouper who participates in triathlon as a hobby, the athlete who gets paid (when ranking high at a race or from sponsors) is likely going to explore any and all opportunities to maximize fitness in training to ensure race day excellence. And this means putting a focus on nutrition. Although professional athletes are not immune to body image struggles, I do find that age group athletes expend an extreme amount of energy on the "look" of the body versus how the body performs during workouts. In other words, whereas a professional athlete will eat for fuel, an age grouper will train to lose weight - often restricting calories/carbs in an effort to maximize the fat-burning process. Whereas the professional athlete will often utilize a sport dietitian to help per...