Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

For over 10 years, Karel and I have used hydration belts for every single outdoor run. It doesn't matter how short or long, a hydration belt is part of our running gear. And now that we are doing more XTRI and and off-road triathlon racing, it's been an easy transition to our self-supported events.        It surprises me how many athletes undervalue the many benefits of a hydration belt/pack. We have been long-time supporters of hydration belts (and packs) because we feel they bring so many great benefits to athletes when running outside. Sport usage of hydration packs, belts and bands Interestingly, hydration belt/pack acceptance is sport dependent. For example, hydration belts are not very popular among stand-along-runners and most refuse to wear them in training and racing. Furthermore, some races prohibit the use of bringing nutrition (belt/pack) with you on race day for safety reasons. In the ultra and trail running community, hydration packs are popular and widely accepte

  Healthy Eating -  A way of eating that maintains or improves overall health and makes you feel good. There is no one-size-fits-all definition when it comes to "healthy eating." While similar methods and ideologies may work for the masses, every individual is on his/her/their own nutritional journey. Depending on who you are, "healthy eating" could mean..... Making homemade almond milk, grinding your own nut butter, or picking produce from your home garden Only eating GMO-free and organic foods Not eating meat, dairy or fish Doesn't eat meat but eats dairy and fish Portion control Not eating out of boredom or emotions Not restricting food in order to prevent binge eating Eating enough to support training for a long distance triathlon Making nutrition changes to reduce the risk of a cancer recurrence Making nutrition changes because a disease runs in your family Practicing intuitive eating after overcoming a decade of disordered eating or an eating disorder &quo

Representation Matters                 These are pictures from 2021 Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. These pictures were taken on the same day, of the same body.  I share these pictures side by side as it's a reminder how the media and advertising has brainwashed athletes to believe that there is an ideal body type for sport. And without good self-esteem, body love and confidence, it becomes normal to be ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted by the body on the left. As a result, your body becomes something that you need to "fix" often through overexercising and undereating.  I came across this IG post from  Katie Moon   and it got me thinking about representation.  How many times have you been proud of your athletic performance or workout but ashamed of how your body looked? As a result, you didn't share the picture of yourself performing. Or, perhaps you blamed a poor athletic performance or workout on your body? Or, your awesome athletic performance was dismissed because you

  Many diet plans follow a restrictive eating model with specific 'good' vs. 'bad' foods. This type of restrained eating demands rigid control. Food is an essential requirement for survival. When you diet and feel hunger, this isn't a lack of willpower, it's a biological drive to protect you. Interestingly, there is no drive for eating too much but rather, if the body senses extreme weight loss, it will kick in physiological mechanisms to slow down your metabolism (and energy) or the brain will send signals to get you to eat as soon as possible. Stomach growing, irritability, inability to focus, lightheadedness, headache, fatigue, and sugar cravings are all signs that your body is asking for food.  Although stress, trauma history, certain medications, extreme exercise (especially in the heat) and life chaos can supress your appetite, dieting makes it difficult to understand your hunger cues. Diets require that you ignore your hunger cues as most diets require yo

  When Karel was selecting what type of  Cannondale bike he would be renting from the EF Coaching Team, he wanted his bike to be as close to the professional riders as possible. In other words, Karel wanted to experience the Roubaix cobble sectors with a true race bike to get a better appreciation of what the professional riders experience at Paris Roubaix.  Karel is riding:  Cannondale Super Six Evo Lab71 EF Pro team bike (it's Rigoberto Urán "spare" bike) Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace 12sp Cranks FSA SL-K Vision wheels and cokpit Gearing 54/50 front and 11-34 rear Prologo saddle and tape  Vitoria Corsa pro control tires 30mm mounted on 50mm deep carbon vision rims. Mounted with tubes.  Pressure: 45 psi rear, 42 psi front.  Karel really likes the feel of the bike. Today he rode 30 miles and although it was another cold and wet day, he felt much more confident on the cobbles.  As part of the camp, the team mechanics wash and service the bikes every day. This is a true treat f