Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  We woke up at 5am and left the house at 6am for our 90-mile drive to Saluda, SC. I did the driving so that Karel could use the Compex on his back (he has chronic back and hip issues and car rides and long rides flare it up). I was a bit tired as I didn't sleep the best the night before. I didn't feel nervous but perhaps I was a little anxious for the event since it was only my 2nd gravel race (first one being two years ago and I crashed by hitting a pot hole and my handlebars flipped forward upon impact - thankfully I was ok and finished the race).  When we arrived to the parking area we picked up our numbers and got our gear ready. One last chance at looking at our clean bikes before the adventure started. The forecast was showing storms and wind so we knew that this was going to be a wild day before it even started.  The field for the long course (103 miles) was a bit small but I didn't mind that. I knew I could still be competitive among those who showed up. There we...

As you may or may not know, the Trimarni blog started in 2007. Well before 'blogging' was a thing, I needed an outlet to express my feelings after my first DNF. You can read about it here.  In the case of an injury, health issue, current fitness or long term goals, a DNF is often the right decision. This past weekend we had an athlete registered for IMFL. She recently qualified for the Ironman World Championship (2023) at Ironman Chattanooga. Originally IMLP and IMFL was on her schedule, but after learning about the extra Women for Tri slots after she competed at Ironman Lake Placid, we decided to make Chattanooga the priority. But instead of skipping IMFL, we thought it would be a very valuable training day for her. This athlete often struggles with nerves (due to expectations and pressure) which often result in stomach issues throughout the race. We also felt like our athlete was playing it safe in fear of the marathon and has the capability to go faster on the swim and bike....

No athlete enjoys seeing a DNF (did not finish) after their name when looking at the event results.  I've experienced two DNF's. The first was the Miami Marathon on January 28th, 2007. The reason why I remember that date is because it was my very first blog post.  I find it so ironic that I decided to start my blog right after my first DNF. The second DNF was actually a DNS (did not start) when I fainted on race day morning at the 2017 Ironman World Championship in Chattanooga, TN. Karel has had one DNF to his name. It was Ironman Lake Placid in 2015. Karel tore his plantar during a run workout a few weeks before the race and while he was tempted to run on it in order to finish the race, he made the smart decision to only swim and bike. It was really hard to give up his timing chip in T2 but it was the right decision to not further impact his recovery.  Although we have only experienced three DNF's, I can't list the number of Ironman races that we have wanted to quit wh...

February 3rd, 2007. My very first blog post. You would think my first blog post would be a post would be something along the lines of me introducing myself to the world or talking about something positive or happy in life. But sadly no. Instead, I decided I needed a creative outlet to write about my very first DNF (Did Not Finish) race. Since then, I have written close to 3000 blog posts. I've had over 2.5 million blog views. I've written about triathlon, running, and bike races. Going back to school for my dietetic internship. Went in depth about my accomplishments, setbacks and failures. I've shared my travels, events, recipes, nutrition tips, fueling suggestions, motivation tips and pretty much anything and everything about my life. And of course, plenty of animal pictures - especially of our furry children. Even though blogging does take out a big chunk of my time each week, I'm not planning to stop blogging anytime soon. A a writer, it is the best outlet for t...