Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

I was really hoping to write a run race report about a stellar run but that’s not the case. Another marathon run off the bike where I felt like I ran far below my potential. However, this is racing. If it was easy to improve, I probably wouldn’t do this sport. My fire for a faster marathon run still burns strong and I know I’ll get it done in one of these races. Nevertheless, the most important part of Ironman racing is managing what’s given to you on race day. A strong mind can power a tired body. If I gave up every time an Ironman was hard, I would not have 13 Ironman finishes behind my name. I was given a very tough marathon run to tackle, with an empty mind and body. While the marathon fatigue is normal and expected, I just didn’t imagine it would hit me so hard and so early in the marathon. While I wanted to quit so badly as the fatigue and empty feeling was so intense that I thought there was no way that I could finish, somehow, I found deep inner strength and a soft voice ...

You can't have a race report without the post race details...... With quads that were no longer working, I slowly hobbled my way to the big white tent with Karel (only athletes allowed inside) to grab my street wear bag. Karel told me that there were showers outside the white tent for showering. I could not wait to clean myself up after racing for 10+ hours. I walked over to the showers, thinking that there was only one set of showers but thankfully, there was a men's and a women's shower. The line to the male showers was long and not only was it filled with men but naked men. Oh my - what a sight (when in Europe)! When I opened the door and walked into the women's shower "cubicle", there was at least 8 individual showers (and curtains) and no wait! With warm water, I cleaned myself up and it felt amazing. What a treat to have indoor showers right at the race venue after an Ironman. After I got dressed, I met Karel and my mom j...

Not feeling so great within the first 1/2 mile of the run, my first thought was that this is going to be one tough marathon for my body to get through. To be honest, after 10 Ironman starts and finishes, this wasn't the first time that I have thought this or experienced this feeling, so I just reminded myself that the only way I would get to the finish was to keep moving forward. While I felt physically fit and prepared for IM Austria, I did a lot of mental training to help me prepare for the uncontrollable moments and the uncomfortable moments of racing a 140.6 mile event.  I was prepared mentally for anything that came my way on race day. And oh boy, was I given a lot to struggle with during the marathon! Going into Ironman Austria, I reminded myself that I was in great health and that any suffering that I felt on race day was normal and expected. I welcomed the opportunity to suffer for 10+ hours and I wanted to embrace the good hurt that I would feel when racing to th...

( this picture was not from race day but the same view we got to enjoy for much of 112 miles!) As I was settling into my rhythm on the bike for the short out and back section, I kept the effort very easy - light on the pedals. Karel told me that my "race effort" would start after I left Maria Worth as I was nearing the round about by the town of Velden. I needed to give myself time before settling into my Ironman bike "race effort" as I was ready to give a very sustainably hard (relatively speaking for an Ironman) effort on the bike for Ironman Austria. This year I have made/seen some big and exciting improvements on the bike - but as we all know, this didn't happen overnight. Seeing that I married a cat 1 cyclist turned triathlete, I really had no choice that I was going to become a good cyclist whether I liked it or not - thankfully, I learned to love cycling! The truth is that my cycling has been an ongoing developmental process starting with an evolving b...