Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Three years ago, Karel registered for 2020 Ironman St. George (May). When the race got cancelled due to the pandemic, he transferred his entry to 2021 IM Coeur d'Alene. When he broke his hand mountain biking in May 2021, he was able to transfer his entry back to 2022 Ironman St. George (May). When it was announced that the 2022 Ironman St. George event would be the '2021' Ironman World Championship event, Karel was automatically entered into the World Championship event as a registered IM St. George athlete.  After finishing my 5th Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2019, I wasn't mentally ready to commit to preparing for a May Ironman. Instead, I was happy to support Karel on the sidelines in St. George. In July of 2021, I won my age group at IM Lake Placid. I let my slot roll down for the 2022 Ironman World Championship in Kona as I no longer have ambitions to race there. I'm honored and satisfied with my 5 Ironman World Championship finishes on that island. ...

Tomorrow, Ironman Florida will be celebrating it's 21st Ironman event - one of the longest running Ironman events in North America. Ironman Florida was my very first Ironman. Although it doesn't feel like it was that long ago, it's crazy to think how much our sport has changed since 2006!! I still remember receiving a Popsicle stick with a place on it when I crossed the finish line at local running events! Because the Trimarni blog didn't exist back in 2006, I never had an opportunity to write a race recap from my first Ironman experience. Luckily, the memories and moments are still fresh in my head - even though it's been 13 years since I crossed my first ever Ironman finish line!! Going into the event, I was very confident in my fitness as I used a free training plan from the internet and followed it precisely as written. With my recent formal education in Exercise Physiology (Master degree), I felt like my training could not have gone any smoother. I also...

The Ironman distance is a beast of a race. Swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles is no easy feat for the body. There is no right, best or perfect way to prepare as every journey to the start line is different. Every athlete has his/her own path, which is either straight forward and smooth or filled with bumps, detours and maybe even a few road closed signs. Some athletes make extreme sacrifices and investments to get to the starting line. Some athletes have a team of supporters and professionals to assist in the journey. Regardless of who helps you get to the start line, it is ultimately up to you - the athlete - to get yourself to the finish line. For the majority of athletes participating in the Ironman World Championship, they represent the best of the best from around the world. Qualifying is not easy as it requires great fitness, preparation and a whole lot of luck. Interestingly, when the best of the best all arrive to the Ironman World Championship, it...

Ironman Canada has been on our racing bucket-list for the past few years. We were immediately drawn to the challenging bike course. We find that the more difficult the race course, the more satisfaction we feel when crossing the finish line. It's also a lot easier to reflect on the race as a whole when there's more to think about than just a finishing time. Although Karel and I "race" the Ironman distance, the real race is always with ourselves - overcoming physical and mental obstacles, pushing through fatigue and self-doubts, exploring our limits and finding reasons and meaning to get to the finish line. With this being my 15th Ironman, I have a lot of experience knowing what it takes to get to the finish line and a big part of that battle is arriving with a strong and healthy body and a positive attitude. Whistler exceeded our expectations. The community was exceptional nice, the Ironman volunteers were wonderful, the Ironman staff put on a great race and th...

After our last race of every season, Karel and I like to reflect on the previous season and set new realistic and bold goals for the next season. Rather than overanalyzing single race results and critiquing every detail of every race, we like to focus on the season as a whole so that we can do a better job of training and racing smarter for the next season. Over the past 11 years of endurance triathlon racing (five for Karel), we have learned to let go of expectations, assuming that the only way to reach a goal is to perfectly follow a plan or to avoid setbacks all together. This doesn't mean that we don't set big goals for ourselves but rather, we recognize that accomplishing a goal requires going with the flow of life and staying in the moment on race day. Life transitions, whether it's an injury, fainting and smashing your face on the floor on race day morning or balancing training during a stressful period at work, can cause a significant amount of stress, making i...