Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Karel and I had a fun time reflecting on his Patagonman extreme triathlon experience. If you'd like to hear about his race experience (the highs, lows and everything between), you can check out his race recap video (HERE) As I was editing the video (adding pictures and videos from the race), I couldn't help but think about the journey that Karel went through to get to the start line. For athletes, it’s easy to believe that everything comes down to one day.....the race. The months (or years) of training can feel like a means to an end - an unfulfilling road that hinges on a race day outcome. But here's the truth: it's not about the race result. The fulfillment happens in the preparation.  The Trap of the Finish Line Mentality Goals are essential. They give direction, motivation, and structure to training. They help you get out of your cozy bed and power through a workout when there are distractions all around you. However, when your self-worth is centered around a res...

  Patagonman Finisher  An extreme triathlon at the end of the world I find it serendipitous that our 50th newsletter of the year is occurring a few weeks before the beginning of Karel's 50th birth year of life and I am writing about an event that Karel has dreamed of finishing for the past few years.  On December 7th, Karel took on  Patagonman Extreme Triathlon . We did everything possible to get him to this start line — but what lied ahead were 140 miles of uncontrollables. We woke up at 2am after a night of no sleep. At 4am, he boarded a ferry in the dark and at 5:30am, he jumped into the fjord (55 degrees - much warmer than usual), and swam 2.4 miles back to shore (1:08). From there, a 110-mile point-to-point ride with over 8,000 ft of climbing, gravel, cobbles, wind and whatever Patagonia decides to throw at him. He finished the bike in 5:50. And then, a 27-mile run with 3250 feet of gain, all off-road, through technical forest trail...

On June 29th, Karel completed his first Extreme Triathlon - The Stone . His time of 14 hours and 40 minutes earned him 7th across the finish line.  RESULTS Quick stats: 2am - wake up, eat oatmeal, drink coffee, get dressed. 2:45am - walk to transition area. 3:20am - board ferry to the other side of Lake Iseo. 4am - 5:07am: 4270 yards swimming in 1:07 (from Gallinagra to Sulzano, across Lake Iseo). 5:10am - 12:47pm: 109 miles of biking and 13,576 feet elevation gain covering Aprica, Mortirolo and Gavia pass in 7:25 . Average speed 14.7mph. 12:56 - 6:34: 21.8 miles of running and 7830 feet elevation gain, starting in Ponte di Legno and finishing at Passo Paridiso. Average pace, 15:48 min/mile.  Karel started the race in the dark. The water was in the upper 60's and the air temperature was in the 60s to low 70's for most of the day. Karel was comfortable in his tri kit for the entire bike. Only when he descended from Gavia did he put on a jacket to keep himself warm before arriv...

  A few days after finishing IM 70.3 Florida, Karel was itching to race again. He enjoys racing a lot more than training so his ideal strategy is to race himself into great fitness. Knowing that our athlete and good friend Alvi was racing an Olympic distance triathlon just outside of Atlanta two weeks after IM 70.3 Florida, Karel decided to join him (I stayed home with the furry kids).  After a solid night of sleep on Thursday (allowing extra time to sleep in knowing that race night is never a good for sleeping), Karel had his daily pre-workout oatmeal before heading out on the tri bike for an hour ride. He followed it up with a 20 minute treadmill run. I packed up a cooler and bag of food for him (also booked them a hotel with a microwave and fridge) and he left around 11:30am to pick up Alvi.  Knowing that they had a long drive ahead (well, only a planned 3-hour drive but one that included Atlanta traffic), Alvi made sure to bring along some pastries. And if you ever wa...