Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Over the past few years, I've celebrated my birthday with some type of cycling. Last year  I was joined by Karel and my friends Garrett and Alvi for a 101 mile ride (with scenic views) and a little over 10,000 feet of elevation gain.  A few weeks ago I started to think about where I wanted to go for my birthday ride and I wanted to do something I've never done before. I was chatting with my friend Garrett and I asked him about riding to and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Garrett is all for epic rides so he is a great person to consult when it comes to creating routes. Several of my cycling friends have ridden on the parkway but they usually start from the Flat Rock/Dupont/Brevard area. I asked Garrett if he would create a route that included the Blue Ridge Parkway from our area.  The first route  he created started from Marietta (~10 miles from where we live) and included a loop around/on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was exactly what I was looking for. However, I...

My birthday typical falls on a race weekend. For the past few years, I've participated in Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge a few days after my birthday. This year, with no races planned, I wanted to do a long ride to celebrate another year of life. Of course, I had to swim on my birthday (as it is my favorite sport) so I started off my birthday weekend with a 4600 meter swim with our masters group at Westside Aquatic Center.  I have a great group of cycling friends but sadly, several of them had other plans this weekend (like cycling 200 miles from Spartenburg to Beufort - talk about like-minded friends) but Garrett and Alvi were in town and agreed to ride with me and Karel for a birthday ride.  Garrett is the master of planning epic cycling routes so I told him to come up with a route that included a lot of climbing in the mountains and great views.  The route including Ceasar's Head, Sassafras, Table Rock Overlook and Paris Mountain. We wanted to include Pretty Place but it was ...

  Today is my 41st birthday. I'll admit that I had a very hard time with turning 40 but now that I'm 41, I'm ok with being out of my 30's.  I remember moments of my chilhood as if it happened yesterday. Playing outside with my neighborhood friends, taking road trips with my family and staying up late during sleepovers. High school and college had a lot of highs and lows but I remember specific moments as if they happened yesterday.  As I reflect on all these memories at the age of 41, I realize how fast life is flying by. Sadly, I am also reminded of this quick passing of time because my dad lost his 10-month fight with cancer on May 28th, 2014 - four days before my 32nd birthday. For the past 9 years, my birthday month brings me back to the hardest day of my life and the passing of my dad reminds me that tomorrow isn't promised.  My dad always told me that 'it's not the years in your life that count but the life in your years."  My birth day always mak...

  This picture fills me with a lot of emotions. First off, Campy is just over a year old. Look at the golden pup! Secondly, my dad - so positive and a lover of life - was only five years away from being diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer - which sadly ended his life 10 months later.  It makes me so happy that Campy is still here. At 15 years old, he is 76 in human years - which is what my dad would have been today. But I'm sad that my dad didn't get to experience life after the age of 67. What would you do if you only had five years left to live? I often think about this. My dad was waiting for retirement to travel with my mom. He was just a year away from making that decision. While he loved his job as a VA optometrist, he also had a lot of other hobbies - running, working in the yard, fixing things, making things, listening to music, collecting stamps, taking pictures, and so much more. I wonder if my dad knew that he didn't have a lot of years left, if he would have ...

  When I reflect on the past ten years, I can't believe how much happened in my life. I learned a lot. I made mistakes. I struggled a lot. I celebrated milestones and achievements. I did a lot of things for the first time. I cried. I worried. I stepped out of my comfort zone.  Life is hard. Life is short. Life is uncertain.  Life is exciting. Life is fun. Life is amazing.  Age is just a state of mind. You are as old as you think you are.  I worked incredibly hard in my 30's. Now that I am 40, I guess it's time to ask myself "what's next?" 40 things that happened in my 30's.  Started my business Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition.  Moved from Jacksonville, Florida to Greenville, SC.  Bought a house and two cars.  Paid off the house and two cars.  Traveled to Europe 4 times.  Raced in Europe 4 times.  Wrote three books.  Did a lot of public speaking.  Wrote articles/quoted in various magazines (Triathlete, USAT, Runner's W...

                                        It's a special day. It's Campy's 14th birthday. I cherish every extra year that we have with him and I never take a day for granted.  We adopted Campy in 2008. We were in no position to become dog owners but a series of events brought Campy into our life. Since day one, Campy has given me unconditional love, support, meaning and joy to my life. Although he can be overly judgmental and mistrustful of strangers, he's incredibly loyal. Even though he is fully dependent on us, I depend on him. On our worst days, he is always there to give support, to lick off falling tears and to cuddle through sadness and heartache.  Campy is not moving as fast as he used to. His golden fur has turned white. He recently lost his hearing and he enjoys sleeping much more than he did during his younger years. But he hasn't lost his spark. He is still overly...