Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

I love warm weather. I love working out in humid conditions. I love the feeling of warm air on my skin and I thrive in warm conditions. Some of my best race performances have been in hot and humid conditions. Above is a photo of the predicted weather forecast for the XTRI ICON event that I'll be participating in tomorrow, September 1st in Livigno, Italy. You'll notice a few things. Those temperatures are in Fahrenheit (not Celcius). The race starts at 6,000 altitude. I'll be starting the 3K (swim was shortened due to combined air and water temp) dark, cold water swim at 5am. I'll be starting the 123 mile, 9+ hour bike with 14,000+ feet of climbing in the upper 30's. The warmest it will be is 55 degrees. Then I will run a mostly off-road marathon with almost 4000 feet elevation gain, finishing at 9,000 feet. This event will be my greatest athletic accomplishment IF I reach the finish line. But it will require a tremendous amount of physical strength, mental toughnes...

  Karel loves adventure. He's always curious about the unknown.  Karel loves discovering new bike routes. Sometimes this means getting lost, sometimes this means finding a road that goes nowhere. I can't tell you how many times Karel has ventured out on a bike ride (road, gravel, tri, mountain bike) without any idea as to where the road goes. He has no fear riding somewhere new.  Over the past 16 years, Karel's adventurous soul has rubbed off on me. But I was not always this way. For almost 14 years of our relationship, I would question Karel and would feel so uncomfortable, scared and fearful riding somewhere for the first time - especially when I knew that Karel had no idea where he was going. But over the past two years, I've learned to be a bit more adventurous when it comes to bike riding. Although I often have the immediate thought of "I can't do this" I try to quickly dismiss that thought and open my mind to new experiences.  Although it hasn't ...

On Sunday (January 8th), Facebook shared this memory of Campy from 2014. Not only was Campy just a young pup at six years old but this was a very important moment in our life - it was our first trip to Greenville, SC. We were living in Jacksonville, FL and after six years, we were ready for a change. Although there was nothing forcing us to move, we felt like there was more to life for us and it wasn't in Florida.  It was extremely risky to move from Florida to South Carolina. This was a big change and nearly everything that we would be experiencing would be new for both of us.  Thankfully, Greenville, SC. has been the perfect place for us to grow our business and to live an active and healthy lifestyle.  For much of my life, I hated change. I feared failure and I did not like stepping out of my comfort zone. Karel has helped me become much more courageous. With Karel leading the way in most of our adventures, it has forced me to understand (and work through) that paralyz...

  Photo: @Supercycling In life, we are often given the opportunity to try something new or to do something for the first time.  It's easy to stay in your comfort zone. Or you can face the fear and step out of it.  Trying something new typically means that there is a chance for failure.  It's hard, risky and scary to take the leap and to try something new. You may look silly or embarrass yourself. You may have to ask questions. You will feel unsure of yourself. You may feel vulnerable.  Two months ago I rode a gravel bike for the first time. Last weekend I participated in my first gravel race. Oddly enough, I have found myself looking forward to each riding opportunity as I get to learn new skills. And this came as a surprise to me because my history of bike riding has been filled with a lot of fear any time I was forced to step (or ride) outside of my comfort zone.  After participating in endurance triathlon for over 14 years, it's has been a really long ti...

Thanks to the Greenville Winter Bike League, I had reason to get on my road bike at 10am every Saturday for the past eight weeks. I also had the accountability to layer-up and venture out in the cold weather for 3+ hours week after week. I only missed one ride due to the weather (we had a rain/snow the night prior and the roads were a little icy so I went out on my own solo ride). What started out as an opportunity to socialize with other people turned into so much more than I had imagined. I met new people, stretched my comfort zone, challenged myself in the designated QOM and sprint zones, improved my cycling skills, discovered new bike friendly routes, won some money (woot woot) and braved the cold winter conditions - all on two wheels. Here's the schedule (and routes) for all eight of the GVL WBL  group rides. Here are the route links to the last two rides:  GVL WBL #7 GVL WBL #8 The last ride was a tough one. It was a smaller group of around 30 cyclists and we covered 63 ...

In six months, I will be doing something that I've never done before. From August 22-28th, I'll be riding my bike for seven consecutive days, covering over 500 miles and 65,000+ feet elevation gain. My bike will take me from Megeve, France to Nice, France as part of the Haute Route. Oh yeah, and Karel will be joining me for this "fun". Although I love the sport of triathlon and I still feel challenged by training and racing, there is a sense of familiarity and certainity after 14 consecutive years of long-distance triathlon racing. When I started the sport, I was stepping outside of my comfort zone by doing things with my body that I have never done before. Today, triathlon is where I feel most at home. Psychologically, triathlon is my comfort zone. Although staying within my comfort zone has resulted in consistent training and performance improvements, I feel it's necessary to find ways to step outside of the comfort zone with a new challenge. I'm c...

Sports are awesome because they resemble life.  In both life and in sport, there are rules, ethic codes, regulations and laws. In both life and sport, the things that come easy are often most enjoyable and fun but when there's a struggle, it's easy to lose motivation and to lose confidence. In both life and sport, we need to work hard, stay committed and remain focused. We also need a bit of luck. And in both life and in sport, we need a "team" to help us succeed. And in life and sport, both can be extremely awesome and a little bit scary. Despite how scary sport can be, people from around the world, of all different fitness levels and backgrounds embrace the scariness of sport because it resembles life. Many people recognize that life is extremely hard so why not do something fun with your body that scares you? I've always believed that one of the best things about sport is having countless opportunities to embrace scary situations and then work to overcom...

I remember when I was in graduate school, working towards my Master's in Exercise Physiology, and I just loved studying the information that I already knew. In other words, if there was a topic that I understood really well, I would often find myself re-reading it or testing myself over and over again because it made me feel confident that I really  understood the information. But then when it came to topics that were difficult and unfamiliar, I would often find myself pushing those aside so that I could go back to reading what I already knew. Does this sound familiar? It's very normal for athletes to enjoy doing what is easy and familiar. This is often referred to a comfort zone. If something is unnatural or scary, it is not welcomed and typically, it's not as fun as what is well-known and comfortable. Whether it's a fear of the unknown, worries of messing up, concerns of making mistakes or fear of trying something new, staying within the comfort zone is an ...

It's often said that traveling is one of the best ways to step outside your comfort zone.  A new routine, a new lifestyle, new sights and perhaps even a new language that you do not understand. Every time you travel, you welcome the opportunity to experience a new way of living. And above all, when you travel somewhere new, there is a good chance that you will eat new foods or new meal creations that are not familiar. Perhaps you are the individual who loves putting yourself into situations where you are forced to try new foods and adapt to new cuisines and eating traditions and customs. But for many people, traveling can be an overwhelming experience because it requires eating foods that are not so familiar and that can make you feel uncomfortable (often more mentally than physically).  While it is good to have a style of eating that works for you on a daily basis, if your eating boundaries are very limited, you may find extreme difficult to step beyond the pla...