Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Picture source On Wednesday morning at the aquatic center, a fellow triathlete asked Karel if he was participating in the Belgian Waffle Ride: North Carolina.  As a new location in the BWR event series, Karel didn't know about the event. Later that evening Karel looked into the event online and sent me a link via text. I didn't see the text until the next morning as I was being interviewed for a panel discussion for the OC marathon. If you missed the expert round table, you can check it out here. 👇 Since the broadcast didn't start until 9:30pm (about our bedtime), Karel was fast asleep when I finished close to 11pm.  When I saw Karel's text the next morning (Thursday) about the BWR, I instantly responded that he should do it. With online registration closing on Thursday evening, he registered in the afternoon. I guess when you register for an event two days out, there's little time to overthink. Karel knew it was going to be a very challenging event, especially a...

  **If you'd like to skip the race recap and view a video from the event, JOM from The Gravel Cyclist  did a great video recap from the event. Scroll to the bottom to see the footage.** Around 12pm Thursday, we left for our 6-hour drive down south to Thomasville GA. It was a rainy day for a long road trip but it’s been several months since we had a true “race-cation” road trip so it was somewhat enjoyable to know that we were traveling for an actual event.  We made good time and arrived to our Airbnb shortly just after 6pm. I was happy to have booked an affordably priced 2-bedroom house just a 1/2 -mile from the race venue but I had no idea how cute of a house we would be staying in. The house had historic bone-structure with a few recent updates. It was one of the best Airbnb stays that I’ve booked, which made for a super comfortable stay. After a good night sleep on Thursday, we took our time on Friday morning to catch up on work and emails. We ventured outside around...

  Since December 5th, we have been extremely lucky with our weekend weather. We have been able to ride outside every Saturday morning for the past two months. Although a few of those rides were rather cold, drizzly and windy, the weather seemed to always be in our favor.  This past weekend was a different story. On Saturday morning, it was cold and rainy. Although the trainer is always available for a weather-controlled indoor ride, I craved a change in the routine. Maybe it was meant to be.  Instead of staring at the wall for a few hours, I decided to start my workout with 30 minutes of mobility and strength (with EC Fit On Demand) and then headed out in the light cold rain for a run on my favorite long run loop. Although I wasn't quiet sure how to dress, I found myself comfortable and happy running in the light cold rain. I listened to two triathlon podcast interviews during my run and found delight in dodging the puddles and feeling the wind in different directions as ...

Karel recently got into gravel riding and his immediate response was "why didn't I find this earlier?"  This past year has really taught us to embrace the current moment and to take advantage of every moment. With such an incredible triathlon playground in and around where we live, we have kept our love for nature alive by finding different ways to use (and improve) our cycling fitness. Most recently it was the GVL WBL 8-week group ride series and now I've ventured into gravel riding.  My first and second gravel ride was in Dupont State Forest. The first ride include snow, ice, mud and everything else - Karel didn't take it easy on me. Let's just say I learned a lot over 28 miles and 2.5 hours. My second ride was mostly gravel with a mix of roots, leaves and dirt. My third ride was on Friday (a few days ago), when Karel took me on a gravel ride adventure just outside our front door. We made our way to part of the Furman Cross Country course and then on the o...

  Over the past few weeks, Karel has been spending a good amount of time on his Ventum gravel bike. Although Karel has several bikes in his collection, this may be his new favorite.  Although I've never been off the road on a bike (well - just once on a MTB several years ago but I wouldn't call it a real ride), Karel wanted to share gravel biking with me. Seeing that my bike handling skills have greatly improved since moving from Florida to Greenville, SC. I figured it was time to get into nature and explore a different style of riding.  Instead of investing in another bike, Karel did a bit of research and Macgyvered my Ventum NS1 into a gravel bike (it can be quickly converted from road bike to gravel bike).  Here are the specs:  NS1 - XS (size 50) 650b wheels. Front tire: Maxxistires Rambler 27.5 x 1.5. Rear wheel: Continental tire Terra Speed 27.5 x 1.35 (650b x 35). Gearing: 36x52 front and 11-34 rear. Pedals: Look Quartz MTB. Shoes: Bont riot+ MTB. For seve...