Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

The temps are rising and endurance racing is heating up.  On tap this weekend, IM 70.3 Chatt and IM Jax - both expected to be very warm races!  Training and racing in the heat can feel incredibly frustrating, even for professional and experienced athletes.  A pace that feels comfortable on a cool day may suddenly feel exhausting when temperatures and humidity rise. Many athletes assume they are simply “having a bad race” when this happens, but the reality is that the body undergoes significant physiological stress when racing in hot environments. Heat changes how the cardiovascular system functions, how muscles produce energy, how efficiently the body cools itself, and how well fluids and fuel are absorbed during exercise. Understanding what happens inside the body during exercise in the heat can help you adjust expectations, make smarter pacing decisions, and ultimately perform better and safely.  One of the biggest mistakes athletes make in hot conditions is tryin...

The human body functions the best at a stable temperature of around 97.7-98.6°F Thermoregulation is the maintenance of internal core body temperature by balancing heat generation with heat loss.  When I was participating in XTRI ICON in Livigno, Italy on September 1st, I experienced symptoms of hypothermia after the swim portion of the race. The air temperature was 32 degrees F and the water temperature was 52 degrees F. Although I had on a thermal swim cap, gloves and booties, my gloves filled up with water and I was forced to remove them. Spending almost an hour to cover 3.8K caused my body temperature to drop - I was losing heat faster than I could produce it. After I exited the water, I was shivering uncontrollably. The brain recognized that my body temperature had dropped and it made me shiver - producing heat through muscle activity. Thankfully, Karel and a few others athletes helped me out by getting me out of my wet clothes, putting on dry clothes (and lots of layer) and ma...