Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Lessons Learned From Traveling to the End of The World Traveling to a remote corner of Chilean Patagonia felt a bit like stepping outside of time. The roads stretched endlessly without traffic lights, the wind roared intensely at its own rhythm, and the towering mountains put everything into perspective. Patagonia was a place where nature was raw, vast, untouched and beautifully wild. After 10 days in Patagonia, we returned home and went right back to our normal routine - a lifestyle that often feels rushed, stressful and structured around tight schedules and convenience. Patagonia offered us something very different: a slower rhythm, a deeper quiet, and a refreshing recalibration of what life can be like. I feel incredibly fortunate to have traveled to five continents and immerse myself in such a wide range of cultures. Each journey has challenged me, expanded my views, and has reminded me how much there is to learn from the ways other people live. From rushed city life to remote livi...

  Lessons Learned from Cozumel Nothing says vacation like a warm tropical island with ocean views. I thought we were going to Cozumel to spectate our athletes at the Ironman and to train in a beautiful location but we left with so much gratitude and joy.  I've had the opportunity to travel to several countries and places around the world but the places that I enjoy the most are the ones that I visit for a race. When visiting an international destination for a triathlon or bike event, I get to see so much more than simply visiting for a vacation.  When we travel, we usually stay in Airbnb's. This allows us to have plenty of space, with a kitchen to prepare our own food. Because of this, we are required to shop at the local grocery store - which is always an interesting experience. And when it comes to cooking or meal prep, we are forced to use whatever kitchen gadgets are in our Airbnb. When we have a rental car, we must drive like the locals, learning the road signs, laws...

After nearly a day of flying, it's a relief to finally get outside and smell the salty, flowery Kona air. There's something indescribable about the feeling of stepping out of the last airplane of the journey, knowing that you have arrived to your final destination - the venue of the Ironman World Championship.   The Ironman World Championship is an incredible spectacle of an event. No matter if you are a participant, volunteer or spectator, it's worth the trip to the big island to experience all that is Ironman Kona. From all of the race week events to the massive expo to swimming in a clear, blue fish tank, the event itself is simply the icing on the cake. For seven years, the Ironman World Championship race week has always made for a memorable and inspiring experience for me.  But let's not beat around the bush. If you are participating in the Ironman World Championship, it can get rather expensive.  According to a  past article , the average income of an Iron...

Whether you have been given a life-altering diagnosis or you were/are a caretaker, friend, family member or significant other affected by a disease/illness, it can be difficult to find gratitude in such a painful situation. Looking for the good in such a sad scenario can feel nearly impossible. Everytime I hear of the passing of an individual with cancer,  I am taken back to my dad's 10-month battle with a rare cancer that metastasized to his spine. Even though it's been over 5 years, I still struggle every day and wish he was still with me. My dad didn't like to talk about his cancer. I respected his decision to keep his cancer diagnosis silent but it was also very difficult for me to not let others know that he was suffering.  O thers  have choosen to be more open and vocal about a current health situation and find positivity in such a challenging and difficult scenario. There's no denying that there's a great level of frustration, anger, worry, sadness ...

I'd say that was a productive and successful train-cation. Travel went smoothly, we remained in great health and we were able to accomplish all of our planned workouts. The warm weather and change of scenery was exactly what we needed to recharge. Although this felt far from a vacation as every day included several hours of computer work, it was a nice escape from the daily grind. After our 3.5 day "camp" in Clermont, FL. concluded on Thurs afternoon, we drove to Jacksonville, FL to finish out the rest of our trip - Karel had four bike fits for some of our FL athletes scheduled over the next two days. We stayed with our assistant coach Joe, and his wife Erica, son Weston and dog Reagan. After spending 6 years in Jacksonville, it was nice to be back and to train on familiar roads. Although much more car-filled/busy for my liking, it was a nice change to train on roads that were flat! To finish off our week of training: Friday AM: 4250 yard swim (for me, Karel had...

It was only four years ago when Karel and I made the trip up to Lake Placid for the 2013 Ironman. Not only was this an amazing opportunity to make memories together in a new location but this was Karel's very first Ironman! Although I never take an Ironman start for granted, I couldn't believe that I would be sharing a 140.6 mile race course with Karel for my 6th Ironman. I was so use to seeing Karel on the sidelines that it was a little strange, exciting and special to see Karel on the race course.  When we arrived to Lake Placid, we were in awe of the mountain views. The scenery was breathtaking and we felt so lucky that we could race in such a beautiful venue while soaking in all of the nature around us. Lake Placid was the last place that we both visited before we decided to move to Greenville, SC. After returning home from IM Lake Placid in 2013, it was only 6 months later that we decided to make the scary but exciting decision to leave the beach scene and famil...

In mid October, I dedicated a blog post to recapping our 2016 season of triathlon racing.  If you missed it, you can read about it here:  2016 season recap.  Looking back, 2016 was a very successful season for me and Karel.    I fulfilled a long time goal of placing on the podium at an international Ironman, where I finished 2nd AG and 4th female amateur (10th overall female) at Ironman Austria. It was also my highest ever overall placing in an Ironman since winning the 18-24 AG at IMFL in 2006 (my first Ironman). Only this time, 11 Ironmans later, I finished 54 minutes faster than at my first Ironman (10:06 at IM Austria vs. 11:00 at IMFL).  I placed overall female at the  Lake James 50  triathlon.  Eight days later, I was leading the race by several minutes with 1 mile to go, at  Rev3 Knox,  until a pink arrow lead me and several others off the bike portion of the race course. Due to a 6+ mile de...