Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

On Saturday Feb 22nd, we participated in 6 Hours in the Ridge. After Hurricane Helene, we weren't sure if our favorite mountain biking trails would ever open (or be the same) again but local organizations and volunteers have worked tirelessly to get the trails back in great condition.  However, over the past few months, our winter conditions have not been in our favor for staying consistent on our mountain bikes. We've had a lot of rainy and cold days which means closed trails. I've done very little mountain biking in 2025 following not being on my mountain bike since May 2024. Although we registered for 6 hours on the ridge a few months out from the race (it sells out at least a month out) I was feeling very unprepared. Karel and I did a 2:20 hr ride at The Farm (a great new trail system a few miles from where we live) on January 5th and then I did a panic recon ride at Pleasant Ridge (race venue) on Tuesday of race week. We also did a 1-hour pre race ride at The Farm the ...

  Feb 2023 What a difference a year makes.  Feb 2022 6 hours on the Ridge was my first MTB event in 2022. I learned how to ride a mountain bike (Karel's old bike) 8 weeks before the event. The event was a complete mess for me. My chain broke, my cleat got stuck in my pedal, I fell a bunch and I didn't have a lot of fun. While some things were out of my control, it was hard being a self-proclaimed 'competitive beginner'. Fast forward to 2/25/23, I placed 1st overall female.  6 hours on the Ridge is a simple concept: Complete as many 6.6 mile laps as you can from 10-3:15pm. If you can start a lap before 3:15pm, you can continue to ride into the 5th hour of the 6 hour race (which means one more lap to your total). The goal is to complete as many laps as you can in 6 hours. You bring your own aid and you can stop at any time (and restart).  This is a low key event with 65 max participants (sold out this year) and the comraderie and staff support is incredible. Everyone w...

It was nice not to feel rushed in the morning. We spent around an hour eating/working between 7-8am and then got ourselves ready to leave. We prepared everything the night prior (food, sport nutrition, gear, etc.) in addition to our hydration packs (2 each), which we kept cold in the fridge. We left around 8:20am and arrived to Pleasant Ridge (event venue) around 20 minutes later. I had a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter and jelly at home and then had a Chobani cherry flavored yogurt in the car. I sipped on water in the car and had another bottle of Skratch to sip on at the venue. Karel had oatmeal at home and ½ bagel w/ peanut butter in the car. Compared to Friday weather which was warm (70) and sunny, Saturday was much colder – in the upper 40’s. With a lot of outdoor riding in the cold, we both had an idea of what to wear, with most of gear removable (ex. leg covers, arm warmers, jacket, etc.). After we arrived, we set up our area in the “loop” section of the course. We us...

  On November 15th, Karel asked me if I wanted to ride his old mountain bike on the trails behind Furman University. After seeing how much fun Karel was having on his mountain bike, I thought it would be fun to try.  For my first ride, we ventured a few miles down the road. Karel taught me the basics of riding a mountain bike on very easy trails. There were no obstacles to overcome but instead, I learned how to move my weight, adjust the gears and go over curbs. It was a very fun and enlightening session.  A little over a month later (December 24th), I went for my first official mountain bike ride at Dupont State Forest. This ride was much more technical with rocks, roots, gravel, water crossings, climbs and descends. Karel took his time explaining line choices and helping me build my confidence going over more technical obstacles. We would stop and discuss the more challenging sections and although I would try, there were many obstacles that I could not get over. As the ...