Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Thursday We made the 4:20 drive to White Lake, NC after my morning swim. I swam with Grace (who is very speedy) and modified her main set so that it would work for a pre-race swim workout for me. The drive was uneventful and we arrived to our lodging around 5:30pm. We stayed at a cottage at the Shoreliner, just a block from the lake. I booked by calling The Grand Regal Resort because no availability was shown online when I was wanting to make a reservation. I had no trouble booking a place on the phone a few months out from the race. Our cottage was like a tiny home and it was super cute. We had a friend (Chris -husband of an athlete we coach) stay with us and he slept upstairs in the loft area. The cottage had a set of bunk beds and a master bedroom, one bathroom, washer/dryer and kitchen. The weather was perfect when we arrived and after unloading, we walked on the beach by the lake. Although I had never been to White Lake, I had heard great things about the race. Also, Grace,...

There's something special about racing close to home - especially in the thick of peak training. Pleasant Ridge Park in Marietta, SC is just 20 minutes from our house, making this a "local" mountain bike race. Karel and I have raced this event twice before but familiarity with the trails doesn't make racing (or training) at Pleasant Ridge any easier. The single-track trail system at Pleasant Ridge is directional, flipping between clockwise and counterclockwise every other month, with hikers and bikers going in opposite directions. In February, the course runs clockwise (in my opinion, the more technical direction, loaded with rocky features that have been challenging me all season but also includes several fast sections - that Karel loves). Over the past month, Karel and I have been putting in serious work on those features, and I finally strung together a few clean loops without unclipping or falling (a huge milestone for me that I've been working on for the past...

Thursday (2/19) After my morning workout (run followed by a swim), we loaded up the car and my mom, her partner Alan, Sunny, Karel, and me hit the road to Pelham, Alabama. The 6 hour drive was uneventful except for the obligatory crawl through Atlanta traffic. We arrived at our Airbnb around 6:30pm (a two-story townhome around 10 minutes away from the park). With two sleeps before race start, it was nice to not feel rushed before the Saturday race.  Sunny has become a great traveler. He loves road trips and exploring new places with us. I still remember our first trip together in 2024 at Ironman Chattanooga. We had just adopted Sunny and he was so anxious, scared and reactive. He has come so far thanks to his extensive obedience training with Dog Elite Upstate. We love making memories with him.   Dinner was Chipotle (delivered while we unpacked), which has become a ritual. This race-cation tradition started in February 2022 when Karel and I made our very first trip to Oak Moun...