Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Recovery day = Growth day. Every athlete will have intentional rest or active recovery days built into the training plan. Recovery is crucial because it gives the body time to adapt to the previous stressors of training and heal the mind. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. On a recovery day, it’s common for athletes to dramatically cut calories or avoid carbohydrates for fear of gaining weight when energy expenditure is low. And for some, the opposite occurs - a rest day is synonymous with “cheat day” and there is permission to eat foods normally off-limit. Improper nutrition on a recovery day may hinder your development or set you up for a setback due to sickness or illness. Your recovery day is a day to fuel and nourish your body to become a stronger, more fit and healthy athlete. Remember, high volume/intensity training will cause excessive inflammation, deplete glycogen storage, increase the risk for dehydration and damage tissues a...

After a strong weekend of training, I looked forward to my recovery day on Monday. I take my recovery days really seriously so if I am not up to purposeful movement, I don't. But on this past Monday, I felt like an EZ swim would be good to loosen out so after a good night of sleep, I went for a 40-minute, ~2400 meter swim. The meal picture posted above is the delicious dinner that I had at the end of my recovery day. A meatless burger topped with cheddar cheese and guac, roasted salty potatoes, salad w/ yogurt ranch dressing and chips.  On Tuesday, I was excited and recharged. I met my good friend Kristen at the aquatic center for a swim workout. She was able to join me for half of the workout before she left for work. I finished with 5000 meters and the main set was 3 x (7 x 100's on 1:45 tempo, holding 1:28-1:29 followed by a 300 smooth pull). It was one of those swim workouts where I never ran out of energy and just kept wanting to swim. I finally made myself get out at 5000...

The countdown continues. 27 days until IMWI! Although you should always value recovery in a smart training plan, it's the 4 weeks out from your race that are the most important in terms of arriving to the start line healthy, injury free and hungry to race.  1 month out, your goal is to recover as much as possible from every workout. It's very easy to put in random "confidence building" long or intense workouts but often times, more damage can be done if you are trying to "prove" something with your body in the last few weeks before a race. Fitness is gained over time and to race strong, you have to periodize your training so that you can build, peak and taper appropriately.  To race strong, this doesn't mean just taking a planned or unintentional day off from working every now and then but being smart with what you do on your recovery days, when you plan them.  Many athletes are great workout followers. They have a planned workout...