Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

...finally it isn't raining ...finally I feel strong ...finally I can ride my bike outside. Karel braved the cold at 6:30am with Jeff. They must have been inspired by the stage last night, Levi crushing the competition at the Tour de California, and they rode their TT bikes for 3 x 15 min. all-out efforts. Karel said he was so cold he never warmed up. When I let Campy out at 7am I knew I would never survive in the cold. However, I also knew I wouldn't survive the trainer. I came up with several ideas to keep myself entertained for a 4 hour ride. First I thought about riding an hour, running 10 min. I would do that 4 times. Then I thought about being all sweaty on the trainer and then being so cold and wet outside. I decided to pass on that idea. My next idea was to ride on the trainer for 2 hours and then do 2 hours outside. I had my mind made up that I WOULD do a 4 hour ride so at 1 hour on the trainer, I let Campy out, got dressed and headed outside. It was a lot warmer than...

I'm feeling more like a swimmer, than a triathlete, in the water. Sometimes I give my coach the look of "Why are we doing that set? We are triathletes!" but when the workout is over I like feeling like a swimmer. Here are my three swim workouts for the week. Monday (recovery day, no master swim) 400 warm-up 300 kick 2x's: 50 easy, 50 fast (50 sec) 100 easy, 100 fast (1:30) 150 easy, 150 fast (2:20) 100 kick 200 warm-up Total: 2000 Wednesday (Endurance, Master swim) Main set: 8 x 100's (odd Free on 1:30, even IM on 1:45) 3 x 400's Desc 1-3 on 6 min (my splits: 5:38, 5:32, 5:26) Total: 3800 yards (I forgot the warm-up and the sets before the main set. This practice + my post-swim 5 x 1 mile @ marathon pace run w/ 3 min recovery on the treadmill drained my brain) Friday (Speed, Master swim) 400 warm-up (4th 25 skull) 5 x 200s kick on 4 min. Main set 3x's: 5 x 50's drill on 1:00 3 x 100's desc 1-3 on 1:30 4 x 50's all-out on 1:00 (I did the last...

If I could make more homemade foods, I would do it in a second! However, my grocery budget doesn't allow me to buy a lot of "additional" foods. Right now I have learned how to feed Karel and myself for less than $80 a week but I tell ya, it isn't easy eating healthy, maintaining our weight and trying to improve our performance on a budget. The people at the checkout station must think I am crazy when I say "that is great!" to them when they hand me my receipt but I just love saving money. Luckily, however, I have moved on from a grad-school diet of only PB&J (ok, I still do that), oatmeal and free samples at Whole foods...ok, I still like all of those :) I try not to get too excited when I go into Whole Foods or the organic section at Publix because it is expensive to eat natural and organic. One day Karel and I will add more natural and organic foods in our diet but for now, I do the best I can to eat lots of fresh food and little processed food. In my ...

It was weird being at home for a full weekend. I had the opportunity to go with Karel to Dade city (about 3 hours away) for his crit on Sunday but I had a lot of school work to catch up on. Karel wasn't feeling pumped for this race since he did a 3 hour ride in the pouring rain (karel, jeff, curtis and shawn) on Sat but he decided it was worth a try to get out there and try out the sprinting legs. Karel ended up getting 11th which he was really happy about. This same race last year was not so good for Karel because he crashed twice on the technical course. This year it was the same course, but in rain, so Karel was a bit more careful on the corners. On Friday morning my arms fell off and I didn't find them for my Saturday workout. However, luckily I had a bike ride to do. Sadly, it was raining. I put my bike on the trainer and decided that I would ride inside until it cleared up. After 90 min. of watching a few reality shows on my DVR, that I missed while I was on my honeymoon,...

Happy Valentine's day! First off, my thoughts go out to all the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the recent plane crash. It was just in the airport this past week that I told Karel how much I love watching people in the airport. I always wonder why people are traveling...are they are visiting or going home? Who they are going to see? Is this a happy trip, boring trip, stressful trip, exciting trip or sad trip? Is this a business or pleasure trip? Has this person ever flown before or is this a trip to a new place? I like trying to figure out why a person is flying. After reading the stories of the victims, I believe that everyone has a story. You never know who is on your plane and if you are lucky enough to sit by me, I will let you share your story to me :) (I love talking to people next to me on the plane). Things I Love (in no particular order after my top 3): 1) My family (mom, dad and aaron) and relatives 2) Karel (my hubby forever) 3) Campy, Smudla and al...

Although vacations are great, it is always nice to be back to my normal routine. However, I find myself being less obsessive about "training" when I am away from my home and I really enjoy a change of scenery every now and then. Exercise and healthy eating are two big parts of my life so I don't really mind taking away the "disciplined" training routine every now and then. I know that I will always exercise, choose healthy foods (and a few sweet treats) and get plenty of sleep when I am away. I might be boring but it is really nice to not loose touch of my normal lifestyle when I am away. So, back home and Campy is one happy doggy. We have gone on a bunch of walks and he is full of smiles. Smudla is still with my parents since she LOVES having a big house to call her own. Karel has a race near my parents on Sunday so he will bring her home on Sun. I am missing her as well. Training is going well and I hope I picked up a few red blood cells with all that altitude...

I wish I had my own show on the food network but for now...enjoy my "show" on BeginnerTriathlete.com! Beginner Triathlete