Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Triathletes and endurance athletes are very susceptible to dehydration and even more so, a heat-related injury.  What must be understood is that the body is compromised when we place intentional training stress on the body through training and racing. However, what is even more serious is that many athletes are not taking the daily precautions to be "healthy" on a day to day basis. So as you can imagine, when an athlete throws in 8,10 or more hours of training per week, there is even more confusion on how to meet daily and sport needs but very little time to even make time/energy to ensure that the body is healthy going into workouts and well fueled/hydrated during workouts.  Because endurance racing is far from normal or easy for the human body to handle, health professionals acknowledge that metabolic demands during training/racing in long distance events are not easy to meet. That is, it is very hard for the body to take in the appropriate amount of calories, ...

It's always an exciting time to approach the Ironman taper. It is even more exciting when the body and mind are getting more and more itchier to race. The ultimate goal for any athlete approaching taper is to have workouts that are not too damaging that the body can not recover from them but every workout is executed in a way that brings confidence that all will come together perfectly on race day. Over the past few years, I am continuing to learn the best way (each year) to apply training stress to my body for performance gains with Ironman training/racing. Not too much, just enough is my ultimate goal to keep my body in good health.  I have found through higher intensity training and less volume, I receive greater training stress on a more consistent basis. My mind and body recover quickly and burnout is not even close to my mind. I'm in a really good place physically and mentally for IMWI and I am SO excited to race my 9th Ironman just 12 weeks after racing IM Austri...

When it comes to training for athletic events, there are many different approaches that athletes and coaches use to reach peak performance. When it comes to fueling the human body before, during and after training, there are many different approaches that sport dietitians use to support a body in motion. But when it comes to the mindsets of top athletes, there is not much that differs among those who know how to use their minds to reach top fitness and perform well on race day.  Top athletes are mentally strong. They know how to focus on the task at hand, they know how to overcome obstacles quickly and they know that it will be worth it.  Mental toughness is not reserved for the elite or pro athletes as it has very little to do with speed, pace, watts or finishing times in order to achieve it. Any athlete, of any fitness levels, has the opportunity to be mentally strong in training and racing.  Although I love showing off our beautiful cycling playgro...

We had 4 amazing, strong ladies in town this weekend (from Jax) so there was a lot of riding this weekend....but I will save that for another post because pancakes are on my mind right now (and in my tummy).  To summarize our weekend: 9000+ feet of climbing, 8+ hours of riding and 135+ miles of riding in just two days! Wow, thank you body!! As you can imagine, there was a lot of attention on sport nutrition, hydration and eating over the past 72 hours in order for our bodies to tolerate (survive) and adapt to the weekend training load.  After our workout on Saturday (73 mile bike for the group and for Karel, Jen Vogel and me, a 4 mile run), we all cleaned up, cooled off and started our refueling with recovery drinks. It's always fun to talk about training when it is over but the body deserves to refuel as soon as possible to ensure a healthy body for the next day of training.  To ensure that my friends (and Karel and me) would be well fueled after our Sun...

There are a few things that I can not train without on the bike, especially during Ironman training. Spending at least 7 hours (total) outside each weekend, sweating and training my body on the bike and running, means that I get a lot of sun exposure.  Now I have to thank my dad for my naturally dark skin, unlike my mom and my brother who are a bit on the pale side (thanks Dad!). However, even though I do not burn very easily, I never take advantage of my time in the sun and I always put on some type of sunscreen to protect my skin from UVA and UVB rays.  SUNSCREEN INFO  (specifically UVB and UVA, not discussing UVC)  UVB (B for burning) rays cause sunburns and cancer. UVB rays damage the skin's more superficial epidermal layers. UVA (A for aging) rays increase skin aging, suppression of immune system and can cause skin damage. UVA contributes to and may even initiate the development of skin cancers.  The American Cancer Society recommends...

Veggie Packed Soup (serves 2) 1 can of your favorite soup (or dried soup package) 1 cup noodles or whole grain of your choice 1/2 cup each (canned, rinsed and drained - chickpeas, black beans, white beans) Chopped cauliflower Sliced leeks Water Parlsey Cracked pepper 1. In large pot, combine 1 can soup + 1 can water. 2. Turn to medium heat and add noodles, beans, cauliflower and leeks.  3. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until all ingredients are soft and evenly cooked.  4. Stir in parsley and pepper to your taste. Enjoy! French Toast Pizza Serves 1 ( two of my favorites combined into one!) 2 slices favorite bread (we love rye and sourdough) 2 eggs (1 whole and 1 egg white) Marinara or tomato sauce Shredded cheese Fresh basil Olive oil 1. Scramble eggs together in shallow bowl. 2. In a large skillet, drizzle a little olive oil (about 1/2 - 1 tbsp) and turn to medium heat.  3. Soak bread on both sides in egg mixture.  4. Cook each sl...

Last Sunday I had a wonderful time "speaking" to some of the members of the  Strong & Focused triathlon club  with a Webinar on Race Day Fueling Tips.  In an effort to help as many triathletes out as possible to reach personal racing goals, I would like to share some helpful information with you.  First, I want to share a brief story.  IMFL Finisher 2006 Boston Marathon Finisher 2006 When I started endurance racing back in 2006 at the young age of 23, I had some knowledge of sport nutrition and training thanks to recently graduating with my Masters in Exercise Physiology. But I certainly did not know what I know now as sport nutrition science is always evolving.  Also, as a 8x Ironman finisher, I've learned that many times, experience in real world settings many times trumps science in a laboratory. So as I was training for my first Boston Marathon and first Ironman (IMFL), I had some understanding of how to fue...