Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

A few weeks ago I was contacted by  Smack Media  to see if I would be interested in trying some free products from  Perfect Fitness  in return for a free product review.  I browsed the website and came across the Perfect Cooling Towel.  With the hot and humid summer temps in Greenville and training for an October Ironman, anything to keep me "cool" sounded appealing.  I received the Perfect Cooling Towel  and followed the instructions to completely soak the towel and then wring excess water.  The towel is like a soft chamois when soft (like a board when dry), similar to what divers use when they exit the water after a dive. I remember using towels of this texture when I was swimming competitively in high school between events.  Although  reviews  for cooling towels have not supported the hype, I wanted to provide my unbiased feedback on the cooling towel from an endurance triathlete perspective.  After...

I can't believe that it was just one year ago yesterday, that Karel and I raced Ironman Wisconsin and we each earned our ticket to Kona. We spent a year training and racing with this one race in mind and we were both able to execute when it mattered the most..... On the same course and on the same day. Same age group placing. One hour apart from each other, to the minute.  Karel: 9:44, 3rd AG (35-39), 9th overall male amateur. Marni: 10:44, 3rd AG (30-34), 6th overall female amateur.  With exactly 30 days until the 2015 Ironman World Championship, we are about to close this chapter of our life by crossing the same 140.6 mile finish line in Kona.  But you see, this triathlon lifestyle that we share hasn't always been this way. Nine years ago when Karel and I were set-up on a blind-date (we met before a group ride - dressed in athletic gear), Karel was a cyclist. Quickly after we met in May 2006, Karel upgraded to Cat 1 and raced well at this  level. ...

It may seem like common sense to resist trying/buying food on a whim at your race venue, to write down your thoughts on a piece of paper for a better night sleep in the 48 hours before your race or to remove yourself from energy suckers on race week but you'd be surprised how many athletes become someone else on race week......especially when this anxious and nervous athlete arrives to the race venue and begins to doubt their own fitness and preparation.  I see it and I hear about it all the time - the athlete who has a fine-tuned race and nutrition plan and then changes everything on race day for no good reason other than "Someone else suggested that I should do this instead" or "I don't know what I was thinking." It is important that you not only have a plan when it comes to minimizing pre-race jitters, anxieties and nerves but that you trust your plan. With self-doubt that your plan may fail on race day, you may find yourself "trusting...

We have approached the "less than 5 week" countdown until Kona!!!  After we returned from Boulder, I mentioned that  I was overly exhausted  after our 9-day train-cation in Boulder. After taking several days to recover, I was able to get back to my planned training but I did have to make some modifications.  With so much climbing and hard efforts in Boulder, I came back with a body that was not very happy. Nothing new to me with many years of back issues but with less than 6 weeks left until Kona (at the time), I did not want to take any chances for a tight back to turn into a back injury to turn into a hip injury (which I have had much experience with in the past - 6+ years to be exact from 2007-2013). My right scapula was so tight/inflamed that I was barely able to swim last week. Additionally, because of the tightness in my upper back, it was tugging on my lower back and hip area and my right leg felt very weak (again, nothing new to me from past hip ...

There are two things that I love about Friday night cooking - creating a delicious meal to fuel the weekend workouts and having delicious leftovers.  Last Friday I made this delicious eggplant lasagna. No recipe, just a bunch of delicious foods in the refrigerator for me to use.  Plus, Karel and I had just shopped at the Tomato Vine early that day, so we had lot of local, fresh produce to use.  With two endurance triathletes in our household, a lot of food needs to be in our house to keep us well fueled and happy. We shop a lot, we cook a lot, a lot of dishes get washed, we eat a lot and we yum a lot.  The weekends are often hard for endurance athletes when it comes to meal prep and planning. Endurance athletes have every reason to feel too exhausted to prep and cook food but that is no excuse not to do it. If you want your body to perform and stay in good health, you have to nourish it on a daily basis - especially on the weekends when ...

After a few years of working as a clinical RD (PRN) while also working as a registered and licensed dietitian specializing in sport nutrition, I was finally eligible to apply and take the Board Certification exam in Sport Nutrition from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. With two application and exam window periods available every year, I applied to take my exam back in February 2015 and spent all of the spring and early summer studying to take my exam in the late June 2015 testing window. This has been a big goal of mine for several years.  I'm a big believer in higher education and I enjoy advancing my knowledge in specialty areas. Certifications and advanced degrees also force me to stay educated in my specific areas of practice.  The CSSD (or Board Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics) focuses on fueling athletic performances. Unlike other nutrition certifications, the CSSD is a highly credible specialty certification.  ...

If you want to conquer yourself and reach your goals, you have to believe in yourself. It’s human nature to enjoy doing things that you do well in and enjoy the most and to put off things that are uncomfortable or difficult.  Don’t be afraid to fail when trying something new. Many people resist making changes because it is uncomfortable to change. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. If you believe in yourself and your own ability to be successful, you will put yourself into a position to be eligible to reach your goals. Beliefs drive behaviors. If you believe in yourself and your abilities, you will succeed. If all an athlete had to do was to follow his/her training plan to be successful, “coaching” would be an easy job. One of the most important, yet overlooked, areas of fostering performance gains is the mental side of training. Many athletes let their mind get in the way of the body. As a goal-driven, hard-working and dedicated athlete, it’...