Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

For most of us, stress and food go hand in hand. It's been a crazy day. On impulse, you grab a chocolate bar, a box of cookies or a bag of chips. You only plan to take just a few bites. And before you know it, well.....you know what happens next. We have all been there. Stress and food cravings In the short term, stress can shut down appetite. For a lot of people, there’s a lack of appetite during stressful situations. Within the brain, the hypothalamus releases a hormone, which suppresses appetite. The brain also sends messages to the adrenal glands (sitting on top of the kidneys) to pump out the hormone epinephrine (you may know it as adrenaline). Epinephrine helps trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, a hyped-up physiological state that temporarily puts your appetite on do-not-disturb. All of this is very normal. An example that comes to mind is race day morning. I’ve worked with many athletes who struggle to take even a small bite of a piece of toast in the ...

Remember when you were complaining about the cold weather? Hello summer heat! The body has many mechanisms to help adapt to a range of environmental conditions. Heat acclimatization plays a major role in the body’s physical responses and overall ability to perform the heat. What is heat acclimatization?  Heat acclimatization (or acclimation) involves biological adaptations that reduce physiological strain (ex. heart rate and body temperature), improve comfort, improve exercise capacity and reduce the risks of serious heat illness during exposure to heat stress. Heat acclimatization can occur in a hot and dry environment as well as a hot and humid environment. Acclimatization varies person to person and also depends on the volume of exercise, the intensity of exercise, hydration status and fitness level. Trained athletes and those with less body surface area will generally (but not always) have more physical advantages to tolerating the heat compared to the untrained or t...

Acclimatization Complete heat acclimatization requires up to 14 days but the systems of the body adapt at varying rates. Be mindful that every time you train in the heat, you gain more tolerance to the heat. In other words, you do not need to make an effort to train in the hottest time of the day acclimate to the heat. Continue to build fitness in a temperature controlled environment, alongside training in the heat (you don't need to be outside in the heat for every workout). There's no point suffering in the heat if you are unable to complete a workout and stay consistent with your training. Sometimes you just need to stay indoors. Change in physiology It is very important to lower the intensity during the first 1-2 weeks of training in the heat (ex. early summer) as your body is trying to improve control of cardio functioning. Be mindful that acclimatization will require you to reduce your effort/intensity so be OK with seeing slower paces/watts in the first few ...

Lodging If you are planning a cycling-focused train-cation in Greenville, SC, there are a few options for lodging. You can always go the VRBO/Airbnb route or book a hotel but there are a few other options to make your stay feel more like home. Swamp Rabbit Inn TR  (Traveler's Rest) - closer to the mountains/bike-friendly routes Swamp Rabbit Inn Greenville (downtown) - walking distance to our award-winning downtown The Bike Barn  (close to Furman University and the Swamp Rabbit Trail) Swamp Rabbit Trail  The SRT connects downton Greenville to downtown Traveler's Rest. With over 20 miles of paved road, you can run, bike or walk on our heavilyused trail. If you are close to downtown, be sure to stop at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and grocery for a delicious treat or Stecca bread. Falls Park  Our picture-worthy downtown has everything you would want in a downtown. Small businesses, farm-to-table restaurants, a park, waterfall, a scenic bridge and so much more. L...

What you need to know before climbing the Watershed  Note: Within the watershed, there are two routes. At the divide, you can go toward Saluda (right) or Hendersonville (stay straight). Distance:  Starting from Callahan Mountain road, the first section to the divide is 4.14 miles. Toward Hendersonville, it's another ~2.89 miles until the top of the climb (~6.45 miles total). Toward Saluda, it's another 2.6 miles to the top of the climb (~6.13 miles). The top of either climb takes you into NC. Elevation gain:  Toward Hendersonville, you start at 1208 feet and finish at 2274 feet (1049 feet elevation gain). Toward Saluda, you start at 1208 feet and finish at 2114 feet (897 feet elevation gain) Grade:  According to my Garmin, the average grade heading toward Hendersonville is 3%. The average grade heading toward Saluda is 2.8%. There are some short segments around 4-6% but there's nothing steep. I feel the Hendersonville climb is a little more pitchy compar...

What you need to know before climbing the Green River Cove Loop  Note: The Green River Cove loop has a little bit of everything. This 20-mile loop includes descending, 3 very steep short climbs, a scenic flat section and a 2.3 mile climb with over 17 switchbacks. Because there is a lot going on in this loop, I'll break it down into three specific sections: The beginning, middle and end. Distance:  Starting from the gas station on Holbert Cove Drive (by hwy 26), the beginning section is 9.57 miles (left on Silver Creek Road - your first stop sign to the church. You then make a left on Green River Cove Rd). The middle section (starting at the church) is 8.3 miles. The end section (the actual climb with at least 17 tight switchbacks) is 2.29 miles. And then back to the gas station is about 1.7 miles. Elevation gain:  Since this is a loop, you start and finish at the same elevation (2010 feet). For the actual climb at the end, the elevation gain is 904 feet (in 2.29 ...

What you need to know before climbing Saluda Grade Distance:  Starting from the gas station at 176, the climb to Saluda is 7.67 miles. However, the first few miles are fairly flat. The actual climbing guesstimate is around 3.88 miles. Elevation gain:  Start at 974 feet and finish at 2118 feet (total gain = 1537 feet). Grade:  According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~2% with most of the climb averaging around 4-5%. It's a steady climb with a few sections where the grade kicks up a bit. There are some more demanding segments that are around 6-9% but there is nothing crazy steep on this climb. Road condition:  The road condition is excellent. It's very smooth. This is a treat compared to our bumpy roads in SC (this climb is in NC). Scenery:  This is a very scenic climb. With a rock wall and trees on your right and a river flowing below the trees on you on the left, you can't help but feel at peace during this climb. You are literally tucked into ...