Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  After receiving news from my mom that Karel was out of surgery and slowing waking up from his knock-me-out-cocktail, I felt a lot more at ease. The check-in process was very smooth and it felt much more normal and familiar (like pre-pandemic).  Around 3pm we made our way 1.8 miles to our rental home (Airbnb). Once we unloaded the car, I couldn't wait to Facetime with Karel. He was still super sleepy and out of it but it was nice to see him.  We chatted again about 90-minutes later as he was back at our home and a bit more alert (still on the drunk-side after being sedated for two hours). He received a nerve block which made his entire left arm numb and although it felt super weird, he said it was a relief to be pain-free for the first time since the fall on his right hand.  Around 5:30pm, we had our athletes over for our typical pre-race pizza party/course talk and it was so nice to see everyone. I ordered pizza from  Home Slice  and it was delish. They a...

  After fifteen years of endurance racing, I thought that we have experienced every possible type of setback. But this was a first. As you may have heard, Karel had a hard fall on his mountain bike on Tuesday May 18th, which happened to be five days before our scheduled event, IM 70.3 Chattanooga. Although Karel never broke a bone before, he instantly knew that something was seriously wrong with his hand. I will go into more details on his accident in a future blog post but for now, here's how the week went for us.  Tuesday late afternoon, around 5:20pm, I received a call from Karel but didn't answer it as I thought he was just driving home and I was finishing up my trainer bike + treadmill run workout. A few minutes later, I gave him a call and he was driving home - explaining to me that he needed me to take him to the hospital.  From ~6pm until 9:30pm we were in the ER waiting room (well Karel was, I had to wait outside due to COVID rules) and then from 9:30-10:30pm, Ka...

 The past 12+ months have caused a lot of uncertainty and instability, bringing on a lot of emotional distress. If you have had difficulty concentrating, experienced hopelessness or have felt anxious, nervous, frustrated or stressed out, you are not alone. And with an upcoming race on the schedule, you may find it difficult to get yourself into a place of positive thinking so that you can stay confident and focused under pressure. Instead, you may find yourself lacking self-belief due to irritational or distorted thinking.  To feel more optimistic and empowered, here are a few tips to help you get in a positive headspace before your upcoming event:  Avoid energy suckers - it's not easy to deal with negative people who suck the energy from you and leave you feeling discouraged, upset and drained. Because you can't completely shut everyone out of your life (ex. acquaintances, family, co-workers), it's important to set boundaries and minimize contact in the days leading up t...

  In late January, I was eligible to receive my first Covid-19 Vaccine from Pfizer. As a licensed dietitian in the state of South Carolina, I took advantage of the opportunity to be part of the solution of this serious pandemic. I was hesitant at first as I never get the flu shot, I never take antibiotics and I rarely ever take ibuprofen. I consider myself to be very healthy and I feel that my immune system is very strong. But putting my trust into science and into people in the medical field, I realized quickly that the vaccine wasn't just about me - it was about helping to stop the spread of COVID-19. In other words, being vaccinated wasn't about my health but how my health would impact the health of others. On January 27th I received my first vaccine and on Feb 22nd I received my second dose.  Karel wasn't eligible until late March and he had no hesitations or worries about receiving the vaccine. He joked that he grew up in a communist country so who knows what "med...

I can't believe that we are rolling into another race week. It's been great to have something to look forward to and to keep the enthusiasm for training alive, week after week.  This season has been a bit unconventional for us as it relates to training. Although the pandemic was such a stressful and difficult time in our lives, it also provided us with an opportunity to step away from structured swimbikerun training. We took advantage of the opportunity and have kept our souls happy with swimming, biking and running, but just in different ways than in the past. With no goals to chase at races, we are so happy to still feel a spark for triathlon training and racing, especially after such a challenging past year.  After our loooong drive home on Sunday after our Xterra race weekend ( off-road tri for Karel and trail run for me ), I needed a lot of sleep. I had no plans to workout on Monday as I had a lot of work and consults to check off my to-do list. With no intention on work...