Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Sometimes it feels like life is moving very slowly. But today it feels like the last year rushed on by us.  One year ago today Karel received the heartbreaking news from his brother in Czech that his dad suddenly passed away from COVID. It was shocking news as it all happened so quickly. Like many people, we continue to mourn the loss of a loved family member and the separation of Karel's family on the other side of the Atlantic only adds to the grief and sadness. Coping with loss is difficult but this pandemic adds to the emotional hardship. Karel was not able to travel to Czech for the funeral service due to a country lockdown. No family hugs, sharing of memories or celebration of life. Instead, Karel and I watched the funeral online from our kitchen.  It's been said that exercise will not extinguish grief but it can help ease the grieving process.  Although Karel and his dad didn't have the same point of view on certain topics and issues, they both shared a very...

  As a long-distance triathlon coach, I realize that there will be a time when an athlete will no longer need my coaching services. When this time comes, my hope is that my athlete is not leaving the sport with resentment but instead, due to a new life chapter. It's also my hope that the athlete continues to swim, bike and run, even if it's not to be competitive or to participate in events. Far too often I hear of athletes leaving the sport of triathlon on bad terms. Instead of reflecting on all the great experiences, accomplishments and memories when moving on to the next chapter, the athlete sees triathlon as a waste of time/money/energy, the athlete sells all equipment/gear and family/friends are very bitter about how time/money/energy was spent over x-years/months on a "lifestyle" hobby.  As a collegiate swimmer, I experienced a bit of burnout before my senior year.  I didn't hate the sport of swimming but mentally I needed a change. I picked up cross country ...

  On Saturday morning we drove ~50 minutes to Clinton, SC for the recon group ride of the Gravel Battle Sumter Forest race. Southeast Gravel  puts on great events and as an added feature, many of the events include a free recon ride to preview the course.  There must have been over 60 cyclists attending this group ride, which eventually split into the long route (74 miles) and short route (44 miles). We rolled out at 10am and finished the ride just before 2:30pm. We ended up with 70 miles, 4 hours and 19 minutes (including regroup stops and a water refill) and around 3000 feet of elevation gain. I like this gravel course because it has a nice mix of pavement and gravel and the longest gravel section is around 8 miles. The gravel sections can get a bit dicey due to lots of holes so you need to keep yourself focused throughout the entire ride. There are a few gravel hills but they mostly come near the end (with a few spaced out throughout the route) but much of the rolling ...

For athletes experiencing an increase in training volume, granola makes for a delicious and nutritious energy-dense food to help with meeting carbohydrate and energy needs. Granola makes for a delicious topping to yogurt or to enjoy by the handful. In our recent newsletter, Joey shared her scrumptious granola recipe. After she shared it with me, I immediately replied "I need to make this!"  Homemade Granola By Joey Mock, RD, LD, CLT This is an easy to make and delicious homemade granola recipe. Grab a handful and eat it as it is for a snack or add it to cereal, yogurt/smoothies, or top a salad with it. Mix up the nuts/seeds and dried fruits for variety each time you make it. Ingredients 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 to 1 ½ cups raw nuts and/or seeds (pecans, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc) ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil ½ cup maple syrup or honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped ...

  I first heard about the concept of a "beginner's mind" from my long-time friend Gloria. Back in 2015, she wrote a blog about the "beginner" triathlete. She wrote about her first triathlon and shared the following: "I can recall those early race memories with a warm heart and excitement because I remember how excited I was to learn from every race, to be excited about the possibilities or being better or learning something new. I remember being the newbie triathlete and didn’t care about rankings or qualifying but only in asking myself “did I give my best effort and what did I learn?” and being content with that." Considering that I've been training for and racing long-distance triathlon events for nearly 16 years, I miss the moments of learning something new. Although I always keep an open mind and I am willing to try new things to help me improve, there's something incredibly special about doing something for the first time.  Over the past ...

Over the past decade, hundreds of athletes have come to me for help with daily nutrition, sport nutrition and training assistance. Most of these athletes have identified a specific limitation that is preventing them from optimizing performance, maintaining good health and/or advancing fitness in preparation for an athletic event. But I also hear statements like the following from athletes who are not comfortable with change.  "I eat good." "My workouts are good." Why be good when you can be great?  Last week we had our athlete Kaley in town for 2 days. Kaley traveled to us from the DC area and she is a developing triathlete athlete who is a super speedy swimmer and is very strong on the bike. However, she hasn't been able to master the bike/run combo to her potential so she made a trip to us to update her bike position on her tri and road bike and to work on bike handling skills. The first day of Kaley's trip was dedicated to Karel fitting her on two bikes (...

After several months of waiting, we finally received our 2022 Trimarni kits. We have a new company , new design and new colors. We weren't sure how it would all turn out but we could not be happier! Receiving a new training or race day kit is a special moment. As an athlete, you do incredible things with your body on a daily basis. And when it comes to race day, you are often doing what others think is impossible. Every time you get dressed to use your body for sport, you deserve to wear clothes that make you feel confident, empowered and happy. A great mood boost can come from wearing clothes that make you feel so proud of your active and healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, the long-awaited arrival of your new outfit may cause a mood drop - especially if you feel unhappy with your body image when trying on your new training or race day kit. When something doesn't fit right and you feel uncomfortable, it can mess with your head.  If you are an athlete, there is a good chance that...