Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Caitlin C. from Women's Health Magazine is continuing her journey of training for her first triathlon in 30 days. She is getting ready for the Iron Girl  Sandy Hook  sprint triathlon on Sept 8th and I have really enjoyed helping Caitlin prepare for this upcoming adventure.  In case you missed her previous posts, here are the links: Tri in 30 days Ace the run in a tri Strength Training For Triathlons Strength training moves for triathletes Since I LOVE helping athletes and fitness enthusiasts prepare for starting lines, I can't stress enough that training for any type of event (just like in life) takes time, commitment and an understanding that there will be many ups and downs and obstacles to overcome. The most important thing in any training journey is that you are enjoying seeing yourself make progress (in other words - you are making progress with your health, fitness and nutrition and not just checking off the miles). Caitlin C from Women's Health...

Wow - 45 days until the big day!! I'm so excited for my 3rd opportunity to race in the Ironman World Championship and I am incredibly grateful to my body for allowing me to have some awesome workouts so quickly after recovering from Ironman Lake Placid (IM #6).  Last week was very challenging but I allowed myself plenty of rest so that the weekly volume wasn't so high that my immune system, motivation and body would suffer.  Sunday was a mentally and physically tough workout thanks to Coach Karel for reminding me that you don't get very far without hard work....and you have to get faster before you go longer.  Saturday: AM 4 hour bike + 45 min run (average pace ~8:15-8:20 min/mile) (brick) Bike Main set:  4 x 30 min @ 10-15 watts higher than IM pace w/ 4 min EZ in between Nothing like a 2 hour and 16 minute main set to keep my mind focused.  Monday was a day off (+ hip/core work and stretching).  Tuesday: AM 1:45 bike (traine...

Source The human body is complex when it comes to metabolism but there is no reason why you can't make a complicated topic easy to understand. My classes in graduate school were overwhelming to say the least but I loved how much I was learning about the human body relating to exercise. Cardio physiology Adv Exercise phsyiology Lab methods Respiratory physiology A few of my favorite classes. Because now I divide my attention between working with athletes and fitness enthusiasts on training and coaching and seeing patients in the hospital, I feel my brain really gets a good understanding of the "healthy" body versus the body that is compromised. It is also overloaded at times which makes for great sleep when I can turn off my brain. When I am in the hospital, I learn a lot about the human body and I see a lot. I am amazed by what a sick body can do and I feel that makes me appreciate a body that is otherwise healthy and normal. I feel many people disrespect ...

When I started triathlons, I was rather obsessed. My life revolved around training morning and night. Twice a day, everyday. The training lifestyle was not too much different than my college life of swimming twice a day, 5 days a week and then a long workout on Saturday, day off Sunday. Although I had about a year of discovering triathlons after college in 2004, I welcome my new triathlon lifestyle when I was in graduate school as I loved having something to prepare for and look forward to every day, all day.  That passion, excitement and motivation has not gone away for if it did, I would not be doing triathlons now 7 years later. But instead, my approach to training has changed as I have discovered that triathlons is not my life, but instead my lifestyle. Life has presented many obstacles, highs and lows over the past few years and as much as I had my swim-bike-run routine to look forward to every single day, I had other commitments in life that required more of my att...

Over the past few years, I've really tried hard to not sweat the small stuff. I use to find it easy to be reactive but very hard to be proactive. In other words, I was always finding myself regretting my actions, getting upset at my mistakes and worrying about things out of my control. Not sure if I had not developed good skills yet for a balanced life or if I was just too busy (thanks to my education from 2000-2011) but I felt rushed in life and never in the moment to slow down and enjoy the minute. After many years of higher education with my Masters and RD credential, I realized that after all that time-consuming, life-changing hard work, it was time to stop letting life rush by. In order to develop positive thinking, I needed to develop positive actions. From diet to exercise to my every day life, I spent time every day discovering what was important to me to set myself up for a successful tomorrow. On my ride Friday morning, I was stopped by every stop light as I wa...

Ironman Lake Placid (2013) was the first time Karel and I shared an Ironman event together...on the same course. Talk about an emotional day for us both, me competing in my 6th Ironman with Karel on the sidelines for 4 of them (IMFL, IMKY, IMWI, KONA) and now sharing the same course together for his very first 140.6 mile event. I can't believe it was almost a month ago! My hubby is amazing in many ways and makes my life so much fun (even in the most stressful of times). But if there is one thing I can brag about Karel is that he is one hard worker. Not limited to athletics, instead of complaining about situations, he figures out how to survive with the best effort possible.   I loved watching Karel in cycling races (cat 1) and always loved to hear about the race afterward for cycling is the type of sport where you never know how the race will turn out until ever rider crosses the finish line.  Webster Roubaix  was one of those races that I remember...

Time for a TRIMARNI tip! It's late afternoon and your body is asking for a snack. Skip the diet coke or energy drink! Isn't it amazing that a calorie free, chemically-filled beverage can make you feel "full" and can help with headaches/nausea when your blood sugar is low? Kinda crazy how the food industry knows what you want and will find some way to put ingredients together in a factory in order to have it ready for you at the nearest grocery store or gas station. Too bad our media doesn't stress the importance of real food from farmers like it does for a 40+ billion dollar weight-focused industry.  As for real food, no problem to honor your hunger. One of my tips for proper snacking is to never watch the clock. If you listen to your body after working really hard to create a balanced diet that leaves you satisfied and happy, you can get your body into a rhythm as to when it will be receiving meals and how to snack appropriately. Our society ...