Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

                                                       2010 Ironman Wisconsin Finisher! When I started training for my first Ironman, I was really obsessed with volume. I felt that with every workout, the more miles/hours that I could accumulate, the more prepared I would be (IMFL '07). While I had a great day of racing and loved the entire race day experience, this mindset didn't serve me well in my second season of long distance triathlon racing. I got injured just before the Ironman World Championship - my very first IM Kona. Over the next six years, I made a lot of mistakes with my training. I was still able to race but I was always frustrated that I couldn't stay consistent with training. My body never felt strong enough to handle the volume and intensity of training that I felt I should be doing to improve as an Ironman triathlete. It wa...

One of my favorite parts about nearing the end of an Ironman journey is reflecting on all of the past training sessions that occurred over the past year. Even more so, I like to think back to all of my previous Ironman events to remember why I love the 140.6 mile distance. I have 13 Ironman experiences to reflect on and each one came with highs and lows while getting myself to the start and finish line. There's something so special about the process of mentally and physically preparing for this extreme one-day event. While it may seem like an arduous task, I think of it like any other project in life that requires patience, trust, commitment, consistency and flexibility. I also feel strongly that the Ironman distance is an event to be taken very seriously for it takes a huge toll on the body and mind. While there's a big commitment to the training, I never feel like training takes over my life. If anything, I really enjoy the training for it provides me just enough of a re...

Far too many athletes are abusing and excessively relying on pain relieving/anti-inflammatory medications (ex. buprofen and Naproxen) before or after exercise to reduce muscle soreness, aches, pains and niggles. What's even worse is hearing the many stories of athletes using NSAID's to get through a workout or race! T hese drugs aren’t without serious side-effects. Overuse can cause a delay in musculoskeletal tissue repair and bone healing. NSAIDs can also damage your digestive tract, liver and kidneys. Other adverse effects are ulcers and internal bleeding. Keeping in mind that inflammation  is a normal and necessary adaptation to training (it's also your body’s protective response to injury or infection), it's to your performance and health advantage to explore a safer way to reduce pains, niggles and soreness.    Instead of popping a pill, consider the skin as an effective organ to absorb nutrients. Since the skin is being used more frequently as a means ...

Since my first Ironman in 2006, I've developed a strong connection to my body. Rather than seeing it for what it looks like, I constantly thank my body for what it allows me to do. While it's not easy in a body-image obsessed society, Karel and I spend no time discussing body image in our house. We don't weigh ourselves so we couldn't tell you what our "race weight" was at any of our past races.  There's no dieting, restrictive eating, watching what we eat or cheat meals. I'd say that our house is a very good place if you'd like to eat where there are no food rules, off-limit foods or controversial food discussions. While our dedication to sport, love for an active lifestyle and enjoyment for wholesome eating greatly influences the way we look, we have never fallen victim to the idea of "competitive leanness"  - that the leaner we are, the more competitive (or faster) we will be in sport. We've never tried to change the way that ...

I can't believe that in less than 3 weeks, I get to start my 14th Ironman. I am incredibly grateful to my body and mind for letting me train so hard for such an extreme endurance event. I've come to the conclusion that it takes my body time throughout the season to peak. Now is that time. I feel strong, healthy and confident for Ironman Wisconsin and I plan to use my experience, Ironman racing "lessons" and enjoyment for this sport to help me race at my best for 140.6 miles. And whenever I'm having a low moment (which I am sure there will be many!) I'll just look for one of our 14 athletes who I get to share the course with. It took me a few days to mentally and physically recover from our 4.5 day training camp. While it's physically exhausting to keep up with 20 campers, it's even more so mentally exhausting to be so alert, attentive and aware of everyone during each workout (especially on the bike). I felt completely empty for a good 48 hours ...

A training camp sounds like an awesome experience....and it is!! But it's important to consider the purpose of your training camp in the context of your season so you benefit positively from the camp training. At our recent Trimarni advanced endurance camp in Greenville, the majority of our campers were training for an Ironman event in the next 4-8 weeks. With months of accumulated training behind them and a lot of resilience and strength, we gently overloaded them with intensity and duration but nothing that would risk injury, burnout, sickness or a health issue. We carefully stretched comfort zones but strictly enforced proper nutrition before and after every workout, sport nutrition usage during all workouts and adequate rest and recovery between sessions. Each workout was planned with the mentality that we will challenge but not break our athletes. We had no issues occur at camp in terms of injury, GI issues or bonking and many of our campers felt stronger as the camp went on...

As a former high school and college competitive swimmer, I had the unique experience of participating in an individual sport that often felt like a team sport. In the sport of swimming, although athletic development is made individually, there comes a point in every swimmers athletic journey when you want to train for something more than yourself. I would always show up to practice with a couple dozen of my teammates. We would laugh together, support one another, eat together and make memories together. These were my people - they "got me." While I always enjoyed training to improve my personal best times and to race the clock, I never felt like I was alone in the lane during a swim meet. In practice, I was always pushed by my teammates to be a better athlete.  When I was having an off day, I was proud of a lane-mate who was feeling strong that day. And at meets, as soon as I was finished racing in my event, I couldn't wait to cheer on a teammate.  After graduating...