Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

It was nice not to feel rushed in the morning. We spent around an hour eating/working between 7-8am and then got ourselves ready to leave. We prepared everything the night prior (food, sport nutrition, gear, etc.) in addition to our hydration packs (2 each), which we kept cold in the fridge. We left around 8:20am and arrived to Pleasant Ridge (event venue) around 20 minutes later. I had a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter and jelly at home and then had a Chobani cherry flavored yogurt in the car. I sipped on water in the car and had another bottle of Skratch to sip on at the venue. Karel had oatmeal at home and ½ bagel w/ peanut butter in the car. Compared to Friday weather which was warm (70) and sunny, Saturday was much colder – in the upper 40’s. With a lot of outdoor riding in the cold, we both had an idea of what to wear, with most of gear removable (ex. leg covers, arm warmers, jacket, etc.). After we arrived, we set up our area in the “loop” section of the course. We us...

  On November 15th, Karel asked me if I wanted to ride his old mountain bike on the trails behind Furman University. After seeing how much fun Karel was having on his mountain bike, I thought it would be fun to try.  For my first ride, we ventured a few miles down the road. Karel taught me the basics of riding a mountain bike on very easy trails. There were no obstacles to overcome but instead, I learned how to move my weight, adjust the gears and go over curbs. It was a very fun and enlightening session.  A little over a month later (December 24th), I went for my first official mountain bike ride at Dupont State Forest. This ride was much more technical with rocks, roots, gravel, water crossings, climbs and descends. Karel took his time explaining line choices and helping me build my confidence going over more technical obstacles. We would stop and discuss the more challenging sections and although I would try, there were many obstacles that I could not get over. As the ...

  Over the past year, I've gone from elite triathlete to complete beginner.  In 2021, at the age of 39, I had one of my most successful seasons in 16 years of competitive long-distance triathlon racing.  IM 70.3 Chattanooga - 3rd overall female IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - 2nd overall female (missed first by 2 seconds) IM Lake Placid - 3rd overall female IM 70.3 World Championship - 11th age group Over the past 12 months, I've also trained for and raced in three new sports......gravel biking, trail running and mountain biking. Although my triathlon experience has given me tools to use for each of these new events, I had to remind myself that I was a beginner. Whereas in half and full distance triathlon racing, the experience is very familiar and routine for me, I was filled with curiosity with each new sport. The novelty of each event made it fun and exciting. But with each 'first time' I also knew that I would be learning a lot throughout the experience and the best race da...

  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 ...