Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  Lessons Learned from Cozumel Nothing says vacation like a warm tropical island with ocean views. I thought we were going to Cozumel to spectate our athletes at the Ironman and to train in a beautiful location but we left with so much gratitude and joy.  I've had the opportunity to travel to several countries and places around the world but the places that I enjoy the most are the ones that I visit for a race. When visiting an international destination for a triathlon or bike event, I get to see so much more than simply visiting for a vacation.  When we travel, we usually stay in Airbnb's. This allows us to have plenty of space, with a kitchen to prepare our own food. Because of this, we are required to shop at the local grocery store - which is always an interesting experience. And when it comes to cooking or meal prep, we are forced to use whatever kitchen gadgets are in our Airbnb. When we have a rental car, we must drive like the locals, learning the road signs, laws...

The human body functions the best at a stable temperature of around 97.7-98.6°F Thermoregulation is the maintenance of internal core body temperature by balancing heat generation with heat loss.  When I was participating in XTRI ICON in Livigno, Italy on September 1st, I experienced symptoms of hypothermia after the swim portion of the race. The air temperature was 32 degrees F and the water temperature was 52 degrees F. Although I had on a thermal swim cap, gloves and booties, my gloves filled up with water and I was forced to remove them. Spending almost an hour to cover 3.8K caused my body temperature to drop - I was losing heat faster than I could produce it. After I exited the water, I was shivering uncontrollably. The brain recognized that my body temperature had dropped and it made me shiver - producing heat through muscle activity. Thankfully, Karel and a few others athletes helped me out by getting me out of my wet clothes, putting on dry clothes (and lots of layer) and ma...

  I purchased my Ventum in 2018, a few weeks before participating in IMWI. I struggled to feel confident on my Trek tri bike and I instantly fell in love with the Ventum. It handled extremely well, like a road bike. I felt much more comfortable descending and in the wind. After winning my age group at IMWI, I have had many amazing race experiences with my Ventum. In 2019 I raced IM 70.3 Haines City, IM 70.3 Chattanooga, IM Whistler and the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. In 2020, despite a season of cancelled events due to COVID, I was able to participate in some different events, like a local TT, Olympic distance race and a 3-day, 340+ mile Xtreme triathlon from one coast of Florida to the other.  2021 was a breakthrough year for me. I really saw some huge gains in my cycling fitness. On race day, I saw speeds that I had never seen before and after leading (or near the top of) my age group in the swim, I was able to put together solid bike/run performances. After...

There's two things that go really well together - fall and trail running.  Over the past few years, I've fallen in love with running off road. I really enjoy being in nature, shutting off my mind and feeling myself getting stronger with every run. Although I still run on the road throughout the fall/winter/spring, I try to incorporate trail running into my weekly training routine. We have several great off-road options, from Dupont to Paris Mountain to the cross country trails around Furman University.  On Saturday, Karel and I participated in our first local trail run - the Paris Mountain 16K Trail race. It was a small event but we used it as a great training opportunity. Although we reconned the course last weekend, I missed a turn early in the race and ended up running .6 miles extra. I was upset about this as I wanted to push myself in the race so after I realized my mistake, I found myself needing to pass a lot of people on a technical section that required a lot of walki...

Bad food.  I'm not talking about moldy or spoiled produce but instead, foods that bring on intense anxiety or guilt.  In eating disorder treatment, "fear food" is the terminology used to identify foods that are avoided in the diet due to fear. The reason why a certain food (or food group) becomes forbidden can be developed for many reasons. These "bad" foods are typically associated with loss of control or weight gain. These foods are typically high in calories, fat, carbs or sugar. If you've ever been on a diet, you understand the use of food rules for a sense of control.  Whereas safe or "good" foods can be comfortably consumed anytime, forbidden foods bring on anxiety or distress and if consumed, may cause restriction, bingeing, purging or excessive exercising.  With the holiday season quickly approaching, this can be a difficult time if you are struggling with your relationship with food and/or your body. Different types (and excessive amounts)...

   It's been almost two months since I competed in XTRI ICON in Livigno, Italy. Here's a video that I made, capturing the highlights of the day.  It feels so long ago but the memories are still sharp in my mind. I really enjoyed writing my race recap and sharing my thoughts from the race. I thought it would be fun to share some of the behind the scenes details from my training, my gear and equipment, how I paced the event and Karel's role throughout my 16 hour race. Here's a video that we put together. Enjoy! 

  I'm still feeling the positive energy from this past weekend.  For the first time in the history, the biggest triathlon stage in Kailua-Kona hosted the first dedicated women’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race (the men's race was on September 10th in Nice, France). In a world where women are much less represented in sports media than men, the spotlight exclusively shined on female age group and professional triathletes for the entire Ironman World Championship coverage. And not suprising (because I know how strong and powerful female athletes can be), every athlete who entered the water at the women’s 2023 Ironman World Championship exited before the swim cutoff time and 97% of age-group women who started the race finished it! When I participated in my first Ironman World Championship in 2007 at the age of 25 years, the event had 1800 participants - and there were just under 500 women! In 2019, for my 5th Ironman World Championship, 663 females finished the race out of...