Thank You - 18 years of taking risks

The Trimarni coaching and nutrition business became official on January 2nd, 2012.

After receiving my Master of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from FAU (Davie campus) in December of 2005, I had no money and was living with my parents in New Port Richey Florida. Karel and I met on a blind date (by a mutal friend/training partner) on May 31st, 2006 (my 24th birthday). Karel was working at Gearlink - one of the first online cycling retail stores - and participating in bike races when he had the time. I was working as the wellness director of a YMCA and training for my first Ironman. In 2008, I decided to go back to school to earn my RD credential. Karel was offered a job at the Trek Concept store in Jacksonville, FL and it felt like we had won the lottery. Karel was making ~$29,000 a year. Sadly, much of Karel's salary was used to help us through a lengthy and very expensive immigration process so that Karel could get his green card and to support my advanced schooling. For the next 3 years, the road to becoming a dietitian was a lot of work (and money - which we also borrowed and repaid to my parents) but in June 2011 I was finally able to call myself a Registered Dietitian.

Finally, in 2012, Karel received his long-awaited Green Card and for the first time in 12 years, he was able to travel home to see his hometown and family. And I got to go with him for my first trip to Czech.

For three years, I was was working PRN as a clinical dietitian at Baptist Medical Center Beaches. I was coaching a few athletes and as a newly credentialed RD, I was starting to expand my personalized nutrition services. I received a little extra money from various magazines and websites for writing articles but most of my "work" was free. I did a lot of public speaking and writing. We were living paycheck to paycheck and it was a very stressful time for us financially.

In the fall of 2013, Karel was placed in a difficult scenario. With a change in upper management at the Trek corporation, his 6-year position as the GM of two Trek concept stores in Jacksonville, FL was in jeapordy. If he kept his job, he would be under new management and no longer working for his exceptional boss and good friend Jeff Kopp.

With all the changes at Trek, it felt like the right time to take a big scary risk. Karel was 36 years old and I was 30 years old. Karel quit his job (which brought us to Jacksonville, FL in 2008) and began working for himself and Trimarni. He bought the RETUL bike fit system from his boss Jeff and with an exceptional bike mechanic reputation in and around Jacksonville, FL, Karel was able to hustle for a few months as I continued to work PRN as a clinical dietitian, coach a handful of triathletes and provide local nutrition consults.

With nothing keeping us in Jacksonville, we desired a new place to call home. We heard about Greenville, SC from a Trek Travel rep and coincidentally, I was working with a nutrition athlete who lived in Greenville, SC. In January 2014, we took the 5.5+ hour trip to Greenville to check out the area for 2 days. It was a cold and dreary weekend but we quickly fell in love with the European vibe of the downtown. And we felt a sense of calm when we saw the mountains while enjoying our morning coffee. It was the only place that we visited in our "search" for a new place to call home. Greenville felt right.

By mid March 2014, we were convinced that Greenville was the right place for us. In April we made it official by traveling back up to Greenville for 24-hours to sign the lease on a rental home. This rental house was in the upper range for our monthly housing budget. We were taking a huge risk. We moved to Greenville in May 2014. A few weeks later and 3 days before my 32nd birthday, my dad passed away from a 10-month fight with cancer. For the next few years, Karel would travel back to Jacksonville every month or two with the RETUL equipment for bike fits. Because we didn't have a reputation in Greenville, he needed to rely on those who trusted and appreciated his knowledge and experience.

This May we will celebrate 10 years of living in Greenville. Ten years ago we made the scary decision to leave everything that we felt was stable in our lives - jobs, friends, routine.

Karel and I always make sure to take time to reflect on the past. We do this regularly as we never want to take for granted anything that we have worked so hard for. We have been faced with insurmountable challenges. Loss of our fathers, loss of loved ones, loss of pets. Immigration setbacks. Financial struggles. Fear of the unknown as small business owners.

And this doesn't include the agonizing years when Karel was working 2 or 3 jobs a day to pursue his American dream. Speaking very little English and leaving Czech in 2000 with only a backpack and a small amount of cash, Karel did the unthinkable. He didn't tell anyone (not even his parents) that he would not be taking his return ticket after a "a short trip to the US." He was willing to do anything to pursue his American dream. He left everything to start with nothing. To be offered a real job at the Trek Concept store in 2008 meant so much to us as it felt like Karel finally made it in America.

We've always kept our hopes and dreams small and realistic in every stage of our life. Even when the obstacles and challenges that stood in our way were unconquerable, we never gave up.

In May this year, Karel and I will have been together for 18 years. To get to where we are right now in our life, we've never been complacent. Cambridge English Dictionary defines complacency as 'feeling so satisfied with your own ability and situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder.'

Whereas we spent much of our life working hard because we had to, our current hustle is now because we get to. We get to help others through coaching, bike fits, nutrition consults, group and private camps and so much more, because it's what motivates us, energizes us and sparks our passion for life.

Taking risks is an important part of living a full and meaningful life.

Karel took a risk coming to America in 2000 to pursue the American dream.
We took a risk when Karel left his stable job to help me grow the Trimarni business.
It was risky to move to Greenville after we had an established network of friends and connections in Florida.

Although taking risks comes with a lot of unknowns, doubts and failed attemps, taking a leap of faith and following a dream is necessary to open life to new opportunities.

Over the past two years, we have gradually transitioned away from conventional long distance triathlon racing (after a combined 35 Ironman distance triathlons) in an effort to explore new challenges, travel internationally and to find new adventures. I suppose the risks that we took early on have helped us develop the resliency needed to step out of our comfort zone while seeking (and embracing) discomfort.

Last year we completed the 7-day Haute Route Alps (cycling event). This year, Karel participated in two off-road cycling events - the 5-stage Oregon Gravel Grinder and the 6-stage Breck Epic mountain bike event. I participated in two XTRI events (Canadaman and Icon) and at ICON (Livigno, Italy) I qualified for the 2024 XTRI World Championship Norseman. Karel will be making his attempt at XTRI in 2024. In 2023, we participated in over 14 events (each) including off-road triathlons, gravel biking, mountain biking and trail running.

Life is short. Don't settle for a life that's les than one you are capable of living.

As we begin a New Year, I want to send a huge thank you for your continued support of our small business. Karel and I don't take it for granted. Your loyalty is greatly appreciated. Regardless if you are new to Trimarni or you've been with me/us since the beginning, Karel and I are incredibly grateful for your support.

Live a more courageous life

On Sunday (January 8th), Facebook shared this memory of Campy from 2014. Not only was Campy just a young pup at six years old but this was a very important moment in our life - it was our first trip to Greenville, SC. We were living in Jacksonville, FL and after six years, we were ready for a change. Although there was nothing forcing us to move, we felt like there was more to life for us and it wasn't in Florida. 

It was extremely risky to move from Florida to South Carolina. This was a big change and nearly everything that we would be experiencing would be new for both of us. 

Thankfully, Greenville, SC. has been the perfect place for us to grow our business and to live an active and healthy lifestyle. 

For much of my life, I hated change. I feared failure and I did not like stepping out of my comfort zone. Karel has helped me become much more courageous. With Karel leading the way in most of our adventures, it has forced me to understand (and work through) that paralyzing moment of anxiety, stress and worry. Because fear has the power of stopping us from making the most out of opportunities, I realized (with time) that being courageous means making the choice to get more out of my one and only life. 

Prior to moving to Greenville, SC we knew our move wouldn't be easy and smooth but we also thought about the things that were important to us - and that helped us act in spite of the fear of giving up the familiar. 

Since moving to Greenville, SC. I have found myself doing a lot of new things - I've really strengthened my courage muscle - and it's not without tears, worry and struggles. But each time I stretch or step out of my comfort zone, I find myself getting more excited about life. I no longer fear failure and that has allowed me to grow as a human being. 

The memory of our first trip to Greenville on January 8th, 2014 could not have come at a better time. 

On Saturday, it was nearly 30-degrees and we were getting ready for the 10am Greenville Winter Bike League weekly ride. The old me wouldn't have even considered the thought of riding outside but the new me likes to put myself into uncomfortable situations. Unfortunately, I didn't feel strong on the ride and it was a real struggle for me but I showed up and gave it my best effort. I finished the ride feeling accomplished (and even went out for a 20-min run off the bike!). 

It’s easy to avoid things that feel hard, uncomfortable and overwhelming. It’s normal to have an expectation that we should be in the mood to do something and that it will be comfortable, fun and pleasurable.

But this mindset means we teach ourselves that we can’t do hard things.

I love putting myself into challenging, uncertain, uncomfortable and difficult situations.

For many years, I was scared of failure. But I learned that I was robbing myself of great opportunities and meaningful experiences by shying away from difficulty.

Do the things that make you feel uncomfortable. 
Try to live a more courageous life. 
Learning to be comfortable with discomfort is an important skill to living a truly fulfilling life.

Gravel riding in Walhalla, SC

Back in March, I crashed twice within two weeks while riding my gravel bike - the first in a race and the second in a training ride. Both falls left me with a good amount of road rash. Thankfully, nothing was broken and after both crashes, I got back up and kept on riding.

A comeback is defined as a return to a previous state. On Saturday, Karel took me to Walhalla, which was my first real gravel ride since March. It was my courageous comeback.

I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never been to this area. Karel had ridden there twice (once on a group ride and once by himself) and he thought it would be the perfect place for my first real gravel ride since March. I say "real" because I have been on my gravel bike a few times (mostly on the paved road) over the past 7 months. He felt like this would be a good area for me to ride because it was scenic and the route was not extremely technical. 

It took about 50-minutes to drive to Walhalla and we parked at an elementary school just outside of downtown. Before we left, I downloaded the long-route into my computer from the Southeast Gravel Series website (although we weren't sure how long we would actually ride). It was a dreary, cold morning so riding off-road was the perfect idea for our Saturday. Although I find the trainer beneficial, I really look forward to riding "long" outside on the weekend (especially in a group) and try to keep myself outside on Sat/Sun throughout the winter months (luckily for us it doesn't get too wintery here between Dec-March). 

When we started the ride, we almost immediately started climbing on the road. We then had a few miles of unpaved road, which was a nicely packed section of gravel. Thankfully the off-road conditions were great for our ride. We then had seven or so miles of road with great scenery around us. Throughout the entire ride, I couldn't help but think that we went back in time and we were in another country. I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the area was! 

Karel told me in advance that while the gravel was "easy" there would be a lot of climbing on this route. And he was right. We were only 15 miles (1 hour) into our ride and we started a 3-mile climb from the lake, up a winding, switchback-type gravel road with a stream and a waterfall. I had never been on anything off road like this and it was so beautiful!

The climb took me about 28 minutes (and had around 1000 feet of elevation gain). But that wasn't it. Once we turned off the gravel, we had another 4.3 miles of climbing on the road. I sat on Karel's wheel for this section and it took us around 24 minutes (~780 feet of climbing). In total (gravel and road) it was almost an hour of climbing for 7.3 miles. I was sad that there wasn't a view at the top before we turned off road again but Karel decided to extend on climb a little more and we were greeted with a beautiful scenic stop at the top. 

The next 9.72 miles were mostly descending but there were a few rollers to mix things up. This section was all on gravel but nothing was loose or technical until the end (more loose rocks). I found myself feeling more confident in this section although I wasn't taking any risks and certainly rode a bit more safe just to be extra careful. Karel would sometimes slow down for me just to check on me on the steeper downhill gravel sections. 

There was a nice section of riding on the road and it felt like we were in the gaps of GA. That's the nice thing about gravel riding - you can take the bike anywhere, on and off the road. We then had a few more sections of gravel before we decided to modify the course and head back. We rode by old houses and fields and we were surrounded by nature. The leaves were falling and despite the cold dreary day, we had the perfect fall backdrop. 

In total we did 50 miles in just under 4 hours (3:51, 13.2 mph) and accumulated almost 5000 feet of elevation gain. It was a great route and I absolutely want to go back.

Reflecting on the ride, I am reminded of how we all face setbacks and have the choice on how we will respond and move forward. The most important part of my comeback was removing any negative or scary thoughts of crashing from my head. Interestingly, I never felt scared during all 50 miles of our ride.

We have all been there. We've all had a setback. Something doesn't go as planned. It can make you feel like you are stuck and not making any progress. A setback can make you feel like you are a failure. It can make you want to give up.

But you must learn from your experiences and make a comeback. When something doesn't go your way, look at it as an opportunity to prove to yourself that you can overcome anything that comes your way.

If you don't try again, you'll never get better.
Getting knocked down is really a step forward.
A setback is nothing but a setup for a comeback.

My first gravel ride.

 

Over the past few weeks, Karel has been spending a good amount of time on his Ventum gravel bike. Although Karel has several bikes in his collection, this may be his new favorite. 

Although I've never been off the road on a bike (well - just once on a MTB several years ago but I wouldn't call it a real ride), Karel wanted to share gravel biking with me. Seeing that my bike handling skills have greatly improved since moving from Florida to Greenville, SC. I figured it was time to get into nature and explore a different style of riding. 

Instead of investing in another bike, Karel did a bit of research and Macgyvered my Ventum NS1 into a gravel bike (it can be quickly converted from road bike to gravel bike). 

Here are the specs: 
NS1 - XS (size 50)
650b wheels.
Front tire: Maxxistires Rambler 27.5 x 1.5.
Rear wheel: Continental tire Terra Speed 27.5 x 1.35 (650b x 35).
Gearing: 36x52 front and 11-34 rear.
Pedals: Look Quartz MTB.
Shoes: Bont riot+ MTB.

For several days, I was really looking forward to my first gravel ride on Monday morning. Not surprisingly, Karel didn't take it easy on me. We drove ~30 minutes north and parked near Cedar Springs Baptist Church in Zirconia, NC. It was a chilly 30-something degrees when we started the ride around 11am. 

Since I am used to riding my road bike, the MTB pedals, shoes and wheels/tires were the only "new" things to get used to - and it was a quick adjustment. We biked a few miles on the road before the pavement ended and I had my first taste of riding on gravel. I immediately loved being tucked inside nature. Karel told me that we would be going on a "hike" today but on our bikes. That's just what it felt like - although a lot faster than hiking and at times, a bit more of an endorphin rush. 

Karel led the way since he knew the route and gave me a few pointers along the way. Since this was all very new to me, it was nice to start on terrain that was more like hard-packed clay (and not too technical) to get started. Plus, we started steadily climbing once we hit the gravel so it was easy to feel in control of the bike. And I had no trouble with Karel's gravel "set-up" for my road bike. It handled really well on our route. 

But then the packed clay-like terrain turned into a thin layer of snow. I stayed calm and started to really enjoy this off-road style of riding. And then we started climbing and climbing and climbing. And then we descended. After the first half of the ride, I started to get the hang of things and found myself being a little more adventurous (versus tentative when I started). I didn't want to ride overly confident as there were some sketchy sections of snow, ice and mud. 

As I mentioned earlier, Karel didn't take it easy on me. He gave me snow, ice, mud, dirt, gravel, rocks, switchbacks, climbs, descends, stones, holes, wooden bridges and leaves. I had a bit of everything for nearly 2.5 hours and 28 miles. We also accumulated over 2400 feet of elevation during the ride. 

Not only did I finish in one piece (without a fall) but I had a really great time. I found myself getting a little worried at times but I quickly shut those thoughts out and tried to stay confident and in control. I learned a lot in this one ride and I can't wait to do it again. Karel was a great tour guide and I appreciate his patience....as I know he could have bombed those descents much faster than my casual pace down the hills. 

Trimarni 3-day Endurance camp recap

After wrapping up our 3-day advanced camp on Wednesday late afternoon, we were excited to welcome our next set of campers for the 3-day endurance camp. There was even some overlap at the Swamp Rabbit Inn so that the endurance campers could see the exhaustion - I mean excitement - on their faces as they enjoyed 4 Sidewall Pizzas as a "gift" from Karel and me. 

As for the endurance camp, this group was no less dedicated or determined compared to the advanced group. All seven athletes were prepared to put in some solid work, try new skills and stretch the comfort zone. We had a similar camp structure to the advanced camp with only a few modifications. 

Thursday
AM: 60 min pool swim 
Late morning: 2:30 bike workout followed by a 30 minute run. 

Friday
AM: 70 minute open water swim workout followed by a 60 minute hilly run workout
PM: 2-hour ride

Saturday
2:20-hour bike ride (with a 4.5 mile climb/descend) followed by a 80-min run workout. 

In total, our endurance campers completed just over 2 hours of swimming, almost 7 hours of cycling and almost 3 hours of running. This came out to around 12 hours of training in less than 72 hours. 

The ride/run/swim locations were similar to the advanced camp except for Friday - the PM ride was more skill focused and less hilly than the advanced camp.

With so much to gain at a training camp, here are a few camp lessons that you can apply to your solo training routine: 

• You are so much stronger and more capable than you think you are.
• When in doubt, you can dig deeper and exceed your expectations. 
• Don't forget your "whys" on your tough days or when you have a setback or when life is extremely stressful. 
• To better take care of others, you need to take care of yourself. 
• Be more kind and more patient with yourself - especially given current circumstances of your life. 
• Never stop learning. 
• Don't be afraid to try new things. 
• Be open to change. 
• Enhance your strengths. 
• Never stop working on your weaknesses. 
• Maximize your time spent training but don't forget to stop and enjoy the view. 
• Don't be paralyzed by your fears or the what ifs. 
• Don't be afraid to test yourself and push your mental and physical limits. 
• Provide yourself with a supportive, safe and fun training environment. 
• Surround yourself with energy-givers.

Here are a few pictures from the 3-day endurance training camp (in no particular order): 

Greenville cycling: Sassafras Mountain

What you need to know before climbing Sassafras: 

Distance: The actual climb from Rocky Bottom is 4.68 miles. The last time I climbed it, it took me 36 minutes and 32 seconds (7.6 mph average and 66 average cadence). However, if starting the climb from Hwy 11/178 (which is where we were coming from on our ride), you need to factor in the climbing that occurs before the actual Sassafras climb. So technically, it's a 11.8 mile climb with a little descend before Rocky Bottom.

Elevation gain: Start at 1766 feet and finish at 3396 feet (total gain = 2580 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~7% but there are several sections that are ~20%. There are a few quick downhills to recover but otherwise, it's a long grind to the top with several 8-14% sections. There's a nasty pitchy segment near the beginning of the climb and another one in the last 1.5 miles.

Road condition: The road itself is fairly good (considering that we have pretty bad road conditions in South Carolina). There are a few segments that are not smooth (cracks/bumps) but otherwise, the road condition is fine for the pitchy segments.

Scenery: You probably won't spend much time looking at the nature that surrounds you (trees) as you will be putting all of your energy into making sure you don't stop pedaling - and fall over. But since you are tucked into the forest, you can attempt to soak in the nature that surrounds you to take your mind off the suffering.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike. Semi-compact crank. 52-34 chainset and11-30 (or 28) cassette.

Descend: The descend has a few switch backs but otherwise, you can pick up a lot of speed with the long downhills. While you won't want to climb this sucker twice, you will want to descend it again after you get a feel of it the first time around. If you like speed, this is a fun descend.

Climb with a view? The view at the top is worth it. You climb all the way to the highest point in South Carolina. There's an observation tower at the top (behind the gate at the parking lot) with a panoramic view of the mountains. You can even stand in North Carolina and South Carolina at the same time.

Traffic: Depending on when you go, the road could get busy with cars (ex. weekend, late morning). However, there is plenty of room for cars to pass you and the road is pretty wide open with lots of room for cars to see what's coming as they pass.

Difficulty: I'd rank this as our most difficult climb. There is another option to get to the top. You can climb the backside of Sassafras from East Fork Road to Glady Fork Road. This "climb" is very gentle until you reach Carolina Point. The total climb is 5.63 miles (total elevation gain 1144 feet) but the last 1.47 miles (after you make a left turn toward Sassafras) is where you will hit the last pitchy segment before the top.

Honest feedback: Once you climb it, you'll never want to do it again (until your friends convince you to do it again and then you think "it seemed like a good idea at the time!"

Pictures below taken on 5/30

Ventum NS1 Road bike
Riding time: 4:54
Total miles: 83.0
Elevation gain: ~7300 feet
Run off the bike: 48 min/5.8 miles/~900 feet

Karel's Solo Ironman Distance Race Recap

So last Saturday Karel did a thing. He completed his first ever solo Ironman distance triathlon. No volunteers. No spectators. No aid stations. No race medal. No official race times. Just Karel and his mind for 140.6 miles.

While this is not something that we recommend to try on your own, we hope that during this time of stress, worry, anxiety and sadness (being an athlete doesn't make you immune to emotions) you can get some inspiration, motivation and laughs from this incredibly challenging, mentally difficult and somewhat crazy feat.

Here's the play by play as well as the final recap.

Race Morning

Pre Swim

Pre Bike

During Bike

Pre Run

Run

Finish line!!

Nonofficial, official results

OFFICAL RACE REPORT

Appreciative of the long run

After a very tough 1:45 trainer session on Saturday morning, we ventured out to the Pretty Place Chapel so Karel and his mom could enjoy the beautiful view of the mountains. We then we went back to Triple Falls so they could see the covered bridge and high falls. The weather was a bit chilly compared to the last time we hiked but the trails were so quiet in the afternoon - it made for a peaceful afternoon in nature. We made a quick stop at the Flat Rock Bakery for some fresh bread (and a pepermint brownie - yumo) before heading back home. As always, Campy loved his afternoon adventure and slept the entire car ride home.

On Sunday morning I had my longest training run in a very long time. I still get a bit of apprehension and worry on the day/night before a run. But with a good amount of time spent warming up with strength/mobility before each run, I am gaining more confidence and trust with my body.

My run was not the typical "long run" of going out and running for 95 minutes straight but instead, it included a bit of EZ, hills, tempo, aerobic and intensity. Let's just say it had a bit of everything.

WU: 10 min EZ + 10 min aerobic

Pre set:
3x (15/30/45 sec strong hill running w/ an EZ jog down between)

MS:
30 min aerobic running (holding ~140 HR)

PS:
4 x 2 min tempo (strong) w/ 1 min EZ between

CD:
15 min aerobic running (holding ~140 HR)

While I did find myself "wishing" I was faster during the aerobic running, I had a little self-talk with myself and stopped my negativity and reminded myself how grateful and thankful I am to be running injury free (and feeling so strong and efficient while running).

At the end of the run, while driving to the airport to pick up an athlete who traveled to us for a bike fit + swim assessment, I reminded myself of a recent/timely blog post that I wrote on comparison.

It's often said that comparison is the thief of joy. In other words, social comparison is a big part of how we determine our own level of happiness.

If you find yourself in a daily competition with the achievements of others or a past version of yourself, it's time to direct your energy elsewhere. Start caring about the things and people in life that are meaningful and purposeful to you.

Life is filled with sadness, stress, pain, disappointments, insecurities, anxiety or depression. It doesn't matter who you are, life can be tough. However, this idea that life is far from perfect is far from the picture-perfect life that is often depicted on social media. While you may envy over someone's highlight real, you never know what the behind-the-scene moments look like.

I encourage you to have less comparison to others and more compassion toward yourself.

Although it is inspiring and motivating to see the success stories of others, do not let the triumphs of someone else trump your own personal accomplishments and achievements.

Trimarni Greenville Advanced Endurance Training Camp recap

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 from college and deciding to pursue endurance sports, I missed having a team. While I didn't mind training alone, I really missed the camaraderie, the support, the passion and the encouragement of having teammates to share this new sport with in training and on race day.

When I turned a coaching hobby into a career over a decade ago, it was very important to me early on that I develop a "team" feel at Trimarni coaching and nutrition. It took many years in the making but I feel we finally developed something incredibly special at Trimarni. Every athlete feels like he/she is part of a team. Near and far, every Trimarni athlete supports, encourages and believes in one another.  While social media can be negative at times, we regularly use social media to connect our athletes to feel more like a team. Knowing that our coaching athletes spread all over the globe, this can be incredibly difficult to maintain this type of "team feel" so we have to be consistent with our words to ensure that every athlete that we coach understands that he/she is part of a team. While this may not work for every triathlete out there, it works extremely well for the athletes on our team.

To keep that team feel, nothing brings together our athletes closer than a training camp. Eating, sleeping, training and relaxing together is the backbone of our training camps. Since almost every triathlete that we coach trains alone (almost 98% of the time) and its rare for us to see our athletes in action, a training camp provides the perfect opportunity for us to get many of our coaching athletes together at one time to train with each other and for us to instruct, educate and motivate while they bond, laugh, have fun and remind themselves why they started this sport in the first place. 

As athletes ourselves, Karel and I understand that it's much easier to go through the motions and emotions of a hard workout when your teammates are giving in just as much effort (or more) as you are. We love sharing these special experiences with our athletes. Because every athlete has a demon inside the head that is trying to make you quit a workout, make excuses to not start a workout and to give up on yourself when the going gets tough, your teammates can help silent that voice to help you prove that you are capable of so much more than you ever thought was possible. As coaches, we want to see our athletes experience those break-through moments when they thought that what was once impossible is possible. We love it when our campers bust through a comfort zone and discover something new - either physical or mental. When someone is cheering you on, giving you a high-five or encouraging you to keep on going, that makes for a special environment that can't be replicated at home when training alone. At the end of the day, we coach our athletes to become the best triathletes that they can be but as a triathlete, you belong to a very special community and we never want our athletes (and campers) to forget that. 

For 4.5 days, we witness 20 campers doing incredible things with the body and mind. We challenged them with tough workouts, we put them through uncomfortable situations, we often surprised them with "one more set" when they thought that were finished with a workout and had nothing left to give and we made sure to create an atmosphere where they could be motivated and inspired each and every day. As much as I wish we could take all the credit, it's always our campers who made the camp so special. Even with a packed Swamp Rabbit Lodge with 19 campers in one house, there was never a complaint and we were constantly surrounded by energy givers (and not energy suckers). While each camper had countless opportunities to showcase strengths and work on individual weaknesses, no athlete felt excluded, too slow or too fast. Everyone was accepted in an ego and judge-free zone.

As time-consuming, exhausting and mentally challenging as it is to put on a triathlon training camp, it's extremely rewarding. The before camp nerves and anticipation, the during camp highs and lows of emotions and energy and the post camp sadness of leaving new (and old) friends combined with a strong enthusiasm to train and race better than ever before - this is what camp is all about.  While our campers always keep us alert and attentive, I couldn't image being a coach and not having these special opportunities to see our athletes in action as they make memories with their teammates at a group training camp. 

Here's a quick recap of the camp:

Wednesday: 
PM: 75 min social spin

Thursday: 
AM: 45 min camper introduction and educational session followed by a 90 min interval swim (Furman)
AM: 90 min track workout (Furman)
PM: 2 hour terrain management/skill focused bike (finishing in the pouring rain and a loud thunder storm)
Evening: Daily reflection with coaches and athletes at the Lodge

Friday: 
AM: 3 hour interval bike workout with a surprise TT at the end
AM: 40-50 min brick run (interval run on a hilly loop)
PM: 90 min skill focused swim
Evening; Daily reflection with coaches and athletes at the Lodge

Saturday: 
AM: 20 min warm-up run (for some of the campers) followed by a ~5.5 hour long endurance ride
AM: 20 min brick run
Evening: Team pizza party followed by coaches feedback on the day/camp

Sunday: 
AM: 1-hour open water swim workout at Lake Jocassee
AM: Quick transition to a 90 min interval run on very hilly terrain at the lake

Total Stats over 4.5 days: 
Hours training: ~20 hours
Swim distance: ~9700 yards
Bike distance: ~195 miles

Bike elevation gained: ~12,800 feet

Run distance: ~25 miles

A huge thank you to our camp SAG/photographer Joey, our swim expert Kristen and our assistant coach Joe for making our camp extra special. 

Shop Small Saturday

We are lucky that we live in a town that thrives off small business. If you ever get the chance to visit downtown Greenville, you will be so impressed with the variety of shops and restaurants that crowd the streets of our beautiful downtown.

"Main Street Greenville promotes historic preservation and economic development, resulting in a cultural downtown district that attracts and retains businesses and entrepreneurs, making downtown a desirable destination."

As a small business owner, I know how hard it is to build a small company in a big business world. But then again, everything big starts small.

I encourage you to shop small this Saturday - even if it's just a cup of coffee or small gift for a friend, the small business that you support will greatly benefit from your support.

What's your favorite small business?

2017 Trimarni Advanced Greenville Training Camp - Photos Day 3 & 4

We knew day 3 of camp would be tough for our campers, physically and mentally. But we couldn't resist giving them a challenging and scenic route to finish off 4 consecutive days of Greenville riding. Many of the campers enjoyed the challenge of getting to the top of Caesar's head (7 mile climb) but the hills were unforgiving as we made our way into the Dupont Forest, in NC. Our riding is not easy here but it is never boring, the cars are friendly to cyclists and you get endless views of nature. I have never been happier riding my bike than in Greenville and I feel so lucky that I can call it my home.

The 87- mile bike route that Karel planned (with over 10,000 feet of climbing, with elevation correction) was sure to stretch comfort zones but with great team spirit, our campers did not complain and they toughed it out until the end.

Joey managed to capture some amazing shots of our journey on two wheels. I don't know how she did it as she not only made sure that we were all safe by driving behind us but she managed to always be at our SAG stop, before we needed her, stocked with drinks, snacks and water...and her contagious, friendly smile.

On Sunday, the last day of camp, we headed to Lake Summit for a long run on the gravel trail, followed by an open water swim. Although the cooler temps were welcoming, our campers were carrying around a lot of residual fatigue. But once again they impressed us and they all gave their best effort for the run and swim workouts, which made another quality day of training to conclude 4.5 amazing days of swim/bike/run in Greenville, SC.

Enjoy the pics! 

2017 Trimarni Advanced Greenville Training Camp - Photos Day 1 & 2

With a photo, you can capture a moment in time and have it with you forever. A picture doesn't quiet capture every moment but it does change the way that you see things. I love pictures because they document important moments in time.

We are thankful for our camp photographer (and SAG support) Joey for taking most of these amazing shots of our athletes in action at our recent training camp. Not only do these pictures show our athletes working hard but they also showcase our amazingly beautiful Greenville. Enjoy!

              

2017 Trimarni Advanced Greenville Training Camp Recap

The other morning I saw a Furman student with a t-shirt that read "I love you Greenville." I NEED that shirt.

I am so in love with where we live and I just love to show it off. With this being our 4th (and last) camp of 2017, we wanted to make sure that our 14 advanced campers left with a lot of great memories of Greenville, SC.

Knowing that our campers came to Greenville in great physical shape (many of them gearing up for Ironman Chattanooga, IM 70.3 World Championship and IMKona), we wanted to challenge everyone with specific workouts that would require focus, skills, determination and commitment, not to mention the ability to to stretch the comfort zone.

After the conclusion of camp, I received an email from one of our campers/athletes and the last line read "Camp made me realize that I need and can handle more challenges. Stepping out of your comfort zone is not all rainbows and butterflies but it's not always tears and frustration either." 

I really appreciated her thoughts about camp because many athletes avoid the unknown out of fear and worry. Yes, we live in an area that is extremely hilly, which makes for difficult cycling and running routes but in a group environment with two experience coaches, we knew that our campers could handle so much more than what they could accomplish alone. Plus, suffering with others is so much more fun than suffering alone!

Although our campers were fit and prepared to handle many training hours (and feet of elevation gain) over 4.5 days, we still wanted to include education and skill instruction throughout camp. From our experience, athletes can be very fit in a familiar environment or on a treadmill/trainer but when placed outside, in an unfamiliar setting, the skills don't match the fitness and thus athletes feel frustrated that they can't perform to their physical abilities. By seeing our campers in action, we were able to prescribe specific workouts to match the education that we provided them. By the end of camp, our campers had improved skills to match their fitness and they can all return home more confident to handle future challenges and obstacles.

We could not have asked for better weather and the slightly cooler temps certainly helped with workout execution. Our campers did an exceptional job with mastering daily and workout nutrition (pre, during and post) and everyone came with an open mind to learn and to apply new information, in a new setting, with new friends. The attitude around camp was always "can do" and it was amazing to once again, see all of the campers support and work together so that nobody felt excluded or too slow.

Our campers put in a lot of time, energy and miles over 4.5 days. Being able to check out of life for a few days made for quality training with distractions or interruptions. Their only daily pressure was to show up on time and daily responsibilities included eating, training and sleeping. What a great life, even if for just 4.5 days.

We want to give a huge thank you to our Trimarni sponsors who provided swag for our training camp, along with Wendy at the Swamp Rabbit Lodge for providing the perfect location for our campers. And thank you Joey for being the best SAG support!

Xterra Wetsuits - wetsuit bag and hanger

Cheribundi - regular and protein drink
Clif Nutrition - products (bars, gels, hydration)
Infinit Nutrition - Speed sport drink
Hot Shot - product
Boco Gear - Trimarni camp hat

Oobe - Trimarni camp t-shirt

Veronica's Health Crunch - yummy crunch
Mg12 - bath salt, roll on and balm

For those who want the full stats of camp, here you go!

(All distances are approximate and varied from camper to camper depending on the workout. All workouts had a specific set and focus, all with coaches supervision.)

Wednesday: 
70 min social ride - ~15.5 miles, 970 feet of climbing

Thursday: 
90 min AM swim - ~3900 yards
90 min AM track - ~8 miles
2 hour PM ride - ~33 miles, 2100 feet of climbing

Friday: 
4 hour AM ride - ~70 miles, 5100 feet of climbing
35 min AM hill run - ~4.5 miles, 340 feet of climbing
60 min PM swim - ~3100 yards

Saturday: 
5.5-6 hour AM ride - ~89 miles, 10,624 feet of climbing
25 min AM brick run - ~3 miles, 100 feet of climbing

Sunday: 1:45 hr AM trail run - ~12-13 miles, 200 feet of climbing
25 min AM open water swim - ~1500 yards

TOTAL: 

~18 hours of training (in 4.5 days)~8500 yards swimming

~207.5 miles riding

~28.5 miles running~19,934 total elevation gain (bike and run)

Stay tuned....I'll be sharing some pictures from camp in my next blog post. 

Changing up the views

Prior to moving to Greenville, SC in May 2014, we spent many years in Jacksonville, FL, training on the same running and cycling routes, week after week, month after month, year after year. We would often struggle with motivation as we had few options to change up the training scenery and we always wished we had new roads to explore and new views to enjoy to help spice up our training.

Well, everything changed when we moved to Greenville, SC. Not only was our move a refreshing nature-filled change as we traded the beach for the mountains but we have no shortage of safe biking and running routes to explore. And here we are, over 3 years later and we are still discovering new routes. 

On Saturday, Karel and I ventured out on our bikes for an specific interval set that included 6 x 5 min efforts (building in sets of 2 to very strong) w/ 3 minute EZ spin between. My ride was only 3 hours whereas Karel rode a bit longer than me as he is preparing for IM Chatty. We needed a flatter road (which is hard to find where we live) to after our warm-up (~55 minutes) we found a new road and explored it for our intervals. 

The road was just perfect and it was so refreshing to ride on a quiet road for our build intervals. Like usual, if any cars passed us, they moved over the yellow line and allowed us plenty of room to ride safe, without worry. Oh how I love riding in Greenville. 

After the ride, I rode home by myself as Karel carried on with his ride and finished off my workout on the treadmill with 6 x 5 min strong efforts w/ 2 min rest between. I choose the treadmill because I needed a controlled environment to find my rhythm. Since we live in a very hilly area, our treadmill was the perfect option. Karel finished off his workout on the treadmill with a run and then finished off his day of training with a PM run. 

On Sunday morning, I was so excited to check out the Lake Summit 9-mile running Loop with Karel. We have heard so many great comments about this gravel trail, wrapping around Lake Summit in Tuxedo, NC and we finally made our way to this trail, which is only 26 miles away from us. We aren't use to driving to a place to ride or run but this was so worth it and we will absolutely be back again. 

The trail had a nice mix of terrain with most of the run on the packed gravel trail. Although Karel and I started together, we each did our own thing for this 9-mile loop. 

I just love running off road and the miles went by so quickly as I was soaking in the views and loving this new running route. 

My workout included a 40 minute smooth endurance warm-up, which allowed me to soak in the views and snap some pictures. Then I went into a 20-minute strong effort, followed by nice and EZ running to finish off the loop. 

After the run, we took a nice dip in the lake (~1000 meters) to finish off our morning of training.

I'm a firm believer that changing up the training environment, whether it's finding a new route, traveling to a new location, participating in a training camp or training with others, is a great way to boost motivation and to add an extra bit of excitement to your training. If you find yourself tired of the same old routes/views, over and over again, it's time to explore something new. Training is tough but it should also be fun.  Make sure to enjoy nature as you get outside and enjoy the views! 

Trimarni endurance camp reflections - Day 1

A Trimarni training camp is a long time in the making. Reserving the Swamp Rabbit Lodge, contacting Trimarni sponsors for swag, planning the workouts and routes and reserving pool lanes. There's a lot that goes into every Trimarni training camp as each camp is a little different and we always cater to the needs of our campers. 

For the 2017 Trimarni endurance camp, we specifically designed workouts that would help our campers build endurance but also to improve skills and confidence for long distance training and racing. While the majority of workouts were not intense, the overall volume was high. It was important to us that each camper felt challenged and uncomfortable while also feeling resilient and strong. Knowing that we had 4.5 days to overload our 16 campers with endurance-focused workouts, we specifically focused on routes that would stretch comfort zones and push physical and mental limits. 

With the official camp start day on Wednesday afternoon, my friend/SAG support Joey and I packed the swag bags on Tuesday. I am always incredibly grateful to the sponsors who contribute to our training camps for we only reach out to the companies that we believe in and support. We want our campers to have quality products/gear and we owe a huge thank you to the following sponsors who supported the 2017 Trimarni endurance training camp:

• Clif Bar
• Infinit Nutrition
• Hot Shot
• Mg12
• Xterra
• Boco Gear
• Oobe
• Beauty Counter Sunscreen
• Swamp Rabbit Inn and Properties

Campy was an excellent guard dog to make sure that nothing happened to the camper swag bags. 

On Wednesday morning, Joey and I set up the swag bags at the Lodge, along with the camp t-shirts. A few hours later, Karel and I (and Campy) went out to mark our bike course for Thursday (with pink duct tape). 

Campy made sure that we were always on course. 

Around 4:30pm, Karel and I rode a mile down the road to meet our campers at the lodge for an optional EZ 70 minute spin. Luckily, the rain stopped and it was just hot and sticky out for our easy spin. We had a good group of campers who arrived early and joined us for the optional spin. We rode on nicely paved, low traffic roads near the base of Paris Mountain and it was the perfect way to interact with our campers and move some blood for upcoming workouts. 

There's something special about the stress-free atmosphere of being on a bike and just enjoying nature with friends. 

In the evening, around 7:30pm, we had a chat with our campers and a meet and greet session, which was a great way to get to know everyone and talk about the camp layout and what to expect. 

We officially started day 1 of camp on Thursday morning at 7:30am. We picked a beautiful scenic route but sadly, our campers were not able to see much due to the cloudy sky and the sprinkling rain. We knew we had a great group of campers when not one athlete complained about the weather. They were eager to get on their bikes and get to work.

We broke into three groups with me, Karel and assistant coach Joe as leaders of each group. We rode out about 12 miles on the rolling hills before getting to the 4.85 mile loop that we marked on Wednesday. The loop included every type of terrain (rollers, climbing, false flats, sharp turns and descends without much flat road riding) for our  campers to practice their skills while executing a workout of 3 loops - easy, moderate, strong.
The ride totaled around 3 hours with about 3200 feet of climbing.

Karel, Joe and I helped the athletes negotiate the terrain and practice their skills on all types of road conditions. Despite the rainy conditions, our campers did amazingly well for the first bike workout of camp. 

With no cars on our loop, it was the perfect start to camp (minus the rain). 

Here are two pics of the beautiful views that were taken on Tuesday when Karel and I pre-rode the course. 

We love our views and bike friendly roads! 

After the workout, we broke into groups again and we rode back to the lodge to get ready for a brick run. 

I lead our campers to the Swamp Rabbit Trail and then they ran around Furman for a 2.85 mile run. The rain stopped and it was a great way to end the first brick workout of camp.

For nutrition:
Bike: 3 bottles - each with ~220-240 calories INFINIT Speed (flavors Grape, Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade).
Run: 1 flask with ~80 calories Clif hydration. 1 flask with water. 

After the morning workout, we gave our campers a few hours to rest/fuel/recover and then it was time for the afternoon session - a 90-minute swim at Furman University. 

With the entire pool reserved for our campers (6 lanes), we split our campers into lanes based on swimming fitness level and gave each lane a swim workout that ranged from ~3000-4300 yards. It was great to see our campers step outside their swimming comfort zone and be pushed by the other campers.

After the swim session, it was time for a meal and then our nightly chat with our campers around 7:30pm to wrap up day 1 of camp and to prepare our campers for the mountain climb on day 2 of camp. We were incredibly proud of our campers for being open to our suggestions and for being comfortable with being uncomfortable. We were really impressed with the hard work ethic of our campers and we knew day 2 would be one day to remember for our campers. 

A big thank you to our SAG support Joey for taking pictures and for being out there just in case we needed her. 

Final St. George 70.3 training - weekend recap

A few months ago, I reached out to my friend Katie (Thomas) Morales to see if we could arrange a weekend of training together here in Greenville. Not only did I want her and her hubby Chris to come and visit us so that we could all hang out, but I thought it would be great to train with Katie, since she is extremely fast and strong. Although we both favor hard, hilly and challenging race courses, I race as an age grouper and she races as a professional triathlete. She is one fast and strong female!

Katie and I have been friends for many years. Just before she turned pro, we raced together in Lake Placid and then again in Kona in 2013. 

Katie, Kendra and I before the awards at 2013 IM Lake Placid.

Looking ahead and thinking about the timing of training, I thought it would be so fun to be pushed by Katie and to have some company in town while enjoying our amazing cycling roads two weeks out from St. George.

With this being my final weekend of big training before IM 70.3 St. George on May 6th, Katie and her hubby were able to take time off work to come and visit us on Thursday evening and stay until Sunday. Not only did Katie celebrate her 34th birthday with us but we had 3 full days together, for some swim, bike, run fun. 

Although our work at Trimarni never stops or slows down (especially with 5 of our athletes racing IM Texas this past weekend), we were able to squeeze in some training and finish off our last big training block with lots of fun, great food, smiles and a little bit of suffering. Thankfully, we had great weather on Friday and Saturday and minus the rain and cooler temps on Sunday, we were able to get in three days of quality training. Next week is all about recovery and starting the sharpening phase of our training to help us feel sharp, fresh and fit for the hills of St. George, Utah. 

Here's a recap of our training::

Friday AM: 
4750 yard swim

500 warm-up

Pre set:
6 x 100s (25 kick, 50 swim, 25 kick) w/ fins
6 x 100's (25 kick, 50 swim, 25 kick) no fins

MS 3x's:
16 x 25s on 25 seconds
200 swim EZ w/ paddles/buoy
1 min rest

Post set:
3 x 100's as (25 strong w/ 5 sec rest, 50 build to fast w/ 10 sec rest, 25 fast) into 50 EZ

Rest 1 minute

Friday late morning: 
2:27 hr ride (43.7 miles), 2864 elevation gain
Social ride, exploring the roads and having fun on two wheels. Karel and I rode our road bikes.

Saturday morning: 
4:09 hr ride (76.3 miles), 7755 elevation gain
Double bakery route starting from our house with a stop at Flat Rock bakery.

20-25 minute progressive run off the bike (each on our own)

Sunday morning: 
Katie had her own workout (trainer bike + run) so Karel, Chris and I all did our run workout outside. Karel ran 75 minutes (very EZ) and Chris joined me for 90 minutes (1 mile run, 30 sec walk - all conversational with about 600 feet of climbing) and then he finished his run at 2 hours. 

Here are some snapshots of our training weekend. Can't wait to take pictures in St. George in a week from Tuesday! 

Post swim smiles. Katie made me work hard and I could hardly keep up!

Group pic with a mountain photo bomb. 

We love to climb!

Enjoying the views.

Quick stop to refill bottles. 

Starting our Saturday ride in the fog with perfect weather for a long ride. 

Chasing the mountains all morning. 

Heading to the Watershed to start our climb into North Carolina. 

Paparazzi 

Starting the climb

Bakery stop to refill bottles. 

Stop at Hotel Domestique to refill bottles/bathroom.

No pictures from our Sunday morning run due to the rain. 

2016 Trimarni Greenville camp wrap-up

It was only 26 months ago when Karel and I moved to Greenville, SC after spending the last 10 years (for me, 14 for Karel) in Florida.

Not one day has passed since May 2014 where we regretted this decision to trade the beach for the mountains.

With freedom to move anywhere in the USA, we picked Greenville because it offered us so much - affordable living, support of local farming, mountains, lakes, state parks, friendly people, bike-friendly roads, a fun triathlon community, an awesome, award-winning downtown and a small town feel, close to many big cities.

After our first summer in Greenville, it was a no-brainer that we needed to make the effort to make sure that other athletes could benefit from our hidden gem of a training playground. 

It was only a matter of time before we started offering private training camps and group training camps so that other athletes could experience what it's like to ride on very bike-friendly roads (we don't have bike lanes or shoulders on the majority of our routes - we literally share the road with the cars), train on challenging terrain to get stronger and to improve skills. While we feel Greenville is one of the best places to ride a bike, not to mention to improve your bike handling skills and cycling strength and power, Greenville has no shortage of spectacular views which will leave you oohing and ahhing, no matter where you train.

We have hundreds of cycling routes - we never have to repeat the same route. 

We just wrapped up our 5th Trimarni training camp and 2nd Greenville training camp.

We had a specific agenda for this recent Greenville training camp as it was extremely endurance focused. We carefully selected the Trimarni athletes who reached out to us to attend this camp as it was not a camp for every triathlete.

While we feel Greenville is the perfect place to improve fitness and skills, it's isn't until you come and train with us in Greenville, that you will learn that our terrain is extremely challenging - requiring a special type of resilience and mental strength in order to adapt to the training stress that you are given in Greenville. Sure you can do all your training on the trail and on flat roads but a strong athlete makes a great athlete.
But don't let this scare you away from coming to Greenville to train as our terrain helps athletes build confidence and there's no boring training session in Greenville.

Above all, our training camps are for athletes who want to learn and improve.

While we may have specific criteria for our campers at some of our training camps for safety reasons, our private training camps provide the perfect opportunity for athletes who want one-on-one attention, without ever feeling like your current level of fitness is too slow or not fast enough.
We are all about the athlete and catering to your needs.

We give a lot of feedback throughout our camps and specific instructions that are applicable and appropriate for training and racing.

And because our terrain is very challenging, sport nutrition education is never overlooked.
Knowing how much energy is needed to train where we live, I don't give suggestions for fueling but my sport nutrition advice is mandatory as I know what my athletes need, even if they think they need less.
 We have had 5 Trimarni training camps and with each camp, I give our campers specific instructions on how to eat before a workout, how to fuel/hydrate during and how to recover and eat after every workout.

We have had a perfect success rate in all 5 camps - no GI issues, no bonking, no health-threatening dehydration issues  and no nutritional catastrophes.
Sure, some athletes have an off-day or something may not go right but we have never had an athlete have to pull out of a workout or stop camp because of a nutrition related issue that could not be tweaked or fixed. 

While I realize that sport nutrition is hard to master and there is never a perfect strategy that works for every workout, our campers understand that in order to have the energy to complete a workout and to recover well, following sound nutritional guidance is imperative to their success at camp.
Proper fueling and hydrating also keeps the body healthy and well and our camps are not weight loss camps - our campers are here to perform, not to burn calories.

I am very appreciative of our campers/athletes who come to camp with an open mind and are willing and ready to try new things as it relates to skills and nutrition.
We challenge our athletes to step outside their comfort zone as we know that in a group environment, they are more willing to try new things and to not give up.

--------------------------------------------------

Every year, when I start planning a Trimarni camp (often 8-10 months in advance), I feel overwhelmed with the amount of planning that is needed to ensure that our campers have a great camp experience.
This includes carefully planning the camp training itinerary, selecting the run/bike routes, the swim venues, swim/bike/run workouts, where our campers will stay, what swag they will receive, the SAG support, the sport nutrition that will be offered, making sure our athletes recover well and above all, making sure our campers enjoy their time at camp with great support from their fellow teammates/campers but also that they stay safe.

Although it takes a lot of work, Karel and I absolutely love the camp environment and experience of having so many like-minded individuals training together

While our campers have busy lives with work, family, kids and other responsibilities, we love giving our athletes an opportunity to check out of life and to just train without anything else on their mind.

----------------------------------------------

We had 16 campers who accomplished 18 hours of training (2.5 hours of swimming, 10.5 hours of cycling and 5 hours of running) over 4 days.

We are exhausted, sore, tired and mentally drained. 

But it was all worth it. 

We could not be more proud of our campers as they gained confidence on challenging terrain, improved skills and fitness but most of all, there was a common bond as they all supported each other, made memories and demonstrated what it means to be part of a team.

Stay tuned as we will be sharing the dates of our future training camps for 2017.

Here's a quick recap of our camp with pictures:

Day 1: 

AM:

30 min EZ conversational pace run

3 hour bike

30 min EZ run with last 8-10 min build to race pace effort

PM:

90 min long course swim at Westside Aquatic center

Day 2: 

AM:

76 mile/~5:20 bike with ~7700 feet of climbing (including the notorious, extremely hard to climb, Howard Gap)

10-20 min T-run

PM:

20-40 min EZ form focused run (5 min run/30 sec walk)

Day 3: 

AM:

1 hour open water swim at Lake Jocassee (warm-up, pre-set and race-specific MS)

90 min - 2 hour hilly run (3-4 x 15-20 min out, 15-20 min back)

PM:

Team dinner at Lazy Goat

Day 4: 

1 hour steady run (4 miles on rolling hills, finish the run on Swamp Rabbit Trail)

2.5 hour bike - steady/strong efforts

Every evening we had a recap of the day and discussion for the next day's workouts as well as nutrition/hydration planning. Campy always paid close attention. 

Morning run around lake Furman. 

First day of camp - campers are filled with energy!

First bike ride on our bike-friendly roads. 2 loops of a 10-mile course to practice climbing, descending and proper execution of how to navigate hills with the right gears and cadence. 

One-on-one work with a camper

Cooling off with a late afternoon swim. 

Campers divided into lanes based on swim fitness. Each lane had a specific workout based on their own swim abilities. All lanes had a race-specific main set with sighting and swimming next to each other to simulate the  race environment. All swimmers are required to use an ankle strap, buoy, snorkel and paddles. 

Cycling to North Carolina. 

Heading to Howard's Gap. 

It isn't until you complete this climb that you will understand its difficulty. 

SAG stop. 

Plenty of beautiful views to enjoy for ~5 hours

Grateful for awesome SAG support. 

There's no easy riding in Greenville but you'll finish every workout feel so proud of yourself that you conquered our terrain. 

Hello furry friends! 

We always feel inspired by our campers - no slacking for us! 

Group training brings out the best in one another. 

Suffering with smiles. 

It's easier to get out the door with others. No excuses - our campers made things happen. 

Our camps are dog friendly :) 

Exhausted but having fun!

All smiles. 

Mountain views all the way to Lake Jocassee. 

Thank you New Wave buoys for your perfectly sized, easy to see, brightly colored buoys (and swim caps). 

What a great group of triathletes who are willing to step outside their comfort zone.

All set! 

What a beautiful day for swimming in beautiful water. You can't help but be happy training here! 

There was a lot of neon in the open water. 

Thank you Jackie for the Kayak support. 

Race pace efforts - 30 minutes of 1 min take-out speed, followed by 4 min strong swimming. Rest as needed in between each set of 5 minutes. 

Gaining confidence in the open water. 

Loving the New Wave buoys and swim caps (and my new TYR Special ops 2.0 goggles which have been amazing to swim with in open water). 

Dynamic stretching and group talk before the run. 

Off they go! 

90 minutes to 2 hours of running - you are either going up or down. 

Karel finished off the last 30 minutes of the long run on his mountain bike to support the athletes as they stayed mentally and physically strong for their 5th run in 2.5 days. 

Well said Coca Cola. 

We are so lucky to live here. 

Cooling off after an open water swim + long run. 

This group cleaned up nicely for our team dinner at the Lazy Goat. 

My sidekick - what an awesome coach, person, best friend, business partner and training partner. 

Team dinner - there was a lot of nibbling, grazing and sharing. 

There was a lot of yumming. 

Yum.....real food. 

One last day of training - our campers surprised us as they performed amazingly well, despite this being this 6th run in 4 days. 

Yay for running on hills!

Keeping each other motivated and inspired. 

Teamwork!

Group work!

Yay for running happy. 

Building confidence. 

Having fun. 

Thumbs up - loving it!

Mental toughness

Looking good ladies!

All of our campers are required to wear hydration belts/packs when they run so that they can always stay well hydrated and fueled. 

Working together. 

When the opportunity comes about and you are healthy and feeling strong, don't let your mind limit you. Rise to the occasion and don't be afraid to fail. 

Strong efforts on the last day of camp! 

Staying mentally strong. 

Focused.

Enjoying the ride. 

Mr. Lama was so happy to see some Trimarni athletes outside - he loves cyclists. 

Until next time!!! 

Time-based cycling training

After two weeks of training in Florida, it was nice to be back by the mountains.

On Saturday morning, a small group of friends joined Karel and I for a long ride, which included almost 90 minutes of intervals on a rolling hill loop near Caesar's head mountain.

Warm-up: ~45 minutes (ride to the start of the loop), constant rollers and a few short steep climbs

MS: 6 x 10 minutes at Z3 mid to upper (odd: heavy gear, slower than normal cadence. Even: high cadence, higher than normal cadence) w/ 4 min EZ in between.

Compared to the ride I did the previous Saturday in Florida (picture below) which included a short warm-up on flat roads, a 40-min TT effort on flat roads (drafting behind our friend Shawn and two other strong girls), a group ride (with about 30 riders) on flat roads, followed by a solo steady effort on flat roads (while the rain was falling) and then a cool-down in the pouring rain with puddles all over the ground (on flat roads), this is evidence that the miles just go by a lot slower here in Greenville as we live near the mountains and we ride near (and on) the mountains. 

And I'm ok with that.

At Trimarni, we are time-based, quality training coaches.

99% of our workouts for our athletes are based on time and not by miles/distance covered.

We realize that all races/events are based on distance (and not by who can cover the most distance in a certain amount of time) but we are more focused on what's going on within those miles (process driven) than the total distance covered (outcome focused).

It's very common for athletes to obsess about miles covered, often forcing athletes to cover more distance than they can tolerate due to poor form and fatigue which accumulates over time.

As you can see from my two rides (just 1 week apart), it sure does look like I am a slower athlete here in Greenville. 

But slow is all relative.

(And in all honesty, the route that we rode on Saturday was a fairly "fast" ride. Karel did his own intervals and averaged around 19mph! We typically average around 16.5-17mph when we ride outside and average around 1000 feet each hour. I also didn't show or tell you what my speed was during my main set so once again, it's all about what's happening within the workout not just the outcome).

For my first 2-3 years of endurance training, I was very obsessed with metrics. 

I didn't like the idea of stopping a run at 6.8  miles so I ran until it reached 7 miles. Same went for cycling. I would think, "why finish a ride at 37 miles when you can ride 3 more miles to get to 40."
40 miles sounds so much better than 37, right?

For swim workouts, I would often swim 100-400 more yards just to finish a workout at 3500 instead of 3100.

Or, I would often find myself counting my total weekly miles as if I had this magic number that I needed to reach to validate my fitness improvements or readiness to race.
As you can see from my ride on Saturay, I rode 59.58 miles. Not 60 miles.
I'm pretty sure I will still be prepared for Rev3 Knoxville in 7 weeks even though I didn't hit 60 miles.

Now, I can't even tell you how many miles I run as I rarely look at my watch (or the treadmill) for total distance covered.
When I swim or bike (and run), I stop when my workout when the main set is over and I cool down - that's when I am done.

Although my fitness, skills and endurance has improved considerably over the past 6+ years since I learned how to train smarter as an endurance triathlete, the terrain in Greenville has provided me with a completely new training stress which I absolutely love.

With this training stress comes a different mindset when it comes to bike and run training.

I invite you to consider time-based workouts instead of constantly chasing the miles when you run and bike.

Now you may be thinking that time-based training is not the way to go as your workouts need to be specific to your upcoming distance.

Well, this is a very old-school way of thinking (ex. that you must get in a 100 mile ride or 20 mile run in order to train for an Ironman) and we know that periodization and specificity within workouts can prepare an athlete for the upcoming demands of training.
Furthermore, if a proper warm-up, good economy, great skills, smart execution, great fueling/hydrating and excellent recovery habits are not enforced, the workout stress is not well-tolerated (and consistent training may be difficult to achieve).

Let's consider four types of athletes training for a half ironman distance triathlon.

Athlete A has a 60 mile ride on his schedule. He is a newer athlete and chooses to ride with a group for his long ride every Saturday. He accumulates 60 miles in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Athlete B has a 60 mile ride on his schedule. He is a newer athlete and rides alone on flat terrain and it takes him 3 hours and 50 minutes to accumulate 60 miles. But on this day, it's not windy. When it's windy, it takes him 4 hours to accumulate 60 miles.

Athlete C has a 60 mile ride on his schedule. He is a newer athlete and rides alone on hilly terrain. It takes him 5 hours to accumulate 60 miles.

Athlete D has a 60 mile ride on his schedule. He is an advanced athlete and rides alone on hilly terrain. It takes him 4 hours to accumulate 60 miles.

Athlete E has a 60 mile ride on his schedule. He is an advanced athlete and rides alone on flat terrain. It takes hims 3 hours and 25 minutes to accumulate 60 miles.

Who's the fitter athlete? 

Who's the stronger athlete?

Which athlete will be most prepared for race day? 

Hopefully, you struggled to select the correct answer because so many factors come into play when it comes to preparing the body and mind for an upcoming race, especially as it relates to cycling.

In my next blog I will discuss a few helpful tips for getting the most out of your cycling training as you prepare for your upcoming endurance event. 

If you are interested in training with us in Greenville to improve your cycling skills, explore our amazing bike-friendly roads and to enjoy our beautiful mountain views, contact us on our website to inquire about one-on-one training and your own personal private "training camp" experience in Greenville. We offer a variety of private camps from 1-3 days, covering all three disciplines - swim, bike and run. We can make your personalized camp as specific as you need based on your individual strengths and weaknesses.

Private Trimarni training camp

I took this picture on Friday evening while driving to dinner at Restaurant 17 with our athlete and private camper Jim.

While driving, I wanted to capture this moment because I just can't get over where we live. If it's not obvious, I just love Greenville, SC and everything that we can see and do. The living is affordable, we have endless options for local foods, there are countless restaurants that take pride in supporting local farms/farmers, our roads are bike friendly (seriously - we often have to wave to cars to pass us as they will just patiently ride behind us until we give them the ok to pass), people are so nice, we have the BEST downtown and we have endless mountain and nature views. 

This picture just reminds me how great it is to live close to the mountains and how lucky we are to call Greenville our home.

And because we love Greenville so much, we want you to enjoy it with us!

If you are interested in training with us, send us an email. Our private training camps are a great way for you or you and your spouse/friends to experience some unbelievable training terrain and beautiful scenery. 

Our private training camps are ideal for all ages and fitness levels. We take pride in catering to your individual needs. Above all, we want to help you become a better, smarter and stronger athlete but we are mindful of your personal developmental processes. We will give you the most appropriate advice, at this time in your journey, that will help take your fitness to that next level.

Although our group camps provide the perfect mix of challenging workouts, fun and socializing, our private camps give you the individual attention that you need to improve your skills, form, confidence, mental strength, nutrition or any other area to help you reach your goals.

For Karel and myself, we love coaching our athletes. Coaching is extremely rewarding and we load our athletes with education every single week (check-in emails are emailed every Sun/Mon throughout the entire year). But the best way to coach an athlete is to see the athlete in action. This way, we can focus on specific areas that we feel are of concern or improvement.

Some of key areas that we discuss at our private camps:

Swimming - how to hold the body in the water, changing old swimming habits to learn a more appropriate style of swimming that will transfer well to open water, how to love swim training, how to use swim toys more efficiently and much more.

Cycling - (with Karel's expertise and lifetime of cycling experience, athletes will gain so much from riding with Karel) - how to change gears, how to descend/climb, how to ride on rolling hills, how to ride in turns or bumpy terrain, when to stand, sit or stay aero, how to ride in side or head wind, bike fit/position, how to ride more comfortable on the bike, how to ride with more power, how to race smart to still have the legs to run off the bike, what are the best tires and wheels for the athlete, how to ride safer and more confident and so much more.

Running - discussing common running myths for triathletes, learning how to run like a triathlete (not a "runner"), how to run more efficiently, how to run on hills (up and down), how to incorporate walking into running, how to pace better in training and racing, how to stay comfortable running longer distances, how to love running off the bike and much more.

And in addition to all the topics discussed above, I cover daily and sport nutrition in great detail.

When I work with athletes, I am very focused on how athletes fuel so that they can maximize performance. Sport nutrition can be complicated and I try to make it simple.

Far too often I see athletes not bringing the right (or enough) fuel when we train and it shows during a workout. Although our workouts may be challenging at times, I can see how comfortable (or not) an athlete is with his/her fueling. Many times, athletes are slowing down because they are not fueling adequately and this delays improvements in fitness.

This is important because we try to provide the best training environment for the athlete at our camps and we are focused on the best execution possible. When athletes train alone, it's easy to get by and not realize that your nutrition strategy (or lack thereof) is not helping you improve. You are simply getting more comfortable with a given effort but not making the necessary physiological changes that are needed to take fitness to that next level.

Far too many athletes don't realize that they can perform better, more efficiently and go longer if sport nutrition was better planned and executed. Some athletes are scared of sport nutrition and I am here to educate on the best way to fuel to ensure that sport nutrition is used properly.

That is my job as a sport dietitian, to help the athlete learn how to fuel smarter to train harder (and recover faster). I can't tell you how many athletes have told me that their nutrition strategy is just fine....until we train together. I can see all the little limiters that are not helping the athlete get to the next level. When athletes don't feel comfortable grabbing bottles while cycling, bringing or consuming nutrition while running, have complicated fueling strategies (that are difficult to replicate or execute in training and racing), are not fueling "enough" or not eating well before or after workouts, the athlete is not adapting well to training stress.

 I never want my athlete leaving our camp without an improvement in fueling and daily eating.

Oh, and did I mention that when you come and visit us, I prepare all recovery snacks/drinks and we make sure to visit a few of the many great restaurants in Greenville. And we do not rush you after the end of the workout. We spend as much time needed talking about your needs, concerns and goals as an athlete and what changes need to be made to ensure great health and progress as an athlete.

We can help arrange lodging, travel and anything else you need. And our private campers have the opportunity to be RETUL fit (or refit) by Karel.

We take care of all the routes and workouts so all you have to do is show-up and do what you love to do - TRAIN!

Since our private camps are customized to your fitness level, all you need to do is contact us and we will start planning your perfect camp environment.

Here are a few pictures from 3 great days of one on one training.

Thursday:

3.5 hour interval ride (3500+ feet of climbing, specific focus)

40 min T-run (hilly run with short walk breaks)

Friday:

90-minute interval run (specific main set)

90 minute T-bike (specific focus)

1 hour swim

Dinner at Hotel Domestique

Saturday:

4.5 hour ride (6500+ feet of climbing)

15 min T-run

Dinner at Tupelo Honey

Enjoy the view!

After almost two years of living in Greenville, SC., I've learned that there are no "easy" days for cycling when you ride near the mountains.

After another strong week of swim, bike, run and strength training, my legs felt a bit trashed this morning.
Well, we all know that you can't get much done if you only work on the days that you feel good.

With our new Alto cycling race wheels arriving last week, we couldn't wait to take them for a test ride.

With legs that were not interested in pushing hard, I found myself with a few different conversations in my head...
"I feel so slow."
"I wish I could ride stronger."
"This is so  hard."
"This is not fun."
"I should be faster."

Every time a negative thought came inside my head, I looked at the mountains and stopped my negative thinking.
With 4 hours of riding and over 5000 feet of climbing, I had plenty of opportunities to enjoy the views with Karel as my cycling guide. 

I knew going into this ride that I had a solid week of training and that my legs were really tired. I actually even told myself "Wow, your fitness is really building this week!"
This was one of those weeks where after several weeks of consistent training, I really felt a big jump in fitness.

Every now and then, we, as athletes, are going to have a rough training day. If form suffers or the body is sleep deprived, injured or sick, it's best not to train as you can't gain fitness from a body that isn't in good health.
But if the body is healthy and feeling slow or tired is the biggest concern in your head, give it a go, workout and enjoy the views.

Remind yourself that your body puts up with a lot to keep you functioning well in life. Training for an event is a hobby. You don't have to be an athlete to be healthy. 

If you find yourself suffering through most of your workouts, something needs to change with your life, diet or training as your body isn't adapting to your training.

But if you find yourself having the occasional off day, be grateful that at least you can still train even while feeling off.

Don't forget to thank your body....even on the off days.

And always enjoy the view!