ROUVY ROLL OUT - group rides this week (come join us)!

Come ride with me in Rouvy. 

Ride Times:

Dec 16 — 6:30 PM EST | Easy Ride (~75 minutes)
Link HERE

Dec 18 — 6:00 AM EST | Challenge (~75 minutes)
Link HERE

Rides will be on the IM Lake Placid Bike Course

ANYONE CAN JOIN! 

If you don't have ROUVY, grab a 1-month free trial to join in using code ROUVYROLLOUT1M and jump in. 

Steps to Join a Group Ride

1. Ensure you have the ROUVY app installed and an active account. The app is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Apple TV.
2. Open the app or log in on the website at ROUVY.com.
3. Click on the link for the ride you want to join.
4. Click the 'Join Event' button on the event's detail page. You can also see the list of other participants who have joined.
5. Enter the ride a few minutes before the start time to warm up. The app will prompt you to join the event when it's time.
6. Enjoy the ride!
   
   

If you'd like to learn more about the Rouvy indoor cycling app, check out this great article that my athlete Brittany wrote in her latest newsletter. 

Moving on from a bad workout

 

Ever since I started mountain biking (back in December 2021), it never feels like training. Nature feeds my soul. It's been such a fun journey and I find myself improving with every ride. We have very technical terrain where we ride - with a lot of roots, rocks, tight turns, climbs and descends - so I have been forced to learn the hard stuff very early on. But with every struggle there was motivation to continue to improve. My weakness is still cornering as I slow down a lot but it's something I'm determined to continue to work on so that it becomes a strength. 

Over the past two weeks, I've really seen my skills improve. I've been able to get up and over obstacles that I've never done before. On Tuesday, Karel took me to Paris Mountain - which has some of the hardest mountain biking trails in our area. I was very scared and intimidated riding on these trails for the first time but Karel helped me ease into it and by the end, I found myself gaining a lot of confidence. We returned on Wednesday for more of a "workout" since Tuesday was more of a skills/sessioning workout. I couldn't believe what I was able to do on Wednesday - I surprised myself (and Karel). 

On Friday evening, I went to bed feeling like a kid about to go to Disney World on Saturday. I couldn't wait to ride my mountain bike on Saturday at Dupont. 

While foam rolling in our screened porch on Friday evening, I got bite by something (perhaps a small spider) and it caused my left foot to swell. And then came the full body itches that continued for almost two hours. Finally after taking some Benadryl and Zyrtec, the reaction calmed down. 

Although I felt a bit off on Saturday morning, we continued with our plan of mountain biking for ~3 hours and following it up with a 45-minute trail run. My foot had calmed down and I was no longer itchy.

After our 50 min drive to Dupont, we started our ride by climbing the gravel road out of the Fawn Lake Parking lot. Everytime we mountain bike, the first 10-20 minutes are always the hardest for me because my heart rate shoots up and it's very uncomfortable for me. I'm not used to being anaerobic so early in a ride. When we hit the first single track, I felt off. My legs felt empty and I had no power. I was hoping I could shake it. We then decended on a new trail that I had never done before and it scared me. I felt like I couldn't breathe because my heart rate was so high from climbing and trying to get over roots and I couldn't focus. Once I got to the bottom, I was frustrated. I went from being so confident on Wednesday to feeling like I was riding a mountain bike for the first time. 

Once I calmed down, we went on riding. Karel took me up another trail that I had never done before but one he felt I could do. I hit my ankle trying to get over a big rock. I cried. I was so frustrated and dissappointed. I was not having fun. 

Karel tried his best to keep me positive but after another hour of riding, it was just not my day. I was worried I would hurt myself more by trying to ride with no energy and no confidence in my skills. I didn't like that I couldn't shake my negative mindset and how I was feeling. For the past 9 months, I have loved my MTB journey. Even when I struggle, fall or fail to do something, I'm able to do so with excitement to try again - or move on. But today was not that day. 

Eventually we decided that it was best to head back to the car after almost 2 hours of riding. I felt good with this decision because my head was just not into this ride and my body wasn't feeling it either. I felt bad that Karel had to cut his ride short as well (I told him to continue on and I would just wait for him but he was ok to stop). We ended up salvaging my bad workout with a productive 50-minute trail run off the bike - which was one of my better trail runs off the bike. 

Although I had several valid reasons for having an off day, bad workouts happen - and that's ok. 

We cannot expect our bodies to be physically primed and mentally engaged for every single workout. Life is constantly changing and we are constantly evolving. 
It's completely normal to have workouts that don't go as planned. Sometimes the body does not want to cooperate. Let it go. Learn from it. Move on. 

While I was able to easily move on, it can be hard to challenge your inner voice during and after a bad workout. You may find yourself.....

• Being extremely self-critical
• Forgetting your strengths and improvements
• Comparing yourself to others
• Using harmful words to describe yourself
• Thinking negatively, with blame and criticism
• Making radical changes or quick fixes to cope with uncomfortable emotions and feelings
• Blaming yourself instead of taking into account other factors 

Training is hard. If we assume that what doesn't come naturally and easily isn't worth doing, it's going to be hard to improve. 

But you are not your workout. 
Don't let a bad workout stop you from recognizing your strengths and abilities. 

Join me LIVE for an indoor bike workout!

I understand that you may be experiencing stress from the change in your active lifestyle, current work/family situation and life uncertainty during this public health crisis. During these times, we must all stay positive and support one another. Most of all, we must continue to take care of our mental and physical health.

If you are in need of some social interaction, motivation and a quality workout, join me on Facebook on Saturday March 20th, 2020 at 8am EST for a 75-minute indoor bike workout. I will coach you through the entire workout (pump-up music included) and we will sweat, have fun, suffer and work hard together.

Click below to get the reminder. ↓



Here's the workout. It has a nice mix of steady state efforts and descending intervals. You are sure to get in a great workout (and a good sweat!). If you can't tune in live - no worries! Once the live workout is complete, it will remain on the Trimarni Facebook page for you to rewatch anytime.

Warm-up:
15 min easy spin
(if you'd like to get in a bit more of a warm-up or more time in the saddle, feel free to start before me and tune into the workout at 8am).

Pre-set: 
3 rounds of
90 sec strong
40 sec stronger
1 min easy spin
Repeat 2 more times

Main set: 
10 min steady state effort (78-84% FTP or ~7.5/10 RPE)
4 min easy spin
8 min steady state effort (82-87% FTP or ~8/10 RPE)
3 min easy spin
6 min steady state effort (85-90% FTP or ~8.5/10 RPE)
2 min easy spin

Post set:
2 rounds
45 sec very hard
45 sec hard
45 sec strong
45 sec moderate strong
3 min easy spin
Repeat one more time

Cool down:
5 min EZ spin

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

If you would like to join me but do it as a run workout, here is an option for you (walk as needed):

Warm-up:
15 min easy jog (walk as needed)

Pre-set: 
3 rounds of
90 sec build to strong
40 sec stronger/strong
1 min easy jog/walk
Repeat 2 more times

Main set: 
10 min endurance effort (~7.5/10 RPE)
4 min easy jog/walk
8 min moderate effort (~8/10 RPE)
3 min easy jog/walk
6 min moderate strong effort (~8.5/10 RPE)
2 min easy jog/walk

Post set:
2 rounds
45 sec very hard
45 sec hard
45 sec strong
45 sec moderate strong
3 min easy jog/walk
Repeat one more time

Cool down:
5 min EZ jog

----------------------------
If you are unable to run but would like to walk on the treadmill, here's a workout for you:

Warm-up:
15 min walk as (5 min 1% incline, 5 min 4% incline, 5 min 6% incline)

Pre-set: 
3 rounds of
90 sec walk at 12% incline (effort 8/10)
40 sec walk at 15% incline (effort 9/10)
1 min complete rest
Repeat 2 more times

Main set: 
10 min endurance effort at 10% incline (~7.5/10 RPE)
4 min easy at 1% incline
8 min moderate effort at 12% incline (~8/10 RPE)
3 min easy at 1% incline
6 min moderate strong effort at 12-15% incline (~8.5/10 RPE)
2 min easy at 1% incline

Post set:
2 rounds (all at 12-15% incline)
45 sec very hard walk
45 sec hard walk
45 sec strong walk
45 sec moderate strong walk
3 min easy at 1% incline
Repeat one more time

Cool down:
5 min EZ walk at 0% incline

Embracing the workouts that scare me.

Ask me to train at an aerobic effort for several hours and I will gladly say yes please. My body was  trained/built for endurance and I love going the distance.

As for intense workouts, they scare the heck out of me! Sprint - no thank you!

Whenever my heart beats out of my chest, I can hardly catch my breath and my body aches, I feel so incredibly uncomfortable, my first thought is to lower the intensity or just give up. There have been countless times when I was training with Karel and I tell him "I can't do this, I need to give up" (or think those things in a race) and by simply saying this outside, I immediately call myself out on my negative thinking and stay persistent until I finish what I started.

I have learned that if you want to excel in something, you have to step outside of your comfort zone and do the things that you are not good at (or what scares you). Nothing great will come from always doing what you are great at.

As it relates to training/working out, there should be workouts that intimidate you based on the distance, effort, reps or sets.

After 11 years of endurance triathlon racing, preceded by 10 years of competitive swimming, my endurance capacity is quite large and thus, I don't need to keep training my aerobic engine. Instead, I have to train my weak areas. Karel (who coaches me) knows all too well how uncomfortable I get whenever I am asked to do anything intense but it's an area that I need to embrace in order to become a more well-rounded endurance triathlete.

Earlier this week I was given a trainer bike workout that I despise - Russian Sprints. There's nothing fun about this workout. It looks so innocent on paper but this 11-minute main set is cruel and torturous. Karel used to do Russian Sprints quite often when he was "only" a cyclist as it helped him in his crit-racing days and for his road races.

MS:
10 sec ON, 50 sec OFF
20 sec on, 40 sec off
30 sec on, 30 sec off
40 sec on, 20 sec off (this is where it starts to hurt)
50 sec on, 10 sec off (oh the pain)
60 sec on, 10 sec off (I want to quit triathlon)
50 sec on, 20 sec off (it still hurts, make it stop)
40 sec on, 30 sec off (I didn't die - yippee)
30 sec on, 40 sec off (who knew 40 sec rest would feel long)
20 sec on, 50 sec off (you can do this)
10 sec on (thank goodness)

The ON is fast cadence with a lot of power per pedal stroke. All seated and in the aero bars.
The OFF is EZ spin, choice cadence.
I have the Tacx trainer and I use the Rouvy app (set on free workout) and adjust the grade/slope throughout the workout.

Thankfully, this time around I only had to do one round of the MS and I survived. I was fearful of this workout ever since I saw it on my training plan for the week but I embraced being uncomfortable and welcomed the opportunity to improve.

Although sprinting is not a strength of mine, I find it important to not lose sight of your strengths as you work on your weaknesses. For example, I often tell myself that as an endurance athlete, I am great at suffering through pain and I have great mental focus and strength. Anytime you are working on your weak areas, don't lose sight of your strengths as this can help you avoid the tendency to give up when you recognize that you are not good at something new.

Then, on Thursday morning, I embraced hill repeaters. Hill running = yes please! Sprints = um, can I pass on that?

I was so glad that Karel joined me for our hill repeater workout as it is much more fun to suffer in company than alone.

After a 20 minute warm-up on the rolling hills outside of our neighborhood, we made our way to the long steep hill behind our neighborhood for our main set.

MS: 2 rounds of 8 x 30 sec strong hill running w/ 80-90 sec rest between
3-5 min EZ jog/walk between the rounds.

Karel reminded me that a workout is only as hard as you make it and I kept this in mind during my warm-up so that I didn't run with negative thoughts in my head before the main set. To help me get through this set, I only focused on one interval at a time and never let my mind wander ahead as to how many I had left. I tried to keep my mind as present as possible, which meant not thinking about my packed to-do list for the day. I also reminded myself that it will feel so great when the workout is complete. It was rewarding to see Karel suffer and it kept me going. In some weird way, I had a lot of fun during the workout as I felt strong and resilient and of course, very grateful that I could push my body to new limits (even though the last 10 sec of each interval hurt so bad).

Many athletes are afraid of the unknown but more so, afraid to fail.  Growth occurs outside of the comfort zone and it's better to try and fail instead of hope and wonder. When you continually stretch your comfort zone, you learn so much about yourself and your capabilities. While it does you no good to be anxious and stressed when trying something new or uncomfortable, I encourage you to accept the workouts that scare you and give them a go. There's a good chance that you will surprise yourself in doing something that you didn't think you could do. And if you do fail or feel uncomfortable, give yourself a big high five for trying. As long as you don't give up, what was once your biggest fear will soon become your biggest strength.

(I'm not sure I will ever find enjoyment from Russian Sprints!)

Weekend recap: Training

I'm sending a big thank you to my body for giving me another week of quality training. I never take a day of training for granted. It's been 3 years and 8 months since I've last been injured and 10 years since I've had a cold/sickness. Not a day goes by that I don't thank my body for letting me do so much with it.

The overall training volume hasn't changed a lot over the past few months but I've noticed a bit more intensity throughout the week lately. I've worked hard to build a strong foundation since starting my training back in late October so my body is responding well to the added training stress. 

On Wednesday morning I had a tough hill run workout. Although the intense intervals only totaled 8 minutes, it was a leg burner and cardio stressor. 

For 20 minutes, I ran EZ on some of my favorite roads around where I live, which included no shortage of hills. After listening to a Facebook LIVE 75-minute educational chat with running expert Chris Johnson, PT, I used a lot of his running cues to keep me focused on my running mechanics during warm-up. 

When I arrived close to the street where I was going to perform my main set, I first did a pre-set of 5 x 30 sec build to fast strides w/ a 30 sec walk in between. 

For the run main set: 

8 x 30 sec strong uphill effort w/ 1.5 min recovery (jog/walk/rest) in between

5 min EZ

8 x 30 sec strong uphill effort w/ 1.5 min recovery (jog/walk/rest) in between
Then jog home (about 15 minutes). 

It was a great workout and I felt super strong.

In the evening, I tested out my new Tacx Neo smart trainer with a good workout that Karel wrote for me. My legs were still a little tender from the morning run but it felt good to spin them out and test out the CycleOps Virtual Training app on my ipad. You can see from the picture that my iPad is standing up on a microphone stand that Karel ordered for me. It was a cheap way to hold the iPad, where I control my trainer.

Wednesday night bike workout:

WU: 20 min EZ

Pre set:
2 x 4 min
2 x 3 min
2 x 2 min
Odd Z2, fast rpm
Even Z2/Z3, slow rpm, 55-65
5 min EZ

MS:
1 x 4 min build effort to strong, choice cadence
4 min EZ
3 x 3 min Z3/4 slow cadence (slop/resistance mode)
3 min EZ between  3 x 2 min high power/high cadence 100+ rpm, 3 min EZ between (slop/resistance mode)
3 min EZ between

CD: EZ spin

As for Thursday morning, I had about 1 hour and 45 minutes of fun on the trainer for my first real workout. The trainer is super quite and very smooth. There is no sticky pedaling, especially as I increase the slope or resistance.

WU: 20 min EZ

Pre set: 4 x 4 min (odd Z1/2 build rpm to fast, even Z1/2 build rpm to fast)

MS: 4 x 10 minutes as:
2xs (3 min Z2, rpm 100+, 2 min Z3, 45-50 rpm)
4 min EZ

Post set: 15 min Z2/3 - steady effort, gradually decreasing power and increasing rpm.

Whew, what a great workout, especially after the tough run on Wednesday. I've been super diligent with my nutrition before, during and after workouts to ensure that my body can stay consistent with training and to give me confidence that any fatigue that I feel is normal fatigue and not from underfueling or poor recovery. So far, I'm feeling very energized, strong and healthy and I hope that feeling continues to last as I am expecting a lot from my body in April and May.

I did a very short swim (1900 yard)  swim workout at lunch time to knock out my 2nd workout of the day because I had nutrition consults the rest of the afternoon through early evening.

As for Friday morning, Karel was off to NC to the A2 wind tunnel with our athlete Joe so I had to swim solo. Karel has been swimming almost every swim workout with me so it was kinda lonely swimming by myself, especially for this endurance tracker main set.

500 warm-up

Pre set:

4 x 200's w/ snorkel and fins

MS:
10 x 25s w/ paddles fast w/ 5 sec rest

35 x 100's on 1:30 at 85% effort

Total: 4900

I was feeling tired during warm-up and pre-set so I wasn't sure how the main set would go but after 6-8 x 100's, I started to find my rhythm and the set actually went by really fast!

Then I again, I was really excited to eat my homemade banana bread when I returned home from my swim.

Here are a few pics that Karel took of Joe in the wind tunnel. Joe is a 3-year Trimarni athlete and recently won the HITS Naples Half Ironman. When Joe started working with us, he was far from the athlete he is today. Joe is an engineer so his mindset is often to analyze everything but he has trusted us as his coaches since day one and he is not one for excuses. Joe and his wife Erica just had their first baby 9 months ago so it's been neat to see them both balance it all. This wind tunnel adventure was a fun experience for both Karel and Joe, just to test his position, along with other gear like his clothing, calf sleeves, helmet, wheels, bottle placements, etc. Karel and Joe learned a lot! The wind tunnel testers were impressed with Joe's attention to detail but also very impressed with his position on the bike (fit by Karel).

I wrapped up my day with a light strength session in the late afternoon, followed by a long Campy walk.

We received a nice package from our friends at Mg12 over the weekend, which came at the perfect time as we use this stuff regularly. I just love this line of products for recovery and the quality ingredients.

As for the weekend training, the fog and big chance of rain made it hard for us to get in the workouts that we wanted to get in outside but we dealt with what we were given and still had a quality weekend of training.

Joe, Karel and I headed out on our road bikes around 8:15am on Saturday morning hoping to get in a solid ride but as we headed on the trail out, the fog was rather thick so we decided it wasn't safe to ride (even with lights on our bike). Instead, we just spun on the trail and had more of a social ride for 90 minutes. 

Joe headed back to Jacksonville after our ride and Karel and I followed up our ride with a run. Karel ran outside and I ran on our treadmill for an hour. For me, just a nice form focused run with no hard efforts.

After an afternoon of working on the computer and making a beautiful looking Mexican-themed quinoa and black bean salad for our evening pizza part at Meredith's house (picture and recipe on tomorrow's blog), I finished up my long run with another hour on the treadmill. After not getting in our long ride on Saturday, I had planned to do two runs today instead of one long run to reduce the overall training stress with the previous training.

Sunday morning was a trainer ride with a main set that looked easier on paper than what it turned out to be. Nonetheless, a great trainer session for 2:20 followed be a 30 min EZ run on the treadmill.

Bike workout:
WU: 30 min EZ spin (build from Z1-Z2)

Pre set:
5 x 5 minutes Z2 (1 min at 70 rpm, 1 min at 80 rpm, 1 min at 90 rpm, 1 min at 100+ rpm, 1 min choice cadence)

MS:

6 x (2 minutes Z3/4 at 40-45 rpm w/ 1 min EZ choice rpm between)
2 min EZ
6 x (1.5 minutes Z3/4 at 45-55 rpm w/ 1 min EZ choice rpm between)
2 min EZ
6 x 1 min Z3/Z4 at 55-65 rpm w/ 1 min EZ choice rpm between)
5 min EZ

Post set:
15 minutes Z3 steady effort, choice RPM

Cool Down
-------------------------
Hope you had a nice weekend and you are finding yourself building confidence in your training/exercising and nutrition to move closer to your health, fitness and performance goals.

Never compare yourself to other people. Discover what makes YOU happy and then direct all your energy on yourself so that you can focus on being the best version of YOU. 

Weekend recap: Training

It's hard to believe that we will be racing in about 8 weeks at the conclusion of our Clermont training camp. We have been putting in some good work training indoors over the past few weeks due to the cooler temps and rainy days but with the weekend forecast looking good, we gathered up the crew for a Saturday long ride. Exploring Greenville on two wheels was on the training agenda and we took full advantage of our nicer weather! 

But first, a Friday swim workout for me and Karel to leave the arms heavy all day. 

MS: 30 x 100's at 85% on 1:28 cycle. 

Whew...that was a long swim requiring a lot of focus and energy! 

Karel swam with his buoyancy shorts (which have helped him out a lot with his swimming development) and paddles so he was much faster than me. He did his 100's on a 1:26 cycle! 

As for the rest of Friday, after working all day, I had my teeth cleaned at the dentist (yay for healthy teeth and gums!), stopped at the grocery to stock up the pantry and fridge for a weekend full of cooking and baking (recipes and food pics to come in the next blog!) and then took Campy for a long 1+ hour walk as I was tired of sitting all day. 

The weather was absolutely beautiful (70's and sunny) and it was just a perfect evening to be outside. Around 5pm, Campy and I walked to my mom's house and then we walked around her neighborhood before returning home. Karel had a RETUL fit on Friday afternoon + a private bike skills session to follow so he was rather tired from being on his feet and riding all afternoon so he had an early dinner and then relaxed in the evening while finishing up some work on the computer. Campy and I returned home from our walk and then I ate dinner before getting started with some cooking and baking (yum) for the next hour, before going to bed around 10pm. 

Thankfully, my no-rain dance worked and the rain that was planned for Saturday morning didn't happen so we had dry roads and cloudy skies instead for our 8:30am roll out. After spending the last two weekends inside for long trainer rides, it felt so good to be on the tri bike outside (and in great company with Trimarnis Bryan, Karel, Thomas and Al). 

Our plan was to ride to and up/down Caesar's head mountain, which was a great idea until the fog became too unsafe for us to continue riding to the top. Karel was leading the way and made the call that we needed to stop for safety reasons (even with lights on bikes). We stopped about 2 miles from the top, which was still 20 minutes of climbing and a fun descend to the bottom. 

The fog made for some pretty neat scenery while climbing and all around, it was just a great morning to be on my bike. 

After 3 hours and 45 minutes of riding (a little over 5000 feet of climbing), we made it back to Trimarni HQ's for a quick gear change to get ready for our brick run. Once again, the brick runs have been on the treadmill for the past two weekends so it was nice to pound the pavement with the guys for 25 minutes. 

After the brick, it was time to refuel with a recovery drink and some of my yummy treats that I made on Friday evening. Campy didn't want to miss out on the eating fun so he joined us in the garage, just in case anything tasty "accidentally" dropped on the ground. 

After resting for an hour on the couch, it was time to get some work done on the computer and then get to more cooking. We invited my mom over for dinner so she brought the main dish (stuffed shells with tofu) and I made the side dish which was a Moroccan lentil dish. And for dessert, chocolate cookies! Don't worry, I'll share the recipes and food pics tomorrow but to make your mouth water, you can head over to my Facebook page to check out the pictures. 

Karel and I were pretty tired on Saturday evening so we made it until about 9:30pm and then it was time to get ready for bed. No surprise, Campy was pooped from his exhausting day. 

Sunday was absolutely great for running. Just like Saturday, not too hot, not too cold. It felt so nice to be outside for 1 hour and 48 minutes of running. My run workout started off with a little hip/glute activation in our home-gym and then some outside dynamic stretching and then a 5 minute power walk to get the blood flowing. As for the rest of the run, it was a conversational pace run, where I incorporated 30 sec walk breaks every mile to reduce the overall training stress and included a stronger effort up any hills. Of course, where I live there are no shortage of hills so I had about 1000+ feet of stronger efforts. Surprisingly, my legs felt rather good throughout the entire run and I was able to keep good form. I stayed well hydrated with my Nathan hydration belt and refilled as needed throughout my run at water fountains. It was great to see so many people outside enjoying the nice weather!

Campy happily joined me for a post run walk as Karel was still out running (he warmed up with a 30 minute trainer bike before his 90 minute run). Karel rested for a little bit (and refueled) before an afternoon RETUL fit and I had some work to do on the computer before getting in one last swim workout (2250 yards) in the late afternoon to wrap up another great week of training. 

It was a successful, busy, yummy and active weekend of training and I could not be more thankful to my body for keeping me in good health so that I can live such an active lifestyle. 

IM KONA training - 3 weeks out

After Ironman Austria, Karel wasn't sure if he would ever be able to go that hard in a race again.

With only 8 weeks between IM Austria and IMMT, Karel was able to fully recover from IM Austria (thanks to his mom's cooking and lots of IPA and pastries) and return home with excitement to train again to achieve his season goal of Kona qualifying.

At IMMT, Karel went "there" again for 140.6 miles.



After Kona qualifying at IMMT, Karel was extremely sore and once again, he questioned if he had anything left for a third Ironman, within 15 weeks.

But after quickly physically recovering from IMMT, his body was in a good place to train again.
And most importantly, his mind was in a really good place.

Not only was Karel excited to race on the big island for the 2nd time but he was excited to train for 5-6 more weeks before dropping down the volume before IM Kona.

There are several things that Karel has done right this season which has helped him take his fitness to the next level but as his training partner for many workouts, there is one thing that I often observe in Karel - he never ever goes into workouts with exceptions and he never gets stuck in the metrics of a workout.



After Karel's 5-day trip to Colorado, where he stayed at 9,000 feet with a few friends, he returned home to Greenville very exhausted. He didn't sleep well in CO and his normal sleep cycle was a little off when he returned home. His appetite was a bit zapped after his CO trip and he all-around, felt flat.

We knew that a lot of this was due to the altitude training (which was not intentional for performance benefits but instead, it was just a guys bike trip that was planned last year, without knowing if Karel would Kona qualify) so Karel didn't obsess over any workout and just did the best that he could, while also focusing on all the little details, like diet, sleep and mobility, to help him recover from the CO trip.
Karel was in the middle of his biggest IM Kona training prep which required a lot of mental and physical strength.

I am reminded by a statement from Dr. G who once told me that many times, when athletes feel extremely flat, tired and sore, this means a breakthrough is coming. It's often hard to think that your fitness is coming around when you are feeling empty inside but sure enough, with a very smart training mindset to not have any expectations for any workout, Karel was able to successfully get through his 5-weeks out from Kona training (albeit, with a tired body) and then 4 weeks out (this past week) his fitness came around and he had some of his best workout executions, with a feeling of "I've never been able to train like this before!"
And let's remember, this comes after racing deep for 2 Ironmans since the end of June.

It's  been incredible to see Karel stay so strong this summer, despite some niggles that have required weekly care from a great local massage therapist and the occasional sessions with a hip/spine focused PT, but I believe it all comes down to his mind.

He is willing to put in the work.
He is willing to dig deep and go "there".
He keeps his easy sessions easy.
He never has expectations for workouts, thus, there are no "bad" workouts.
He doesn't obsess about metrics.
He focuses on good lifestyle habits (sleep, mobility, diet, sport nutrition) to help him recover and execute.
He never worries about his weight (ex. race weight).
He has never followed a diet plan.
He sleeps great.
He is mentally strong.
He absolutely loves training.

It's sad to hear about the athletes who just want their Ironman journey to end with still weeks to go before race day. With so much commitment, time and energy, it can't be performance enhancing to look forward to the end of every workout, with little motivation to even train.

And with the Ironman requiring so much mental strength, I believe this is what takes Karel to that next level with every workout - he does the work early season so that come peak IM training, he's not training with the intention to "build fitness/endurance" to be Ironman ready but instead, he becomes Ironman ready by executing every workout to his best ability and mentally putting himself into race day scenarios and letting his mind be his only limiter. There is no obsession with paces, watts or speeds, thus no let down or need to term a workout as "bad".

This weekend was a quality weekend of "long" training for Karel. Lucky me, I was able to join Karel for his long ride on Saturday and for his key swim on Sunday.

Here's a recap of some of his weekend IM Kona training, 3 weeks out from race day (which followed a very high volume/intense week of training).
(Matt Dixon with Purple Patch is Karel's coach)



Saturday: 4 hour ride (77 miles, 4500 feet of elevation gain):
All endurance effort with the last 70 minutes at half IM effort.

30 min run off the bike (Karel ran on our treadmill to help him execute this set):
10 min form focused
10 min at IM effort
10 min at faster than IM effort
CD as needed

Sunday: 
AM: 90 min run (treadmill for the purpose of this set):
10 min EZ warm-up
Pre set: 2 x 3 min build effort
MS:
4 x 11 min at 4% incline at IM pace (one of the few times that Karel was instructed to go by pace, not effort)
4 min EZ jog in between
Post set:
10-15 min IM effort at 1% grade
CD as needed

PM: 4200 yard swim
10 min EZ warm-up
Pre set: 2xs
2 x 25 fast, 50 easy, 50 fast, 2 x 25 EZ
MS: 7xs
100 fast w/ 2 sec rest
Right into 75 on same send off
(ex. if you come in at 1:30 for 100, your interval for the 75 is 1:30)

400 pull

MS #2: 7xs
75 fast w/ 0-2 sec rest
right into 50 with same send off

400 pull

It's hard to believe that in 8 days, we will be flying to the big island!


From 2011...Karel's first time to Kona to watch me race in my 2nd IM World Championship....where the thought came into his head "If I ever become a triathlete, I want to race HERE!"

3 workouts, 3 recovery meals.

As I mentioned in my last blog, recovery nutrition is important in the foundation phase, as it will help to kick-start the recovery process soon after your workout is complete. But you do not have to be super scientific and strict with what, how much and when you eat.

Remember -  recovery is everything and anything that happens between two workouts and right now in your season, you want to create eating habits that make your body feel good all day long, so that you can maintain a consistent training regime (balanced with your busy lifestyle).
By working on your  daily diet right now, you will set yourself up for great eating habits later on in your season when your training volume and intensity increase.
 
Here are three recovery meals that kept me training consistently last week.
(I had a pre-workout carbohydrate snack before all workouts and water during the workouts)

Swim Workout: 
400 swim
400 buoy

Pre set:
8 x 50's kick w/ fins (on back). 10 sec rest
800 band/buoy/paddles - build from 75% to 85% throghout

MS 2x's:
8 x 50's band and paddles, 85-90%, 15 sec rest
6 x 75's (build by 2 from 80-90%), 20 sec rest.
Repeat

50 EZ cool down

Post workout eats: 
Scrambled eggs with bell peppers, mushrooms and chives and a slice of rye bread with melted cheese.




Run workout: (outside on rolling hill course)Dynamic stretching
5 min walk
25 min run warm-up (nice and EZ, form focused)
Stop - let HR lower
MS:
5 x 1 mile - steady effort, conversational pace w/ 30 sec walk in between
~1 mile cool down jog

Post workout eats: 2 slices fresh challah raisin bread w/ honey, cinnamon and peanut butter
Smoothie (shared the following with Karel): 1.5 scoop Whey protein + 2 celery sticks + handful spinach/kale mix + 1/2 large banana + handful frozen berry cherry mix + 1% Organic milk (about 6 ounces) + water/ice as needed




Bike workout: 
10 min warm-up
Pre set: 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minute - increase cadence within each interval from cadence 75-100+rpm (no rest in between)
2-3 min EZ spin

MS: 10x's:
1 min Z2, choice cadence rpm
2 min at cadence 45-50 rpm (heavy gear work), Z2-Z3 effort (legs do the work, heart stays comfortable)
1 min Z3 effort, increase cadence from 50-95 rpm throughout
1 min EZ spin, choice cadence

5 min cool down

Post workout eats: 
1/2 cup Oats + 1/2 cup cherry berry mix + 1/2 large banana sliced + Veronica's Health Crunch mix (chopped) + raisins + milk + cinnamon + drizzle of maple syrup

2 time-crunched workouts

Everything in moderation. You have probably heard this saying a lot when it comes to the diet but what about when applied to an athlete's workout regime?

Well, I don't want to be a moderate athlete. I want to be the best athlete I can be.

Because my season is focused on endurance racing, I know that there is a specific training regime that I need to follow and accomplish to be mentally and physically prepared for my races.

However, just because I have training plan for the week, this doesn't mean that it can never change. Understanding that life brings changes, stressful moments and days when free-time to train is extremely limited. 

I never sacrifice my diet, sleep or work to train. Work pays the bills and my diet and sleep contribute to performance gains. I have learned through making many mistakes in my endurance training and racing lifestyle over the past 9 years that the quality of workouts matter more than the quality.

Additionally, I constantly remind my athletes that what you do (or don't do) between your workouts (when they do occur) is how we get stronger, faster and more powerful as athletes. Just because you can check off a workout, it doesn't mean that it will bring performance gains if you are sacrificing other things in life that will assist in physical performance gains. 

This past week has been quite busy for us and the planned training routine was modified almost every day. For me and Karel, one week of training never matches the next week of training, even if we accomplish every workout in our training plan.

On Thursday evening, it was nearing 6:30pm and I had a key bike and EZ run on my schedule. Although we rode in the morning with our athlete Justine for almost 2 hours, that ride was all about  her. We would have been just fine not working out in the evening but we both felt like we needed our own personal workout. Karel did a 6 mile run (starting from my mom's house because we needed to help her with something from 4-6pm) and I got on the trainer.

My main set on the trainer was 25 minutes and my main set for the run was 4 minutes. Here's the workout:

(disclaimer, although I share my workouts please keep in mind that they specific to where I am in my periodized training plan. It is important to focus on your development as an athlete and build a strong foundation and powerful body prior to doing any speed work). 

Thursday PM workout:

Trainer Bike: 

10 min mobility/hip/glute work

20 min warm-up (Z1-Z2, increasing cadence and effort every 5 minutes)

MS 5x's:

3 minutes heavy gear at Z3 power

2 minutes high cadence, Z3 power

Repeat

10 min cool down

Brick Run: 

2 min run to the other side of my neighborhood

8 x 30 sec hill sprints w/ 90 sec walk/jog in between (down the hill)

2 min run back home

On Saturday morning, we needed to be in the car to head to Asheville for a meeting at 9:20am (meeting at 11am, 1:20 drive to Asheville) so without sacrificing sleep or fueling before the workout, we planned to head to the Y at 7am. Things would have been different in terms of our run and available time to train if it wasn't raining outside so the treadmill run was better than no run and thus, we made a quality workout out of it.

Karel did his own workout and I did as follows:

Saturday AM workout: 

10 min hip/glute/mobility work (I will never skip this before a run even if that means running 10-15 minutes less)

Warm-up: 

20 min EZ run with 1 min rest at 9 and 19 minutes. 

MS: 20 x 90 sec hill runs at 4% incline with 30 sec rest (straddle treadmill) in between. 

#1-10 @ 7.5 mph (steady)

#11-15 @ 7.8 mph (strong, felt the burn the last 30 sec)

#16-19 @ 8 mph (strong, felt the burn the last 60 sec)

#20 @ best effort, 8.6 mph (felt the burn at 15 sec)

3 min cool down

Total: 1:05, 7.75 miles

The wonderful part of focusing on quality workouts  and making the most out of your available time is knowing that you are still moving closer to your fitness goals but you are not skipping the valuable steps in your development. Plus, if you use your time wisely, you will recover faster, perform better and still enjoy the awesome things in life that will make you smile on race day.

Like Campy exploring the Asheville woods. 

A few take-aways for the time-crunched athlete:
-There are going to be times when you feel so rushed to get it all done. Never sacrifice sleep or healthy eating and proper fueling at the expense of getting in a longer workout  or more workouts.
-Make sure you have a few key workouts during the week dedicated to your development. It's great to workout  with friends but your workouts need to be focused on you and your progression in order for you to apply those workouts to your race day.
-Never underestimate the power of a shorter workout. I challenge anyone to tell me that a 5K all out effort is easier than a 10-mile steady long run. In order to focus on quality workouts you need to get your mind focused and stop telling yourself that more is always better. 

-Your fitness development is based on consistent workouts and frequent workouts. Use this advice to have a global perspective on your training. If you are able to only work out 3 times during the week, make sure they are quality workouts and don't overdo it on the weekends to make up for time-lost during the week. If you can get in 5 x 30 min workouts during the week that is much better than 1-2 ok workouts during the week and 1-2 epic workouts on the weekend.
-A haphazard training plan where you are just checking off workouts to get them done, just going through the motions with an underfueled, exhausted body, following someone else's training or using fear based training to make you feel more prepared for race day, comes with great risks and consequences. Be smart with your available time to train. 

Team Sumbal weekend training recap - Bricking it up!

source

It's hard to believe it but in 24 days we will be traveling to St. Croix for our first "race-cation" of the season. Not only is this our first time visiting this beautiful island but we are really excited to tackle this beastly  challenging half ironman course. 

This has been a very time-demanding year for us with the Trimarni coaching and nutrition business keeping us super busy. Our athletes are absolutely amazing (one-on-one and pre-built for coaching) and they inspire us every day with their commitment, discipline, passion and enjoyment for using the body. My nutrition athletes have worked hard on daily nutrition as well as fine-tuning sport nutrition for better training and recovery and a more effective fueling plan for race day. 

It's really incredible to see so many age group athletes out there who love to dream big, work hard have fun with training. It's not easy to balance a multisport lifestyle with life but when the outcome is a strong performance on race day, the sacrifices pay off. 

On Thursday we (Karel, me and Campy) made a quick, 6.5 hour drive to Greenville to finally secure a home to rent when we make our big out-of-state move in May. We checked out 6 places that we found on Zillow and the very last house was the winner! We are so excited about living 2.5 miles from downtown Greenville and most of all, enjoying an even more active lifestyle with lots of nature to play with on a daily basis. 

Karel and I love dining out at local restaurants when we travel and we found this place called Bravo in downtown (which we heard has over 100 restaurants!). 

I enjoyed a delicious mushroom, corn and bean salad for dinner on Thursday evening and after being inspired by this salad, I couldn't wait to get back home to re-create the meal at home. 

Viola! My own creation - sauteed mushrooms and onions in olive oil on top a bed of mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, hard boiled egg (1), rice, shredded cheese and crumbled pita chips and a side of salsa. 

To improve overall health, to reduce risk for disease, to control a healthy body composition and to boost performance, prioritize eating meals cooked/prepared in the home so that you can be in control of portions and ingredients. However, when there's the occasional opportunity to enjoy a meal outside of the home, use my dining out tips from my latest Ironman article.
How to eat healthy when dining out

On Friday morning, Karel and I went for an early morning hilly 4.5 mile run (with headlights - Thanks Trisha!) and after a busy day of finalizing paper work, it was time for a 6.5 hour drive home. 

After a hodgepodge of recovery workouts after HITS Ocala half ironman, with Sunday after the race being a full day of no activity aside from walking Campy several times throughout the day and stretching, all lights were shining green for full-speed ahead with my body and mind to resume structured training a weekend after our tune-up half ironman race. 

With no running until Wednesday (4 days after the race) and extra focus on sleep, Karel had two great workouts for us (we biked together both days) to challenge our running legs off the bike for we know that a steady bike paves the way for a strong run. 

Saturday: 

2 hour Bike + 1:15 hr T-Run

Bike is again just endurance pace for first hour. 2nd hour, take it up just a notch - SESP (steady effort still pushing).

40 miles, 2 hours

T-RUN: 

5 miles descending off the bike (with a planned walk/rest of 30 sec after mile 2 and 4 and 60 sec planned rest after mile 5).

The rest of the run was steady with planned walk breaks (10-20 sec) every 2 miles.

10 miles - 1:17 total time (7:40 min/mile pace w/ walks included)

MS:

7:55

7:38

30 sec walk

7:27

7:06

30 sec walk

6:48

1 min rest

7:45

7:34

30 sec walk

7:52

7:41

8:07 ( with campy and Karel)

(Karel did 12 miles (he did his own MS). Total time: 1:24, average pace 6:58 min/mile)

Sunday:
2 hour bike + 7 mile run

First hour steady endurance pace.

MS: 30 minutes - alternating pulls of 5 min upper Z3/low Z4 watts

(Although being able to trade pulls with Karel was years in the making and I know he can go harder than what he does with me sitting behind his wheel, here's what it looks like for me (stats below) when Karel is pulling and I am sitting on his wheel and then for me to take a pull...it's not easy to draft and then take a pull! I'm sure Karel fully recovers when he sits behind me but when I am behind Karel's wheel, I am still giving a steady, slightly uncomfortable yet doable effort. Also, we were not riding on a straight rode for 30 min so our speed adjusts whereas we both focused on the same normalized power)

5 min (Karel in front, me on his wheel drafting) - 150 W, 23.79 mph

5 min (me in front) - 165 W, 22.68 mph

5 min (Karel in front) - 154 W, 22.77 mph

5 min (me in front) - 168 W, 23.46 mph

5 min (Karel in front) - 155 W, 23.98 mph

5 min (me in front - last pull!) - 170 W, 22.98 mph

Then SESP effort until we arrived home

T-run - 6 miles (+ 1 Campy mile)

Goal was steady effort, RPE 8/10 with 30 sec walk in between

55:08 total time, 7:46 min/mile average (including 3 minutes total of walking, 30 sec after each mile)

7:43

7:22

7:27

7:18

7:22

7:10

8:00 (Campy mile)

(Karel did 14.25 miles and a different MS, 1:42 total time, 7:12 min/mile average)

And to finish off the weekend - the perfectly balanced post-workout meal of fresh pineapple, homemade banana walnut bread (thanks Trimarni athlete Elizabeth from DC!) and an open egg omelet (2 whites + 1 whole egg scrambled with milk) with spinach to replenish, refuel and repair my body.

Tri-race road-trip! What’s in my cooler?

Welcome to our life….. we are on the road again! 

But this time it’s triple the fun because I get to train on the hills, I get to watch Karel and 6 of our Trimarni athletes race in the Clermont Olympic Distance Triathlon AND Campy gets to make memories with us!

After a quick stop at the Jacksonville Running Company on Friday late afternoon (when Karel got finished with a RETUL fit and I got finished with my Oakley Women Facebook chat), we hit the road around 5pm, hoping to miss some Friday traffic in route to Clermont, Florida (just outside of Orlando). We arrived around 7:30pm and missed the traffic. YAY!

I packed a cooler and bag full of yummy goodies for us to enjoy so once we arrived to our hotel (Clermont Days Inn and Suites – pet friendly) all we had to do was prep, eat and relax.

When it comes to traveling for races, I prefer to bring as much Trimarni-friendly options as possible for it makes our trip a lot easier to have our food options within our control (when we want to fuel our body). It  isn’t that we don’t ever eat out when we travel for races but there are a few pre-race foods that work well for Karel and me and traveling with food takes the guessing/stressing away as to where and when we will eat. Not to mention, bringing our own food from the grocery store reduces costs on eating out for traveling is not cheap, especially when you throw in the cost of race fees. 

When it comes to traveling to a new place for a vacation or event (non-sport related), Karel and I LOVE supporting the local food business as well as enjoying local eats. You will not find us eating in our room (or eating similar foods that we eat at home) when we go to new places for we love to explore new places and eat like the locals. I also get really inspired by new meals which gives me great excitement for when I get home to the Trimarni kitchen.  Since we don’t have rules with our diet, we both believe if you eat well most of the time you don’t have to worry about the rest of the time.

Here is my list of what I brought with us for our Fri – Sun trip to Clermont, Florida
(Not everything is/will be consumed but always good to have options. Most of the foods are in our daily diet.)

Cooler:
2 flavored Chobani Greek yogurt
2 Fage 0% plain Greek yogurt
Large bag of mixed sliced fruit (grapes, apples, strawberries)
Deli meat (for Karel)
Sliced cheese
4 hardboiled eggs
Hummus
Bag of baby carrots
Large bag of mixed greens
1 small carton skim milk
1 Kefir strawberry drink
1 Bolthouse chocolate protein drink (for Karel)
6 slices Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread
Irish butter (for Karel)
Local Blackberry Jam (from our trip to Waycross, GA)

Food bag:
4 small bananas
1 fresh baguette

1 bag WASA crackers
3  pitas
Honey
2 sandwich-size baggies of peanuts and golden raisins
Large bag of mixed cereal (Cheerios, granola, Kashi cinnamon cereal)
1 bag triscuits
4 packets oatmeal
Smuckers Natural Peanut butter
Dark chocolate
1 can soup (for Karel)
1 bag 90 second rice (it has chicken stock in it so only Karel ate it)
1 large Tuna packet (in water)
Dog food
Instant coffee

Sport Nutrition bag:
INFINIT customized formula (for me)
INFINIT Speed (for Karel)
Napalm (for me and Karel)
2 gel flasks
4 water bottles (for me)
3 water bottles (for Karel)
4 KIND bars
2 Power bar performance energy blends (for Karel)
Optygen
Hammer Endurance Aminos
Hammer Tissue Rejuvinator

Extra:
Plastic plates
Tupperware bowl
Plastic bowls
Silverware
Napkins
2 jugs water

We woke up around 6am on Saturday and the weather was perfect for a beautiful day of riding. I couldn’t wait to get on my bike in the hills of Clermont, Florida. 

Karel and I drove to the NTC  with our bikes attached and we each went our separate ways. Karel did his race warm-up on the race bike course and a short run off the bike, each with a few pick-ups to get the blood flowing.

As for me, Karel gave me a great workout to test my current level of fitness after a few months of consistent (injury free) "train smarter to train harder" training (YAY - thank you body!) . 

3:15 ride in the hills of Clermont (59 miles)
(I enjoyed seeing a few athletes on the course during the Half Ironman event that was happening in the morning)

8 mile run off the bike:
(I ended up running around our hotel which was around 1/3 mile but provided me with unlimited ice from the ice machine (which made my intervals amazing in the hot Florida sun) but also a change to pace myself on terrain that was not flat but also not super hilly. I could also focus and settle into a pace without worrying about cars if I were to run on the road outside of our hotel. Also I could keep me bottle of sport drink and gel flask of Napalm on Karel’s car for easy sipping between intervals)

2 mile warm-up (7:43, 7:39)
Walk 1 minute
MS 3xs:
5 min @ 6:45 min/mile, 5 min @ 7:30 min/mile
(over/under intervals to help the aerobic threshold while minimizing fatigue in a long run)
1 min walk/rest in between
10 min cool down

After the workout, it was time to enjoy some Campy time outside and then clean-up (while refueling with a glass of milk mixed with whey protein powder and a handful of cereal, also 1 Hammer FIZZ tablet in a bottle of water) before heading to Chiptole with Karel for a meal. 

We both got our meal to go (I got a veggie salad on greens with rice, beans, cheese, corn, veggies and salsa) and Karel ate in the car (with Campy watching carefully for any accidental chicken droppings)  while I drove to the race venue (my tummy wasn’t quite ready for a meal so I snacked on some fruit).

After Karel picked up his packet we made one quick trip to Publix so Karel could get a few last minute foods for his pre-race meal in our hotel room.

This afternoon I talked race-strategy with a few of our 6 Trimarni athletes that are racing tomorrow and Karel did a final tune-up on his bike to get it officially race ready.  Tonight it is early to bed for an exciting day tomorrow of watching trained bodies and minds in action! 

Triathletes are so inspiring! 

A Campy and bike-happy weekend!

We love to travel. Traveling is great because it give you a chance to see how other people live and it also helps you appreciate what you have at home. Traveling introduces you to new sights, smells and tastes and also helps to create memories that will never go away. 

Although Karel and I love to make memories together, we really love to make memories with Campy. Campy treats every day as a lottery winning day. He never complains, he is always in a good mood and he is always excited to go somewhere he has never been before. 

We are so lucky to have Campy in our life and our goal is to make sure he is filled with memories and exciting adventures for the rest of his life with us.

Karel has a great reputation in Jacksonville for being an expert bike mechanic and RETUL fitter.

When Karel was working at Trek as the GM, he had a group of friendly customers from Waycross GA (2 hours away) who would come to Jacksonville just so Karel could work his magic on their bikes.
Karel recently went to Waycross for a RETUL fit appointment and he knew that I would love the home of one of his past customers.

He was right!! Look at all that nature!!!

When Karel had the opportunity to go back to Waycross to work on two bikes (husband and wife), me and Campy were super excited to make the trip for a quick overnight trip.

The cabin was on the same land as the main house and it was so nice to just enjoy the wide open spaces without busy roads or TV.

Campy, like usual, made himself at home. He LOVED being without a leash and with so many new smells and sights, it was total freedom for Campy. This made me happy because Campy loves the outdoors just as much as me!

Just chillin with my furry BFF while Karel works on bikes.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner outside as the sky began to turn dark and kept ourselves warm by the outdoor fire.

Homemade Lentil and black rice tomato soup with hummus and spinach stuffed pita bread and homemade coleslaw. Thanks to our homestay for keeping our bellies happy during our trip!

The next morning (Sat) we all (Campy, Karel and me) slept in and got up around 7am due to the chilly temps that morning (low 40's - no rush getting on the bike). We thought about not setting an alarm but glad we did for we slept SO well.. I think that was the sleep that we needed to reset our system to finally adjusting to the spring-forward time change. 

After our pre workout snacks (WASA + nut butter + banana/strawberry + maple syrup) we got dressed and drove a few miles to the local YMCA in Waycross to park and get ready for our ride.

The ride was so beautiful! Exactly what bike riding should be like...no cars honking at us or busy roads but instead, country roads and lots of wildlife (Which I made sure to say hello to as I always do).

Karel and I were joined by our homestay friends for most of the ride so it was a nice steady endurance 3-hour (60mile ride) at Karel's upper Z3 zone.

After the ride, it was time for a run. It was getting a bit warm and I noticed a track outside by the Y (not a certified track) of 1/4 mile per loop and decided to do a little interval run off the bike so that I could also stay fueled with my INFINIT customized drink (which I created) during my run.

Run (5 miles):
2 miles (7:14 min/mile, 6:49 min/mile)
90 sec walk/recovery/fuel
1 mile (6:39 min/mile)
90 sec walk/recoveryfuel
2 x 1/2 miles w/ 30 sec in between (6:10-6:12 min/mile)
1 mile cool down with Karel

After our workout, we headed back to the cabin to relax and refuel. 

Campy makes the best recovery partner!

A little later that afternoon, Karel decided to go for a swim in their private lake since he has an Olympic distance race next weekend and hasn't worn his wetsuit in a while. 

Campy enjoyed a little play time barking at his daddy and also chasing the birds in the sky.

Oh and a bit more relaxing for Campy.

So beautiful!!!

We headed back home later on Saturday evening and we couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was at our homestay. Campy, as to be expected, was exhausted (and in need of a bath) so I guess that means we did a good job as doggy parents for giving Campy a great trip to make lots of wonderful memories. 

The workout today was another brick: 

4 hour ride (85 miles) w/ a TT loop as our main set (around 35-38 minutes for Karel and me). It was crazy windy out which made the workout super challenging but Karel held a solid pace the entire workout and despite wanting to quit and complain at least 10 times, I stayed focused on his wheel and finished the workout a bit stronger than when I started. Gotta love those challenging workouts!

After the bike, I ran two miles (7:49 min mile, 7:02 min mile) w/ 30 sec walk in between. 

Karel ran a 5K (with 30 sec walk after the first mile) in 19:59 - speedy legs after riding so strong for 4 hours to pull me around Penny Farms!

And to cap off the weekend...yummy delicious food!!!

This creation came to mind after our hot workout for I wanted flavor in an evening meal.

Tempeh (grilled on skillet in a little olive oil)

Mango (1 chopped)

Cheese

Avocado (1 chopped)

Stir fry of mushrooms, red and green pepper, chives, black beans, garlic tossed in olive oil
(1 large package sliced prewashed mushrooms, 1 can low sodium black beans rinsed and drained, 1 large red and green pepper, 2 cloves garlic chopped)

Jasmine rice (1 cup dry w/ 2 cups water, cooked for 15-17 minutes)

Romaine lettuce (2 large heads, chopped)

Fage 0% greek yogurt

Salsa

Chips

Happy tummies to conclude a great memory-filled weekend with lots of smiles from me, Karel and Campy

And one tired doggy.......

For a few videos of our trip, check out my Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition facebook page

Workouts fueled by patience and Trimarni blueberry coconut muffins

I knew it was going to be a tough weekend, mentally and physically. 

But through our "train smart" plan, I knew that the timing was right and that I was ready for this weekend's workouts (after a challenging week of training).

 I had worked really hard for several weeks in order to execute this weekend.

With our "train smart" approach to training, one of the most important characteristics that is required is patience.

With a masters degree in exercise physiology, I feel I have a good understanding of how to develop a practical and effective training plan. However, with so many variables to consider with training - intensity, frequency, duration, recovery - the athlete that wants to succeed must be patient with a well-formulated plan. 

This is also true for any individual who works hard for results. 

Karel and myself, along with our athletes, love to work hard. We are all very disciplined, we manage our time well to keep life balanced as age group triathletes/runners and we also are committed to our task in order to achieve our goals. However, the athlete who is patient through all phases in training will enjoy the journey from start the finish. And because there are always challenges within a journey, you do not only need to be patient but also very mindful of progress (which is not always told by a pace or speed).

As athletes, we all have goals. Typically, a long term goal is the driving force to maintain motivation to train hard for a specific amount of weeks/months. But even for the most hard working athlete, if he/she is hindered by impatience, that daily hard work ethic may not pay off. This may seem impossible because we have always been taught that hard work always pays off but progress requires a step by step process. And because we often thrive off instant gratification, it's very easy to fall short of your potential if you are not patient enough to wait for results to happen when they are suppose to happen. This means not getting frustrated if things are not happening right now, not setting too many goals at once that you feel overwhelmed by focusing on too much too soon and not constantly searching for a better, faster or easier way.

Training, exercising, racing or working toward a personal health, nutrition, fitness or life goal. 

Celebrate the milestones as you maintain patience throughout your journey.
-Is there something you can do now that you couldn't do before?
-Is there something that comes easier to you now than before?
-Is there something that you enjoy doing now that felt like a chore before? 
-Do you feel better than before? 
-Are you enjoying certain parts of your life more than before?

WEEKEND TRAINING

Saturday:

4 mile Run + 2 hr Bike + 1 hr T-RUN (7 miles)

(did the bike on the trainer to control my watts for the Z4/Z3 with our resistance controlled Cyclops fluid trainer)

4 miles (or 30 min) run up front. Just a comfy form focused run

Bike: 15-20 min steady then MS:

4 x 5 min @ FT (functional threshold) w/ 3 min EZ spin in between

10 min steady easy pace

MS2:

8 min @ Z4 + 12 min @ low Z3, 2 min EZ,

10 min @ Z4 + 10 min @ low Z3, 2 min EZ,

12 min @ Z4 + 8 min @ low Z3, 2 min EZ 

10 - 15 min SESP (steady effort still pushing) and then T-RUN.

15 min steady run. Walk a few minutes to stretch out.

Then 30 min of alternating: 5 min Strong/5 min steady

Stop and stretch. 

CD: EZ run to finish the workout.

Sunday

4:00hr Bike (84 miles) + 30 min T-Run (3.75 miles)

(biked with Karel. We rode out to Penny Farms in Florida and did 2 loops in Penny Farms on gently rolling hills for our main set)

Bike: 1st hr just ride 

MS: 8 min @ low Z4, 2 min EZ

12 min @ low Z4, 2 min EZ

16 min @ high Z3, 2 min EZ

24 min @ mid Z3, 2 min EZ

30 min SESP 

2 x 15 min @ high Z3/low Z4 w/ 4 min EZ in between

 Then SESP for the rest

T-RUN: 10 min EZ run, 3 x 5 min (descend 1-3) w/ 60 sec walk in between

5 min EZ CD.
(did the EZ run with Campy - who made me run a bit faster than I wanted! 7:44 min/mile pace for 1.44 miles with Campy. Then descend - 7:50 min/mile, 7:28 min/mile, 6:58 min/mile for the 5 minutes)

Blueberry coconut muffins

1 cup flour (I used Bobs Redmill gluten-free all purpose flour)

1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk (I used organic skim milk)
Unsweetened coconut shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non stick muffin pan with cooking spray (you will use 7 muffins tins)
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Lightly beat egg in small bowl then whisk in milk.
4. Stir in egg mixture into flour mixture. Then fold in blueberries.
5. Divide batter among 7 muffin tins (about 1/4 cup). Sprinkle with coconut shreds (about a tsp or two per muffin)
6. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until muffins are light brown on top or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Nutrition facts: (without added coconut)

Servings: 7 muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories: 114
Fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 23g carbohydrates
Sugar: 9g sugar
Fiber: 1.4g
Protein: 3g
Sodium: 136 mg

I feel ya Campy!!

Tomorrow is NO ALARM (no morning workout) Monday to give my body a huge thank you for the last few weeks of consistent "train smart" training!

Trimarni camp recap - Day 3 (intense "long" brick)

Day 3 of the Trimarni camp was designed to be our key workout because of the specificity of the workout as well as how it feel in the training camp training plan.

According to the Trimarni philosophy of getting faster before you go longer and training smarter to train harder, we termed Saturday as our "long" workout of camp.

3 hour bike + 60-80 min run. 

Rather than having our endurance athletes bike 5+ hours or  run 2+ hours (no matter the fitness level), we utilize the beginning phase of our training plans to get our athletes stronger through strength training. The main goal of any training plan is consistency and many times, the idea of "base" building includes lots of long steady (or slow) miles and much time is wasted when the body can be getting stronger. We find many athletes are 14,16 or 20 weeks out from race day and spend their weekends riding 5+ hours or running 2+ hours as "base" prep. Sure, we understand that you must have good endurance to "survive" endurance training for a half or full Ironman and there needs to be long workouts for mental and physical training but the idea is not to just do them but to do them well with a plan and a purpose.

Once a strong foundation is in place, then it's time to get faster. This is where we encourage our athletes to consider their long-term goals as well longevity in the sport of triathlons (or running). Rather than signing up for endurance races because of the challenge now, get yourself faster over the next 4, 6, or even 12 months so that when you commit to your goal of finishing or racing in an endurance event, you not only have a strong template to work with but one that is faster than 6, 12 or 24 months prior.
I realize that it's super easy to register for races and often times, you sign up for a race because it is the right time in your lifetime and I love that.  But to ensure a consistent and healthy journey to your starting line, it's important that you are always patient with your journey and also progress gradually. Too much too soon is not a great equation and because most athletes want a body that can get faster and stronger over time, trying to train at high intensity during "long" workouts is not the most effective or efficient way to metabolize fuel OR to enjoy consistency with training.

Thus, we have created many key workouts for our endurance athletes (and us included) of higher intensity intervals during a long-ish bike (at specific phases in training) and we follow that workout with an interval run.

You can improve endurance with high intensity intervals at moderate distances. However, it's very difficult to get faster by doing steady long miles.

Not only is our quality approach to training  great for placing a healthy amount of training stress on the body for the body to get stronger and faster with improved endurance but the concept of intervals helps with pacing, to better understand (and use) sport nutrition effectively (to be better prepared for race day) and also to put your mind into race day situations.

Sure, you can bike hard and have an epic long workout. 

Sure, you can run long and strong on fresh legs without a bike preceding the workout.

Sure, you can train all day and talk about it on your blog or social media.

But, as a coach, I want to see you execute on race day and put all that training to good use.

Endurance triathlon racing takes a lot of time, commitment, money and effort so it's is not about how fast or strong you were in training during a long bike or run but instead, how you can put those sports together, following a swim and also how you can digest/absorb nutrition to postpone fatigue and meet metabolic and hydration needs.

And most importantly, as an age group athlete, how you can balance the training with life.

For our camp workout on day #3:
7:15am meet at NTC.
7:45am start workout

Bike - 3 hour rolling hill interval bike:
(athletes fueled with Infinit SPEED or GO FAR and I helped each athlete with scoops per bottle. All athletes were required to carry 3 bottles with them and encouraged to drink every 10-15 minutes).

40 min EZ warm-up (it was a bit cold out so we included a few 1 min on/off intervals to wake up the legs)

MS1: (main set #1)

4 x 5 min @ Z4 watts (or Olympic Tri pace) w/ 90 sec  EZ spin in between.
(we always focus on normalized lap power for intervals but because of rolling terrain the normalized power helps for better pacing)

5 - 10 min EZ spin recovery

 MS2 (main set #2)

8 min @ Z4 (Olympic Tri Pace) + 4 min @ low Z3 (1/2 Iron Pace) - keeping a steady cadence, trying to "recovery" while still pushing 

2 min EZ spin

 8 min @ Z4 (Olympic Tri Pace) + 4 min @ low Z3 (1/2 Iron Pace)

Rest of the ride is steady strong pace (ironman effort) except on the trail or the neighborhood with stop signs which is always just EZ spin.

T-RUN: Long Run. 60 - 80 min.
(So proud of my campers - EVERY athlete ran off the bike!)

(we gave the option if athletes were not comfortable running for an hour after a 3 hour ride, they could walk for time on your feet after time on the saddle)

Warmup (WU): 10 min out and back for 20 min just very comfortable run with stops as needed.  (recommend 10-30 sec walks every 8-10 min if  feeling heavy legs or just want to stretch out and lower the HR).

Walk 1-3 minutes - shake out the legs, lower the HR, hydrate, etc.
We regrouped back at the NTC. Athletes had the opportunity to use NAPALM which I love as an easy and effective fuel on the run. 

1 ounce = 50 calories. It is a powder and you can pour it in your flask (instead of using gels) and top with water. It has the consistency of a sport drink but is more concentrated so this is good to use on race day by supplementing with water at aid stations to meet hydration needs. For camp, we performed out and back so athletes could refill water at our cars with our 5-gallon jug)

Main set: 

30 min of alternating 5 min @ strong/faster pace and 5 min @ comfortable pace (you may also walk here if you need to correct your form or gather yourself). (this is a perceived effort pace - whatever your "strong" is on Saturday, that is your effort).

Walk 1-3 minutes - lower the HR, shake out the legs, stretch, etc.

Cool down: 10 EZ/ comfortable run for a quality brick endurance-prep workout.

For our athletes who have a half or full IM in the next 4 months (me and Karel did this part with our athletes), they ran 80 min off the bike.  After the MS is completed, walk 1-3 minutes to stretch things out and lower the HR and then add 15 min of steady strong running to finish the run. This should feel comfortable as if you are settling into your Ironman pace (or long run pace). Then cool down as needed.

For the run, I did not want my campers running 1+ hour with only 6 ounces of water in a flask or nothing at all. What I recommend is if you do not have a fuel belt with at least 10+ ounces of water for a 90 min or less run, do loops so that by 30-40 min you can refill your bottle with water (and sport nutrition). Not only will you ensure better energy and recovery but you will also simulate race day condition with consistent fueling. 

After an AWESOME workout from our campers, we all stretched (some collapsed...in a good way) and we all talked about this great workout performed by 15 amazing bodies.
I had our normal snacks - Kind bars, coconut water, water, whey and vegan protein powder as well as sliced oranges and strawberries as well as a special treat from Trimarni athlete Sara who delivered homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for our campers. Thank you Sara!!!)

We only had about 90 minutes to rest, eat and clean up so I also gave my campers suggestions as to what to eat to help refuel from our 4-4:20 hr workout and also to fuel for our next workout on the schedule, which was a swim.
I knew our campers would be tired for they had several workouts within 2.5 days of training in them so our afternoon swim (long course) was more of active recovery. Also, because our athletes were tired (Karel and me, too!) it was important that I stressed the importance of proper planning of workouts. Sure, you can do workouts just because they are on the schedule but the swim was not a "workout" designed for training purposes. Just a reminder when you are trying to balance training with life, sometimes it's better to rest if you are feeling tired later in the day and get a good meal in your system and good night of sleep and get yourself together for a great workout the next day (instead of just going through the motions for an evening workout after a long day). It's all about balance. 

3-4pm long course swim: 

10 min warm-up
100 focusing on head position
3 x 100's w/ fins - drills (catch-up and finger tip drag)

MS 3x's: no fins
200 smooth swimming
4 x 50's w/ 10 sec rest (#1-2 build to fast. #3-4 1/2 pool fast, 1/2 pool EZ)

100 cool down

After our swim, I provided a few snacks for campers to help with recovery (dates, coconut water, whey protein) before our team dinner at Goombas.

With almost a half IM distance triathlon completed on Saturday after 4.5 hours of training on Friday and around 2.5 hours of training on Thursday, I wanted to be sure my athletes had fueled and happy tummies for Sunday so a family-owned, local Italian restaurant was the perfect place to eat an early dinner (reservations for 5pm) and to enjoy a motivational talk with 5-year Trimarni coaching athlete Gary (65 years old) who is a top age group sprint and olympic distance triathlete in Clearwater.
Thank you Gary for inspiring us all! 

After a team picture, Karel and I chatted about our last workout of camp which was the mock triathlon - putting all the pieces together. 

The daily fuel station...back of my car.

Safe, effective and efficient fuel. Thanks INFINIT!

Sharing my Oakley women shades with the ladies at camp who didn't have Oakley's so that everyone could wear safe, stylish and functional eyewear during training. Email me if you'd like to know my fav shades. 

Real men wear pink - looking good Karel!

Racking our bikes at the NTC. A great facility to hold a triathlon camp!

4.5 hour workout - DONE!

Thank you SARA!!

Quick refueling in my hotel room. 

Beautiful afternoon swim!

Fun with Go pro!

Underwater selfie.

What an inspiring, motivating and awesome group of campers!!

Let's eat!

Gary is so inspiring! What a great athlete to coach!

Karel takes his hydration very seriously.

YUM!

I LOVE PIZZA!!!

One more day to go!!!

Trimarni camp recap - day 2 (long ride + interval run)

It was a rather late night for Karel and I after our first day of camp but as coaches, we wanted to make sure everything was taken care of for our athletes. Karel had assembled a few bikes on Wednesday when the athletes arrived and we also made sure that we had everything and anything that we would need/want during a long day of training. I had about two weeks of food shopping/prep behind me but still a bit more finishing touches for the pancake buffet on Friday. Thankfully, when it came to refueling after workouts and a few extra snacks throughout the camp, I had a lot of help thanks to fabulous companies who helped out with the first ever Trimarni camp. 

The weather was much nicer for us on Friday although it started out a bit chilly for Florida (upper 40's) but we would warm up quickly thanks to our long ride on the hilly roads of Clermont.
The workout for Friday was as follows:
3-4 hour ride (two groups based on fitness - looped course)
Interval run after the bike:
15 or 30 min run
-15 min run - 5 min steady/comfortable form focused running. Walk 1 minute, 5 min strong. Walk 1 minute, 5 min steady/cool down.
-30 min run - 5 min steady/comfortable form focused running. Walk 1 minute. MS: 3 x 5 min strong w/ 1 min walk in between. Then cool down

Infinit nutrition was the nutrition sponsor for the camp and provided all the campers with SPEED and GO FAR formulas. I helped each athlete with their nutrition for their bottles (how many scoops) as well as what formula would be the best. This was a great opportunity for the athletes to try a well-formulated sport drink that is safe, effective and efficiently digested and absorbed with the proper amounts of electrolytes and carbohydrates when mixed in water. It was not mandatory that the campers use INFINIT but rather that every athlete had adequate nutrition in their bottles to consume during the long bike. Karel and I have been so pleased with INFINIT and we will both be using INFINIT as our primary sport nutrition fuel for this season. 

The campers met at the NTC at 7:10am and we started the day with a few leg opener drills to loosen up the hips and to warm-up the body. 

Every morning, Karel and I gave a short talk on the purpose of the workout as well as key pointers to consider during the workout. For this workout, the goal was time in the saddle but also to gain confidence and skills on the bike. It's one thing to have fitness to ride a bike but on race day, you must have skills to transfer that fitness to racing conditions. Karel and I used this long bike ride as a way to ride with the campers and to give specific instructions as to when to stand or sit-up on the saddle vs being aero (a common mistake is that triathletes have a tendency to always stay aero while riding). Another major area to address was changing gears. Karel and I had a chance to ride with almost every athlete throughout the 3-4 hour ride and to help the athletes learn how to ride smarter by changing gears at appropriate times based on the terrain.

Karel mapped out a small loop (about 20-25 min course) that included 4 steady climbs which was great for the athletes to feel-out the first loop and then learn how to ride smarter on the next loop. This is really important for race day for if you don't pre-ride parts of the course or know where you are riding, you may find yourself struggling to anticipate climbs or feel confident with your skills on the bike. 

We all started together and then split-up into two groups. Karel had a group of 6 and then I had a group of 7. The course was marked so every athlete knew where to go and we gave each athlete the option as to how many loops she/he would like to do. Our goal of the camp was to stretch comfort zones and for the athletes who live in FL, climbing the hills of Clermont was a new experience and was a big confidence builder for those who are doing races on rolling terrain this summer (ex. Raleigh, Haines City, Augusta 70.3)

There was one impromptu stop to say hello to a beautiful friend who was watching us ride around....

And considering that I am always saying HI to animals when I train/race, we just had to stop to take some pics. 

Karel and I could not be more proud of every athlete who rode today. Considering that we picked a challenging course for the athletes, we heard no complaints or excuses but instead, a lot of learning took place. Because we knew that riding 3-4 hours on the hills would give each athlete a lot more training stress than riding 5+ hours on flat terrain, we were not focused on the miles but instead, what each athlete gained within each mile.
As many of you may know, Karel and I do not believe in long miles when training for endurance racing. We only do 2 long rides as part of our IM prep (which takes place 12 weeks before a race). We do 1 x 100 mile ride and 1 x 112 mile ride and then rest of our rides are around 4 hours, primarily intervals and we do more intense or longer bricks off the bike to create a more beneficial training stress than just sitting in the saddle for long hours.
Our philosophy - get faster before you go longer.

We gave the athletes the option of riding up Sugarloaf mountain (1/2 mile climb) either once or twice during the long ride or skipping sugarloaf and riding an alternate route home. We were so impressed that every athlete at our camp not only tested out Sugarloaf but not one athlete clipped out and walked. And Sugarloaf came at the end of the ride (after 2 hours of riding hills) which was incredible for every athlete!

Karel and I really enjoyed riding with our campers and often times, having an athlete draft off our wheel or riding side-by-side to talk about changing gears, getting out of the saddle or aerobars as well as how to race smarter on the bike. We really enjoyed our one-on-one time with our campers since we did not want to just have our athletes get out an ride but instead, gain experience and skills with our help.

After the ride it was time for the run and without hesitation, every athlete finished the morning with a run. I had one athlete who choose to swim after the bike instead of running, which was absolutely fine - we don't focus on CAN'T at Trimarni but instead, I CAN.

We had around 90 minutes to clean-up and have a quick recovery snack/drink before it was time for pancakes and presentations. 

Back at the NTC, I was so excited for the pancake buffet. I don't know about you, but I sure do LOVE pancakes after a long ride. 

The weekend before the camp I made 40 pancakes from scratch with gluten free flour and froze them until the camp. They were super delicious after our 4-4.5 hour workout on Friday. 

Toppings:
Fresh fruit (local strawberries and oranges, bananas, apples and cantaloupe), PB2 powder, KIND peanut butter granola, dark chocolate chips, Irish butter (Karel's favorite), Maple syrup, honey, dates, trail mix, unsweetened coconut, Daisy Brand 2% cottage cheese and Chobani yogurt. 

I also made chocolate chip muffins with the flap jacked protein pancake mix that I received for the camp. YUMMY!

Karel stayed rather busy at camp with RETUL fits but we were happy to offer that service as we know many athletes do not have experienced fitters near by and many times, we have athletes email Karel for advice on saddles, fits, aero bars, pedals, power meters, etc. so it was nice for everyone to have the opportunity to pick Karel's brain. 

Trimarni athlete Ryan brought his Normatec boots to share so there was a bit of compressing going on during the afternoon of presentations. We are all about active recovery and "comfy" clothes were highly suggested during our presentations. We even had our Trigger point kit (which we highly recommend) for anyone who wanted some good-hurt during our presentations. 

As part of our camp, we took time every day to reflect with the athletes. We wanted to talk about what the athletes learned during training for that day but to also ask questions about upcoming training/racing situations. Karel and I also shared stories and lessons learned from our own racing experiences (7 Ironmans for me, including 3 IM World Championships and a lifetime of cycling racing for Karel, now turned IM finisher).

The highlight of the afternoon was giving our campers a break of listening to us talk, and having Kelsey Abbott from Find your awesome give an awesome presentation about the different levels that we go through (1-7) in life and sport. She discussed how to recognize when you are in a certain level, how to move from one level to another and what levels are appropriate at certain times. The presentation had a big impact on each athlete for it related so well to the workouts during camp and all the emotions, hard work and teamwork that was needed for four days of quality training. 

Around 5pm it was time to call it a day.

Some of the athletes jumped in the pool for a recovery swim while Karel and I cleaned up our presentation room and took some time finalizing the details (course, workouts, sport nutrition, recovery snacks, etc.) for day three of the camp.

Karel and I had given every athlete an itinerary before the camp but we did not give specifics on the intervals or purpose of the workout. Rather than overload our athletes with haphazard workouts just to do miles during camp, it was really important that we placed the right stress on our athletes bodies, at the right time, to ensure that we could minimize risk for injury/burnout or fatigue and ensure that our campers would have well fueled bodies (who could tolerate sport nutrition effectively in the hills) to perform strong for every workout as it came throughout camp. And most of all, this camp was designed to improve fitness so that after our athletes recovered, they would not only have new skills and confidence but a stronger foundation to work with during upcoming training. 

After two days of training hard and training smart, we gave our athletes the heads up that day three was going to be a tough day. We encouraged everyone to rest up and to be mentally strong for the brick workout on Saturday.
Karel and I were really excited to show our athletes exactly how we train for endurance events by giving them one of our key "long" workouts. Rather than doing a solo long run or solo long bike we combine a longish interval bike with a longish interval run for a quality workout to work on nutrition and pacing for race day. 

Long bike/run intervals - do you train smart?

Loving my new Trimarni kit! 

Instant motivation to get outside for a great interval bike ride!

If you know our philosophy, we believe in getting stronger before going faster before going longer. This is how we train at Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition. 

In the early season, we build the strong foundation through strength training and skill work and we identify our weaknesses before building off our strengths.

(this year we decided to pass on trying to be a "runner" during the triathlon "off season". Our 100% attention is on triathlon training and our 3 key races this season and getting as strong as possible in our off-season and during our base phase of training (where we emphasized more strength and power than on long, slow miles - which we did none of this base phase). All our focus is on peaking appropriately at IMWI in hopes to race smart to try to earn our spots to Kona).
Once the groundwork has been made, we direct our 100% energy to getting faster in swim, bike and run. However, for the payoff to be received, consistency is the #1 goal with our quality approach to training. And thus, we train smart and recover harder in order to stay balanced as an age group triathlete.

After the speed has been advanced in a strong body, it is then time to go longer. 

Adaptations can not be made in an unhealthy and weak body. However, a body that is primed to perform is equipped to adapt to training stress. Additionally, sport nutrition that has been mastered throughout each phase of training (keeping with similar products - I believe in liquid nutrition as a primary fuel source for electrolytes, carbs and fluids) and the gut  is "trained" for the higher volume training and the immune system stays strong throughout each training cycle. 

And this is how we train smart.

No junk miles. Periodized workouts. Lots of intervals. Proper use of gadgets. Quality "long" race-prep workouts. Seeing food for fuel and for health and using safe sport nutrition products effectively. Emphasis on recovery and rest. 

This weekend Karel and I both had two great workouts. We each did our own thing on Saturday and rode together on Sunday. 

Saturday:

My workout (14 mile run, ~1hr and 45 minutes on treadmill - inspired by the USA Olympic Hockey game while running)

Dynamic warm-up (10 min) at the gym

40 min warm-up (walk 1 minute every 9 minutes and increase speed by .1-.2 every 10 minutes as the body gets warmed-up)

Pre set:

20 min of 90 sec "fast", 30 sec straddle treadmill.

MS:

5 x 1 miles (1/2 mile @ 8.6mph, 1/2 mile @ 7.5mph) w/ 90 sec rest in between

Cool down as needed jog/walk

Karel's workout (29 mile ride w/ hard efforts in the front of the group ride with 3 other guys followed by a 14 mile (windy) run)

Because it was windy outside, Karel adjusted pace based on the wind instead of focusing on his pace (we also encourage RPE whenever we train).

14 miles adjusting pace - warm-up and cool down  included, averaged sub 6:50 pace. 13 miles completed in 1:28)

Sunday: 

~40 min warm-up

Main set #1:

4 x 5 min increase power (Z3 mid, Z3 upper, Z4 low, Z4 upper/hard) w/ 3 min EZ in between

10 min EZ

3 x (8 min Z4 low, 12 min Z3 low) w/ 3 min EZ in between

Z2 steady effort to cool down

Total: 3 hour ride

Brick run (Karel didn't run because he did two longer runs this week) for me:

4 miles off the bike - Odd steady, even fast (descending each interval of steady and fast): 1 min walk in between

Mile 1: 8:01

Mile 2: 7:01

Mile 3: 7:49

Mile 4: 6:49

+ 1/2 mile with Campy 

A13 lb Chihuahua Italian Greyhound that has the need for speed!

Thanks Campy for the BEST brick runs! 

A strong race performance is built on many smaller workouts and not one a few weeks or a few epic workouts.

And most of all, to race strong you have to arrive to the starting line healthy and hungry to race with a strong mind, well practiced fueling plan and smart racing strategy.

If you are looking to train smart AND take your fitness to a new level, be patient with your training and how your body adapts to training stress.

In order to adapt to training stress, it's important to move gradually with your workouts and get stronger before getting faster before going longer.

Build confidence, skip the excuses

"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."

-George Washington Carver

 

 

Saturday morning brick:

2:45 trainer ride

1 hour warm-up (including 20 min of 1 min single leg drills each leg, then both together, etc.)

Main set: 

3 x 15 min Z3 upper w/ 5 min EZ (cadence 90+ rpm)

10 min EZ

2 x 5 min Z4 low w/ 3 min EZ (cadence 90+rpm)

Cool down

 

30 min (3.5 miles) treadmill 'brick' run

15 min warm-up (last 5 minutes picked up the pace a little)

Rest/straddle treadmill for 1 minute

Main set:

5 x 2 minutes (90 sec at half IM race pace, 30 sec at olympic distance race pace) w/ 1 min rest/straddle treadmill

Cool down walk

 

Sunday long run (treadmill):

10.5 miles/1:25

Dynamic stretching warm-up
30 min warm-up (stretched out every 8-10 minutes)
Main set 3x's:
5 min @ half marathon race pace (+20 sec slower)
5 x 1 min @ Olympic distance race pace w/ 20 sec rest in between
1 min straddle treadmill, repeat 2 more times.
Cool down

 

 

It's too cold
I don't have time
I'm too slow
I'm too tired
It won't work
I can't do it
I am not strong enough
I am not smart enough

 

If there is one thing that motivates me every morning to train smart it would be my triathlon goals. My season is laid out well in advance so that I can prep and peak at appropriate times and minimize chances of burnout.

But if there was one thing that keeps me enjoying exercising when I'm not training for triathlons, it would be how great I feel when I workout (and after).

 

One thing that I encourage athletes and fitness enthusiasts to remember is that training for a race is not required to be healthy. You can be healthy and not be training for a triathlon, an Ironman, a bike race or a 5K. Although training may improve health, if not done carefully, training can be very damaging on the body, can interfere with balance in life (work/family/etc.), can increase risk for disease/illness and can increase risk for injury.

 

But no matter if you are training for a race or just exercising for health, it's important to understand the difference between building confidence and having a no excuses mentality when it comes to reaching your fitness goals. 

 

I find that it requires a lot of energy to make excuses. First, there's the thought of what you should be doing. Then there's the thought of why you can't do it, why you don't want to do it, why you don't have time to do it or why it can't be done. Then there's the energy to convince yourself that the reason for not doing whatever you should be doing is good enough to keep you from doing it. But then in the back of your mind, you feel guilty, upset or frustrated that you have convinced yourself that you can't do what you should do.

 

I've said "I can't" many times in my life. In career, education and in sport, I am not afraid of admitting that "I can't" is part of my vocabulary.

But when it comes to my goals, whether career, education of sport, I refuse to give up and I don't like to waste my energy on excuses.

Typically, my use of "I can't" out of my mouth comes from a lack of confidence at the task ahead. I have no problem putting in the work when the work needs to be done but often times, I doubt myself, my skills and my ability to succeed and that's when I need support to keep me positive.

Everyday we are faced with choices and for many, diet and exercise and other life choices are viewed as chores. Something that "has" to be done. But when it comes to making things happen because you have a goal for yourself, you have to make the choice to get it done. Sure, motivation may be higher at certain times than others but just think of all the energy you are making on excuses and perhaps it's time that you spend a little more energy on how you can make things happen.

 

One of the best ways to stop (or reduce) excuses is to work on confidence. Confidence that what you are doing is moving you closer to your goals. (even if you think that you should be doing more or something differently - if you are aiming for perfection you will not be able to recognize progress).

 

Confidence is the feeling that you are unstoppable, even if you have to change the plan at times (but never change the goal).

Confidence is knowing that you can still move closer to your goals as long as you try. And even if you think you could be doing more or better, you don't let that black or white mentality keep you from succeeding.

When you focus your energy on why you can't do something, your mind will give you plenty of reasons why you can't do it. But if are confident that something is better than nothing, you will be amazed how making a little effort, every day, will move you toward your goals. On the contrary, giving yourself reasons why you can't make things happen will not give you the results you want (even at crunch-time when you feel the pressure and motivation to make things happen that should have happened weeks or months prior)

 

Sit down with yourself and create a plan. Life, nutrition, exercise - whatever it is that you are struggling with when it comes to motivation, dedication, discipline or enthusiasm.

Create a plan that is realistic and practical and allows for progress. Your plan is YOUR plan and is helpful only for you and your goals at this time in your life.

If you feel you are too busy, too cold or too tired, close your eyes and visualize yourself reaching your goal.

Now put that vision into your life and dedicate passion, hard work and commitment to your life in order to create the momentum that will help you move closer to your goals.

 

No more excuses.

You CAN succeed.

No excuses - home and back at it!

Well, that's a wrap from the Oakley Women ambassadors, Shawn Parkin and Sweat Pants media. Photos, how-to videos, product reviews, recipes and so much more all accomplished in two days. 

Thank you Oakley Women for another amazing experience to share my knowledge on nutrition and triathlons. There's nothing more motivating and inspiring than being around so many fitness enthusiastic, passionate, hard working and motivated women. 

With a few upcoming exciting months ahead for Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition, I was ready to get home on Wednesday (1/22) to get back to the normal routine. 

                                                         

4:45am West Coast wake-up call. 

4:00pm East Coast arrival

5:45-7:15pm swim practice with Karel at UNF
3700 yards
Main set:
8 x 150's on 2:45 (middle 50 fast)

8:30pm - reunite with my furry BFF and enjoy a warm bowl of soup with Karel. 

1 can tomato basil soup + 1 can water in large pot

Add 1/2 bag edamame (out of the pod)
1/2 package mushrooms (chopped and washed)
2 large handfuls kale

After cooking covered for ~20 minutes on low-med heat (stirring at 10 minutes to combine) pour your portion into your soup bowl and top with 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a pinch of shredded cheese. 

YUM!

I missed my kitchen!!

This morning's workout:
1:30 trainer bike (new stem on bike - thanks Karel!) + 35 minute run (wearing my new pure flow Brooks running shoes)

Bike:
20 min warm-up + 5 sets of single leg drills (1 min each leg, then 1 minute both)
Main set:
1 min ON/OFF
2 min ON/OFF
3 min ON/OFF
5 min ON/OFF
4 min ON/OFF
On was Z4 low with 90+ rpm cadence
rest of the ride steady.

Treadmill run off the bike (our complex gym)
10 min warm-up
Main set:
5 x 3 min @ half ironman race pace w/ 30 sec rest (straddle treadmill)
5 min steady
walk cool down

Leg burning trainer workout and fueling the triathlete

Trimarni lifestyle change tip: 

If you have between 10-30 min when you come home from work before an evening workout or meeting/event, start your dinner prep and finish as much as possible so you don't come home starving and convince yourself that you can't wait the time to cook a real food, balanced meal. 

Here's a creation that I prepared in 25 minutes before our evening swim practice on 1/15 (I planned for leftovers):
Tempeh, mushrooms, frozen veggie mix (corn, peas, carrots), onions, garlic, balsamic, olive oil, kale, turmeric, pinch of salt, chili pepper, slivered almonds. Also, 1 pot of quinoa (1/2 cup dry to 1 cup boiling water). 

The final creation!

Swim workout Main set (at the very end of our 75 minute practice):
3xs (with fins):
3x100s fast swim on 1:30
3x50s fast kick on 1 minute
Continue 2 more rounds.
Total yards: 3800

After my morning fuel (8 ounce skim milk + 1 spoonful chia seeds + 1/2 cup cheerios - a new creation I have been using for the past few weeks which seems to be working really well for energy and recovery. I tweak for longer workouts over 90 minutes. + water and cup of coffee.) and dynamic stretching/foam rolling, it was time to break a sweat....and wow o wow, did I ever!

Thanks Karel for the leg burning workout!

Our Bike Trainer: 

CycleOps PowerBeam Pro - I will let DC Rainmaker give the details about this awesome trainer with specific wattage resistance control.  

WU (warm-up): 30 min, including 10 min of one leg drills to wake up my glute medius
Main set:
5 x 30 sec ON/OFF @ Z4 watts  (cadence 90+ rpm)
2 min EZ spin
5 x 1 min ON/OFF @ Z4 watts (cadence 90+ rpm)
2 min EZ spin
5 x 90 sec ON/OFF @ Z4 watts  (cadence 90+ rpm)

5 min EZ spin 

5 x 2 min ON/OFF @ Z3 mid to upper watts (cadence 90+ rpm)
Rest of the ride is just EZ spin.

This was one challenging set - the intervals are short but you really have to stay focused for each interval during that time. Because I can adjust my watts on the trainer, I use the resistance control to put in the watts I want to hold as a minimum and then I am forced to hold those watts for each part of the set. No cheating on the trainer when you train with power.
This is also a great set to use RPE if you do not have a power meter. HR training will not be a valuable tool in this set because the HR will not rise to specific zones in that short of time with the recommended effort. Focus on a high cadence but strong pedal stroke and you will gain a lot from this workout. 

If you can't get through the entire set due to fatigue, that is OK. The goal is not to nail every workout but to give your best effort and get excited for the next go around.
I recommend 20-25g carbohydrate sport drink during this workout w/ electrolytes + additional water as needed.

After this workout I did a short brick run (3.77 miles):
10 min warm-up run
Main set: 

5 x 2 min @ 7:30 min/mile w/ 1 min walk in between
Cool down

Post workout I had 1/2 cup greek yogurt + cherries, apples and banana slices on top + 1 slice bakery bread (nuts, raisins inside) + Smucker natural PB (A good smear) + water and coffee. 

Training, food and work - catching up

I love this quote. I'm sure you agree if you love your job. 

This past week has been very busy for me (thus the lack of blogging) so I thought I'd catch you up....

MONDAY:
I love my PRN (as needed) position at Baptist Medical Center Beaches because it allows me to help out the other clinical RDs when they need time off work. This gives me only a handful of days each month to put on my clinical dietitian hat but because the human body is so amazing, I always learn something new, every time I see patients in the hospital. This week I worked Mon, Tues, Wed (on call only), Thurs and Fri so it was really nice to follow patients all week and to spread some good health and cheer to those who were not well during this time of the year. But of course, being a clinical RD requires a lot of brain power so that leaves little energy in the evening for blogging.

Delicious tempeh and broccoli stir fry with quinoa:
Tempeh
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Quinoa
Marinara sauce
1. Cooked tempeh in a little olive oil.
2. Steam broccoli and mushrooms.
3. Cook quinoa
4. Combine the veggies and tempeh and then for your serving, 1/2 - 1 cup quinoa on top of your veggie mix. Stir in marinara sauce to taste and enjoy!

TUESDAY:
Nothing beats a morning run followed by strength (or any workout) to make you appreciate a healthy body.
I did some dynamic stretching after warming up on the elliptical for 20 minutes and then hit the treadmill for some intervals.
Main set 6xs:
4 min @ half marathon pace w/ 1 min EZ recovery (straddle treadmill)
Strength work included circuits of monster walks (with band), Russian squats (holding dumbbell weight by chest), planks, single leg step ups on bench, side planks w/ leg lifts, leg drops and super mans. Many of the exercises are included in my 5-week Transition plan.

In the evening, Karel and I celebrated our Czech holiday dinner and finished it with some cookies (sent with love from Karel's mom in Czech) and watching Campy destroy his new toys.

Thank you Gloria, Ken and Frida for Campy's new shirt!

WEDNESDAY: 
After sleeping in and waking up without an alarm, we hit the road around 9am for a very hard 3:15hr ride. Karel really made me work hard on his wheel, alongside the wind that was at our face for the ride home.
Main set 2x's:
4 x 8 min (Z3 low, Z3 mid, Z3 upper, Z4 low - for each of the 8 minutes - using power) w/ 2 min EZ after each one (we took an extra 4 minutes recovery after #3 before we did Z4 low).
My power is very similar to Karel's power when I stay on his wheel so I was able to suffer right behind him during these intervals.
After the 40 minute set, we recovered for about 20 minutes riding in steady Z2 and then repeated the set.

THURSDAY: 
Before work, and after an interval run (Main set for 30 minutes, 2 min half marathon pace, 1 min "fast", 1 min EZ for 30 minutes), I did a segment on News4Jax on "Plates Not Pills - eat your vitamins"

WATCH HERE

FRIDAY: 
Karel joined me for a swim and we did a great main set:
Main set 3x's:
200 @ 85% effort, rest 30 sec.
4 x 50's w/ 10 sec rest, focusing on form, build to fast.
Rest as needed, then repeat 2 more times.
After our 3500 yrd swim we did an intense core/hip/glute workout for 20 min and then it was off to the hospital for me.....Karel had a RETUL bike fit scheduled later that morning.

Yummy morning oats (after pre swim snack, post swim snack)
1/2 cup dry oats
frozen peaches and strawberries
Cashews and almonds
1 tbsp chia seeds
Water for mixing

Campy is so nice...he let Madison sleep in his bed and roughed it up on the couch. 

Well, there you go....busy, healthy and happy.

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!