Our 2021 Year In Review

 

For the past few years, I've enjoyed the yearly process of reflecting on and documenting the highs and lows in our training, racing and in life. Although there were several accomplishments and highlights to celebrate, it's hard to define the year as successful because there were a lot of challenges to overcome. If I had to pick a mantra to summarize this past year, it would be...

Don't give up. Keep showing up. 

It's hard to stay focused and motivated when it feels like nothing is going as planned. It's so easy to crumble down in the face of traumatic situations and circumstances. It's difficult to stay positive when you can't seem to catch a break. 

Don't give up. Keep showing up. 

While 2021 had its setbacks, challenges and struggles, it also gave us the incredible opportunity to grow, learn and to step outside of our comfort zone. One of the biggest benefits of trying new things is beating the power of fear and expanding our sense of accomplishment. I feel that we are truly living a meaningful life because life is about taking risks, having fun, trying new things, making mistakes and learning. 

Over the past 12 months, we kept showing up when we could have given up. 

January

• Participating in 7 of the 8 Greenville Winter Bike League Group Rides (GVL WBL) and winning a few QOM/Sprint competitions. 
• My first gravel ride with my makeshift road turned gravel bike. 
• My Grandma passes away from COVID. 
• Karel gets into gravel riding more regularly (and loves it).
• I got vaccinated against COVID.
• Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition turned 9 years old. 

February

• My first gravel group ride.
• Finished the 104-mile Thomasville Clay Road Classic.
• Karel's dad passes away from COVID.

March

• We welcomed back providing athletes with private training camps. 
• Our first gravel race (and my first off-road crash).
• I crashed on my gravel bike for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. 
• Karel got vaccinated against COVID.

April 

• Had a successful 3-day early season group training camp. 
• We raced IM 70.3 Florida (and I fainted on race day morning).
• Karel raced Peachtree International Tri. 

May

• Karel participated in his first off-road triathlon at Xterra Oak Mountain (and picked up his new mountain bike two days before the event). He earned a spot to Xterra Worlds in Maui.
• I participated in my first trail run event at Xterra Oak Mountain. 
• Participated in the Spinners 10-mile TT. 
• Karel broke his hand mountain biking 4 days before he was to race IM 70.3 Chattanooga. 
• I had my best ever feeling 70.3 performance at IM 70.3 Chattanooga (while Karel was at home recovering from hand surgery). I finished 3rd overall female. 
• I turned 39 years old. 

June 

• Placed 2nd overall female at the inaugural IM 70.3 Blue Ridge (2 weeks after IM 70.3 Chattanooga) and missed the overall win by 2 seconds (but first across the finisher tape due to the time trial start).

July 

• We put on a successful 4-day group endurance training camp (2 weeks before Ironman Lake Placid).
• I finished my 17th Ironman at Ironman Lake Placid and finished 3rd overall female amateur. PR swim 55:43.

August 

• Karel raced Lake Logan half and placed 2nd overall (first race in 3 months since breaking his hand).
• Karel participated in his first ever Belgian Waffle Ride. 
• I found our newest furry addition Asher (a 2-week old kitten).

September 

• We both got sick with COVID (2 weeks before the 70.3 World Championship). Read more here.
• Raced in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah with over 20 of our athletes.
• Karel finished Xterra USA Championship, his 2nd Xterra event (turned into a duathlon) in Ogden, Utah a week after 70.3 Worlds. 
• I finished the 21K Xterra trail run (8 days after 70.3 Worlds). 
• Karel turned 46 years "young."

October

• Campy turned 14 years old. 
• I volunteered and then participated in the Hincapie Gran Fondo (for the fourth time). 

November 

• Karel raced in the 60-mile Austin Rattler MTB race. 

December 

• I raced the Xterra World Championship trail run in Maui, Hawaii. 
• Karel raced the Xterra World Championship triathlon (turned into a duathlon) and finished 2nd Age group in his 3rd ever off-road event. 
• I successfully completed my first two ever mountain bike rides (Dupont State Forest and Pleasant Ridge Park).

RACE RESULTS
Thomasville Clay Classic - 104 miles, 6:47 (Marni), 6:41 (Karel)
Sumter Forest Gravel Race 72 miles - 4:01 (Marni), 3:16 (Karel) 
IM 70.3 Florida - 5:02.48, 2nd AG (Marni), 4:29.24, 1st AG (Karel)
Peachtree International Triathlon - 2:08.30, 3rd overall (Karel)

Xterra Oak Mountain triathlon - 2:51.41, 1st AG (Karel)

Xterra Oak Mountain 20K trail run - 2:01.07, 3rd overall female (Marni)
Spinners 10-mile Time Trial - Completed.

Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga - 4:42.39 3rd overall female, 3rd AG (Marni)
Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge - 5:00.14 2nd overall female, 1st AG (Marni)

Ironman Lake Placid - 10:40.40. 3rd overall amateur female, 1st AG (Marni)
Lake Logan Half - 4:29.39, 2nd overall (Karel)
Belgian Waffle Gravel/Road Ride 96 miles, 9600 feet elevation gain - 5:53.30

Ironman 70.3 World Championship - 5:08.24, 11th AG (Marni), 4:48.08, 11th AG (Karel)

Xterra USA Championship triathlon 2:45.13, 2nd AG (Karel)
Xterra USA Championship 21K trail run, 2800 feet elevation gain - 2:10, 2nd AG (Marni)

Hincapie Gran Fondo 82 miles - 4:56 riding time (5:07 w/ stops), 7th overall female (Marni)
Austin Rattler MTB - 5:12.16, 5th AG (Karel)
Xterra World Championship triathlon, 4500+ total feet elevation gain - 3:08.56, 2nd AG (Karel)
Xterra World Championship 21K trail run, 2300 feet elevation gain - 2:04, 2nd AG (Marni)

2017 Trimarni Coaching: It's a wrap!

Throughout the year and particularly at the end of a season, Karel and I find it imperative to reflect - what's working and what's not working.  Reflection is a necessary part of learning, growing and enhancement. While it's easy to reflect (anyone can do it), the difficulty comes in knowing how to change what's not working and then acting on it.

Since Karel and I both come from different athletic and educational backgrounds and upbringings, we are able to combine our experience and knowledge in order to critique our coaching methods, workouts and relationship with our athletes so that we can explore the areas that can be improved.

For coaches, it's normal to spend so much time on training plans and workouts that it's easy to forget to change what needs to change. Every coach loves talking about his/her proud coaching moments and athlete success stories but if you don't reflect on what occurred over the past season and assess how specific athletes responded to their training, it's difficult to keep athletes on a successful path of athletic development. Growth comes from implementing changes based on what you have learned.

Through our online coaching, interactions with our athletes at group and private camps and seeing our athletes in action at key events, we have had many opportunities to identify strengths in our coaching methods and recognize areas that we need to improve on. Reflection is fun but it is also time consuming as you have to do something with the information that you gained throughout the reflection process.

In researching the reflection process, here are some important reflection areas that I feel are important for coaches (and athletes):

• Celebrate success
• Improve/build on success
• Assess areas of improvement 
• Address what failed/didn't work
• Make a plan for improvements
• Make changes
• Track changes and continue to reflect

We are extremely excited to kick-off another season of coaching, starting today. Yep - the majority of our 2018 Trimarni athletes will be starting their training today, as they prepare for their upcoming season. The reason behind starting our athletes in November (for the upcoming season) is to ensure that we have plenty of time to get to know our new athletes and to allow adequate time to build a solid foundation in which to work from as the season progresses.

As we wrap-up the 2017 season, I am so proud to share some of the results by our Trimarni athletes (thank you Trimarni athlete Meredith with Narrative Strategic Communications for creating this infographic):