Homemade Blueberry Bread Recipe

                                       

I love blueberries. I can easily go through a carton a day in the summer. But now that it is late September (insert tear), local fresh blueberries won't be stocked on the grocery store shelves until next blueberry season (which runs from April to late September). But if you are a blueberry lover like me, we can continue to get our fix in the frozen food section. Yay for frozen blueberries!

If you are concerned that frozen fruits and veggies are not as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, I have great news for you. When fruits and veggies are picked and frozen at peak ripeness, they retain a comparable nutrient profile compared to fresh. And if you consider where most fruits and veggies come from (often on the other side of the world), frozen fruits and veggies can actually retain more nutrients when they are frozen compared to fresh. To optimize the nutrient profile, look for a simple ingredient list - no added sugar or sodium. 

The other day I was craving blueberries so I decided to make blueberry bread. I found a recipe online and tweaked it to cut back on the sugar and oil and got creative by creating my own crumble topping. With a big bag of frozen wild blueberries in my freezer, I got my fix and yummed over the fruits of my labor. Enjoy!

   Homemade Blueberry Bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup low fat yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups frozen blueberries 

For the crumble: 

• 1 tbsp butter (I used vegan butter)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp oats 
• 1/8-1/4 cup chopped nuts (your choice)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bread pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, yogurt, egg and vanilla. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. 
5. Fold the blueberries into the batter. 
6. Spoon the batter into the bread pan. 
7. Make the crumble by mixing together the butter, sugar, oats and nuts until crumbly. 
8. Spread the crumble on top of the batter in the pan. 
9. Bake at 350 degrees for ~50-60 minutes. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely. 
10. Enjoy! 

Effective group training tips

Although exercising in a group environment - especially in a confined, indoor facility - is still risky due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staying active is extremely important.

We are very fortunate to have an incredible aquatic center just 15 minutes away from where we live. Although not as close as the Furman pool (where we used to swim - just 2 miles away), it's the best option for us since the Furman campus has remained closed to the public since March. 

With no lane reservations (or time limits) and plenty of room to spread out (20 lanes!), we are grateful to swim - especially with our athletes/friends. 

Today we had a tough but fun swim - the perfect workout for suffering with others. The total workout was 4000 yards. Here's the main set: 

MS: 

7 x 100 on 1:30
3 x 200 paddles/buoy on 2:55
5 x 100 on 1:30
2 x 200 paddles/buoy on 2:55
2 x 100 on 1:30
1 x 100 all out

This set can be modified in many different ways, and the cycle can be adjusted, so that swimmers of all different abilities can perform this workout and start/finish together. 

Although sometimes you need to embrace the solo grind, here are a few tips for effective group training (in any sport). In other words, here are a way helpful ways to be in a group environment and get the most out of your personalized training session. 

• Warm-up and cool-down together but do your own thing in the main set. 
• Go by time (not distance) and perform out and back segments (ex. running, biking) so that everyone starts/stops the interval at around the same time. 
• On your easy days, invite along an athlete who can help you keep the workout easy/conversational. 
• Be willing to be pushed by others during an intense workout. With good form and body awareness in mind, invite along a friend or two who is slightly stronger/faster than you when you need the accountability to be pushed. 
• Share a workout with your training partners and everyone shows up to the workout but performs the workout on their own. You can do out and back segments or loops for support and accountability. 
• Invite a long a small group of training partners to start a workout at the same time at a designated place. Even if everyone does his/her own workout, the accountability is something to look forward to. 

Although group training is a fun way to socialize and get in a workout, one of the great advantages of solo training is being able to focus on yourself and not be distracted by other people. To much group training can certainly keep you from reaching your personal goals as any training journey requires personalization, periodization and the need to always listen to your body to reduce the risk for injury.

In the end, it's ok to train with others but be smart as to when you do it and how it impacts your health and athletic progress. In this time of so much social isolation, adding in a group workout or two (in a safe way) can keep you motivated and challenged. 

Happy 44th Birthday Karel!

 

Karel and I have a unique marriage. We work together, train together, live together and travel together. Although we have a lot in common, we are also very different. But like any relationship, each person evolves overtime and you learn how to live with one another, and for one another. 

Over the past 14 years, I continue to make a big deal of Karel’s birthday - he could care less about becoming one year older.

Although getting older can be rough (he reminds me every day how "old" he feels), it’s a beautiful thing when you can add another year to life and grow older with someone that you love.

Through every setback, tear, heartache and fear, Karel has a unique ability to turn my worries into laughter. If you ever get to spend a few minutes with Karel, you'll quickly realize that he has an extraordinary sense of humor. He is also never afraid to speak his mind. Athough Karel's personality makes him one of a kind, he will constantly go out of his way to help others.

Happy 44th Birthday to my caring, dedicated, supportive, speedy, whitty, hard working, open-minded, croissant loving, always in need of just one more bike, one-of-a-kind husband.

Here are a few fun facts that you may (or may not) know about Karel: 
(Karel had nothing to do with this list so this is my fun facts that I'd like to share about Karel ;) 

• He came to the US in 2000 with only a backpack and a goal to pursue the American dream. 
• As a lifelong competitive cyclist, Karel did not ride a bike from 2000-2004 so that he could work 3 jobs a day in order to make it in America. 
• We met on a group ride (on my birthday) in the Clearwater area. We were set up by mutual friends. Karel's English was not very good and I did most of the talking in the early months of our relationship.
• He can get sucked into watching music videos for hours.
• His Netflix is filled with gangster/mob shows and drama and action movies/shows. 
• He enjoys learning about history. 
• He has a brother (Jiri) who is 11 years older. Jiri has three young adult kids. Jiri loves off road running, bike touring and being adventurous. He is not competitive like Karel. 
• His dad rode a bike up until his mid 70's - and still raced! 
• His sister (10 years older than Karel) passed away from brain cancer in 2002. 
• He was the GM of two Trek bicycle concept stores from 2008-2014. 
• He raced as a cat 1 cyclist from 2007-2012. 
• He eats mostly plant-based but doesn't put a title on his dietary style of eating. 
• He loves croissants, bread, chocolate, ice cream and pastries (but nothing too sweet). 
• He likes to cook and enjoys trying new foods (he doesn't have any food allergies and will eat pretty much anything). 
• He loves gadgets and trying new things. He will quickly tell me/you if he doesn't like something. 
• He doesn't care of quinoa or sweet potatoes. 
• He loves animals - especially cats and kittens. 
• He has never chased a race weight. 
• He has a special compartment in his stomach that no matter how full he gets at a meal, there's always room for dessert. 
• He became a US citizen in 2018. We had a very difficult (and expensive) immigration process that lasted almost 10 years. 
• Czech is his first language. He taught himself to be fluent in English. 
• All of Karel's family lives in Czech. 
• He crashed on his bike when he was a teenager (doing a silly stunt in front of his friends) and had a major surgery around his eye. 
• He has never broken a bone 
• He started wearing glasses two years ago (his arms weren't long enough to read).
• His hobbies include building bikes, working on bikes, anything electronic and fish (we have a 50 gallon fish tank with fresh water African cichlids. 
• He does not like to be late. 
• He is an amazing triathlon coach. He truly understands the sport and has the ability to know what an athlete needs to work on in order to improve (and what workouts will help). 
• He is very witty but also very compassionate and helpful. 
• He would choose pasta over pizza. 
• We both enjoy watching cycling, formula one, triathlon and sport documentaries. 
• Karel learned to swim in 2012 when he decided to become a triathlete. 
• I am the planner in our relationship and I keep us organized during our races and travels.  
• He has very strong morals and values. 
• He loves coffee. Not for the pick me up but for the taste. And he’s really particular on the type of bean and style. He always travels with his travel espresso machine. 

Race Recap: 2.4 mile Upstate Splash OWS

 

The end of September is always a busy time for us. Over the past few years, we are putting in the final prep for the Ironman World Championship or preparing for some other type of Ironman. We've always wanted to participate in the Upstate Charity Splash but it has never worked out in our schedule. And then 2020 happened. All of our races were cancelled and 2020 became the year of new opportunities. 

Since the open water swim event was not cancelled, we made sure to take advantage of the event this year. The swim is located at beautiful Lake Jocassee, which is one of our absolute favorite places to open water swim. The water is clean, never too hot and the panoramic mountain views are stunning. There are boats but they never get in our way as the lake is very wide and the side closest to the shore (to the left of the pic below) is designated to swimming, camping (on land), kayaking and SUP. 

Although the event sold out (which it does every year due to the lake having a max capacity for events), it didn't feel like a large event. There was plenty of room to spread out and nearly everyone wore masks. We even received a branded event mask in our packet. 

 

Compared to last weekend (Olympic distance event), I was not nervous for this event. I was looking forward to being in the open water, knowing that I was participating in a event that is raising money for a great cause - to prevent childhood drowning. 

Alvaro, Karel and I were placed in the first wave which started at 8:30am. There were two events occurring at the same time (1.2 mile and 2.4 mile) but each wave had around 25 participants in it. We started in the water and the course was an out and back with a green buoy at the start (and turn around after the first loop for the 2.4 mile swimmers), a yellow buoy in the middle and red buoy at the far end for the turnaround. The exit was on the rocks on the shore. We kept the buoys to our left and there were many kayak support volunteers along the course. 

We arrived around 7:30am, used the public restroom, checked in and then put on our wetsuits before a warm-up swim. The event is very low key - no chip timing, no awards and you can wear whatever you'd like (ex. wetsuit, swimskin, buoyancy shorts, etc.). The event is less of a competition and more of a way to bring together our community and raise money for a great cause. But of course, you can't take the competitors out of athletes who are used to "racing" when there is a designated start and finish line :) 

The water temp was warm (around 78 degrees) but we opted to wear our ROKA wetsuits as most of our triathlon events are wetsuit legal and this gave us good opportunity to swim 2.4 miles in a wetsuit. The air temp was cool (in the 60's) so I never felt overheated. We swam for around 15 minutes (with some stops) to get warmed up before the official start around 8:30am. 

Although the water didn't look choppy, it had this incredible chop to it which made it very difficult to find a rhythm. In all my years of endurance racing (and swimming in the open water), I have never swam in such difficult conditions. It wasn't that the water was pushing us around but the chop made it so difficult to make forward progress. I saw this as a great opportunity to put myself into difficult conditions and work through different motions and emotions. If we quit (or mentally give up) when conditions are tough, we never learn. Unless health is compromised, I always believe that giving up is not an option. Never give up when things aren't going your way, the conditions are less than pleasant or you find yourself in scenarios that you didn't prepare or plan for. We learn so much more about ourselves when things are hard. 

The way out to the red buoy was the tough part. Although no part was easy, there was a significant difference in the conditions going out (hard!!!) compared to coming back (somewhat less hard). I was able to stay near the back of the front group but a few guys got away (along with Al) within the first 500 yards. I found myself right behind another female as I was nearing the turn around of the first loop which really helped me build my effort (which is something I like to do in long distance swims). She stayed on my feet for the first part of the 2nd loop and near the end of the 2nd loop I was able to get slightly away from her. I believe I crossed the line as first female (as the lady on my feet exited right behind me) but the results listed her first and me second. So unofficially I think I won the female division but I need to check with the directors of the event. Karel finished around 6 minutes behind me (Alvi was around 6 minutes ahead of me) and Karel really struggled with the conditions but he never gave up. 

After the event, Karel biked home from the lake (~37 miles) and I drove home with Alvi and then I went for a run workout. It was windy and we were tired from the swim but as triathletes, we must mentally and physically put ourselves into scenarios where we have to train through fatigue.

What a tough day but as 2020 is teaching us, we are all so much stronger than we think we are. Well done to all the swimmers who attempted the open water swim! 

RESULTS: 

Marni - 1:05
Karel - 1:11

Here's a snapshot of my splits (every 500 yards): 

Happy (belated) National Guac Day!!

 

The avocado is a stone fruit that has a creamy texture. It grows in tropical climates. Unlike most fruits that are rich in carbohydrates, the avocado fruit has a high content of fat. It may seem strange but there was a time when American's weren't familiar with the avocado. It took some time and a lot of great marketing for the avocado to become popular in the USA. 

Over the past 15 years, American's have fallen in love with avocados. This fruit has become so popular that according to statista.com, nearly 2.6 billion pounds were consumed by Americans in 2019. 

Although once a rare treat, avocados can be purchased year round at local grocery stores and are on most restaurant menus and are featured in many fast food chains. At this point, most people have come to expect it as a given that no matter where you eat, you can find a dish with avocado. More so, people are willing to pay between $6-$18 for sliced (or smashed) avocado on a piece of a bread! According to CNBC.com, Americans spend nearly $900,000 per month on avocado toast! 

Whether you love it, like it or haven't yet learned to appreciate the taste and consistency of it, the almighty avocado is a huge part of our culture. 

As part of our free weekly newsletter (you can sign-up here), Joey featured a delicious guac recipe for National Guac Day (which was yesterday). 

You can check out the recipe HERE.

Tugaloo Olympic Triathlon Race Recap - Part 2

 

1.5K Swim
Marni: 24:38 
Karel: 25:14

With the time trial start and small participant list, the water never felt crowded. I was able to swim through a small group of athletes who started ahead of me and soon after the first buoy, I found myself swimming alone. I was passed by a few speedy swimmers and tried to stay on their feet but wasn't able to swim at their speed. I'd call this more of a half ironman effort as I felt like I was swimming strong but the effort was very familiar to me as it's what I know from endurance racing. Karel passed me in the first few hundred yards but I was able to pass him back as I always build my swims on race day. I felt myself getting stronger as the swim went on but couldn't find another gear to pick up the speed. 
The water temp was warm but since it was raining, it never felt hot but instead, just perfect. There were a few buoys on the course but as I was swimming back to the shore, I couldn't sight the finishing arch. I kept looking and looking and couldn't see it. I finally decided to stop and look to see if I could sight exactly where I needed to swim. Well, turned out the arch deflated so I had to do my best to sight where the volunteers were signaling the athletes to get out of the water. 
Seeing that Karel and I are only swimming three days a week (primarily because we don't need this time of the year to feel like full-on race prep where we would swim 5-6 times per week), Karel is really happy with his swim and how he felt in the water. Karel still struggles with his swimming - he mostly feels off in the water and sometimes feels great. It's a constant mind game and physical battle for him as an adult-onset swimmer. 

T1
Marni: 2:20
Karel: 1:34

Well this wasn't as rusty as I thought it would be. I ran up the walking path and unzipped my swim skin and removed my cap and goggles. I made my way into the transition area and quickly found my bike on the rack. My helmet was filled with water so I first dumped it out before putting it on my head. I had my visor on the helmet as I knew I didn't want it down to start the ride in the rain. I decided to put socks on for the bike (instead of only for the run) so that did take me a few extra seconds. I also put on my shoes in the transition area since the bike exit was right by my rack and there was a hill to climb right after the mount line. I felt like my transition was fast but I guess it wasn't as fast as it felt. Karel made his way quickly out of the transition area and he rolled his bike to the mount line just in front of me. 

26 Mile Bike
Marni: 1:09.20 (Garmin had 1:08.45, 26.2 miles, 22.8 mph)
Karel: 1:07.09 (Garmin had 1:06.55, 26.1 miles, 23.4 mph)

This was fun! I really enjoyed this course. Although there were a few cars on the course, I felt like the course was safe and well marked. The course was primarily rolling hills with no major climbs (nothing steep). It had a really nice flow to it with the rollers. It rained on and off throughout the bike but it never felt dangerous or unsafe. I kept my visor on the helmet (instead of over my eyes) as it was cloudy and a little bit rainy and I didn't feel I needed the visor. I had my ventum hydration system filled with 200 calories of fruit punch INFINIT (Trimarni endurance base formula), topped with water. I also had a bottle between the aero bars with only water (just a few ounces if I wanted to sip it - which I didn't). I sipped my drink ~8-10 minutes (2-3 big chugs) and sometimes every 5 minutes depending on the course. The bike course was primarily country roads which is something we are familiar with in Greenville but unlike in Greenville, the pavement was super smooth. This was so nice! There were a few police helping to navigate traffic throughout the course and a few volunteers helping us to stay on course. Since I was near the front of the race after the swim, I passed a handful of athletes in the first few miles of the bike and rode the rest of the bike solo. I had Karel in my eye sight waaaay ahead of me for most of the bike until around 10 miles to go. At this point, my mind started to wander and I found myself easing up. Thankfully, the Spinners time trial events that I did this past summer really helped me understand what a "hard" effort should feel like. I had no power goals or metrics to abide to during this race (I never race according to metrics) so I just focused on going hard and strong. My legs were burning but I was able to recover on the downhills (while taking advantage of the free speed). It turns out the overall female accidentally made a wrong turn out of the transition area so she added 1.5 miles to her bike. When she passed me on the bike, she was flying and although I tried to stay close to her, there was no chance. I was already seeing high power numbers and there was no way that I could push any harder. She was super strong so I just focused on my own effort. The sprint triathletes were merging on our course for the last few miles (we all shared the same course in and out of the transition area) so I was passing carefully and needed to be a bit more alert with more people on the course. 
I was really happy with my ride and I felt like this showcased my current bike fitness which has improved a lot over past two years. I think the biggest improvement is just feeling more confident on my bike (I LOVE my Ventum - I have been riding it since 2018) and I am more confident being uncomfortable with my efforts (trusting my fitness that I can still run well after a hard bike). 
Karel was really happy with his bike. He has been very frustrated with his bike fitness and back issues over the past few years but he felt like this performance was well executed, he had no back pain and he was happy with his effort. Sure, he wishes he could be faster but any ride without back pain on the bike is a great ride for him. 

T2
Marni: 1:36
Karel: 1:18

Well this was rusty! I dismounted my bike with my shoes still on the bike and rolled my bike to the rack. I put on my run shoes (which stayed dry because I put a bag over my shoes before the race) and then slide on my Naked Run belt. I tried to put the bottles in the belt but I couldn't find the pockets. So I put my race belt and grabbed my visor and sunglasses. I put on my visor and sunglasses and then started to jog as I put my bottles into my belt. I missed one of the pockets and bottle dropped to the ground. I stopped to pick it up. I felt like I was a hot mess in T2 and I was happy when I finally exited the transition area with all my gear on. 

10K Run
Marni: 46:09 (7:40 min/mile, 6.02 miles)
Karel: 37:31 (6:13 min/mile, 6.02 miles)

As much as I would love to be a faster runner, I am really happy with this run. This is actually a "fast" run for me as I've done no speed work or anything tempo this summer. I've just been running happy and enjoying staying injury free with my running. I loved this run course. Aside from the camber in the road, the course was a lot of fun. It was up and down, twisty and curvy and nothing flat. My type of run! Whereas Karel would prefer a run where he can settle into a rhythm, I love the runs where there is a lot going on within each mile. It was so great to see Yannick leading the race and Karel and Alvaro not too far behind. As the race went on, I was able to see more familiar faces which made me so happy. Since I had two flasks with me (one with NBS Carbo-hydration and one with water), I didn't need anything from the aid stations. There was one aid station with an energy drink (which I passed on) and a few tables with water bottles for us to grab. The course was a little tricky to navigate through as there were signs for the 10K run (Olympic distance) and 5K (sprint distance) - with so many turns, it was sometimes easy to doubt yourself - am I going the right way? But thankfully I always had an athlete in front of me to keep me on course. Around half way I was passed by another girl and I cheered her on. I was giving my best effort on the day (which felt more like half Ironman effort as I am just not a speedy runner) and I wasn't going to let myself be disappointed with my effort (especially when I am injury free). I loved getting cheers from a few spectators on the course (thanks Thomas and Laura) and it felt great to know that I was almost close to crossing a finish line - for the first time in 11 months. 

After I crossed the finish line, I felt really accomplished. I was happy, joyful, grateful and had all the feels that I missed. I was greeted by Karel (who cheered me on in the last 1/4 mile) and met up with Alvi, Yannick and eventually Josh. We waited for more of our athletes to finish before we grabbed some food in the pavillion. We all kept on our masks throughout the post-race experience (there were masks on the table right at the finish line).  

Total: 
Marni: 2:24.02 (3rd overall female, 15th overall)
Karel: 2:12.42 (2nd overall) 

This race was just what we needed. More than the experience to allow us to put our season of training to good use, it gave us something to look forward to, it gave us purpose for the day and it allowed us to connect with the triathlon community - which we have missed so much. Even though I love long distance racing, it was nice to finish a race before 11am and be home by 2pm. And I loved seeing our athletes on and off the course. 

I am calling 2020 the year of the unfamiliar. I am embracing new opportunities, welcoming new experiences and exploring new events. And I'm happy to say, we actually have four more events planned for 2020! 

Tugaloo Olympic Triathlon Race Recap - Part 1

 

Pre-Race
I had all the normal nerves going into the event. It was a welcomed experience to feel these emotions as I hadn't felt them since last October at the 2019 Ironman World Championship. Eleven months without racing felt like an eternity but one thing felt familiar.....I was super excited to race. 

Since Karel and I registered for this event around two weeks ago, we didn't have any expectations for this event. There was no Olympic specific training. As endurance athletes, our strength is being great at not slowing down. Fast is relative but we certainly didn't feel "fast" going into this event. Not having expectations helped to eliminate any pressure that we needed to prove something at this event. 

The day before the event was a normal day. We both went out for a pre-race workout (~45 min interval bike followed by a ~20-minute run) and then went straight into work mode. Since the event was only ~1:15 away, we opted to stay at home and head to the race venue early on race morning. In typical fashion, I packed for the event several day before the event and Karel packed on Friday. It was a weird feeling to pack our transition bags as it wasn't as cumbersome as an Ironman but we felt a bit rusty planning our gear for a short course triathlon race. Karel tuned up our Ventum bikes and got them race ready on Thursday. 

Nutrition was pretty standard (except no pre-race pizza as I normally do - instead we had pasta with a veggie packed marinara sauce with tofu on Thurs) on the day before the race. We went to bed earlier than normal and fell asleep around 8:30pm. Campy was not complaining about this early bedtime - although the cats were a bit confused. 

Since this was a new race course for us, we reviewed the course map for the bike by looking at Google Earth. Karel went through the entire course so it was nice to see the actual course. We also looked at the running file from an athlete of ours who did the race a few years ago. 

As usual, I found myself sleeping a bit light on Friday. A mix of excitement and nerves and wonder of the unknown kept my brain a bit awake as I tried to keep myself asleep throughout the night. Campy slept like a rock. 

Race morning
The alarm was set for 4am but we both woke up around 3:45am. Madison and Ella (the cats/girls) were super excited about an early breakfast and Campy was a bit frustrated about his early wake-up call. After feeding the furry crew, Karel and I got everything ready and around 5:15am we left for the race. Karel ate his pre-race oatmeal at the house and I ate my typical waffles + PB + Syrup + Granola + Banana in the car. Karel also enjoyed a small guava pastry on the way to the race. 

Of course - fitting with the theme of 2020 - it rained as soon as we left the house. It rained for about 15 minutes and then it stopped. And then it rained again. And then it stopped. Spoiler alert: This was the theme for the rest of the morning. 

I felt a bit nervous as we made our way to Tugaloo State Park but it was a different type of nerves. The nerves were from a place of unknown and excitement. It had been a few years since we raced in an Olympic distance triathlon event. But once we arrived to the race venue, the nerves went away and all I felt was excitement. Karel felt some nerves earlier in the week but on Friday, he felt super calm and relaxed. 

As far as the race changes due to COVID, we picked up our packet at the entrance to the park. We payed $5 to enter the park and then drove to a tent to get our packets. We turned in our signed handout (for COVID reasons) before getting our packets. The two volunteers had on masks and Karel (who was driving) also wore a mask when he got our packets. It was a very smooth process. There were volunteers directing us to a gravel parking lot which is where we parked (about 1/4 mile from the race venue/lake). Once we parked, we got our gear ready with the contents inside of the race packet (helmet sticker, bike sticker, disposable chip, bib number) and then made our way to the race venue. At this point, we saw many familiar faces including several of our athletes (we had 9 other Trimarnis racing). It was such a great feeling to be in the race environment. So far, everything felt normal - except that we wore a mask for the entire morning until we entered the water. 

After walking our bikes to the transition area, we waited in line to enter the transition area. Another change due to COVID was only allowing 50 athletes in the transition area at once. The transition area also had bike racks where only 3 bikes were on each rack to ensure distancing. I know that many people are wishing for things to return to normal but this is a new normal that I would love to stay! It was great to have so much space in the transition area. There were no volunteers for body marking but they had markers available if we wanted to mark ourselves. The race officials and staff all had masks and every athlete (and spectator - although spectators were not encouraged to attend) had on a mask. It was great to see everyone following guidelines. 

After laying out our transition area, it started to rain. Karel and I made our way to the pavilion area where we went to the bathroom (public restrooms) and got ready for a warm-up jog. I did a bit of dynamic stretching and then jogged around the finish line parking lot (away from people) for around 10 minutes before getting ready for a warm-up swim. I wore my mask for my warm-up jog as I was running by people at times. It was raining on and off all morning before the race. It was great to see more and more familiar faces and despite wearing masks, everything felt familiar and normal. 

After putting on my swimskin, I made my way to the water which had a light layer of fog on it. The water temp was mid 80's so not wetsuits were allowed. Since it was raining, it wasn't hard getting into the water for a warm-up. I swam out to give a closer look at all the buoys on the course. Some of which were hard to see with the rain and light fog. My total warm-up was around 25 minutes (run and swim) and by the time I was finished, I was ready to get the race started. 

We lined up 6-feet apart in rows for the time trial start. Masks were required until you started the event. There was a trash can to dispose of your mask at the start. Karel and I positioned ourselves near the front, a few rows back from the very front. The race director started two people at a time, around every 5 seconds. As soon as you reached the race director (who had on a mask) you could remove your mask before entering the water. 

After this point, everything else felt normal. We swam, we biked and we ran and we crossed the finish line feeling accomplished and proud. In my next blog, I'll go into details about the race itself. 

If I could offer a bit of hope to all the athletes reading this race report, don't give up. Although your training may look a bit different and you may feel lost with your self-identity and purpose as an athlete when there are no races on your schedule, the moment you step onto a race course you will remember why you never gave up on your training. If you have the opportunity to race in a safe environment, I encourage you to be smart but take advantage of the opportunity. 

The best opportunities are the ones that come at the most unexpected times. We don't immediately see opportunities as they are often viewed as something inconvenient, unrealistic, impractical or too difficult. Karel and I could have easily passed on this race because we would have much preferred a long distance event and we know Olympic distance racing is not our specialty (or what we are training for). But right now, a race is a race. We are calling this the season of new opportunities. If you are constantly hoping for something better or living in the past, you may not be taking advantage of the  opportunities that are presented to you at this point in your life.

Opportunities allow us to experience something new, something different, something exciting, something scary or something unknown. Unfortunately, opportunities don't last forever. Seize the moment when it happens. Don't just wait for the "right" time.

This year is teaching us so much. Resilience, patience, flexibility, compassion, empathy. But it's also forcing us to take a chance at an opportunity.

Common Race Day Nutrition Mistakes

I didn't think that I would be writing a blog post about race day nutrition in 2020 but here we are, just two sleeps away from our first triathlon race of the season. Although it's September (which would be viewed as late season racing in years past), it's surreal to think that this will be our first triathlon race in 11 months! 

While not every race day nutrition mistake is a limiter to performance, athletes are quick to place the blame on nutrition when a race day performance doesn't go as planned. 

Here are some common race day nutrition mistakes that may compromise your race day performance (and health): 

• Overfueling - With pressure to perform at your best, it's understandable that you want to optimize performance. With this comes a need to fuel - a lot - in an effort to offset a slow down. Overfueling before and during the race can leave the belly uncomfortably full and cause lethargy. It's understandable to fear running out of energy during the race but overfueling can cause massive GI distress and nausea. Far too many athletes underfuel in training and overfuel on race day. Remember that the gut needs to be trained to tolerate sport and daily nutrition in large amounts (ex. carbohydrates) and overconcentrated sport drinks will not give you more energy (they simply sit in the gut, undigested). Trust what worked in training. Practice your race day nutrition regularly in training. If your training nutrition consistently fails you on race day or you have no idea what to consume on race day, consult with a sport RD for help.
  
  
• Excessive sodium or fluid intake - Worried about the hot race day conditions? Worried about your high sweat rate affecting your race day performance? For preventative measures, you may find yourself loading up on fluids and/or sodium before the race, drinking copious amounts of water before and during the race and pound down the salt pills during the race. Although active muscles will generate more heat than at rest and your body has to produce more sweat in order to assist with the evaporative cooling processes, your body has to adapt to these demands to control core body temperature. Simply focusing on sodium and water will not keep your body "cool" and functioning well. While both are important, don't assume that just because you are taking salt pills that your body is receiving the additional sodium or fluid.\. You should have an effective plan for fueling and hydrating on race day (before and during all parts of the race) to ensure optimal gastric emptying and fluid/electrolyte delivery. Additionally, if you know your body doesn't do well in the heat, dial back the effort to prevent overheating.
  
  
• Understanding your body signals - It's great to have a concrete, well practiced race day nutrition plan. While a plan is great going into a race, any successful athlete knows that racing is dynamic and you need to be an active participant during the race. You can't turn into a robot just to match your detailed, excel spreadsheet pacing and nutrition plan. Racing is a process that requires a lot of decision making, troubleshooting and being proactive. As an example, just because you have a low moment on the bike, this doesn't mean that you are bonking. Or feeling low in energy in the first mile of a run doesn't means you need more calories. It's normal to have waves of emotions, moods and energy levels throughout an athletic event. Use your previous training sessions to remind yourself of similar feelings and how you navigated those symptoms. Because many conditions have similar symptoms (ex. dehydration, the onset of a cramp, low blood sugar or blood pressure), it's recommended to consult with a sport RD to analyze your race day nutrition plan before and after a race to help you perform to your abilities on race day.
  
  
• Anti-inflammatory usage - Racing hurts. Relying on anti-inflammatory pills to try to minimize the soreness, niggles, aches and pains that occur on race day is not healthy or performance enhancing. You don't need these pills for preventive measures. I strongly advise to break this habit immediately. NSAIDs (ex. ibuprofen) work to suppress inflammation but attempting to dull the pain/aches of endurance racing, there are serious side effects such as kidney injury (elevated creatinine), blood pressure changes, stomach damage and reduced ability to recover post race. Say no to anti-inflammatory pills and while you are at it, pass on the energy boosters (caffeine pills, energy drinks) as well before the race. Your body will thank you.
  
  
• Upper GI issues - GI issues are very common in athletes on race day. Upper GI issues include belching, vomiting, bloating and heartburn and cramping. Address the possible culprits to these uncomfortable race day issues to reduce the risk of upper GI problems on race day. It's very typical for athletes who experience upper GI issues to suffer from aerophagia (excessive air swallowing), which result when swimming from rapid/ineffective breathing, tense or short breaths (especially while running), eating too fast, drinking carbonated beverages (or chewing gum/sucking on candies), using a straw-based hydration system on the bike and gulping fluids.
  
  
• Lower GI issues - Most athletes have experienced lower GI issues on race day or during training. Passing gas, diarrhea, loose stools, abdominal cramping and side stitches are extremely common, especially during running due to all the jostling of organs. Although not necessarily lower GI related, nausea, dizziness and headache are also common as they can result from poor gastric emptying of sport nutrition, increasing the risk for dehydration and low blood sugar. Typically, athletes who consume overconcentrated sport nutrition products, lack a solid sport nutrition plan to consume well-formulated drinks to optimize gastric emptying, wait too long to fuel/hydrate (instead of fueling/drinking on a schedule) and don't train to drink while running (ex. utilizing a hydration belt/pack) are most likely to suffer from lower GI issues. 
  
  
• Nutrition blame game - Real talk. So many variables can impact your race day performance. Nerves, stress, poor pacing, weather, terrain and so much more. Consider the training that you did and didn't do and assess your current level of fitness and how you can best perform given the race day environmental conditions, the course/terrain and where you are in your season of athletic development. As simple as it may be to blame your performance on nutrition, sometimes nutrition is not the reason why your performance didn't meet your expectations. Endurance racing is unpredictable and requires a lot of training, trial and error and a process-driven mindset. Accept that not every race is going to be great, a PR or a showcase of previous training. Remind yourself that racing is a test of your current fitness but it's also a day (or a few hours) of self-exploration, body appreciation and the ability to work through situations and overcome obstacles. Sadly, you can't blame everything on nutrition. 

Creating a picture-worthy Buddha Bowl

 

A buddha bowl is not only visually appealing, but the contents inside are incredibly nourishing. Overflowing with color, a Buddha bowl is a one-stop, balanced meal. Ingredients typically include plant (or animal) protein, whole grains and vegetables. Because the options are endless, Buddha bowls allow you to be as creative as you want in the kitchen.

As noted on TheKitchen;
"According to Dan Zigmond, a Zen priest and the author of Buddha’s Diet, the name Buddha Bowl might have a very literal origin. “Buddha woke up before dawn every morning and carried his bowl through the roads or paths wherever he was staying. Local people would place food in the bowl as a donation, and at the end he would eat whatever he had been given,” he told Epicurious. “That was the original Buddha Bowl: a big bowl of whatever food villagers had available and could afford to share.”

Sure, a buddha bowl just looks/sounds like a meal in a bowl but there's a lot more to it. It's a macronutrient balanced meal composed of wholesome, real food ingredients. 

Here are a few tips to help you create a nourishing (and picture-worthy) Buddha bowl:

• Start with the veggies - Choose a colorful variety of baked, cooked or raw veggies.
• Choose your grains - Use cooked brown rice, wild rice, barley, quinoa or any other grain/rice.
• Add your protein - Take your pick of animal and/or plant protein. Examples include chickpeas, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, fish, egg, beef or chicken.
• Add your fat - Top with avocado, a homemade vinagrette, a spoonful of guac or hummus or keep it simple with EVOO.
• Make it pop - Consider adding a sprinkle of nuts, seeds or pepitas for added texture and crunch.

There are no rules when it comes to making a Buddha bowl. Aim for creativity and color. And don't forget to make leftovers!

To read more, check out a past Trimarni newsletter with a delicious Buddha bowl recipe. 
For more educational, motivational and inspirational content, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter here.

Suicide Prevention Month: Stigma of mental illness

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. 

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day - a time to remember those affected by suicide, to raise awareness and to focus on efforts on directing treatment to those who need it the most. 

In 2019, the unthinkable happened. We lost an athlete and friend to suicide. Words can't describe the sadness that we felt when we heard he took his own life. We miss him dearly. 

Mental health is extremely important to me. Growing up, I always felt like my mind functioned a bit different than other people. But my mental health became more of an issue when my dad passed away just 3-days before my 32nd birthday (2014) after a 10-month battle with cancer. While I continue to learn how to navigate life without my dad, life still has it's obstacles, struggles and setbacks - all of which affect my emotional well-being. 

Unfortunately, because of the stigma of a mental illness, it's a silent struggle that many of us share in common. Some of the harmful effects of stigma include: 

• Not seeking help or treatment
• Self-doubt, weakness, shame
• Isolation - uncomfortable expressing emotions/thoughts
• Equating yourself with your illness
• Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers
• Bullying
• Health insurance that doesn't adequately cover mental illness treatment

There is no face or look of a mental illness. A mental illness can affect every skin color, shape, religion, gender and ethnicity and can occur at different times in life and through all age groups. If you feel comfortable seeing a doctor when your physical health is compromised, there should be no shame in treating mental health in the same way. 

We are taught not to judge individuals with conditions like cancer, lupus, heart disease and so much more. As it relates to physical conditions, people are surrounded by love, support and care. Each person with a physical illness is encouraged and often provided the support and means to live a full life despite a physical illness.

But what about PTSD, addiction, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder? When it comes to mental health illnesses, there's a fear of being understood. Your job status could be compromised and you may not be able to afford quality mental health care. 

There's no way to tell what someone is going through. Social media is constantly showing us the highlight reels - making the lives of others look exciting, perfect or amazing. This can cause comparison - which is the thief of joy. Many people who are anxious or depressed don't "look" anxious or depressed because we are all taught to carry on the best we can, given the circumstances. Like body image struggles, there is no one "image" as to what a mental illness should look like. More so, mental illnesses are often regarded as socially unacceptable - thus the stigma associated with conditions like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Just because someone doesn't have any outward signs of a mental illness or doesn't fit into a "box" of symptoms, this doesn't make it any less serious or real. Someone may not "look" like he/she is struggling but it doesn't mean that this person is ok. 

Check up on your friends, your family, your co-workers and your neighbors. Silence is a scary part of a mental illness. I know for myself, when I feel anxious, I am constantly trying to sort through the many different thoughts in my head. And there are a lot of them! Thankfully, I have a strong tribe around me for outside input so that I can make sense of the thoughts that make the most sense (and get rid of the thoughts that are false, nasty and unproductive). 

Life is not easy. Sometimes it's fun and exciting but often it is messy.
But it's worth sticking around for. Let's make sure that everyone has an opportunity to live life to the fullest. 

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. 1-800-273-8255

It's Race Week!!

 

This picture was from our last triathlon - waaaay back in October at the Ironman World Championship. 

After all of our registered events were cancelled, I didn't have much confidence that we would be racing in 2020. Not too long ago in mid-summer, we heard that a USAT sanctioned race was happening just 63 miles away. We kept it on our radar as a possible race option. We waited until 2 weeks before the event before we made the decision to register (which we did last week) and now we can finally say that it is race week! 

Karel and I will be participating in the Tugaloo Olympic distance triathlon on Saturday - September 12th, 2020 along with eight of our athletes. I guess we could call this a team race - yippee! Knowing that we are still in a pandemic and the race experience is a bit different, here are a few of my thoughts going into this race: 

• I have extreme gratitude for the local community, race director and event staff for putting on this race. 
• We are taking this race as serious as we would any other race. We will take advantage of this opportunity to race as it may be our only triathlon this season. 
• With extra safety protocols in place, it is our responsibility to know the course and be extra prepared and self-sufficient before and during the event. 
• I am grateful for my health that I am able to participate in this event. I will continue to follow all protocols to stay safe before and during the event.
• I will race with joy. Although I'm doing my best to stay optimistic and positive during this stressful and unpredictable time, it has been difficult to lose the race day experiences that have become part of my self-identity throughout each summer for the past 14 years. Racing is something that brings me great joy and adds purpose and value to my life. It feels incredibly wonderful to have something on my schedule to look forward to. While I've been training all spring and summer, I feel like my training now has a clear purpose. 
• Recognizing that the race experience will feel a bit difference, I will focus on what I can control. I will focus on the process and let the outcome take care of itself.  
• I have no expectations for this race. As with any "first race" of the season, I am excited to dust off the rust, explore my capabilities, put myself into uncomfortable situations and embrace the unknown. 

Yay - it's race week!! 

Performance focused: Are you exercising or training?

 

I think it's safe to say that most endurance athletes love physical activity. Certainly it would be difficult to train for a long-distance event if there wasn't a strong passion for working out. But with great enthusiasm to exercise comes a caveat - just because you are exercising, this doesn't mean you are becoming race ready. 

Exercise (or physical activity) is commonly defined as anything that requires you to move your body and burn calories.

Training is viewed as working toward adequate levels of strength, endurance, speed and/or power for successful participation (and completion) of an athletic event. 

To make the difference easier to understand, exercising satisfies an immediate need and is done for the effect is produces today. Exercise is done for its own sake - either during or immediately after. But when you have a specific performance objective in mind (ex. preparing for an event), you must change your physiology to prepare for the demands of your event. 

Although all training is exercising, not all exercising is training. 

Training is done with the purpose of achieving a long-term performance goal. Training is a process that must be planned out to produce specific results. It's methodically organized with great thought and understanding of human body.  

Preparing for an endurance event requires a specific type of physiological adaptation. Every workout needs to have a purpose. Not all workouts require intervals or high intensity efforts but there needs to be a motive behind each workout in the plan. This is training. There's nothing wrong with working out with the primary objective of getting into shape, improving health or changing body composition, but if the primary purpose of the workout is to only burn calories or do what "feels right" on the day, this not only prevents performance improvements but it can also compromise health and emotional well-being.

The difference between exercising and training is how you approach the activity - not the activity itself. 

Training requires intention, purpose and focus. It requires planning of nutrition, commitment to the task at hand and a smart mindset to listen to the body. If you want to improve your health, exercising will do just that. But you don't have to train for an Ironman distance triathlon or marathon to be healthy. And just because you train for an Ironman distance triathlon or marathon, this doesn't mean that you will remain healthy (or become healthier). Training requires putting your body under a specific type of intentional load, forcing it to adapt through training stress and recovery. Not always is this healthy. That is why training requires so much more than just checking off workouts for the sake of completing a certain number of training miles or hours. 

Although endurance athletes are experiencing many changes to life, training and mental health during the pandemic, I do worry that many endurance athletes have turned into exceptional "exercisers." While it's great to stay physically active during a time of cancelled races, if you are seeking short or long-term performance improvements, there needs to be a systematic plan in place - with purpose and intent. Exercising your way through high volume, intense or random workouts will not give you the results that training can offer. More so, health can be compromised if you are not focused on the factors that can help your body safely adapt to training - like daily nutrition, sport nutrition, sleep, stress management, hydration and recovery.

Training takes work, it requires a committed mindset, it involves diligence with lifestyle habits (outside of training), results are not quick to achieve and it requires a certain amount of "embracing the grind."

But, with a structured plan and long-term goals in place, every training session provides an opportunity for growth and development.

And this is why training is fun - achieving a performance result when it truly matters, while also keeping the body in great health. 

The perfect diet - does it exist?

If you are on a quest to change your body composition or boost your health, you may find yourself overwhelmed by all the different dietary approaches. 

Traditionally, the word "diet" describes how you eat. However, over time it has evolved to mean "restriction" or "elimination" - often in attempt to lose weight. 

To help you out, I want you know that the perfect diet doesn't exist. There is no one "best" diet that works for every person around the world. Every human being is different - different genes, lifestyle habits, nutritional needs, emotions, activity regimes.....and so much more. 

While there are several universal nutrition principles that have consistently shown to improve health, reduce risk for disease, maximize longevity and to help with weight maintenance, I'd like to offer a different way of thinking about food. In other words, if you are on a quest to improve your health or change your body composition, there's much more to the diet formula than searching for the pieces of a perfect diet. 

• Your diet should not only keep you alive, but it should help you thrive. 
  
• Consume the highest-quality (nutrient density) of food that you can afford within your budget. Consider it an investment in your health. 
• Your diet should supply your body with a wide variety of nutrients to support all body processes. 
• Your diet should be financially feasible. 
• Your diet is consistently evolving. Work on a good, better, best system. 
• Prioritize food that comes naturally from the Mother Earth. 
• Your diet should be sustainable, flexible and enjoyable. 
• Your diet should have a positive environmental impact. 
• Eat for your activity level. 
• Your diet should leave you satisfied. 
• Your diet should not be socially isolating. 
• Changing your diet won't fix body image issues. 
• Achieving a specific look, number on the scale or size of clothing from your dietary choices will not ensure long-time happiness. 

Diet rules, lists and labels are used to control your eating. They tell you exactly what you should and shouldn’t eat in order to lose weight, improve health or change body composition. The diet rules make you believe that if you follow the “good” food list and avoid the “off-limit” foods, you will achieve certain results. (This doesn’t apply to medical, ethical and religious reasons for avoiding certain foods or food groups).

Extremes and absolutes are never healthy. Strict and restrictive eating can run and ruin your life, health and emotional well-being. Often times, it can create disordered eating patterns.

If you don’t diet, you can never cheat, break, mess up, feel guilty, fall off the wagon or have a bad day of eating.

Your eating choices belong to you. If you choose to reduce, minimize or avoid certain foods for ethical, medical, religious, health or personal reasons, your diet should remain simple, flexible, varied and nourishing. 

Your personalized style of eating is constantly evolving. 

Keep it practical, enjoyable and sustainable. 

It’s not a fad, it doesn’t require meticulous calculations, there are no strict rules, and it should never cause guilt, stress or worry.

Practical training without racing

In my previous blog post, I discussed the struggles that many athletes and coaches are facing during this time of cancelled races. 

Before I offer these tips, I want to remind you of a critical component of sport longevity and achieving athletic excellence. 

I've been a competitive endurance athlete for the past 14 years. I've had my share of setbacks but I have never lost my love for training. I contribute this to one thing: maintaining joy for the process and letting the outcome take care of itself.  

Many athletes experience burnout when preparing for an endurance event. The training journey rarely starts this way but when an athlete feels tremendous pressure on an outcome (race day success), the training becomes stressful, monotonous and tiresome. Although not every workout will be inherently enjoyable (improvements require hard work and stretching the comfort zone) and there are struggles in every athletic journey, maintaining joy for training is an important element of athletic development. When you experience a sense of pleasure and fun with training, you are more likely to experience an overall sense of satisfaction while staying motivated during the process. 

During a time of cancelled races, athletes are no longer training with a specific date in mind. Unlike in years past, when training would keep athletes motivated to work towards achieving optimal performance on a specific date, athletes are training in a state of uncertainty. Athletes who only know how to train with outcome-oriented goals will certainly struggle when there is no endpoint to reach a performance milestone. However, for those who truly enjoy the process of athletic development, it's a lot easier to find joy in what you are doing. I feel this is why some athletes are able to maintain focus and motivation without a race in sight. 

Even if you have joy for training, there will be struggles. For some athletes, this time has offered a period of soul-searching. Perhaps a break in structured training or stepping away from the sport is needed. We are living in a very stressful time and we are all on our own path of getting the most out of life. 

Here are some of my suggestions to help you get the most out of your training during a time of no racing: 

• Physically and mentally, you should not feel like you are training for a race. This style of training requires great dedication, focus and emotional energy. Now is not that time. 
• Be flexible - life is unpredictable right now, be willing to adjust without guilt or worry. 
• Go into workouts without expectations. No expectations = no disappointments. 
• Have a mix of structured and soul-fulfilling workouts. Around 40-60% of your weekly training volume should come from purposeful and structured workouts where you are mentally engaged and are physically prepared to execute. The remainder of your workouts should have freedom and flexibility so that you don't feel like you are showing up to an actual "workout" every day of the week. 
• Enjoy a change in your normal workout routine. You want to look back at this time of no races and feel as if you made the most of it. 
• Give the little details extra attention. Whereas the nature of race season typically leaves you time-crunched, exhausted and cardio-obsessed, give more attention to proper nutrition, recovery, mobility, sleep and strength training. 
• Dial back the volume. You don't need to be completing every long workout that you are used to completing at this time in the season. 
• Bump up the intensity. With a solid aerobic base, tissue resilience and muscular strength, spice-up your workouts with a bit of intensity. 
• Make the focus on maintaining your fitness. Once you have a race on the calendar, you can begin to progressively build your intensity and/or volume to prepare for the race. 
• Keep your foundation strong. Don't neglect strength training. 
• Gift yourself mini-breaks (up to seven days) from training structure. Without races, the monotony of training can lead to burnout and staleness with training. No need to be sedentary during the break but instead, spice up your routine with different activities. 
• Set personal workout challenges. To keep you accountable and to keep a high level of motivation and focus, having a challenging training objective is critically important right now. Whether a virtual race, a specific race distance spread over a course of a week (or weekend) or a self-defined multi-day challenge, you can experience some of the same mental and physical aspects that you would experience at a race. 
• Socialize. While keeping yourself safe and following CDC guidelines, connecting with others is very important for your mental health. Even if just once a week, looking forward to a workout with a training partner or small group can be a welcomed gift during this time of social isolation.
• Work on weaknesses. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and do the stuff that you typically push aside (or neglect) when you have a race on the schedule. 
• Work on your nutrition/diet, relationship with food and the body and sport nutrition. You don't need a race on the schedule to improve your dietary habits and fueling/hydration regime. 
• Communicate with your coach. Be willing to be vulnerable, open and honest with your life, emotions and needs. You have a big role in the coaching relationship - don't let your coach be a dictator. You deserve to have a voice with your training routine.
• Do what you can. Have fun. Don't waste away your previous/current fitness. Keep setting goals. Make the most of this time of cancelled races - however that may look for you. 

Should you train when you can't race?

                   

This pandemic has required coaches to think a bit differently about how to best train athletes during a time of cancelled races. Although coaches often wear more than one hat, selecting which hat to wear at what moment has been tricky. Now more than ever before, we have had to be incredibly creative and flexible to keep our athletes engaged, motivated, emotionally well and physically healthy.


In lieu of races, our athletes have completed several different types of challenges since March. We started with a 10-day spring challenge and then a mini challenge in the early summer. Over the past few weeks (and into September), many of our athletes/team members are completing a 2-day summer challenge. We created a document for our athletes to select two of seven workout combinations (or they could create their own 2-day challenge) and to pick the dates for their challenge. We then provided the specific workouts within each set of workout challenges. For example, some athletes completed a 60-min swim, 4 hour bike and 75 minute run (on day 1) followed by a 3 hour bike and 30 min run on day 2. Every sport had a specific workout within the session. As for our athletes designing their own challenge - we have seen some creativity! Onee athlete choose a swim/run x3 challenge on day 1 (and swim/run on day 2) and another athlete choose to complete a modified Ironman distance spread over two days. It's been inspiring to see the team support from our coached athletes, alumni and educational team members on our private Trimarni team Facebook page and to see our athletes stepping outside of their comfort zone. The challenge is not designed to be easy but something that brings a bit of nerves, unknown and excitement. Even coach Joe, Karel and me completed our own challenge (more on that in a future blog).

I believe that there is no one right way to coach athletes through this time of cancelled races. Every athlete is impacted differently, we (as coaches) have never experienced this before and there continues to be great uncertainty in the world. However, I do believe that athletes need to be coached. While it's understandable that some athletes need to step away from training, I feel that continuing the training during this time of cancelled races is important.

As for the non-negotiables during this season of cancelled races, I don't feel the goals are much different than during a time of racing: 

• Maintain joy for training without interfering with other life responsibilities.
  
• Maintain optimal physical and mental health. 
• Finish the season/year with great mental, emotional and physical health. 
• Continue to build athletic development. 
• Workouts should have a clear purpose and focus. 
• Athletes need accountability, motivation and direction from a coach. 
  

I really hope that all athletes can emerge from this period in good health. While this is an extremely stressful time and no athlete is immune from anxiety, depression, frustration and sadness, it's important to take great care your mental and physical health. Exercise can serve as a wonderful form of stress-relief, it's essential for well-being and it provides a sense of control during this unpredictable time. 

When training for a race, there comes a time in the season when you need to complete race-specific training. Well-prior to that phase, there are several stages of athletic development (periodization) to help you race at your best on a specific date. Without races, it can be difficult to maintain motivation when you don't have anything to work towards and you lack the instant feedback (from racing) to know what's working and what needs more attention in training.

This is no doubt a confusing time for athletes. Especially those who are accustomed to training for one race at a time. We don't prescribe to this strategy but instead, we believe in a long-term coaching relationship with our athletes as we help our athletes evolve season after season. In other words - goals are achieved over years, not in one season. Far too many athletes get themselves into really great fitness in the early season while preparing for the first race of the season, but it's incredibly difficult to maintain that fitness without burnout, injury or illness. As a reminder, you can't continue on the same training progression indefinitely. In other words, it's not effective to only build volume and intensity from one race to the next race.

I understand why many athletes feel that training isn't worth it if there are no races on the schedule. Even the most dedicated athletes have a limited mental and physical window where they can fully stay invested, focused and dedicated to training. But we must remember why periodization and long-term progression are so effective - athletic development occurs overtime, not in one season.

This is a challenging time and there is no one, right way to train. But a development, growth mindset is critically important for your mental and physical health as well as your longevity as an athlete.

In my next blog, I'll share some tips on how you can make the most of training without racing.

Mood-Boosting Tips

                   

Staying positive and optimistic in such an unpredictable time is tough. We could all use some good vibes right about now. 

If you are in need of a mood boost, give these simple tips a try:

• Cultivate gratitude - It's difficult to feel positive about your life if you are constantly making comparisons. We've been culturally conditioned to focus on what we don't have, instead of appreciating what we've already achieved or received. To turn your mood around, change your outlook. When you are grateful for what you already have, you'll feel more joy and contentment - no matter what you have or don't have in your life.
  
  
• Make a list - Bad, upsetting and dissapointing news is everywhere right now. If you spend a lot of time watching, listening and reading, you'll feel sad, negative and emotionally depleted. Everyday, write down at least five things you are grateful for. If you feel stuck, start by being thankful for the fact that you are making time to be grateful.
  
  
• Appreciate yourself - Take time to value your positive qualities and accomplishments. It's easy to focus on what you need to do or what you failed to do. Celebrate the big and small successes in your day - especially the work you accomplish when you don't feel like working. If may not feel natural to give yourself an ego boost but you deserve to be acknowledged. Life is constantly evolving and changing. Learn to embrace the space in-between where you are and where you want to be. 
  
  
• Be creative - Your brain is a muscle that needs daily exercise. Not only can you reduce stress, but doing something creative is distracting - especially when you are forced to try something new. Don't fall into the trap of comparing your creative projects with that of someone else. Creativity doesn't have to be a competition. Creativity is a way to create and innovate. Creativity is about doing meaningful and fulfilling activities. 
  
  
• Get outside - Spending time in nature helps leave stress and worry behind you. It gives you an opportunity to rejuvinate and focus on more simple and refreshing thoughts. Even if your time is limited, your brain deserves a chance to relax. Instead of scrolling your social media feed or watching TV, visit a local nature park or take a walk. Your mind, body and soul will thank you. 

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”

― Alphonse Karr

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Diet change? Take a gradual approach

 

Your diet describes the kinds of foods that you habitually eat. 
Dieting describes that foods that you choose to restrict or regulate yourself of, typically for medical, ethical or weight loss reasons. 

When embarking on a dietary change, the outcome should serve you well in all areas of your life. Rarely does this happen when dieting. 

If you are seeking a dietary change in order to improve your mental and physical well-being, manage your weight, change your body composition or improve athletic performance, it's natural to connect to a popular/trendy style of eating that promises results that are quick and easy. Fad diets (even if labeled as a "lifestyle") only work for a short amount of of time. Unless lifestyle habits are changed and maintained for the long-term, the diet will fail you.

Keep these important reminders in mind when you consider a new/popular diet as a new way of eating:

• Diets are extreme and rapid. Too many changes occur at once, leaving you deprived and confused. 
• Dieting affects your self-esteem. You don't fail at dieting, the diet fails you.
• Diets severly restrict your food choices. In return, you experience stronger cravings to for "off limit" foods.
• You blame willpower for not thriving on your new diet but body is likely not receiving the energy and nutrients it needs to function at its best. 
• Dieting makes food the enemy. As a result, dieting can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and unhealthy behaviors such as fasting, binging, excessive exercising, food obsession, social isolation and skipping meals. 
• Many eating disorders start off as dieting and then disordered eating. 
• It's difficult to love our body and diet at the same time. To respect and care for your body, you must nourish and fuel your body. 
• Food does not need to be labeled "good or bad." Labeling food as bad suggests that if you eat a certain food, you are a "bad" person. 
• Food doesn't fix feelings, life problems or emotions. When you feel anxious, bored, lonely, stressed or upset, food is not the answer or solution.
• Dieting doesn't allow you to get in touch wih your body's signs of hunger, fullness and satisfaction. 
• Don't use exercise as a way to lose weight. Exercise because it feels good - mentally and physically - to be active. 
• Eat for health, not weight loss. A sustainable diet is balanced, non-restrictive and is truly a lifestyle - a way of living. 

When dieting, you have a lot of things working against you. 

Starting a new style of eating (especially for health reasons) and restricting food groups or demonizing certain foods can lead to feelings of deprivation, guilt and shame - not to mention a risk for nutrient deficiencies or heightened cravings.

When adopting a different style of eating, start with the mindset “less is best.” Make small, gradual changes as you learn about nutritious replacements/alternatives for every food reduction. A slow gradual process is less extreme, it’s easier on your body and intuitively, it’s more gentle for your mind.

Hiking in the Smokies: Alum Cave to Mt. LeConte

 

We finished our trip to the Smokies with our longest-ever hike. Nearly 11 miles to one of the tallestmountains in the Eastern United States. For this hike, we set an alarm to ensure an early departure. I was concerned about parking for this popular hike, as well as weather and avoiding the crowds. We arrived to the trailhead just after 7:15am and started our hike around 7:30am. The first mile of the hike was pretty mellow. It felt like we were in a rain forest. I dressed in a tank top and shorts and felt a little cool to start but warmed up quickly. I brought a sweater for the summit. The first part of this hike was to Alum Cave (around 2.3 miles into the hike). The pictures online were impressive but seeing it in person was jaw-dropping. 

I liked the first part of this hike (to Alum Cave) because it was broken into a few different segments. It took us 56 minutes to get to the Alum Cave and the time went by really quickly. The first segment was Arch Rock (around 1.3 miles into the hike). We crossed over a foot bridge and up the stairs and through the Rock. As we began to make our way up the mountain, the terrain wasn't too technical. At ~2 miles, we reached Inspiration Point - a beautiful view point. It was cloudy to start but thankfully most of the clouds moved away when we reached this point. Some people were taking pictures and others were resting on the rocks. Not too far beyond the inspiration point, we walked up several sets of stairs and around the corner, we were greeted by the Alum Cave (not really a cave - it looks more like a cliff). It wasn't too crowded and those who were there were spread out over the sand. It was a sight to see. This part of the trail was more family-friendly than to LeConte (although we did see a few kids hiking with their parents all the way to the top). Sadly, we didn't see the llamas that carry supplies to the lodge. 

We made our way up the sand and back on to the trail to Mt. LeConte. The trail became more technical and rocky and we kept climbing and climbing. For the next 3.12 miles (80 minutes), the views became more impressive and the terrain became more technical. There were cables fixed into the rocks to help with navigating through some of the rocky sections. The overall atmosphere throughout the hike was extremely friendly and it felt like life was "normal" as we were hiking. No distractions, negative energy or worries. There were times when it felt like we would never reach the top but eventually, we approached the flat section near the top, letting us know that we were almost at the lodge. We had made our way almost to the lodge when Karel spotted a Momma deer and not too long later, her baby came too her to nurse. Oh what a sight (you can see it on the video below the pics). When we arrived to the Lodge, we used the restroom and checked out the area (on the left of the trail). You can actually stay in the lodge (although reservations are booked far in advance). The cafe/dining area doesn't open until noon (I think).

It took us ~2 hours and 15 minutes to hike to the lodge (~5.4 miles). We then made our way another 2.6 miles up the mountain to the actual senic spot - Clif Top. This section was extremely technical as you are hiking over all shapes and sizes of rocks. It was even more technical going down from the Clif. But when we arrived to the top, it was all worth it. In total it took us 2 hours and 22 minutes to hike to Clif Top (5.66 miles - starting from our parked car on the street). We had a good size snack at the top and then made our way back down the mountain. We spent around 15 minutes at the top (it started to get cooler and cloudy - thankful I brought a sweater). The clouds do pass by often so if you arrive and it's cloudy (or "smoky", just wait 10-20 minutes for the clouds to (hopefully) pass. It wasn't too busy at the top - probably around 8-10 people at the Clif top when we were there around 10am. It took us 1 hours and 58 minutes to make our way down the mountain - with the last 1/2 mile or so in the pouring rain.
In total the hike was 4 hours and 25 minutes with around 30 minutes at the scenic points (in total we spent a little less than 5 hours on the trail). This hike was well worth it and we finished our trip mentally rejuvinated and exhausted. 

Quick Stats:
Name of trail: Alum Cave Trailhead
Waterfall: No
Scenic overlook: Yes
Distance: 11 miles round trip (2.2 miles to Alum Cave, 5.5 miles to the summit of Mount LeConte - also known as Clif Top). 
Parking: Two paved parking lots as well as street parking (suggest to arrive early)
Elevation gain: ~3000 feet (start at ~3550 and finish at ~6550). According to the Hiking in the Smokies Website, "At 6593 feet, Mount LeConte is the third highest peak in the Smokies. However, measured from its immediate base to its highest point, Mt. LeConte can be considered the tallest mountain in the Eastern United States, rising 5301 feet from its base near Gatlinburg.
Difficulty: Alum Cave Trail is moderate. The LeConte trail is difficult.  

Here are some pictures of our 11-mile hike. To learn more about the Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte, check out this link. To learn more about the Leconte lodge, click here. 

Hiking in the Smokies: Tuckaleechee Caverns

 

Technically, this was not a hike. But we did cover 1.25 miles during the 75-minute tour. 

Karel really wanted to visit a "cave" while we were in the Smoky Mountains and I came across the Tuckaleechee Caverns during an internet search. We were really impressed with all of the large mineral deposits (like the stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws and columns). Our tour guide provided us with a lot of really cool facts and information about this cavern and the history/story behind it. 

Here's some information about the Tuckaleechee cavern from the website: 
Tuckaleechee Caverns of Townsend, TN. Known as the “Greatest Site Under the Smokies” are the highest rating Cave or Cavern of the Eastern United States. Carved inside the earth’s oldest mountain chain and estimated to be between twenty to thirty million years old, the Caverns are rich in history and lore in recent years as well. You will find the “BigRoom” on one end of the tour that could almost fit a football stadium inside it. On the other half of the tour you get to view “SilverFalls”. It falls 210 feet from top to bottom and the tallest subterranean waterfall in the Eastern US . Millions of formations are viewed along the 1.25 mile round trip adventure.

Quick Facts
Location: Townsend, TN (~50 minutes or 23 miles to/from Gatlinburg)
Cost: $18-adults, $8-Child (5-11), Free-Child (4 and under)
Tour length: 75 minutes, 1.25 miles
Tour difficulty: There are a lot of steps (over 400) and tight spaces (low ceilings) but otherwise, not a difficult hike. 
Best time for the tour: We were told the least popular time (smallest crowd) is in the afternoon. Also, if you tour after a rainstorm, you will see more waterfalls within the cavern. There are several tour guides. A tour starts every 15-20 minutes (we only had to wait aout 10 minutes).
Waterfall? YES! 
Gift shop: Yes
Bathrooms: Yes 
Drinks allowed? Yes. I suggest to bring an empty water bottle as there is a stop in the tour where you can fill up your bottle with fresh/clean water from inside the cavern. 
Extra: Bring some spare change to toss in the wishing well. All the money collected each year is donated to a local elementary school. 

Here are some pics from our tour: 

Check out this shadow!! (A bear!)

Hiking in the Smokies: Spruce Flats Falls

 

After our strenous 8-mile hike on Tuesday, we opted for a low key hike on Wednesday. However, this hike was far from low key as it was absolutely stunning when we arived to the waterfall. We arrived to the parking lot around 10am (after getting a little lost - we drove right by the parking lot and didn't realize it until a few miles later on a packed gravel road). The hike to the falls took us 37 minutes. We took our time to enjoy the views. It took us 28 minutes to return to the parking lot. The trail was very quiet (not overcrowded with people) and not too technical. The last 0.3 miles were actually downhill (and a little rugged with rocks) as we approached the falls. This was the only technical area. When we arrived to the waterfall, there were only 2 other people there so it was practically our own little oasis. We spent 30 minutes at the falls - taking pictures, eating a snack and Karel took a dip in the lagoon. I loved this waterfall as the sun was peaking through the trees and casted a beautiful glow on the pool of water under the falls. The water was not as cold as it was at Ramsey Cascades waterfall - Karel said the water was refreshing. There were several places to sit and enjoy the falls. By the time we left the falls, it was getting rather busy with families, so we timed it right. I really enjoyed all of the trees with exposed roots and the scenic view that surprised us around midway. It took us 65 minutes to hike the 1.4 miles and with a 30 minute stop to enjoy the falls, we spent around 1 hour and 35 minutes on this trail. This is a popular area for tubbing so if you enjoy that type of activity (or have kids) be sure to look into tubing in the Townsend area. There are also a lot of quaint shops around the Townsend area and it's much less touristy compared to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. We really enjoyed the drive to Townsend/Tremont from our cabin in Sevierville. Quick Stats:
Name of trail: Spruce Flats Falls (located in Tremont)
Waterfall: Yes (along with a pool-like lagoon on the bottom)
Distance: 1.4 miles round trip
Parking: Paved parking lot at the Great Smoky Mountain Institute (the parking lot was closed due to COVID but there was another paved parking lot across the street). 
Elevation gain: ~800 feet 
Difficulty: Moderate, not too technical 

Here are some pictures of our 1.4-mile hike. To learn more about the Spruce Flats Falls, check out this link.