Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

I can't believe it. We are now under 4 weeks away from the start of our first Trimarni camp of 2017 in Clermont, FL, which means that we will be racing our first triathlon of the season (Olympic distance) in just 4 weeks! And then three weeks later, Karel and I will be returning back to Florida to race the Ironman Haines City 70.3 event as our first endurance event of 2017. To keep us well fueled, healthy and happy, I have been keeping our house filled with carbohydrates. In addition to making sure that our fridge always has some type of cooked grain/rice/potato assortment in it, I've been making good use of my Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook as there are so many delicious recipes that are perfect for helping us meet our daily carb intake. Plus, we love carbs so it's not that difficult for me to get excited to make something new. I tried out two new recipes from the cookbook and I think you will just love them. Of course, I had to make another loaf of the banana bread. En...

Yum - Trimarni pre-workout pancakes with nut butter, cinnamon, syrup and bananas) A common struggle among athletes is eating before a workout. Many athletes have no idea what to eat (often due to confusion - how much, what, when, why) but a large portion of athletes struggle to properly digest food before a workout, which causes GI issues during the workout and thus, even the thought of eating before a workout is a scary thought (which is even more scary when it comes to race day and an athlete feels he/she can't eat before a race). Here are a few of the benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack:  -Fuel your upcoming workout -Help with delaying fatigue during the workout -Giving you energy for your workout -Helping you think more clearly during your workout (focus, attention) -Helping you stay satisfied (and not hungry) during your workout -Reducing the  risk of dizziness, lethargy or shaky feelings, due to low blood sugar -Prevent overeating after the workout -...

Karel and I had been dating for 9 months when our first Valentine's day occurred in 2007. There were cards, flowers and chocolates shared between the two of us but when it came time for dinner, neither of us wanted to deal with the hassle of eating out on this hallmark holiday.  Although my cooking skills (and food passion) had yet to blossom, I still enjoyed real food....especially breakfast options.  So, the tradition started.  Every year since our first Valentine's day together, I have prepared breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, french toast, crepes...you name it, I've prepared it over the past 9 years.  This year I made the most delicious pancakes with two extra ingredients to the standard easy pancake recipe and took a different spin on my omelet presentation by cutting a standard omelet into triangles for my a quesadilla-look.  Even if I created two easy options for our Valentine's "brinner" they were both prepared with love and fini...

Coconut pancakes with fruit topping 1/3 cup coconut flour 1 tbsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 4 eggs (2 whites, 2 whole) 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk (I used reduced fat organic milk but you can use almond milk) Seasonal fruit - I used raspberries and bananas Extra crunch - chopped nuts/seeds (I used  Veronica's Health Crunch Olive oil for cooking Maple syrup Serves 6-8 pancakes 1. Mix together the first 3 ingredients in medium size bowl.  2. In small bowl mix together milk and eggs.  3. Add the wet to the dry and whisk together (you need to use a whisk not a fork) until no clumps remain. If batter is too thick, add a little water or more milk. It shouldn't be runny off the whisk but should be a slow continuous drip.  4. On a medium size skillet on medium heat, lightly coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil.  5. Place ~1/4 cup batter to form a pancake, gently smooth out the pancake with the back of a spoon to make it a little thinner....

We had 4 amazing, strong ladies in town this weekend (from Jax) so there was a lot of riding this weekend....but I will save that for another post because pancakes are on my mind right now (and in my tummy).  To summarize our weekend: 9000+ feet of climbing, 8+ hours of riding and 135+ miles of riding in just two days! Wow, thank you body!! As you can imagine, there was a lot of attention on sport nutrition, hydration and eating over the past 72 hours in order for our bodies to tolerate (survive) and adapt to the weekend training load.  After our workout on Saturday (73 mile bike for the group and for Karel, Jen Vogel and me, a 4 mile run), we all cleaned up, cooled off and started our refueling with recovery drinks. It's always fun to talk about training when it is over but the body deserves to refuel as soon as possible to ensure a healthy body for the next day of training.  To ensure that my friends (and Karel and me) would be well fueled after our Sun...

It's National Pancake Day!!! It was very important to me that my campers at the Trimarni endurance triathlon camp had food that would help their bodies stay nourished and fueled throughout camp. It was never even a thought to get lunches catered, to order pre-made meals from a restaurant/fast food establishment or to buy pre-made options at the grocery store. It gives me great joy to enjoy food around others and I wanted my campers to enjoy food that makes them yum, with their fellow campers (and new friends). So, since I was providing food for the campers at the Trimarni camp for lunch on Day 1 and Day 2, I wanted to make sure that I could accommodate all dietary preferences that were listed on the camper questionnaire (provided pre-camp). As a dietitian who specializes in sport nutrition, it was important to me that I also provided food that would be easy to digest post workouts, would help with refueling and repairing post workout and would ensure happy tummies through...

  A friend of mine at SMACK! Media  shared with me the website Flapjacked protein pancakes .   Here's a little about the product philosophy: Jennifer and David Bacon founded the company based on the premise that healthy meals should not only fuel our bodies but also taste great but fuel us with energy to get through our day. Our pancake mix is easy to prepare making it simple for the modern families busy and active lifestyles. FlapJacked is perfectly balanced to fuel your body and help control hunger. This delicious, protein-packed and fiber-rich pancake mix is made with only the highest quality ingredients such as whole grain oats, quinoa and coconut flour that provides our body with the essentials to stay healthy and feel great. We fortify with Whey Protein Isolate and naturally sweeten these delicious fluffy flapjacks with real fruit (no sugar added!). Loaded with antioxidants, potassium, fiber, calcium, magnesium and vitamins, FlapJacked Protein Pancakes are...

In the Trimarni house, we eat for fuel and for health. And most of all, eating is a happy time so we also eat for pleasure. The same foods that fuel our active lifestyle, also keep our immune system healthy. Most of all, they are mostly whole and are found in a farm/garden so they also reduce our risk for disease. There are no bad, off limit or temporary foods. We don't diet, cleanse, fast or do anything extreme wit the diet. The only thing extreme about us is that we enjoy racing for 140.6 miles and Campy gets waaaaay too much love (but that will never stop). We love whole foods that offer the nutrients that we need to support our healthy and active lifestyle. We don't count calories, we count training hours. We enjoy the rewards of what a well-fueled, healthy and strong body allows us to do - year round - whether we are training for starting lines or moving for health gains. We don't have a working scale. We eat for fuel, health and pleasure and after a fe...

Not too long ago I overheard a conversation with a personal trainer and his client at the gym. The trainer had been away on vacation and the client asked her trainer where he went and if he went to any good restaurants when he was away. As I was working my core on the captain chair, I couldn’t help but listen to this conversation about food. I remember when I was growing up in Lexington Kentucky, there was a place downtown that had the biggest, most scrumptious cinnamon rolls that would put any cinnabon to shame these days. A cinnamon roll the size of my head and a belly that would get sick if you ate the whole thing (of course, speaking from experience). But oh were those cinnamon rolls the best…when my mom and dad would take me to get them for a treat once a year.                      ( Source ) It wasn’t that the cinnamon rolls were off limit or “bad” food but instead, my parents would reward me after my piano recita...

Is it really true that my body did an Ironman just 7 days ago? I am continuing with my no-sick/illness streak which started around 2007 (or earlier), my mind is fresh and the body is not experiencing any residual fatigue. Now this wasn't the case after my first two Ironman's when it took me a good 3 weeks to feel normal again but for the past few years, my quality approach to training is a combination of going into my endurance races hungry to race but also not overtrained so that I can bounce back quickly in order to function well in life soon after a race. Also, a good daily diet and sport nutrition regime assists in optimal training, racing and recovery. This week has been easy in terms of taking it easy because I feel no pressure to rush back into training. The only thing that is a little off is still my sleeping which I am going to bed about 60-90 minutes later than normal at night (but then again, my life is super busy all day so if I am not training, my mind is ofte...

There's something special about the last few weeks before an important race. Actually, thinking about all things in life, how neat is it to reflect on where you were 3, 6 maybe even 12 months ago and then stop to think where you are today. I really love when things come together and despite obstacles, set-backs and low moments, keeping focused on the journey can be the defining reason as to why some individuals succeed in life. As for success, you can't always define that and for many athletes, it means a PR, age group place or beating competition. For others, it is just the satisfaction that they are somewhere where they never thought they'd be several weeks or months ago.  Nearing race day, I can only reflect on the work that was done with Karel as my teammate, coach and biggest supporter. I'd like to believe that he thinks the same way about me for we have really enjoyed sharing this journey together. It's awesome when we both have amazing workouts and after th...