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Showing posts from February 16, 2014

Eggplant and tofu lasagna

My body has not disappointed me in a long time and that is a great thing because I live a super busy and active lifestyle and I need my body ever single minute of every single day. I have always told my body that we make a great team because if I don't take care of it, it will not take care of me.  Just like so many of you all, I have a lot to balance in life. My priorities rarely change for triathlons are my lifestyle, not my life. Triathlons do not pay the bills but I do feel that because of triathlons I have become much more mentally and physically stronger in life and thus I am a better person because of what I have learned from calling myself a triathlete. Thankfully, my body has performed beautifully over the past two months since I started my 2014 tri season and I am just so excited to use my trained body when it is time for our race-cations this year.  With our 2014 Trimarni Triathlon Endurance Training Camp  taking place in Clermont FL on Feb 28-March 2nd, we

Are you still an athlete if you don't race?

Ever since the age of 10 yrs I have called myself an athlete. I balanced my education with swimming all the way until I graduated from Transylvania University in my hometown of Lexington, KY. I specialized in the 200 meter butterfly, 100 breakstroke and 200 IM. For me, swimming was not a chore or a way to burn calories in my teenage years but instead, the pool was a place where all my friends were at, the place where I had fun and the place where I practiced in order to compete.  My brother was also a student athlete. Aaron (my brother) started gymnastics at a very young age after my parents noticed that his natural ability to flip all around his room needed to be put to good use. Aaron continued to excel in gymnastics until his final year of college at University of Michigan. He finished on a very high note as the 2007 Big Ten High Bar Champion with this winning routine.                               For most of our life, my brother and I shared a similar passion fo

Real food homework and a speedy/endurance track workout

This endurance body is happily fueled by real food. AND Plant strong for almost 21 years. A Karel creation: Jasmine rice and a stir fry of tempeh, peanuts, onions, mushrooms, peppers and marinara on top arugula. This creation was enjoyed last night and made my tummy/muscles super happy for an early morning wake-up call (4:20am) for a 5:30am track workout.  Love your afternoon snack Honor your biological hunger in the afternoon. Do not expect your body to allow you to go from lunch to dinner without food (especially if more than 4 hours between meals or if working out in the evening). A mid afternoon snack is a great way to nourish your body and boost energy.  Here's one of my fav mid day snacks: 1/2 cup Chobani Greek yogurt + fresh fruit chopped + a few spoonfuls of KIND or organic granola. Enjoy! Refueling from a long brick Asparagus, mushrooms and tofu tossed with pasta noodles and marinara, topped with Parmesan. Karel had the same (larger portion) but chicken ins

Long bike/run intervals - do you train smart?

Loving my new Trimarni kit!  Instant motivation to get outside for a great interval bike ride! If you know our philosophy, we believe in getting stronger before going faster before going longer. This is how we train at Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition.  In the early season, we  build the strong foundation through strength training and skill work and we identify our weaknesses before building off our strengths. (this year we decided to pass on trying to be a "runner" during the triathlon "off season". Our 100% attention is on triathlon training and our 3 key races this season and getting as strong as possible in our off-season and during our base phase of training (where we emphasized more strength and power than on long, slow miles - which we did none of this base phase). All our focus is on peaking appropriately at IMWI in hopes to race smart to try to earn our spots to Kona). Once the groundwork has been made, we direct our 100% energy to getting f

Oakley Women event - my top 3 tips for improving your lifestyle

Feb 6th - Orlando Lens Crafters Summit with some of the Oakley crew Do you have goals that you want to achieve in life?  I love goals because they give every day a purpose. They give you a reason to get up in the morning but also a reason to get excited for another day. I find it really important that in order to reduce risk for disease, boost performance and to live a healthy and active quality life, we have to have goals in the area of life, nutrition and fitness. Goals are super simple to create in your mind but the doing is the hard part.  A common issue in our society is the tendency to skip steps when it comes to changing your lifestyle. You only get one life...why do we feel the need to rush it all the time? For example:  There are very precise steps in making a Meringue topping.  Separate egg whites Separate the eggs and place the whites in a large bowl. Let the egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before you start to make the me

Fruit-stuffed french toast with hazelnut spread

Karel and I were set-up by mutual friends on a group bike ride in May 2006. I stood Karel up for a few weeks because I was really nervous to do the group ride so I kept making excuses as to why I couldn't meet him. But on my 24th birthday (5/31), I decided it was time....not only would I meet Karel for the first time but I would face my fears and do the group ride. After I said hello to Karel at the beginning of the ride, I felt a little less nervous but that good feeling didn't last long. I got dropped on the warm-up of the 3-mile loop course and I was so frustrated with my poor bike skills and a fitness level that wouldn't let me ride "fast" with everyone else. I had tears in my eyes as I was riding by myself on the other side of the road (in the opposite direction of the group) watching them go by and seeing Karel have so much fun attacking the group and pulling everyone along. I wanted so badly to be able to enjoy the ride with everyone else and I also