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Showing posts from September 13, 2015

Workout motivation - when the mind says go but the body says no

We all know that it's hard to regret working out after the workout is over. The hard part is always getting started.  Many times, we are told by others that we just need a little motivation to get started. But what if motivation isn't the issue? Is it possible to be highly motivated to workout but your body is not interested in the activity at the same time?   I can assure you that there were many times in the past when I would see a PM run on my schedule, and my mind was "all in" but my body was not interested. Consequently, this would result in two situations; either me skipping the workout all together or me trying to execute with a body that was not energized (which often left me with frustration during my workout followed by uncomfortable niggles post workout).  For me, running in the evening (as a second workout for the day) was always tough on my body. The stress on my body from sitting all day combined with the weight-bearing activity of r

The emotional athlete

It's hard to believe that just over 1 year ago, Karel and I qualified for the 2015 IM World Championship. And in two weeks from yesterday, Karel and I will be boarding a plan to the big island of Kona. And in 24 days, we will both be starting our 140.6 mile journey with 1500+ of the best Ironman athletes around the world.  Just like you, we are on the same  emotional  roller coaster that so many experience when training for a key race. With any race day countdown in place, the ups and downs of training for an event can leave you exhausted and drained on some days and excited and overly energized on other days.  No matter what the race distance may be or your fitness level, we all struggle with the dynamics of our   emotions   on a day to day basis. Before you scream "why me?" when you find yourself angry, crying or stressed (or all three at once), what you feel is completely normal and not limited to world class, professional or elite athletes. Every athlete

Daily eats - food is fuel!

 No surprise. Food is a BIG part of our life right now. With so much sport nutrition being consumed during workouts, every meal is focused on nourishing our body with real food.  Here are a few of my daily eats today.... With two workouts on the training plan today (70 min AM run - strong up hills, everything else steady. 4200 PM swim. MS 12 x 200's desc 1-3), I find no trouble in consuming nutrition before my workouts. Never do I train without a pre-workout snack. Pre workout nutrition made simple for your busy life and your gut.  Choose your low residue carbohydrate base (from left to right: pita, wasa, banana, saltines, rice cake) and then dress it up with additional carbs from syrup, honey, raisins or dates. For longer workouts or more time to digest, add a little nut butter or cream cheese.   This works great for early morning workouts as well as evening workouts.   I'm not big on food rules but you owe it to your health to eat a salad a day. I

2016 Trimarni coaching - apply now!!

-Do you have a big racing goal for 2016?  -Do you have a long distance race on your schedule for next season but feel you need some guidance?   -Are you looking to be part of a team that you can socialize with at key races and camps? -Are you training for a triathlon race next season and are looking for two experienced coaches to help you take your fitness to the next level?   -Are you seeking a better understanding of nutrition, sport nutrition, training, performance, recovery , cycling skills and the ability to train smarter to train harder and perform better on race day when it comes to working with a coach and being part of a triathlon team? If you said YES to any of the above, you can now apply to be part of the 2016 Trimarni Team. APPLY NOW We realize that no two athletes are alike. We all have different health and fitness goals, we live different lifestyles and we all come from different athletic backgrounds. Some athletes work more than others to pay t

4 weeks til Kona: Dialing in the sport nutrition

This weekend concluded a big volume week of training. What a great feeling to have this past week behind me and what a better feeling to know that my body was able to execute during every workout.  Saturday:  5 hour/85 miles with over 8000 feet of climbing - all at Ironman effort Followed by a 6 mile run Nutrition consumed during bike: 4.5 bottles (slightly short of what I wanted) each with 280 calories Additional calories consumed from wafer (170 calories)  and shot blocks (100 calories) Total consumed: 1530 calories and 108 ounce fluid (~2400 mg sodium) Nutrition consumed during run: 2 x 10 ounce flasks each with 80 calories Clif Hydration Total consumed: 20 ounce fluid + 160 calories Sunday:  1:50, 13.2 mile run (2000 feet of climbing) 2 x 10 ounce flasks each with 80 calories of Clif Hydration Refill 1 x 10 ounce flask with 80 calories + 1 flask water Total consumed: 40 ounce fluid + 240 calories More important to me than using these two workouts to ge