Simply Triathlon with Dina & Chris
Welcome to the Simply Triathlon Podcast and thanks so much for listening!
We're Dina & Chris, a couple of age group triathletes, coaches, and fitness enthusiasts. Our goal is to share our knowledge and experience in triathlon, nutrition, epic races, lessons learned, fun stuff, hard stuff, bizarre stuff, and more!
Dina Grimaldi is a triathlon coach, nutrition coach, and personal trainer who followed her dad's footsteps in picking up triathlon. She quickly found out that it's not all that cool to be the first person out of the water, because it just means everybody and their mother is going to pass you on the bike.
Chris Kopcha is a triathlon coach, nutrition coach, personal trainer, and yoga teacher who kind of stumbled into the world of fitness after deciding to change careers after spending 10 years as a teacher. Coming into the sport of triathlon as a runner, she found it's been a great lesson in patience at the pool so as not to have to make up so much time on the bike and run.
Enjoy!!
**We do drop the occasional expletive; be aware if sensitive or listening around kids!**
Episodes
56 episodes
Are Blood Sugar Spikes Bad? Should We Athletes Worry About How Much Sugar We’re Eating? And More!
In this episode, we talk about blood sugar.As athletes (or even just humans), should we be worried about blood sugar? We typically consume a decent amount of sugar before, during, and after training; does that mean we need to be cognizan...
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Episode 56
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45:46
Taper, the Bare Minimum of Training, and Triathlon as One Sport and Not Three
In this episode, we talk about all things taper.What is it? Why do we do it? What are the drawbacks to NOT tapering? What are some to-dos and NOT to-dos during race week?We also talk about a conversation Chris had with an athlete ...
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Episode 55
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52:21
Nutrition Q&A - Perpetual Bloating, How Food Makes Us Feel, and the Art of Moderation
In this episode, we answer a couple nutrition questions.First, we chat about possible reasons why an athlete feels bloated all of the time, and the role of fiber in our meals (and how Dina learned that, whilst an entire pound of Brussels...
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Episode 54
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46:02
Should Athletes Take Ice Baths? What About Creatine? Mastering the Basics vs Extra Tools and Products
In this episode, we have a discussion based on a question regarding tools like ice baths, supplements, and cryotherapy, and if these could help athletes with recovery.We talk about how these tools are "extras," and how, while they COULD ...
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Episode 53
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40:34
Our Favorite Pro Women Athletes to Follow, a Perfect Training Weekend, and New Triathlon Rules
Today, we answer a couple of listener questions:Who are your favorite pro women triathletes/athletes to follow?What does a perfect weekend of training look like?We also chat about some new rules in the triathlon world, and ...
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Episode 52
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53:49
How to Avoid Overtraining and Getting Stuck in a Rut, and Triathlon for the Long Game
In this episode, we address a question about how to avoid overtraining and getting stuck in a rut. We discuss how to recognize possible overtraining, how to address it, and steps to take to prevent it from happening in the future.We also...
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Episode 51
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54:47
How to Increase Your FTP, Whole Grains vs. Refined Grains, and Why Food Doesn’t “Cancel Out” Exercise
**Chris decided to record this episode inside of an echo chamber. We apologize.**In this episode, we discuss all things FTP.What is FTP - Functional Threshold Power - on the bike? How can it be useful for us? How do we increase it...
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Episode 50
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47:31
The Problem With Waiting Until Life Gets Less Busy to Start Training
As coaches, we hear this all the time: "When things calm down a bit, I'll be able to train more." "When life is less crazy, I can focus more on nutrition."The problem with this strategy is that life usually never ...
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Episode 49
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49:24
How to Engage Your Core (And What Does That Even Mean?)
In this episode, we talk about the part of the body commonly known as the core.What is the core? What does it mean when coaches or trainers tell you to "engage your core"? What are some tips to do so? How can we use this specifically to...
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Episode 48
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32:07
Is Your Weekly Training Schedule Set In Stone? Is Fueling With Sugar Bad? How on Earth Do You Kick Without Fins?
In this episode, we talk about whether or not training plans are set in stone. If the weather is awful, can we flip days around, or do we need to keep certain sessions on certain days? How can athletes best modify if a coach isn't immediately a...
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Episode 47
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44:08
New Year Challenges & Accomplishments, and How to Fuel for an Evening Workout
Welcome to 2025 and thank you to everyone who has been with us for the past year and a half!We start this episode by giving a quick recap on goal setting. We then talk about Dina's New Year swim challenge and Chris's recent accomplishme...
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Episode 46
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47:46
How To Eat More Protein
In this episode, we chat a bit about protein. An earlier episode goes into more detail about specific foods and how much we need as athletes (link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Kkkde6vkUMYbgTbNx8W4b?si=ed464b0866414aba),...
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Episode 45
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40:14
Handling Uncertainty in Triathlon
In this episode, we talk about uncertainty in triathlon.Even if we control everything we can control, stuff happens. Nothing is guaranteed, whether it's weather on race day, things that come up in your personal life, or losing a bottle ...
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Episode 44
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41:47
Race Recap: Philadelphia Marathon!
In this episode, Chris recaps her experience at the Philadelphia Marathon! She talks about how she felt, her results, and her rapid recovery and preparation for the Manchester Road Race only a few days later.
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Episode 43
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38:39
Navigating Nutrition During the Off-Season and the Holidays
In this episode, we talk about nutrition in the off-season. Should you modify your nutrition plan while you're not training as much? Should you purposely eat less? Should you eat different types of food?We also talk about how to navigat...
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Episode 42
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50:56
Specific Tips to Help You Get Faster in the Off-Season
In this episode, we continue discussing the off-season and ways to approach training that will be beneficial for your goals next season.We talk about drills in the pool, V02 max workouts on the bike trainer, running strides, heavy stren...
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Episode 41
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53:03
Off-Season: To Continue or Not to Continue Training and Working With a Coach?
In this episode, we discuss the off-season and what training might look like during this time.Should you stop altogether? Should you take a break from working with your coach? When should you start thinking about next year's races? When...
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Episode 40
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41:12
Bike Safety 101: Steps to Take to Maximize Safety Out on the Roads
In this episode, we talk about bike safety. Dina shares a very sad story about her swim teammate who was tragically killed by a motorist while out riding his bike recently, so we discuss steps to take to ensure safety, both as a cyclist and as ...
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Episode 39
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51:10
Short Course Racing, Age Group, Multisport, Draft Legal...What Does All of It Mean?
In this episode, we discuss the various formats triathlon races can take and explain the differences, such as:-USAT Age Group National Championships vs Multisport National Championships-Short course vs long course racing-Draft-l...
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Episode 38
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44:29
Unnecessary Food Comments, Hill Climbing on the Bike, and Long Training Runs
In this episode, Dina goes on a rant about a recent unnecessary comment she got about the food she was eating. We talk about how damaging these comments can be, both as athletes and humans, and how to navigate them.We also share some ti...
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Episode 37
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53:25
Setting up Your Race Schedule: Can You Do ALL of the Things?!
In this episode, we discuss setting up your race schedule:Can you fit in races of multiple types and distances (i.e. an Ironman and a marathon, or a 70.3 and an ultra distance race)? Can we do ALL the things? Is it too ear...
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Episode 36
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53:18
When You Arrive at Your Race and They’re Already in the Water
In this episode, we talk about resilience and adaptation when things go horribly wrong...like when Dina's brother Teo arrived at a triathlon and everyone was already swimming :)We also discuss whether or not we need to train as hard or ...
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Episode 35
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50:33
Paris 2024 Olympic Games!
In this episode, we talk about all things Olympics!We chat about what we watched, notable performances, various moments of drama, lesser-watched events, and more!We also touch upon:-A quick update on Dina's foot injury-H...
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Episode 34
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50:21
Dina’s Bone Stress Injury, Low Energy Availability, and a Path Forward To Heal
In this episode, we discuss the results of Dina's recent MRI, which showed a stress reaction in a bone in her foot.She discusses the likely cause of this injury, low energy availability - i.e. not eating enough to support her high train...
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Episode 33
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18:47
Ironman Lake Placid, From a Volunteering and Coaching Perspective
In this episode, we chat about Ironman Lake Placid. Though neither of us raced this year, Chris was up there volunteering so she discusses her experience, and Dina had an athlete racing her first full Ironman who had a fantastic race. ...
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Episode 32
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47:52