Hi All-

Welcome, I am also new to the tri sport. Aiming for a summer tri myself. Had started training on the run and bike. Hope to start on the swim in January. I am now taking a week off to give my ankle a rest. Did something to it during a 4 mile run. I am enjoying the training and I know you will too. Keep us informed about the training. See what others are doing keeps me going. Once again welcome.

Welcome,
I was reading Men's Health (last month's issue I think) where they rated it the number one town/city to live in for Men. Talked about how active everyone was and how exercise friendly the area was. If you have to move to cold weather, I think you picked a very nice spot. Now if they could just get rid of the cold.
I just started training myself and have a Tri in June which will be my first.

Hello and welcome
Madison is an awesome town. I live in La Crosse but go to Madison often. Our tri club is planning on going to Madison over our Christmas break for a fun run, I think it's a 10K but you can run/walk as far as you want...the entire trail around the lake is 12 mi I believe. I don't know all the details but its throught the christmas lights around Lake Monona. The tri club there should know about it. It sounds like fun, unfourtuntely I will be out of town. I hear everyone wears jingle bells and tinsel, real holiday fun...christmas decorations and running.

Edited by stina76 2003-12-13 7:08 PM

Thanks for the responses. The run around lake monona is tonight (the bell tinsel thing). It's 15 degrees this morning. I won't be able to make it because I have something else going on.

The training has been slow this week. I am going to go running to get out of my rut. How do others do it?

hi redbard - welcome to the sport of tri. i dont consider myself a triathlete yet bc i havent completed a tri but i can prob give you a couple tips on training bc ive been doing that my whole life. there are a lot of other people on the site with great knowledge and if you just look around a bit you can prob find a lot of answers. i grew up in toronto and lived in nyc for a few yrs so i understand how hard it is to motivate to train in the cold. ron was right about a gym - great place to start bc you can run and swim there all yr round. treadmills arent too exciting but a lot of places have tv's and if you bring your mp3 player and focus a bit you can prob handle it for 30 steady mins. if you have a bike and a couple extra bucks its a great idea to invest in a trainer. you can use it in the winter or if its really pouring in the summer and bring it to races to warm up on. its also nice bc you can ride in your living room, thus no excuses for not motivating bc you dont even have to leave the house. im not sure how much winter running youve done but it can be pretty cool provided the roads are clear. if you put on some running tights and layer your upper body a bit with running gloves and a hat youll be good to go. i also enjoy cycling in the winter but you really have to gear up for that.
re getting in a rut - its easy to do and easy not to do, especially if you have a goal. youre going to compete in a triathlon on a certain day and thats what youre working towards. everyday you train for that triathlon you will put yourself in a better situation regarding a) your time on the day b) your personal fitness and how you feel about yourself c) the amount you will have to suffer to complete the race. youll be a training machine if you pick a time to work out 4 or 5 days a week and get in a routine - i think its a great feeling. youre dedicated to a task that youve promised yourself that you will complete and you stick to it bc you are an athlete - not a lazy couch potato with excuses - but a real athlete! be proud of what you are. if you cant set a daily routine then its easy to pick a time the night before when youll work out the next day - the morning is often easiest bc you can just get up a bit earlier but after work is great as long as you dont go home and sit down infront of the tv. if you can get that routine down in the winter youll have no probs when the weather improves and your tri date starts getting closer! pls keep us up on your progression - youll be out of that rut and dialed into training mode before you know it.

Commit yourself to your goal and don't let others get you off course with their comments.

Still Tri'n,
Michael

Thanks for the tips - I am trying to do that. I have hooked up with a Triathlete club, and I have gone running outside a few times - great!!! They are all ironman triathletes, and I find them all so inspiring to be around. Maybe next summer I will shoot for a half ironman. They have been really cool and supportive.

I really appreciate all the responses so far and I am really thankful I live in a community that supports the sport so wholeheartedly (30+ people showed up for the planned "hangover" run on new years day). The weekend runs in the %$%!!?! cold will inspire me to stay on the treadmill indoors. The running part is the scariest for me - so I am trying to get up to speed in that area, since the biking and the swimming come more naturally for me.

Once again thanks for the responses.