Winter got off to an early start here in the Mid Atlantic as we’ve already had two snow storms. At this very moment, we have about 5 inches of fresh snow on the ground from a storm that hit about 48 hours ago. Our little 2 year old is loving her first real ’snow experience’ and can’t get enough of playing around in the white stuff. The first few snow storms, especially around the holidays, are really beautiful and a welcomed change of pace. After about the 5th or 6th storm that causes everything to grind to a halt and interrupts daily routines, it starts to get a little annoying. And I’ve always wondered why it is that people have to stock up on toilet paper and milk before a snowstorm??

For athletes, the biggest inconvenience is that is causes us to do most of our training indoors. Riding and running on snowy streets can be dangerous even after they are plowed. Slippery “Black Ice” on the roads is a nightmare for cyclists and runners alike and cars are dangerous even on dry roads, much less slick, icy and snowy roads. I must admit that when I was younger and more daring, I’d be outdoors training in practically all crazy conditions but now that I’m older (and wiser??) and have a few more responsibilities, I ‘ve cut back on risky training behaviors. Read the rest »

This past weekend, I traveled up to Lake Placid NY with my wife, Brook and our daughter, Hope, to watch the Ironman. The 9 hour drive was long but Hope (2.5 yrs. old) was well behaved so it wasn’t all that bad.

Every year we stay at the Northwoods Inn on Main Street, the host hotel for our annual training camp in June. You can’t beat it for convenience as everything you need is within walking distance, including Mirror Lake and the swim start. Read the rest »

I don’t know about you but the Tour just doesn’t have the same excitement for me yet as it has in previous years, probably due in part to the drug/blood doping scandal eliminating all of the major tour contenders. I’m sure that LA’s retirement also lends itself to my disinterest as his involvement made every race exciting. As a fan of cycling, I know I’ll ‘get into it’…it’s just taking some time to adjust to the new dynamics and personalities. Read the rest »

Summer is rolling around now as we enter the month of May and the new race season is upon us. Time really does fly when you’re having fun! This year will be a non-race year for me and instead I’ll be focusing on my family and business development projects. Read the rest »

Train slow and for long and ultra distance endurance events, and you’ll get slow and build your endurance. Train fast and focus on developing speed, and you’ll get faster. It’s all about ’specificity of training’… a key training principle. Read the rest »

Do you ’spend’ time or do you ‘invest’ time? Or have you even thought about this distinction? If not, you are about to be introduced to an important principle of success. Read the rest »

Clever Parents is very excited to introduce a new column by one of our favorite Clever Parents, Coach Troy Jacobson. Troy is an accomplished triathlete, businessman, and trainer to elite professional and Olympic athletes (see his Clever Parents spotlight). Read the rest »