220’s Winter Training Advent Calendar (Part 14)
If you want to be the ultimate triathlete, you have to be tech savvy. Make yourself into a TriBorg with day 14 of our Winter Training Advent Calendar...

92 Get Online
Advice via the web, smart phones, apps and other devices such as Speedo’s TriathELITE App, the Nike+ iPod collaboration and Adidas’ MiCoach represents a booming area in modern day coaching. Training help, advice, motivation and information are never far from your fingertips.
93 Be Tech Savvy
An online diary will help you keep an accurate training log. This will be invaluable to you or a coach when analysing why things are going right, or wrong, as you progress through a winter of training with few races to measure yourself in.
94 Use Existing Gadgets
With apps like meters and running logs, you can use GPS technology in your phone to record speeds, distances and routes without having to invest in a Garmin-type device.
95 Techno Train
Innovations like the Nike+ iPod system and Adidas MiCoach can motivate and inspire you when enthusiasm is low during tough training sessions on cold, dark nights or early mornings. Much cheaper than a personal trainer, they will help get you out the door when you feel like staying inside.
96 Learn To Make Soup
When you come in from training in the cold, a bowl of hot, homemade soup suddenly becomes one of the finer things in life! Much healthier than canned stuff, it’s a great way to refuel and can me made in batches so al you need to do is warm it up as required.
97 Set Your Turbo trainer Up On The Level
As the rear wheel is a couple of inches off the ground, you need to raise the front to make sure you’re not cycling downhill all the time, slipping onto the nose of the saddle. Use something stable like a telephone directory to chock it up to the correct height.
98 Fill Your Drinks Bottle With Warm Drinks
Getting dehydrated, especially if the air is cold and dry, can be an issue. Warm juice slips down nicely in colder conditions and an insulated water bottle is a good idea for very long sessions or sub-zero days.
99 Up The Calorie Intake When it’s Cold
Your body has to work even harder just to stay warm. You may find that you need to take in calories on long rides or runs when the temperature really drops, so pack extra when you head out.
100 Be Prepared If Going Anywhere Exposed
A twisted ankel on a long run can make for an unwanted adventure if you’re caught out in an exposed location. Make sure other people know where you are and when you’ll be back, and that you have enought kit to stay warm if you’re not moving, as hypothermia can set in within minutes.