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It’s that time of the year again!

With Christmas just around the corner, a lot of people are thinking about the perfect gift for the special triathlete(s) in their lives.

It’s also that time when people may be asking you, “What do you want for Christmas?”

What follows are some gift ideas for triathletes, including suggestions you might offer others who want to give you a meaningful gift.

Since a lot or triathlon gear and accessories are cheaper to purchase online, you’ll want to get started ASAP!

It’s about energy management.

The longer the distance of your triathlon, the more crucial it becomes that you waste as little energy as possible.

Every triathlete has a love-hate relationship with air. You have to breathe it, but it’s an obstacle otherwise -- especially on the bike, which is the longest portion of every triathlon. Catch the air like a kite, and you are in trouble; slip through the air like a knife, and you have mastered an essential element for triathlon performance.

I was recently invited to join iAmTri.com, a social networking site for triathletes.

I am already a member of AthleteFocus.com and Fastloop.com, as well as a few triathlon groups on Facebook, and one triathlon group on CouchSurfing.com.

Which raises the question, what is the value of these kinds of social networking sites for triathletes?

Here are a few benefits of these types of social networking sites for triathletes...

So, you decided to take up the sport of triathlon. You hopped into the water at your local YMCA pool and began swimming laps. Things were fine for the first 4 laps, but then on lap 12 you couldn’t quite remember if it was lap 11, lap 12 or lap 13.

The next day, you went for a run on your nearby greenway. You were pretty sure the distance was about 6 miles. But later that night you got to thinking. “I wonder what the exact mileage of my run was today. I once ran a half marathon in 1 hour and 32 minutes; I wonder if I ran at that pace at any point during my run today.”

A few weeks later, you get to wondering how many miles you have been averaging each week in swimming and running. You do a guestimate but it would be nice to know for sure.

Hmm… sounds like you need a sports watch!

Let’s say you are one of those tri newbies who started getting into the sport of triathlon last spring.

You did your open water swimming and hit the roads biking and running in the warm summer sun. You succeeded in completing your first triathlon, and now it’s on to bigger and better things in your triathlon goals.

But now the cooler fall temperatures have arrived, daytime hours are shortening, and winter is just around the corner. Perhaps your mindset on cycling is to hang your bike up in the garage for the winter, and start doing spin classes at the YMCA.

With the proper cold weather cycling gear, there’s no reason why you can’t continue outdoor bike training during the cold weather months.

If you are a triathlete in Southern California or Florida, you are perhaps not as affected by the cold weather temperatures the rest of the U.S. has already begun experiencing. It’s October and the cold weather months are quickly approaching.

What follows are some guidelines for choosing cold weather swim gear, plus tips for cold water swim training.

Yesterday was a long run day for me, which meant 15 miles. Afterwards, I felt it mostly in my feet; a mild flair up of Plantar Fasciitis.

Whether it’s maintaining the proper energy-saving freestyle kick, climbing hills on the bike, or pounding the pavement on your run, triathletes put a lot of demands on their feet. Out of the 3 components of triathlon, running is the hardest on your feet.

Choosing running shoes can be difficult, as well. Here are some things you should know about running shoes for triathletes.