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The world of endurance sports has been full of activity the past few weeks with the Boston & London Marathons and a host of multisport events kicking off the 2010 triathlon season. I am still two weeks away from my first event of the season, Jekyll Island's Turtle Crawl, and am chomping at the bit to get into my race gear and out on the course. In the meantime, I've been cycling through my trifecta of endurance media: DVR recordings of the '09 Ironman Championships in Kona, Lance Armstrong's time trial win from the 2006 Tour de France and my DVD of Triathlon: Through the Eyes of the Elite. I have watched each of these episodes well over a dozen times so occasionally I'll shake things up with Spirit of the Marathon or classics like Breaking Away or Without Limits. As I await Turtle Crawl I find myself needing more -- I need real time action, suspense and live updates from around the world.

Enter the world of social and interactive media. Without it, live coverage of endurance sports would be virtually non-existent. Two weeks ago I followed live Twitter coverage of Ironman 70.3 in New Orleans on Saturday (not via ironman.com interestingly enough), followed by live Twitter and streaming video coverage of the Boston Marathon the following Monday. Thankfully, there are various sources to turn to for coverage since universalsports.com is now charging for live coverage and they don't provide up-to-date Twitter coverage on individual events. Universal Sports does have a fairly extensive collection of videos, articles, interviews, etc. from the 2010 season so it's worth a look after the fact. I do want to mention the comprehensive cycling coverage Versus TV and versus.com provides -- they are THE source for most things cycling including today's coverage of the Tour de Romandie.

Live TweetCasting of the pro's race at St. Anthony's was provided by @sportsgrants last weekend, and there were various sources of coverage for this weekend's Wildflower Triathlon, Ironman 70.3 in St. Croix and Ironman 70.3 in St. George. These examples don't even include updates from the athletes themselves -- some of the best live coverage during races comes from the spouse/friend/sibling/parent of the athlete. Case in point, fellow Plexus mate and Dream. Believe. Tri. team manager, Nick, sent email updates of fellow Athens, GA team members Kim, Michael, Bryan and Tami for the duration of the St. Anthony's race. Got to get you on Twitter, Nick! Many times the event will provide live Twitter updates during the event but an alternative is to do a #search on Twitter or a Google search for "eventname streaming video" or "eventname live coverage" and see what you can find.

Until the alternative sports networks like Versus or Universal Sports are willing and able to provide live television coverage of triathlon and marathon, we can turn to the Twitterverse to fill in the gaps. Here are a few of my favorite Twitter follows for endurance-related Tweets:

Athletes:
@amandalovato, @juliedibens, @Mirindacarfrae, @heathergollnick, @terenzo1, @SaraHall3, @michaellovato, @DeanKarnazes, @boomboomreed, @Lagat1500, @followlolo, @LeviLeipheimer, @CadelOfficial, @linseycorbin, @samwarriner @taylorphinney, @lancearmstrong, @dirkbockel, @LewisERacing, @JoshCoxRun, @ryanhall3, @chrislieto, @chrisjmacca, @triron, @Michaelhutto, @GoMichellie

Teams:
@TeamType1, @TrakkersElite, @TotalCyclist, @TeamRadioShack, @HawkRacing, @MammothTC

Resources:
@TriathleteMag, @endurancewire, @versustv, @jfriel, @usatriathlon, @IronmanTri, @triswimcoach @IronmanAthletes, @ActiveTriathlon, @runnersworld, @trijuice, @TriTweetGroup, @bengreenfield

Of one thing I have recently become convinced, endurance sports – specifically triathlon – make me more effective in the workplace. Or am I a more effective triathlete because of my experience? Good question. I thought I knew the answer until I started writing this post.

The more I think about it the more fascinated I become at the parallels between my professional career and the sport of triathlon. What a perfect match. It is as if all my years of arts education, teaching, small business ownership, client relations and motherhood were secretly in cahoots about my future as an age grouper triathlete, and they weren't going to let me in on the secret until I turned 40. What a great secret it was.

As an interior architecture student I spent days pouring over the smallest of details, each one was monumentally important to the eventual success of the project. Years later while pursuing my masters in photography, I spent equivalent time alone in the darkroom extracting beauty and form from light. In its essence, photography is the perfect blend of science, inspiration and sheer magic. Are you starting to see the parallels? Four years teaching photography to college students should have taught me patience. Not so much. As a small business owner, I learned to tackle issues head on and understand the importance of ownership and accountability. Motherhood demands that you juggle ten unrelated tasks with ultimate precision and timing – I am nearing master status. In recent years my print and Web design projects have spanned anywhere from a few days to many months – sprint tri or Iron distance?

Hours spent training each week leave me plenty of time to pull from my experience in the darkroom, classroom and boardroom. Triathlon training can be lonely if you don't embrace the solitude. I enjoy being alone in the pool or on the road – it's the only quiet I get in the course of the day. On the flip side, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to run through a hill or tackle speed work without a friend or teammate to inspire you. If you love what you do it can be difficult to separate yourself from work – what you do is tied to who you are. The same is true with triathlon. I can't imagine anyone putting themselves through the weekly rigors of training without harboring a deep love and respect for the sport.

What I have taken away from endurance training is far more meaningful. Besides the aches and pains that creep up and heckle me from time to time, I've seen my spirit renewed by the tiny successes that come from consistency, hard work and even failure. I've come to know a me that is stronger and more tolerant than I ever gave myself credit for being. Creativity, I have learned, can be coaxed from within when deadlines are looming and the phone keeps ringing – it just takes focus. I feel motivated in areas of my life that have nothing to do with training – like being a better pet owner and paying off debt. More importantly, I am inspired to be one of the people that lights a fire inside of someone else – a pay it forward of the multi-sport kind. If you've ever looked at triathlon or any major obstacle and said, "I could never do that" I hope you'll give it a try. For all you know you could have been training for it all your life.

"Social media supports the human need for social interaction, using Internet- and Web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many)."

The above is an exerpt from Wikipedia describing the WHAT of social media. The HOW includes examples ranging from forums, weblogs, pictures and video to wikis and podcasts. Social media applications aren't merely tools we rely on to complete a certain task (i.e. Word, Keynote or Quickbooks) – instead, they have risen to rock star status and become an integral part of how we communicate on a daily basis. Some apps such as Twitter and Facebook have made keeping in touch far easier and less expensive than a phone call or letter -- and in a lot less time. But I don't want to focus on those two – they get enough attention. Let's talk for a minute about podcasts.

In terms of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), podcasts have tremendous potential for bringing traffic to your site. If episodes are titled, described and tagged in a meaningful way, podcast entries can generate organic traffic for your site. But I don't want to talk about that either. I want to talk about the extreme potential for learning, teaching and sharing that podcasts possess.

Four weeks away from my first triathlon, I can easily say the most useful resource has been podcasts. Not only are they informative and FREE, they are easily accessible – I can listen to them while running or cycling indoors, in the car, at work in lieu of music, or milling around the house cleaning and folding laundry. That's pretty damn accessible you have to admit. What I've learned is beyond what I could take from a book. Don't get me wrong, I'm reading plenty of books too, but podcasts provide a more personal, one-on-one experience between myself and the host(s), and in some cases make me feel as though I have my own coach doling out training advice crafted for me and me alone. I am well aware that feeling isn't rooted in reality but to have someone "speak" to me instead of reading the same words in a book is far more motivating – especially at 80% humidity!

Given that my training takes place any time between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., it's hard to train with a group. Running, cycling and swimming are performed sans coach and sans training partner which is at times nice and at times lonely. Podcasts fill that void for me. Laughing at other athletes' mishaps and learning from their experiences has created a virtual training group of sorts that has spilled over into email, Facebook and Twitter. In Athens, GA I am in communication with other triathletes living in Oregon, Alabama and Illinois – sharing stories and trading advice when most likely I'll never actually meet them. In one instance, however, I've met up with a dear friend from high school in training for her first half Ironman. Her wisdom and advice on everything from clothing to transitions has been invaluable – and I haven't seen her in 20 years. It's a new kind of friendship and a new kind of team mate – it is virtual but no less powerful and inspiring.

Most of the podcasts I subscribe to have come by way of iTunes – a search for "triathlon" or "triathlon training" will yield two dozen or so options. Depending on your level of triathlon fitness you will find some of them more or less helpful. Have a particular weakness (like swimming or running?), find one that focuses on those legs of the race. Most of the podcasts will have links to transcripts or blogs – those are also useful in terms of links and resources. Here are a few of my favorites to date:

The Age Grouper
www.theagegrouper.com
Podcast available on iTunes
Twitter: theagegrouper

TriTalk
www.tri-talk.com
Podcast available on iTunes

Tri Swim Coach
www.triswimcoachonline.com
Podcast available on iTunes

Endurance Nation
www.endurancenation.com
Podcast available on iTunes
Twitter: TeamEN

There are many, many more available and I've only begun to scratch the surface. If you want to suggest others, I encourage you to do so. And if you are so inclined, give one of these a listen. Happy training!

Spring and summer in Athens offer a wealth of creative outlets for pre-school, youth and teens. If you're like me, you've probably spent the past several weeks scanning various resources for new and different activities for your little one(s). As a designer, my background has included everything from photography and painting to computer art and furniture making. And while my little man is only five, I want him to have as much creative exposure as possible -- in every medium at every opportunity.

Here are a few ideas in case you've exhausted your resources. Many of these listings offer summer camps in addition to spring and summer classes so you will need to check with them for current offerings and availability.

If you have other options you would like to recommend, please add the information in the comment section.

Music:

• The UGA Community Music School Kindermusik Programs
• (706) 542-2894
• UGA Community Music School

Theater:

• Athens Creative Theatre
• 706-613-3628
• ACC Leisure Services
• Athens Creative Theater

• Athens Little Playhouse
• 706-208-1036
• Athens Little Playhouse

Movement:

• Canopy Studio
• 706-549-8501
• Canopy Studio

Pottery:

• Good Dirt
• 706-355-3161
• Good Dirt

Art:

• Lyndon House Arts Center
• (706) 613-3623

Feeling a little daring in the new year? If so, I've got just the thing for you. Visit www.livestrong.com/dares/ and accept the challenge to save money, lose weight, get more sleep or spend more time with your family as part of LIVESTRONG's "Dare To" campaign. You can accept one or more suggested dares, create your own dare or dare a friend to participate.

For the record, I accepted a dare to complete a triathlon. Anyone care to join me?

LIVESTRONG.COM was created be the definitive daily health, fitness and lifestyle destination for everyone looking to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle. As part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), LIVESTRONG.COM promotes health and wellness through a variety of online resources such as calorie trackers, fitness plans, articles, support groups, etc.

Those familiar with LIVESTRONG.org will be happy to know they will continue to provide survivors information about their cancer-related concerns, worksheets to organize and guide the cancer experience and stories shared by other cancer survivors.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation focuses on cancer prevention, access to screening and care, research and quality of life for cancer survivors. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF has raised more than $250 million for the fight against cancer.