The latest comic from Frazz creator and noted triathlete Jef Mallett:


Check out this roster of 15 green sports stars

Active Expert, Bruce Hildenbrand previews the Giro d'Italia that starts Saturday

Even with the torch atop Everest, Olympics are clouded
Climbing Everest because it's there is inspiring. Climbing Everest because it's in Tibet is not nearly so heartwarming, particularly to an international audience that is still trying to sort through the ethics of getting enthusiastic about August's Beijing Olympics. Read full story


Make doping a crime, says Lewis
Olympic legend Carl Lewis has called on governments around the world to make the use of banned substances in sport a criminal offense. Read full story

Shave valuable time in you bike-to-run triathlon transitions by installing a quick-lace system:

Cycle safety campaign in London:


Velonews posted the column, Questions about the Cupertino crash..., written By Bob Mionske, that asks some important questions about media bias and cyclist safety resulting from the fatal accident in SF last week.

How would you like to be able to run any race in 4 weeks? Active Expert Matt Fitzgerald gives us the skinny on nonlinear periodization.

Our own Active Expert, Joe Decker gets interviewed by Endurance Planet about taking on Barklay 100, arguably the world's toughest 100 mile race. Listen to the interview

While we're on the topic of impossibly difficult events, check out this video from Pittsfield Peaks Ultra Challenge - Death Division


You can expect barbed wire, mud boggin, wood choppin, tunnels, deep water diving, running, crawling, crying, screaming, and sweating. Doubtful you'll finish but be proud of yourself for trying. www.peakraces.com for more info.

Do you dream of toeing the line in Hopkinton? Check out this discussion of the fastest marathon courses. You just might get the extra edge to qualify for next year's Boston Marathon!

In her article "Ten Tips for the New Year," Active Expert Gale Bernhardt's first recommendation is: Set a Goal.

What better way to give yourself something to work for in 2008 than to sign up for a race? But be aware, some pre-planning could save you a little money. Many races that already have registration open will be raising their prices beginning January 1.

For triathletes, that includes races such as the Accenture Chicago Triathlon, Vineman Ironman 70.3, Big Kahuna Triathlon (70.3-distance) and the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, Iowa--which also happens to be the final Olympic qualifier for the 2008 U.S. triathlon team.

Other races will be opening registration right after the New Year. This includes the Superfrog Triathlon (70.3-distance), the 5430 Sports triathlon race series and the World Famous Mud Run, part of the Camp Pendleton (California) Hard Corps Race Series. On January 3, registration for opens to USA Triathlon members, with non-member registration opening the next day.

Now is the perfect time to find out the registration details of your favorite race and add it to this list. Runners, cyclists, adventure racers, swimmers and anyone who wants others to be a part of an awesome event can add it to the comments section below.

What's going to be your motivation to train in 2008?

Setting goals is one of the most effective ways to motivate an athlete. Goals provide a sense of direction while increasing effort and quality of performance. Teams and endurance athletes alike must choose goals carefully to follow a path towards success. I joined up with Trish Oberhaus, our team sports specialist, to provide a useful guide for setting S.M.A.R.T. goals in athletics.

1. Specific: These goals are most clearly defined by the five “W” questions: who, what, where, when, why? The answers to these questions will begin to bring your goals into focus.

2. Measurable: By establishing a system for measuring progress toward each goal you set, you will increase motivation by experiencing a sense of achievement when reaching the smaller incremental goals along the way. To prevent ambiguity and vagueness, make sure to incorporate an assessable time frame allowing you to carry out those steps and feel successful.

3. Attainable: Once goals are identified and specific increments are achieved, the larger goals that used to seem far away begin to grow closer as you grow as a person. It's truly amazing how one begins to figure out ways to make goals become reality. Previously overlooked opportunities manifest themselves and bring you closer to attaining your goals, all the while, new attitudes, abilities, skills and strategies develop to help you to reach them.

4. Realistic: By truly believing that your goal can be accomplished, your target will be realistic. This is something that you and you alone must decide. Be sure to set each goal so it represents ample growth. By following these guidelines, higher goals often prove easier to reach than lower goals, because lower goals produce a lower level of motivational energy.

5. Timely: Goals should be set with a starting point, ending point and fixed intervals along the way. This will perpetuate a sense of urgency for you to act as target dates approach. Goals without deadlines tend to fade in importance and fall in rank of priority where less commitment is established.

No matter what skill level, goals that follow this outline will facilitate the growth of the athlete. Experiencing incremental progress during the journey toward your dreams and desires provides a steady reward that has the power to maintain motivation--as long as you keep in mind what you want to accomplish and how you plan to get there.