people so you motivate each other. Do a road or cross-country race and use the treadmills together at your local gym. Join a tri club and use the sessions and advice on offer." - Tim Don "Tell yourself that training in the miserable winter makes you a

reality is that many of the country's top athletes - including Alistair Brownlee, the reigning ITU World Champion - spend the majority of their off-season slugging it out through rain, sleet and snow right here in the UK. And if they can do it, so can you

Pole Marathon – a prize worth £6,000.This extraordinary marathon first took place in 2004, with Runner's World magazine editor Steven Seaton lining up among the 15 well-wrapped competitors. You can read his report here.The runners may wear snow shoes

clifftop paths rather than drizzly pavements.Like any holiday, training camps range in budget from a full-board trail weekend in Gloucestershire that won't break the bank (£195, www.trailplus.com), to a week in the snow – and lavish smart hotels

reality is that many of the country's top athletes - including Alistair Brownlee, the reigning ITU World Champion - spend the majority of their off-season slugging it out through rain, sleet and snow right here in the UK. And if they can do it, so can you

. This philosophy is transferable to the rest of us: training with company can be just as beneficial in helping you to achieve your particular goals. A partner could encourage you to adopt more variety in your running and thereby foster greater motivation

and had a coffee, and asked each other if we would be stupid enough to do it again. You've guessed it: a few days later saw us out there again - same result but we are a determined pair and kept at it all through the winter. The rain, even the snow, did