Cold weather training

Choosing an endurance event in the first half of the year has one major drawback - a large part of your training is done in winter conditions.  This morning was too icy to be safe on the bike so I did 1.5 hours indoor on the turbo trainer which was tough.
I then travelled to Loch Lomond to complete my Mission Ironman promotion video.  This involved cycling (there was no ice as it was later in the day) and running up and down Glen Luss while being filmed from the back of a car - a good workout.  It was cold with snow on the hills and the run was wet.  Once again I was attacked by a Jack Russell (what is it with those dogs?) but managed to fend it off with my shoe otherwise it would have been "road kill" and I'd be in A&E as I was travelling at speed.  Then I finished off with a swim in Loch Lomond which was freezing cold despite the sun coming out.  I was only in for a short while but my head felt like it would explode with the cold.  I didn't see anyone else swimming funnily enough.  So it's now over to the editor to make it look good.  I will have it on my website www.missionironman.co.uk by the 19th Feb.
These conditions will offer an interesting contrast to the conditions I will face in Lanzarote in 4 weeks time at my training camp.  I think it will take a few days to get used to the heat but hey there's got to be some payoff for the hard work in these conditions!