Triathlon books

couerdelion

I do quite a bit of reading and some of them have a triathlon theme/interest to them. Thought it would be good to have a thread of reviews. I'll start with a couple...

Chrissie Wellington: A life without limits - Enjoyed the book. Some of it is a little self indulgent but overall the book was a good read. It covers her life from growing up and learning to swim to winning the 2011 Ironman World Championships. It also covers her desire to succeed abnd the work she did in Nepal before becoming a full time athlete. The most enthralling bit for me was the dynamic between her and her coach Brett Sutton and how much mental toughness she has.

Ger Hartmann: Born to Perform - Saw this on the shelves in Easons and had a quick flick through. Looked like it might kill a few hours so bought it. I had never heard of the fella but from the book it seems he was pretty important in the early days of Irish triathlon. The book covers his early days racing and his competing in the Irish Championships in Sligo (HIM distance) and competing in Kona and finishing 24th overall. His career was cut short after a freak armidillo accident and he concentrated his energy on becoming a physical therapist and has treated some of the worlds greatest runners (Kelly Homes, Sonia O'Sullivan, Paula Radcliffe, Moses Kiptanui) and Irish rugbys and GAA stars. Overall it was a good read, gave me a good insight into the early Triathlon scene in Ireland and how important a role he played in some of these athletes success.

catweazle

Triathlon
Gerry Duffy - Who dares runs
Probably concentrated more on his 32 marathons than on the triathlons but there is a chapter each on Ironman Nice and a Double Ironman. Reasonably good read

Joe Friel - Triathletes Training Bible - Aimed at the slightly more knowledgeable triathlete but some good stuff in it. I would probably get more out of it now with a bit more experience behind me

Don Fink - Be Iron Fit Easy enough read and a full schedule laid out for different finishing ambitions. Lots of time saving tips

Triathlon Related:
Paul Kimmages Rough Ride: Enjoyed this, one of the first books I had read of someone who wasnt at the top of his profession. While I think he has turned into a bit of an anti drug monster these days and seems to be more interested in drugs in sport than the sport itself, he does touch on it here in some detail. Good book though.

Lance Armstrong Books: Controversial Catweazle but leaving aside all the suspicion and innuendo about him. The books are a riveting read

Non Triathlon:
Golf - Any of the Mark Frost books - fantastic accounts of golf stars of bygone eras. I didn't think I would be interested but they quickly pull you in

Wrestling: Used to love it as a kid, Brett Harts autobiography is hilarious

Boxing: Four Kings - Hagler, Hearns, Duran and Leonard enough said

Horse Racing: Seabiscuit - not a racing fan at all but I enjoyed this - the film was a big let down though

pgibbo

I started reading Iron War a few weeks ago. I was really enjoying it and gave it to my OH to read the chapter entitled "The Pain Community". She enjoyed that chapter so much that she is now reading the whole thing and is nearly finished it. She highly recommends it and I really enjoyed what I have read of it.

I also have I'm here to win but I have yet to start it.

For anyone thinking of doing an IM, I found Going Long a very good read.

couerdelion

catweazle wrote: »

Triathlon
Gerry Duffy - Who dares runs
Probably concentrated more on his 32 marathons than on the triathlons but there is a chapter each on Ironman Nice and a Double Ironman. Reasonably good read

Joe Friel - Triathletes Training Bible - Aimed at the slightly more knowledgeable triathlete but some good stuff in it. I would probably get more out of it now with a bit more experience behind me

Triathlon Related:

Lance Armstrong Books: Controversial Catweazle but leaving aside all the suspicion and innuendo about him. The books are a riveting read

Yeah, I enjoyed the Gerry Duffy book. Not sure though that I found it quite as inspirational as some have said they did.

Joe Friel is lent out at the moment but I think similar to yourself I would get a lot more out of it now if I read it again.

I like the Lance books too. Regardless of any drugs the cancer battle and return to cycling itself is good reading.

pgibbo

If reading the Lance book IMO you need to read:

From Lance to Landis. It's a really good read?
I think Bad Blood is the other good read I've read but I'll have to check at home to make sure I'm not confusing it with another book

elvis jones

couerdelion wrote: »

Yeah, I enjoyed the Gerry Duffy book. Not sure though that I found it quite as inspirational as some have said they did.

Joe Friel is lent out at the moment but I think similar to yourself I would get a lot more out of it now if I read it again.

I like the Lance books too. Regardless of any drugs the cancer battle and return to cycling itself is good reading.

I'm one of those.

Roughly same weight as me, from the midlands, ordinary guy, worked as a dj. There is a lot i could relate to compared to american books.

He wished me luck on facebook the night before the marathon, i was like a giddy child when i saw it:)

Oh and i must look up some of the books above for my kindle, its almost time for a buying spree.

elvis jones

couerdelion wrote: »

I do quite a bit of reading and some of them have a triathlon theme/interest to them. Thought it would be good to have a thread of reviews. I'll start with a couple...

Chrissie Wellington: A life without limits - Enjoyed the book. Some of it is a little self indulgent but overall the book was a good read. It covers her life from growing up and learning to swim to winning the 2011 Ironman World Championships. It also covers her desire to succeed abnd the work she did in Nepal before becoming a full time athlete. The most enthralling bit for me was the dynamic between her and her coach Brett Sutton and how much mental toughness she has.

Ger Hartmann: Born to Perform - Saw this on the shelves in Easons and had a quick flick through. Looked like it might kill a few hours so bought it. I had never heard of the fella but from the book it seems he was pretty important in the early days of Irish triathlon. The book covers his early days racing and his competing in the Irish Championships in Sligo (HIM distance) and competing in Kona and finishing 24th overall. His career was cut short after a freak armidillo accident and he concentrated his energy on becoming a physical therapist and has treated some of the worlds greatest runners (Kelly Homes, Sonia O'Sullivan, Paula Radcliffe, Moses Kiptanui) and Irish rugbys and GAA stars. Overall it was a good read, gave me a good insight into the early Triathlon scene in Ireland and how important a role he played in some of these athletes success.

Best line i've read in ages:D

scrawnybawny

I reckon Born to Run (Christopher McDougall) is worth a read for anybody with even a passing interest in endurance events.
Whether you end up agreeing with his arguement or not it's full of interesting anecdotes about ultra races and the half-mad characters they same to attract.
Throw in a relatively amusing aside about human evolution and it becomes a pretty compelling read even if the final conclusion isn't relevant (from a bio-mechanical point of view)to all runners.
well worth checkin out!

Don17

What i talk about when i talk about running, by haruki murakami, great inspirational book

and

Triathloning for ordinary mortals, and doing the duathlon too, by steven jonas

this book is great for ex couch potatoes like myself who would like to do a triathlon but think its too difficult or that you have to do too much training.

sconhome

I cut out a review in the Sunday paper about this book Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat and thought it could be an interesting read. Has anyone read it yet? Any thoughts on it?

kip d

Born to Perform, Ger Hartmann chronicles his life from being Ireland’s best triathlete to being the worlds best physical therapist. There is no questioning the guys dedication and athletic talent. Neither can there be any doubt about his ability as a therapist. What I found very hard to stomach was the puke inducing pious tone, I don’t think I have ever read anything as self serving. Only recommended if you have run out of self-help books or are struggling with your faith.

If you are looking for something good to read Nicolas Roche’s ‘Inside the Peloton’ is a good insight into the life of the modern professional cyclist. ‘Shay Elliot the Life and Death of Ireland’s First Yellow Jersey’ by Graham Healy tells the tragic story of one of Ireland’s best cyclists. In ‘A Dog in a Hat’ Joe Parkin details the life of a young American Pro trying to learn his trade in drug crazed world of the Belgium Kermesse races.

I haven’t read many books on running but ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDougll is an absolute must, just be careful not to rush out and buy a pair of those silly Vibram 5 finger things.

‘Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run’ Andy Holgate’s journey from ordinary guy to ordinary Ironman, worth a read, most of us can probably relate to this story.

woody1

anyone have the time crunched triathlete
is it any good,
looking for a book with fairly descriptive training
details..for beginner level
will probably get the joe friel seeing as everyone seems
to think its pretty good, want to bring training on from
just mileage into something a bit more detailed / specific
and interesting

pgibbo

I have Time Crunched and I guess it depends what you are looking for. If you;re looking to improve and get faster than I don't think it suits. If you're short on time and have a good base already then it's quite useful.

Seeing as you state beginner level I'd give it a miss and go for Friel. My 2cents

Where are you based woody1? If in or around Galway I can let you borrow both books to see what you think

woody1

ballina..wont be in galway anytime soon but thanks anyway
sure il get friels so and leave the other one..

sconhome

+1 on Joe Friels Triathlete Bible. I also have his 'Your Best Triathlon' (still waiting for it to happen) which is a more advanced approach to training along the lines of 'Time Crunched Triathlete'