Book it!

Lately I've found myself doing a lot of reading, unfortunately a good chunk of this wasn't something assigned by one of my professors. We all have plenty of reading and studying to do for our academic classes so who wants to read more, right? Well, I went on amazon.com a few weeks ago and picked up a few triathlon related books. I'm training my body like crazy in preparation for the coming racing season and I figured I should be training my brain a little, too. Below are a couple of the books that I am currently reading with a short description of each. If you're lucky enough to find yourself in the same van as me on our 22+ hour trip (one way) to the Lone Star State you'll probably have a chance to check them out for yourselves.



The Triathlete's Training Bible (2nd Edition), by Joe Friel

The title of this book just about says it all. Between the covers of this book you'll find out about planning your yearly/monthly/weekly training, swim/bike/run technique, valuable nutrition imformation, strength training plans, racing strategy and MUCH more. Mr. Friel backs up his advice with references from the scientific literature which gives this book much credibility. If you buy just one book about triathlon, I would recommend this one. This book covers all the bases.



Going Long: Training for Ironman-Distance Triahtlons, by Joe Friel and Gordon Byrn

This book covers much of the same topics as the Triathletes Training Bible, but with an emphasis on long distance triathlon (Ironman and half Ironman). I'm an Ironman virgin, and will be competing in Ironman Lake Placid this July. As I prepare for this race-that's-longer-than-most-people-are-at-work-in-a-day I'm finding this book to be very helpful in calming some of my anxieties about how to prepare for this race. It gives detailed descriptions of how to prepare for each of the disciplines, how to fuel your body during training and the race itself, what to expect come race day, and just about every other big question that runs though your mind about Ironman training.

One major thing that I have learned from this book that I (and many other triathletes and endurance athletes) almost completely overlooked in the past is how to rest and recover properly during training. With all the stresses that are placed on the mind and body during training for an Ironman, it is crucial to build in recovery as part of your training plan. This book details how.

If you are signed up for an Ironman you've already dropped a chunk of cash just to be able to toe the line. This book is easily worth its minuscule cover price when compared the the entry fee.

Happy reading.

Joel


P.S. Does any one remember what "Book it!" was? Or am I dating myself??