Ultimate Triathlon: A Complete Training Guide for Long-distance Triathletes [Paperback]

This book is by far and away the best (and indeed one of the few) guide to embarking on the sport of triathlon that I have come across. I am relatively new to the sport and have just completed my first Ironman in Switzerland this summer. Before this I had only completed a sprint distance tri so had a lot of questions about making the considerable jump to an Ironman.
I'm sure I'm like many other people when I say that triathlon is an expensive sport to say the least and therefore as much as I would like to have a coach to help me with regular advice, the cost is simply not feasible. I can say with the greatest confidence that this book is the perfect substitute; it is now my training bible! I'll try and explain why:

1. It clearly and concisely answers all of the questions that you think are stupid to ask. Everything from what kit you need to the problems that you are likely to encounter (both physically and mentally) during your training and the race itself.

2. It is a step-by-step guide to get you from complete novice to fully fledged Ironman. I particularly like the training schedules that they've included and the guidance on nutrition.

3. It's honest. We all have jobs to go to, families to raise and hair to let down from time to time. The advice acknowledges this, gives practical advice on how to deal with it and reassures you that it's entirely normal for your training to slip here and there.

4. The illustrations and pictures are excellent and make the more technical side of what is written very clear and easy to understand. Little things like seeing how to stretch properly, how a good fitting wetsuit should fit and how to set up your kit in the transition area are all little gems of advice.

5. Loads of little nuggets of information will save you scouring the internet for answers. Stuff like a list of all IM events and when and where they are generally held each year; catagorising finishing times for each discipline (from the winner to the person who comes in at 16:59:59). It all helps you figure out where you want to race and the kind of numbers that fit into your ability group.

6. It's not just aimed at Ironman wannabies. Much of the information is just as relevant for other distances as I can now see with hindsight from my first sprint tri.

The only downside that I can think of is that if you are a seasoned IM triathlete you probably want something a little more technical and in depth to shave those precuious minutes off of your PB. I've got a while before I fit that category so will continue to use this as my aide memoire for IM Austria next summer!

Great book, well thought out and written and at a very reasonable price.

Love this book. Have spent hours going through all the tips on how best to train, avoid injuries and be smart about nutrition. The authors have really done their home work and I especially like all the illustrations. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Quoting the book:
"The downside of a TT bike is twofold. The first and move obvious is the cost. Spending £1.5k plus on another bike is a significant investment and one that not everyone will gain large time improvements from. The second limitation is that TT bikes are designed for racing and time trialling. They are not designed for safe group riding or commuting in heavy traffic..."

Not sure what the point was here! Who on earth is going to be buying a tri bike for commuting..? If you're writing a book called "Ultimate Triathalon" then you should be focussing on the scientific sport benefits of buying TT bike (which you did briefly - but detail was lacking), and not placing so much emphasis on the cost; especially when considering that road bikes can be just as expensive as TT bikes?!