Read Your First Triathlon Joe Friel 9781931382854 Books

Product details Paperback 240 pages Publisher VeloPress (May 12, 2006) Language English ISBN-10 1931382859

Your First Triathlon Joe Friel 9781931382854 Books Reviews

• Even as a triathlon newbie it left me wanting so much more information on training. It does a good job of describing the lifestyle and what to expect for your first race. But even the workout plans are extremely basic and I can see it would be easy to accidentally overtrain if you are too eager.
  
  Also some of this edition is out of date now, like some of the strength training section, some of the exercises are not included in later books by Joe Friel.
  
  I would get the training bible along with it, or at least research your own training plans and training principals.
• I'm glad this is the book I decided to purchase ahead of my upcoming duathlon. The author is an experience trainer of triathletes, speaks directly to the reader in simple terms, and seems dedicated to bringing new people into sport. He seems to understand what new people coming into this sport will face, starting from a training schedule, to equipment advice, eating and dieting advice. I especially appreciate his respect for your bottom line; he spends several pages talking about what bike you could get, but keeps encouraging you not to spend too much money, or shows you where you can save and where you should spend a few extra dollars. I've been in training for a while, so a lot of what was in this book was obvious, but there were a few things that i would never have thought about that has improved my running and biking.
  The only shortcoming about the book is that he does not talk about the transition between stages at all. Being a newbie, I have basic questions like - should I run and bike in the same shorts? Should I keep my shoes on my bike clips or not? How do I keep my heart rate up while I'm getting on and off my bike for the next stage? I'm sure I'll figure this out during my own time trials, but it would have been useful to have this. Otherwise, no complaints, I highly recommended it.
• This book is a great resource for the sprint-tri newby. Using this book as a reference, I went from couch to sprint-tri in 12 weeks, and met my finish-time goal. Unlike some other books I've looked at, the training information is straightforward and easy to understand.
  
  Most of the material in the book would also apply to an Olympic distance triathlon, with the notable exception of the training plans; the training plans in the book are for a sprint distance triathlon, not an Olympic distance triathlon.
  
  I highly recommend the book for the person interested in competing in a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon.
• I originally read this book in spring of 2008 when I was preparing for my first triathlon. I found his style, and his approach very readable and understandable to someone that was new to multi-sport. I have since raced 20+ triathlons, duathlons, and running races.
  
  He is through talking through what you really need and do not need for your first tri. The first question is do I need to buy a bike, and the answer is no. Beg borrow, steal or rent anything or everything. If you love it spend the money if not, you have had a great experience to tell your friends.
  
  I have loaned it to several people being clear that I want it back. I still keep it in my tri race bag now for the appendix that has the checklist of what to bring.
  
  Great book and great reference.
• So the book has some excellent points and some excellent tid bits of information. I was quite pleased with my purchase. The information is helpful and the training plans are quite helpful. I had to combine a couple of the programs to meet my specific needs but it's not a big deal.
  
  Ultimately the book provides excellent information. It's down to earth, realistic view and advise.
• I am 44 years old and decided to challenge myself with a triathlon. Ordered this book to prepare for my first triathlon. The book was an easy read and written in a straight forward and easy to read format. It was well worth purchasing. I had exactly 12 weeks to train for my event and the beginner's plan was fantastic at getting me prepared. The explanations and descrptions for each of the workouts were thorough and easy to follow. One minor concern was the information on the swimming portion of the training. I had to purchase another book and video to help with the swimming training. I would highly recommend this book.
  
  I just finished that triathlon and felt extremely comfortable with my training and conditioning. I plan on ordering the triathlon Bible to get even more focused for my next event. Prior to training I had a reasonable level of conditioning but this book put me over the top and allowed me to focus on the 3 disciplines.
• This one is a great beginner book.
• One of the 3 beginning triathlete books I have read for training for my first 2 sprint Triathlons.
  Very good basic book. Nice thoughts and philosophy about why do a triathlon.
  
  Would also recommend Beginning Triathlons for Dummies which may be slightly better in it's depth and organization.