Athletics Books

I always find myself buying triathlon training books, then ending up being disappointed because I haven't learned anything new from it. This book falls prey to that sometimes (EVERY triathlon book has a chapter devoted to nutrition that goes over carbs, protein and fats), but it also contains a lot of really good information about technical aspects of each sport (like how to handle hills and cornering on your bike), really planning a good training program to meet your own needs (in terms I could follow), and lots of other stuff that I'd never seen in the dozen or so other books I've looked at. There is even a section on preparing for specific distances, during different seasons.
There are no references for any of the information given, so it is an easier read, but you don't know where the authors gathered the information from, which worries me a little. What concerned me even more was that some of the information that was given can actually be dangerous--the list of suggestions to make long runs more interesting included running with headphones and running at night--without any caveats.
This book was worth the money just for the new info I picked up, but make sure to use some common sense when it comes to using the advice. It might be better to use this book as a complement to other resources.

This was the 1st triathlon book I bought. It gives an overview of the equipment, types of training in chapters on swimming, running and riding, time requirments, nutrition and sample training plans.
It is NOT a training book perse. It will give the reader an idea of what it takes to start triathloning without overwhelming him and her.
I think Triathlon 101 is better but it's a personal opinion.

I found this book to be fairly helpful. I especially liked the descriptions of form drills for all 3 disciplines. The informaiton was useful. What I did not like is that since I am new to the sport of triathlon, there were phrases used that I did not understand. This was most evident in the workouts. The text would describe everything well, but then in a listing of a sample workout it would use terms not explained in the text. This made it hard to figure out what to do sometimes. Also the author says he'll show you how to have many peaks in a season, but then really doesn't ever give that information.

A fantastic book and on the "top two" of my recommended reading list for beginning triathletes. If you are going for detail and want in-depth and technical information on how to develop a training plan, go with the Triathlete's Training Bible. If you want a solid overview of the sport of triathlon, this is the book for you.

Swim, Bike, Run is written in a very straight-forward style and gives sound, practical advice. I am an avid reader of "things triathlon," so I've read just about every book out there. The most telling insight into how much I value this book is that this is the book that I consistently return to and read the night before a race. I also look to it for a "refresher" when I want to improve form/technique and when I am evaluating how my training is going mid-season. The swimming section is particularly effective and the illustrations greatly helped me on technique issues.

A great read and highly recommended.

I bought this book because I wanted some techniques to help with physical training. I thought that it would provide some short stories to compliment the information but it kinda reads like a text book, which isn't all that bad. For the price and the wealth of information that is contains it is a good buy. Also it is written by a Doctor so, you know that it has to have some basis in truth. I would reccommend it to anyone who wants to know how to enhance their Total Mind Body Training...

I have read a multitude of books on peak performance training. Many over the last few years have sections that copy from this book word for word. It is good to finally find the original.
Highly recommended not only for the martial artist, but for anyone interested in peak performance athletic training.

The book is an invaluable source not only for peak athletic performance, but for accessing your top level performance in any field. I found it extremely helpful and heartily recommend it.

The book is useful to the martial artist that is looking to avoid plateus in her/his training. However, the most recent info to back up his claims seemed to come from th 70's. This made me wonder if recent research is a basis for claims stated.

This diary is perfect for the beginning triathlete. This diary will help you prepare for a triathlon with a 12-week training plan.

This was very informative--especially for someone just starting out. I would recommend it to anyone interested in getting started with Triathloning.

The Triathlete's Training Diary for Dummies is a good book for getting someone in shape for a triathlon, but not necessarily completely prepared for one. The book does give a 12-week training plan that splits the workouts between distance, sprints, and weight training but does not specify how much time should be spent on each of the three sports. For instance, I could follow the entire training plan without setting foot in a pool or on a bike. The training plan also does not specify practicing more than one sport during a workout, so you may not be prepared for the difficult bike to run transition.

Also- be prepared that well over 50% of the book is blank training diary pages. Although the book has good information it does not answer many of a first-timers questions that could be covered with more text and less blank pages.

Overall I would say the book is worth the money if you would like a training diary with a few pages of helpful hints on triathlons. It's a great way to log your workouts in an organized format that lets you see your progress over time.

If watching the Ironman inspires you to get off of the couch and enter a local triathlon, make your first purchase The Triathlete's Training Diary for Dummies. The Diary is more than a training logbook - it also contains a simple, soup-to-nuts guide that will show you how to train for, and successfully complete, that first race. As someone who has moved just beyond the novice level in the sport of triathlon, I can attest to the folly of trying to gleen information about triathlons from various articles and books that are all too often geared for the mature racer. The Diary would have made that first race sooooo much easier!

Experienced triathletes will likely be familiar with all of the training and racing information in the Diary. As for the logbook portion of the Diary, my only compliant is that it does not contain a section for weekly/year-to-date totals - which are very helpful in determining training progress as well as giving one a sense of satisfaction as to what has been accomplished during the course of a year.

Fantastic! Those were the days ... the swingin' A's ... three championship (consecutive) seasons. Excellent DVD ... great memories!

This book is an updated and expanded version of the original book, which came out in 1998 and won the Seymour Medal from the Society for American Baseball Research as the best baseball book of the year.

I like this new edition (A Baseball Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Swingin' A's) better, since there is quite a bit of added material. It includes some headlines from the early 1970s, giving the reader a bit more flavor from that tumultuous decade. There are statistical tables on each of the A's' seasons from 1971 to 1975. And there is new interview material with Joe Rudi and Blue Moon Odom that was not included in the first edition. Also, a better title and a better cover, featuring reproductions of some classic Topps baseball cards from the 1970s. There's a 1974 Topps card of Catfish Hunter, a 1972 Topps card of Mudcat Grant (with those mutton-chop sideburns) and 1973 Topps cards of Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers. Good stuff.

When I picked up this book, I thoroughly expected it to be full of anecdotes about one of the most exciting teams and eccentric owners of all time. What I got was much less. Basically, this book rehashes the box scores and quotations of the time...and adds little else.

Not only that...there are typos galore.

If you idea of fun reading is statistics in paragraph form....go for it. I prefer something a little less boring.

This book provides an excellent perspective from the President of a major academic and sports university of the challenges of intercollegiate sports. Athletics don't make money at any collegiate level (if costs included fixed plant expenses). They can cause serious scandal for Universities. But still the public demands winning programs. Dr. Duderstadt was perfectly experienced to speak on this issue coming from a great school but also a former athlete. He also brings an interesting perspective of the role of the Provost, which he held prior to being President.

But even after listing all of the woes of how athletics affect colleges, he cops out and says they still have a place. I think this shows just how tough the problem is. It was interesting that quite a bit of his reading overlapped mine, and in fact, he agreed with me that Rick Telander, Sports Illustrated writer and former college football player, had a worthwhile solution of making college "pro" sports optional for colleges.

He also had great discussions of the personalities of coaches and athletic directors and how that affects the programs, as well as discussions on how the media can harm college athletics. Sports journalists don't score high on his list.

This book doesn't solve any problems but does give a different and insightful analysis of the challenge. I recommend this book to those trying to understand the finances of college athletics and how an athletic department exists inside a major university.

Jim Duderstadt, former President of University of Michigan, an intercollegiate athlete himself and a full-time Big 10 fan, has finally decided the shred the public relations shroud around the reality of Division I athletic teams. He demonstrates the wanton excess associated with college basketbal programs, as well as most football programs. At the same time, he reaffirms the value of most other sports programs at the college level. His voice is a rational warning, unfortunately heard by few university presidents where accountability for this issue really sits. Too many of them, according to Duderstadt, pass the buck for the appalling professionalization of major college sports, placing blame on alumni, the public, state legislatures, faculty or others. Fortunately, he nails down the responsibilities of each group with incriminating detail, and urges massive reform. The cost of the current game plan in Division I schools is rising, he demonstrates, and may end up in defeat for the institutions we consider essential to educating future generations. Read it now -- before March Madness sucks you into the p.r. spin!

During a season when there are some excellent books on college sports (Shulman and Bowen's Game of Life, and Murray Sperber's Beer & Circus), Duderstadt comes up with something of a dud (sorry for the pun). He calls for the reform of college sports but this is the guy who, as president of the University of Michigan, tolerated a special academic program, Sports Management, in which his jocks with academic problems were sheltered. It is really hard to take him seriously with a background like that. It's as if he has found religion--reform college sports.

Good luck to him, and I suppose that any critic of big-time college sports should be congratulated for taking an unpopular stand but this book is too little and far too late.

I bought this book to help motivate me to become a better runner. I thought it was a bit hokey with too many affirmations. Maybe that works for some, but for me it was a bit over the top. there were a few nuggets I found helpful but I can't say that I was totally satisfied with the approach.

A motivational book which makes you realize the true meaning of running. Worth reading for any person looking to find a deeper meaning to your next running experience!

Magical Running: A Unique Path To Running Fulfilment focuses on the psychology and mind-set of running, not the physical training of the body. Author and running coach Bobby McGee draws upon his years of coaching an Olympic marathon gold medallist, world record holders, world champions, and other runners to provide unique and invaluable guide about the mental preparation, the "how to", of a runner's motivation. With a text replete with anecdotes in support of his concepts and exercises, Bobby McGee documents and illustrates that running success is as much a function of attitude and the mind, as it is of leg muscles and breath control. Highly recommended reading for all aspiring runners regardless of whether they are sprinters or long-distance, novice or experienced, amateur or professional.

I found this book at a library years ago and studied it. When my son took interest in his own exercise program, I recommended it and bought it for him. He likes it too. It's a great book.

I was looking for some fitness instruction when going out for an ROTC scholarship in high school and found this book at my local library. I had no real exercise background but wanted something that I could do at home, without much equipment, that would get me in some kind of basic shape for a potential future with the military. I am happy to say that using this book prepared me sufficiently to win the ROTC scholarship (though I ended up accepting a different funding package to get to college) and I've kept up my fitness to this day. It may not work for everyone, but it's a good basic workout that hits most essential areas, and takes body fat percentage into the fitness equation which is so often overlooked.

Cohen assumes nothing about the level of fitness of those using his program. All exercises have multiple levels of challenge (usually six). Starting with levels for those with no ability to do the excercise and progressing to a level which can best be described as advanced intermediate, Cohen provides a workout program to progess to the level of many of military fitness programs. Requiring little equipment, except for the most rudimentary of items, often providing alternatives available arond the home.

I just returned home from running the NY Marathon. I am so glad that I read this book just before running. It is outstanding. I saw several of the various characters in the book, especially the accordian player in Queens, and felt like I knew him.

I would recommend this book to anyone, runner and non-runner alike. Hugely readable and very informative.

I made the mistake of picking up this book while in New York. It's long, it's dull, the writer thinks she's poetic when it's just plain chaotic, it's a cure for insomniacs who don't respond to strong drugs. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere; there are lots of better books about the NY marathon.

I loved this book! Liz Robbins' narrative chronicles the 2007 NYC Marathon with fact and anecdote filled chapters for each mile as the runners travel through all five boroughs of NYC and over the finish line; she does indeed manages to transport you inside the race and capture the sprit of the event that makes it A RACE LIKE NO OTHER. Perhaps it will even inspire some of the many readers that this book deserves who believe that the challenge of completing a marathon is too daunting to change minds and undertake the training required to attempt running one. It certainly will delight those who have participated and inform the millions who as spectators have cheered on the runners along the course or watched it on television in their living rooms.

Before I proceed further with my enthusiastic review, I do need to offer a disclaimer. At the suggestion of the race organizers, I was one of the myriad of individuals who the author interviewed during her extensive research for this book. I am an individual who had no exhibited no previous athletic aptitude before starting to exercise after passing my thirtieth birthday during the 1970's. But my current reputation as a 65 year old streaker intrigued her, and she chronicles part of my journey as I complete this event for the 32nd consecutive year. Thus, my story is one of the many of those of us who revel in our chance to become athletes for a day. In fact, as you will learn if you read the book, she somehow managed to locate me as I was running up First Avenue in the middle of the pack long after she had observed the winners crossing the finish line in Central Park and, after being introduced to a friend who I made during the race, the three of us ran together for approximately a mile as she joined the race again to discover more stories among the anonymous throng which would still be on the course for hours. I believe that my knowledge of the race enables me to appreciate even more the excellent job that the author has done, but I felt it appropriate to inform the readers of this review of what some might view as a source of potential favorable bias.

Robbins skillfully weaves into her manuscript the duel between Gete Wami and Paula Radcliffe which of course captivated even the casual observers of the race, while also managing to humanize them through the inclusion of a wealth of interesting information about aspects of their lives as diverse as their training routines, previous competitive encounters, early family experiences, and the fact that they are united by the bond that both women have returned to the sport at the highest competitive level after bearing a child. The stories of the leading competitors among the men are covered in an equally interesting manner, with many fascinating insights provided. Similarly, readers will appreciate the coverage of celebrities such as Lance Armstrong and Katie Holmes.

The many anecdotes about Fred Lebow which Liz Robbins inserts throughout the book together form a wonderful picture of the individual whose passion for the sport and ceaseless promotion of the marathon helped transform it from a race for elite runners who circled Central Park slightly more than four times to the spectacle which reinforced the running explosion which was just beginning in the mid-1970's. But for me, by far the most interesting aspect of the book was how she managed to meld the interesting stories of many individual runners into a mosaic that captured the essence of the experience. Included among these stories are many of the Achilles Club runners, whose members' disabilities cover a wide spectrum which range from the blind runners tethered loosely to their guides to amputees with artificial limbs and several cancer survivors, for whom completing the marathon is a way to celebrate their triumph over the disease. Many of them will spend several more hours on the course than the main field and thus start the race early, as a consequence as the race proceeds many of us runners have the opportunity to share in their inspirational achievements as we run by them and cheer them on in their pursuit of their dreams. Thus, I finally learned that it is 55 year old Bill Reilly whom I see every year along the course determinedly pushing his wheelchair backwards with his feet for 26.2 miles despite his severe cerebral palsy. And that Zoe Koplowitz who I also pass has completed her 20th NYC Marathon the next morning despite her diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Perhaps the most moving of all was the tale of Donald Arthur, a heart transplant victim who started walking to strengthen his new heart and three years later in 1999 completed the marathon together with the brother of his transplant donor (a victim of gunfire in the Bronx) and who then are both embraced by the victim's mother after they cross the finish line. In 2007 Arthur has recovered from a subsequent bout of cancer and is completing his tenth marathon that year. The joy in the streets, the agony and the ecstasy are all captured in this book.

Robbins also does justice to the other crucial elements of the race, the almost countless volunteers, the musicians whose performance adds to the celebratory atmosphere, the millions of supportive spectators (some of whom cheer the runners through the final three miles along Central park for as long as six hours), the unique and memorable landmarks along the race course, such as the towering Verranzano-Narrows Bridge, the Williamsburg Bank clock tower (a landmark visible for several miles along Brooklyn's Fourth Avenue), and the distinct neighborhoods which the runners traverse. We learn the background stories about the Bishop Laughlin High School Band and the Emmanuel Baptist Church choir, whose music only five blocks apart inspires the runners as they run down Lafayette Avenue with five miles still to go before leaving Brooklyn and reaching the halfway point as they cross the Pulaski Bridge and enter Queens.


In summary, if you like inspirational and feel good stories, read this book. If you want to learn more about the NYC marathon, read this book. If you want the unique experience of reading a book which fittingly ends with chapter 26.2, then read this book. We can't all hope to compete at an elite level or duplicate such feats of endurance as Dean Karnazes' running 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days and finishing with the NYC event , but this book captures how the NYC marathon undoubtedly deserves the credit for establishing the tradition of every runner being a winner over their own pain, and feeling deserving of the medal placed around his or her neck at its conclusion in the knowledge that on that day they had done their best as they were cheered on by the millions of spectators who line the route. When Liz Robbins explained the idea for her book while first interviewing me, I was both excited by the concept but fearful of the challenge which she had before her to accurately capture all the facets of the event. Now, I am delighted that she has succeeded, and hope that her book will achieve the readership which it deserves and in the process create even more appreciation for the unique nature of the event. Indeed every year its essence is the same, yet every year the details are different, new friends are made and different sights and sounds assault three runners' sense which are heightened by the inevitable surge of endorphins, which is why I will enjoy it as much this year as what I expected in 1976 would be not only my first but my only run through the streets of NYC, a Bicentennial celebration which not only linked the residents of the city's diverse neighborhoods but changed the face of marathoning. I highly recommend this book; as a reader you will share in the joy in the streets on that special day, and experience the palpable inspiration which results when everyone is a winner and the triumph of the human spirit is so clearly on display. .

Tucker Andersen

But the Hawaii Kai loops are all ONE MILE OFF! While training for a long distance race, I thought I should confirm milage and to my surprise they were all off this was also doubled checked by Google Maps. The book is a good source for parking, restrooms, and water fountains. But that is a HUGE MISTAKE!

Rick Varley knows O'ahu. He has been running and coaching runners on the island for over twenty years. The book also contains excellent, easy-to-read maps by Shingo Matushima, one of Hawaii's top graphic designers. If you are planning any runs on O'ahu, this book is a must.

I just got my copy of this book last week, and I definitely like it. There are running options all over the Island, and good directions for how to get there. The book also makes sure to include things like water fountain and restroom access for each run. If you are new to the Island and not sure where to go, this would be a great resource. My complaints are that the maps for each run are a little difficult to follow, and that there aren't more trail runs mentioned (although the author DOES go over the Tantalus trail system). Thanks!

Compared to other triathlon primers, Tinley's is far less technical. He explains right up front that the reader will need to seek other sources for detailed information on many subjects that he raises only briefly. In a way, it almost seems he is seeking his own ground in light of Dave Scott's earlier, much more comprehensive book on the sport. Best about Tinley, however, is his constant reminder to keep things in perspective and balanced. Remember that this sport is supposed to be fun.

I FOUND THE BOOK VERY ENTERTAINING AS A FIRST YEAR TRIATHLETE. BUT ONE MUST REALIZE THAT A LOT OF THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IS OBSOLETE AS THE BOOK IS 11 YEARS OLD. IF YOU ARE A FAN OF TRIATHLON THEN YOU SHOULD READ JUST FOR A GLIMPSE INSIDE ONE OF THE SPORTS PIONEERS SLIGHTLY TWISTED PSYCHE. BUTCH FORSYTH (GARLICDUDE@aol.com) SALINAS, CALIFORNIA

Besides Dave Scott's book, this book was one of my primary sources for training and motivation for the triathlon. Tinley's writing style is easy and informative with delightful insights to some of his past experiences and what worked and did not in his triathlon training.