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Recommend me a Tri Book
Big Bertie
✭✭✭
in Triathlon
As an experienced runner (2:47 mara, 77min half, 35min 10k) I'm now looking for a new challenge.... I've benefited hugely from running books in the past, Run Strong, Advanced Marathoning being particularly useful. Ideally I'd be looking for a good, all round book, which would include training plans aimed at novices. Swimming will be my weakest area, can just about manage 50m in a pool without stopping! So a book paying particular attention to building up swimming fitness from a very low level would be ideal. I'd happily get two or three books so one solely for improving swimming fitness in addition to a Tri book would be good. Appreciate anyone's comments and recommendations.
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There is Finks Be Iron Fit that comes with plans. Can't remember if they have more advanced training plans in it, my copy has gone missing off my kindle account.
The only book I've read on swimming, specifically, is Swim Smooths book. Found it good.
Also been recommended Swim Secrets by Sheila T????.
Although, I swim like someone fighting through a vat of treacle and also struggle with linking my lengths together. Trouble with me, even though I knew what I should be doing when I swim, and in my mind I was swimming that way, in reality I wasn't ie bent leg kick, low body position etc.
The only way I found out how I was swimming was through a swim coach videoing me. My advice is to get lessons, a coach or join a Masters swim group.
Where are you based?
Swim secrets is by Sheila Taormina, 4-time Olympian and triathlon world champion, it's a great book, easy to understand and it's helped me a lot. I ordered from Amazon.You can also get her Swim Speed Workouts, a 16-week set of laminated cards you can take to the pool with you. If you want a plan, there's also Swim Workouts for Triathletes, workouts in a binder by Gale Bernhardt, it has 80 workouts and 4 training plans.
I'll second this one. The Triathelete's Training Bible is pretty comprehensive and covers all distances. You've not said which distance you're aiming at, so this is a general one that will cover most ground. As other's have mentioned, there are Iron-distance specific books out there too which are good.
For swimming specifically, I'm a massive fan of SwimSmooth as their theories just make sense to me. I also strongly agree with SaintB that videoing is *almost* essential, as what you think you're doing, and what you're actually doing can be very different. If you don't want to spend a load of cash just yet, there's a huge amount of information available for free on the swimsmooth website.
Swimming fitness is a bit of a misnomer, if you can already run a marathon, you can almost certainly swim the 3.8k Iron distance swim. It's really all about technique. The best way to fix that is joining a club and/or getting some 1:1 coaching.
You've not said what distance you're aiming at. I, and a few others on here used the Don Fink book. If you're doing shorter distances, keep an eye on 220 magazine. They run sprint-iron distance training plans regularly.
There are free triathlon plans available online, just google them.
Sorry, I couldn't get on with Friel, the training bible is too complicated for a simple soul like me.
Going Long by Joe Friel is my bible at the moment.
I have a copy of the Don Fink book if you'd like to buy one cheaply secondhand. PM me, if you're interested.
Iron War is a must read. Not so much for training plans or advice, but more for the mental and physiological side.
Also, with those PBs, a super super short tri is not really a challenge, just saying.
I can't swim 200m without stopping so at the moment it is a challenge! I see what you're saying and hopefully once I've sorted my swimming out I'll progress to longer stuff quite quickly but for a first taste of any multi sport event I thought it seemed logical!
Hey Bertie, I'm mid 'Iron War' at the moment; it's inspiring stuff.
Stick with it... I can't recommend swimming lessons highly enough. I've just had a couple of lessons with Swim Smooth (Julian Nagi in London) and have come on leaps and bounds in just a few weeks. This is my take on it of course, but I feel so much more relaxed in the water.