Swim Bike Bonk

Just as George Plimpton had his proverbial cup of coffee in the NFL as the un-recruited and certainly unwanted fourth-string quarterback for the Detroit Lions, so, too, did Will McGough immerse himself in a sport he had no business trying. Like Plimpton, whose football folly turned into the bestselling Paper Lion, travel and outdoor writer McGough writes of his participation in, around, and over the course of one of the world's premier triathlons, the annual 140.6-mile Ironman in Tempe, Arizona. McGough chronicles the Ironman’s history, his unorthodox training, the pageantry of the race weekend, and his attempt to finish the epic event. The narrative follows not just his race but also explores the cult and habits of the triathlete community, beginning with the first Ironman competition in Hawaii in 1978. This is a light-hearted, self-deprecating, and at times hilarious look at one man's attempt to conquer the ultimate endurance sport, with a conclusion that will surprise and delight both dedicated triathletes as well as strangers to the sport.

It's race day and you have your quick-closure running shoes, sleek suits, bikes, goggles, and watches, but if you haven't been training with the proper nutrition, you'll be left in the dust in the third mile. Enter Swim, Bike, Run--Eat to guide you from day one of training to the finish line and help your body perform at it's peak of fitness. In this book, author Tom Holland joins up with sports dietitian Amy Goodson to cover race-day essentials, food choices to complement your training regimen, as well as recovery nutrition. Learn how to determine what to eat; what to drink; how many calories to consume each day; whether or not to carry snacks while training; the difference between taking in calories from solid foods, semi-solids, and liquids; and whether or not to take electrolyte or salt tablets.This books is the ideal companion to Holland's The 12-Week Triathlete. Casual and core triathletes alike require a nutrition guide that is easy to understand with expert advice that is easy to implement. Look no further and get ready to take your triathlon to a new, healthier level.

Ever dream of being an elite endurance athlete and competing in races like Hawaii's Ironman? Professional athletes are not the only people who have the ability to attain superior athletic accomplishments. Every season tens of thousands of amateur triathletes compete head-to-head, pushing their physical and mental strength to the absolute limits. The standard Ironman competition is a true test: a 2.4-mile open-water swim, followed by a 112-mile bike leg, and a 26.2-mile marathon run. Sought-after multisport coach, Don Fink assures readers that the challenge is not too difficult, the dream is not impossible. His time-efficient training methods have been honed over the years and have been proved to aid anyone in achieving their athletic dreams. Be Iron-Fit provides practical training information in a step-by-step, enjoyable way so that even everyday athletes can attain ultimate conditioning. Included in this revolutionary guide is information on: - The essential workouts - The training cycle- Core training - 12-week training programs - Effective time management - The principle of gradual adaptation - Effective heart-rate training - Preparing with training races - Proper technique - Equipment tips - Race and pre-race strategies - Mental training - Effective goal setting and race selection- Nutrition - And much more With the proper preparation and training techniques explained here, virtually anyone can attain supreme fitness.

Entrepreneurs, go the distance with an endurance athlete’s formula for success: the grit to start, the stamina to finish, and the balance to live fully along the way. Taking a company all the way through scale-up to a successful exit is a grueling, long-haul endeavor, a special kind of endurance sport. Get a competitive advantage by learning the secrets of the masters of sustained performance: endurance athletes. In Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik takes you on two journeys: leading his software and services company, Binary Tree, from inception to successful exit and his quest to compete in the IRONMAN® World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Steven shares how the insights gained from his adventures in triathlon, mountaineering, and ultramarathons apply to anyone’s pursuit of long-term personal and professional success. Steven Pivnik is a serial entrepreneur specializing in the information technology market and advises other founders and entrepreneurs looking for corporate growth and a successful company exit. Steven has competed in over twenty triathlons, numerous marathons and ultramarathons, and is on track to scale all “Seven Summits,” the highest peaks on each continent.

The half-distance triathlon consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56 miles of cycling and a 13.1-mile run. It is anything but an easy option, but it represents a fascinating challenge for any well-trained endurance athlete. The book will guide any triathlete who wishes to finish his or her first half-distance triathlon from the beginning of the preparation until race day. A particular highlight of the book is its great amount of detailed training plans. There are in-depth examples of core and peripheral training and heart-rate dependent pace levels T1-T8, which help to illustrate the year-round training recommendations. It also features advice on swimming, cycling, and running training, cross training, equipment, strengthening and stretching, typical training errors, recovery, self-motivating performance testing and motivation tips, as well as anecdotes and emotional stories from competitions. With this guide, anyone can finish their first half-distance triathlon.

A breakthrough program for triathletes -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced -- showing how to balance training intensity to maximize performance -- from a fitness expert and elite coach. Cutting-edge research has proven that triathletes and other endurance athletes experience their greatest performance when they do 80 percent of their training at low intensity and the remaining 20 percent at moderate to high intensity. But the vast majority of recreational triathletes are caught in the so-called "moderate-intensity rut," spending almost half of their time training too hard--harder than the pros. Training harder isn't smarter; it actually results in low-grade chronic fatigue that prevents recreational athletes from getting the best results. In 80/20 Triathlon, Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden lay out the real-world and scientific evidence, offering concrete tips and strategies, along with complete training plans for every distance--Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman--to help athletes implement the 80/20 rule of intensity balance. Benefits include reduced fatigue and injury risk, improved fitness, increased motivation, and better race results.

The book that made a legend -- and captures America's sport in detail that's never been matched, featuring a foreword by Nicholas Dawidoff and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton Archives. George Plimpton was perhaps best known for Paper Lion, the book that set the bar for participatory sports journalism. With his characteristic wit, Plimpton recounts his experiences in talking his way into training camp with the Detroit Lions, practicing with the team, and taking snaps behind center. His breezy style captures the pressures and tensions rookies confront, the hijinks that pervade when sixty high-strung guys live together in close quarters, and a host of football rites and rituals. One of the funniest and most insightful books ever written on football, Paper Lion is a classic look at the gridiron game and a book The Wall Street Journal calls "a continuous feast...The best book ever about football -- or anything!"

It takes only 12 weeks to train to compete in a triathlon—no matter what level you’re at now! Imagine being able to successfully compete in a triathlon in just three short months! You can, with fitness expert Tom Holland’s all-encompassing, easy-to-use training manual, The 12-Week Triathlete.This completely revised and updated editiongives fitness enthusiasts the most exciting, encouraging, and up-to-date exercise information, including 12 brand-new training plans that outline exactly what you need to do every day up until the big event for ultimate triathlon success. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned triathlete, training for a Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, or Ironman event, this book offers a complete, step-by-step program that will help you strengthen, tone-up, and both physically and mentally prepare for the big day. You will learn how to: —Swim – Start your race confidently, swim strongly surrounded by others, and transition easily from a wetsuit. —Bike – choose the right bike, transport it safely to the race, and fuel yourself properly while you ride. —Run – Don’t bonk, improve your speed, and see your race through to the end. —Put It All Together – Eat right through the 12 weeks, train for each segment of the race, gather your equipment and transport it safely to the race, plan for and avoid last-minute emergencies, and, most of all, have fun and continue to compete in the future. In addition all this, you’ll also find insider information on weight-training, endurance training, and speed work, as well as answers to questions like “Can you eat during a race?,” “How do you line up your bike so you can jump right on it?,” and “What is the best way to quickly shed your wetsuit?’ The 12-Week Triathlete is your secret weapon to triathlon triumph—start training today!