Reddit reviews The Triathlete's Training Bible

Congrats! And sorry about the DNF.

My opinion (for whatever its worth i guess), if your right on the edge of cut off times then you have to look at 3 things: age, weight, time spent training.

Unfortunately not much we can do about age, at a certain point no one is finishing a half ironman. I assume that you are not at that age yet.

Weight is probably the hardest thing to adjust. You can't out run a bad diet. So knowing nothing about your weight, are you satisfied with your weight or do you think that there is room for improvement?

Time spent training is the easy stuff! Woooo! More specifically, effective training and an effective training plan is probably your biggest gap. I (and others) suggest a book called The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joel Friel. This gets into how to spend your time to be more effectively training with self guided training plans etc etc. If you give more information about what you did to train for this specific event then maybe we could have more in-depth conversation about what you should be doing.

https://www.amazon.com/Triathletes-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030198/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491248736&sr=8-2&keywords=triathletes+training+bible

I used Joe Friel's Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge and Joe Friel's The Triathlete's training Bible Very in-depth books on how to set up a training plan and schedule your time.

I recommend reading the Triathlete's Training Bible (http://www.amazon.com/The-Triathletes-Training-Bible-Friel/dp/1934030198) which quite extensively covers the base training period.


If I recall correctly, he speaks about doing lots of leg and core strength training, swimming drills concentrating heavily on technique, hill repeats on the treadmill, etc... Things that would serve as a good base for other training later on.

Here's a couple of books I'd recommend.

1. Slow Fat Triathlete - This book is the beginner's book.
   amazon
   
   
2. Triathlete's Training Bible - This is the encyclopedia of triathlon. It can help you build a plan from an Olympic to an Ironman race.
   amazon
   
   You might check out the Minneapolis area for a tri club. I'm certain there is a good one up there. Some clubs have New Triathlete programs that can be really good.

You should also pick up a copy of The Triathlete's Training Bible. It's a great read with lots of good training & nutrition advice.

This Book Is a great read. Explains every part of training and competing at your best.

The Joe Friel Books are great. The Triathletes Training Bible by Joe Friel is fantastic (https://www.amazon.com/Triathletes-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030198) in addition I found a subscription to training peaks with a training plan to be great for accountability.

I keep referencing this site and keep referring back to it. I'm making my own plan, but I started with this as my template: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Scott%20Herrick/halfim/preparing_for_your_first_half_ir.htm

I bought these books this past weekend and I'm learning a lot from them:

http://www.amazon.com/Triathlete-Magazines-Complete-Triathlon-Book/dp/0446679283/ref=cm_lmf_img_7

http://www.amazon.com/The-Triathletes-Training-Bible-Friel/dp/1934030198/ref=cm_lmf_img_2

I would say it is absolutely doable. Joe Friel says tris are a swim warm up, a bike race, and a jog to the finish. So you being a cyclist, yes. Yes you can do it.

Can you run on the deck of the ship?

If you are already pretty fit (which I assume you are since you are in the Navy), you shouldn't have too much of an issue finishing an Oly. If you are shooting for a specific time goal you will be a bit more constrained however.

You have quite a bit of time until early summer so I would build up a strong aerobic base and maybe incorporate a bit of weights in for lower body and upper body. I would be careful with maximal weights at this point. Try to go for low weight and a lot of reps. Try to avoid putting on a ton of mass -- keep it lean.

Joe Friel writes some amazing books that you would find very interesting and helpful in structuring your plan. See the Triathlete's Training Bible.

I'm not sure what kind of shape you're in, but I'm guessing that the ironman requires a lot more planning just to finish it. I'd suggest getting a copy of this book which will help you plan out and train for all three sports.

Depending on the area you're in, I'd suggest joining a club that does group worksouts (runs, rides, swims, etc). Very useful for all sorts of things, but especially for organized pool workouts. If you're in the DC area, I'll suggest (Team Z)[http://www.triteamz.com/], but I'm sure there are other teams out there.

If your priority is training for the Tri, a muscle building program like SL will not be very helpful.

You would be much better off following an endurance program that peaks on your event date. You still have a couple months to establish base and then another couple months added anaerobic and intervals.

Read this entire book- it will help you plan a good peak - http://www.amazon.com/Triathletes-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030198/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Thanks! Link for anyone interested

There is a lot in the way of resources for new triathletes these days. For your first tri, grab a free training plan online that matches where you are now. Read Beginner Triathlete in your free time; it's a fantastic resource, and I still refer back to its articles all the time. Train your butt off. You don't need to buy a sweet road bike up front, though you sound like you're pretty sure that you want to get into this stuff.

Feel free to skimp on some of the gear for your first race. No one wants to find out that they dislike triathlon after dumping $3k on tri gear. You can race on an old bike with platform pedals. Unless it's really cold, you don't need a wetsuit. The first race is where you truly find out if this is the sport for you. EDIT: Someone mentioned a bike fit. If you're riding an old bike, Competitive Cyclist's Bike Fit Calculator will get you pretty darn close--good enough to get through your first race. Use the road calculator mode if you don't have aerobars off the bat.

After you finish your first race, sit down and think about what you liked, what you did well with, what needs improvement. Get Joe Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible, read it cover to cover. Read it again. Figure out your long-term training plan for the rest of that season. If you start your base training in the winter/early spring and pick an early first race, you can get a full season of sprints and/or Olympics in.

Look for a triathlon club in your area or find a coach or drag a friend into the insanity of triathlon; the camaraderie is priceless in keeping your spirits up during long seasons packed full of hard training and races.

As far as spending money on triathlon "stuff" goes: Remember during your first couple seasons that gadgets and gizmos and aero gear are great, but what really makes the difference is eating well and training hard.

After that, the gear that makes your races more comfortable is the best place to spend your money (tri shorts if you don't them, cycling kit and proper running shorts for training). Then, points of contact with the bike and pool "toys" will improve your efficiency and form (new bike w/ fit if req'd, clipless pedals, shoes, aerobars, pull buoy, kickboard, fins, paddles... a bike computer probably fits in here, as well). Beyond that, you're at a wetsuit and then the "extras" like aero helmet, race wheels, power meters, GPS, HRM, tri bike, speedsuits, etc., etc. That's the approximate map for spending in my book, anyhow. There's practically no limit to the amount of stuff you can buy for triathlon, and as you train more, you'll know what needs to come next.

A cool Mark Allen article, to get you in the mood

THE ONE TRUE BOOK (Accept no imitations)

Hal Higdon's Site

Joe Friel's book about how too piss on your bike seat, I mean, complete a triathlon

http://www.amazon.com/The-Triathletes-Training-Bible-Friel/dp/1934030198/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398039218&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=triathalets+training+bible

Totally worth it.

Buy a training plan off amazon and follow it rigorously.

Something like
this
or this