Your First Triathlon: Race-Ready in 5 Hours a Week, 2nd Edition

This book provides some useful information for those just getting into triathlon. I purchased this book because the author recommended it for those who have never done a triathlon (in the Triathlon Training Bible).The book feels a bit outdated but it gets the job done. If you are time/goal oriented for your first triathlon, this is not the book for you. This is intended more for those seeking to finish their first triathlon, who have not had much athletic background.I didn't feel that the book was for me personally, but I can see there being a relevant audience. I was a bit disappointed at the recommendation as this book wasn't an interesting or inspirational read for me. Though I didn't enjoy it, it is true to its title and gives plenty of useful info for the un-initiated.

did a sprint triathlon last year on my own with a mish-mash of on line advice and a free downloadable training plan. I don't recommend doing that. I made lots of mistakes, and my run was physically and mentally miserable. This year I decided to dish out some money and find a source that had a better training plan and contained helpful advice. I recently completed my first sprint tri using this book and plan on using it again next season. There is a variety of beginner schedules based on your abilities as a swimmer,cyclist, or runner for both the sprint and Olympic distance. If you have little to no background in all three, there is a great plan for that too. The training plan is well organized and easy to follow once you get into the swing of things. One reviewer here complained at length about the workouts being too complex. I'd usually just write a brief note on my hand as a reminder (ex:1 min. walk, 3 min. run for 20 minutes) or simply stick a post-it on the back of my phone. Easy.I almost gave this book 4 stars for Friel's dismissal of using a wetsuit. He states your first race should ideally be in a pool, and that wetsuits are expensive and too technical. As someone who wears a wetsuit and LOVES it, this advice drove me nuts. What if you can't find such a race near you? What if you want to do an open water swim and the temp. might be questionable, or the race requires a wetsuit? Wet suits are not just about keeping you warm. They make you significantly more buoyant and streamlined. I found a great deal on one for under $100 and the company was very helpful regarding finding the right fit. I also ended up having some bad moments during the open water swim (a mental, not physical thing) and was grateful for my wet suit as it allowed me to float on my back and take a breather.I highly recommend getting your own copy of the book. My copy is pretty dog-eared from referring to it for a solid three months.Good luck on your tri journey – you can do it!!(BTW, my run felt GREAT this time around.)

I bought this book in order to train for my first triathlon and I am so glad I did! I also read "Triathlon for Beginners" by Dan Golding, which had a lot of great information and tips, but didn't include a detailed training plan. So I also read this book, and found a lot of complimentary information. Joe Friel seems like he is very experienced in training people new to triathlon. There are many different training plans depending on whether you want to train for a sprint or Olympic distance event, and whether you already are an experienced athlete in swimming, cycling, or running. Even though I have done a lot of recreational cycling and a bit of running (5K's and the like), I went with the Sprint Plan for Beginners, which assumes essentially no previous experience. This plan started out really slowly, and I am convinced could get a couch potato through a triathlon and finish with a smile on your face.My only complaints: 1) this book assumes the sprint swim distance is 400 m, and most races I've found have 750 m sprint distance swims, and 2) I bought the kindle version of this book, which made reading the training tables a little more difficult. They're still formatted correctly, but you can't see everything laid out neatly on one page, and you can't flip back and forth between plans. I ended up creating my own table on paper, using the info from the book. No big deal.Bottom line, I would highly recommend this book for someone who is wondering if they can really do a triathlon, because this book definintely makes it possible! I finished my first triathlon with a huge smile on my face and immediately went home and signed up for another one.

It was a pretty good read with some basic information on training and an introduction to what a Triathlon is all about. I say that never having actually done a triathlon, but I'm still hoping to :-). But I have been running and bike riding and reading various websites, magazines, blogs, etc. on training, nutrition and other facets related to these sports. I went through this book quickly because a lot of what was written was very similar to other things I have read. Not that I know a lot, but it's fairly introductory in it's nature (which should be pretty obvious from the title :-)).I do have one of Joe Friel's other books, " The Triathlete's Training Bible ", which is so thick (that is, hard to get through) that I never finished it. It would just hit the spot if he came out with one about half way between these two. He may have already, but the last time I looked I did not see one.

Excellent concise chapter on strength training that includes the main principles underlying strength training. All exercises are well described and illustrated.

Super structured information. A bit specific for US but easy to apply to you country.As a beginner, I had many questions before the 1st race. This book is quite short and answers them all. Also there are many good advices, like how to deal with your immune system right after the race

Very quick and easy read. He explains everything you need to know and all the acronyms. Though I am an experienced runner and cyclist, having someone explain how this can translate to triathlons in such a straightforward way is really useful.The training plans can be a bit confusing at first to understand, but writing it down for yourself solves that, also means you can fit it into your week and lifestyle.The focus on just finishing and enjoying your first triathlon is a great angle to read the book from. As it's not trying to get you to push yourself as hard as you can.Great read for a triathlon newbie (or even someone who has done one and needs to refine their training plan).

I have signed up for my first triathlon and was just a little worried about the combination of training to do and how to schedule it. The book dispelled a few myths and has put me on the right track.lots of common sense tips which leave you thinking why didn't i think of that. Also gave me the confidence knowing that my current level on two of the disciplines is already good enough to be considered "experienced"in the context of the book. My brother who has completed an Ironman had a thumb through and his comment was "that's all you need to know in one place" .

A superb introduction to the world or triathlon training. It navigates you easily through the 3 disciplines and provides easy to follow routines to get you ready to undertake your 1st triathlon. A really useful source of information with valuable tips to help you ease your nerves on race day. Highly recommended!

This was a good enough read to give you a good steer for your first foray in to triathlons, but obviously written for an American audience.

Fabulous book easy to read and full of useful information