Triathlon for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know About Training, Nutrition, Kit, Motivation, Racing, and Much More

I am in the Contemplative Stage of Triathlon, and this book was very informative. It addressed lots of detail that can easily get overlooked, but presented in an accessible way. It’s also very encouraging for wherever one is in their endurance training and provides a great confidence boost!

Dan Golding presents a lot of helpful information in a few pages. The book is easy to read and moves quickly. The problem with triathlon in general is that it ranges from the Iron Man to the sprint, from events that take more than 10 hours to complete to those that take less than 2 hours. So, you have to read and adapt to tailor to your event. As a senior sprint triathlete, I found this book very helpful. If you put it together with Joe Friel's Your First Triathlon it will help you fully prepare for your first triathlon. Where this book is weak is in the section on transitions. I don't know how it is in Great Britain, but in most sprint tri's you are lucky to have 3 sq. feet to organize your stuff. My last one, the woman next to me brought all her stuff in a laundry basket which crowded me even more. But overall, the book is worth your time.

I found this book to be perfect for beginners. I had just signed up for my first sprint triathlon (on my bucket list) and previously was just a runner. I started training 14 weeks before my race, and read this book cover to cover twice. What I liked about the book was that it answered all of my questions about what to expect, how to prepare (mentally, physically, and equipment wise), so that on race day (last weekend), I had only the usual race day jitters. I've looked at the other reviews, and I agree that it doesn't go into much detail about training plans, but this book is for BEGINNERS. I combined this book with a 12 week beginner tri training plan I found online, and....got 3rd place in my age category. This was a crucial book for my success with my first race. Highly, highly recommend for beginners. If you're looking for more in depth or detailed, or info for seasoned triathlons, this may not be the book for you. I'm sure I'll read it again before my next race.

Who gives a lot of great information for someone just starting out not overwhelming covers a lot of territory

Have no problem with the content of this book. The information in it is worth it to anyone considering doing a triathlon. However, the author needs an editor and the inside looks like it was designed by a 12-year-old grade school student for a class project. The version I got didn't have any page numbers in either the table of contents nor on the pages. And if you are looking for illustrations or photographs to clarify something, forget about it. There are none. A picture of an illustration on how to do a basic squat would prove useful, but don't look for one in this book. The author does seem to know what he is talking about and there is some idea of organizing the chapters. But from that point things begin to wander about. For example, the author talks about "junk miles" at one point but five pages he gets around to actually defining junk miles. This book could have been so much better from an editing and graphic design perspective. April 23, 2014 UPDATE: The author just recently sent me a revised copy of this book. The insides have been redesigned to include illustrations and photographs. and the text formatting has been redesigned. As a result, this book is now much, much easier to read. Unfortunately there are still no page numbers on either the table of contents or on any of the pages.

I read the book over and over and have it with me everywhere i go, i am going to have my first triathlon this coming Sunday, i have never participate in anything like it before i just wanted to get out of my comfort zone but i didn't know what to do or what i needed. This book guide me like if it was taking my hand from step to step and help me even how to look and buy my bike which i didn't even have a clue about. Today i feel confident and even a few days away and looking for my last things on my list i still have this book under my arm checking on my final list. I went to take classes on how to fix my bike as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this book and guide millions of people like this time that you are guiding me. i am going with my head up, really excited and confident to this event that means the world to me. Thank you jv

Very helpful if youre starting training from scratch, it covers all the basics without using overly complicated jargon. It is for the very beginner though and if you have a little experience in the three disciplines, this book wont be too helpful. I have done one triathlon and a number of cycle and running races and was looking for a book that would help me identify my basic mistakes as well as give me a little bit of advanced knowledge, I didnt find TOO much useful info here (most of what I found seemed to be common sense to someone who has some experience) but once i had finished it I did hand it off to a friend doing her first triathlon and she found it very handy.

Excellent guide for beginners. I always thinks it’s a lark when people say they borrowed this or that for their 1st Sprint, but they do! I’m 364 days away from my 1st Sprint! 60/F/CA category?! 1st page of my journal done! Mantra: Adapt and overcome. And training smarter!

This book is perfect for the beginner which I am, as it's so easy to understand and practical in its approach. It gives a very clear understanding of everything one needs to know to start their triathlon journey. As a beginner I find this book an excellent guide through the volume of information that is available. I now feel confident in my preparations and very calm overall about my race and my results as this book has given me a practical framework to assess it all. As its so clear, it takes the fear out of why we can't do a triathlon and makes you feel like anyone can complete. It has very sound advice on every aspect of training and the event itself. The transition information alone is worth the price of the book. Highly recommended, 5 big stars.

Ultimate .. Truely useful . I could do my first triathlon with comfort . Looking forward for new additions. Shailesh Hadgaonkar ..a Try athelete = Triathelete

I was not sure about buying this book as I thought it may be too basic but I thought at £3 it was worth a read, and I am happy that I did! It has given me some great ideas and tips that had not even crossed my mind and will definitely help my training and racing going forward. There are a few bits I already knew but I really found the technical elements (preparation, transitions, race day, mental approach etc.), very useful. I will certainly be looking for some more advanced and detailed books going forward but as a starter this has been great and I will certainly be going back and re-reading a few parts as my training develops.

Well written book but the book but the subject is treated a little too succinctly.

Easy reading, you get all essential info in general. I would definitely recommend this for all who want to begin training !