Want to Do a Triathlon? This Book Will Get You to the Finish (With a Smile!)
Have you found yourself toying with the idea of signing up for a triathlon? You’re not alone. The sport has reached an all-time high in popularity, according to Reuters, with the total number of participants rising 59 percent from 2008 to 2011.
See? I’m not the only one jawing about it.
While people get into the sport for any number of reasons — finding a new challenge, incorporating cross-training, because their friends are doing it, etc. — there’s one thing many of us veterans have in common. We did plenty wrong in our first race.
Now here’s the good news: You get to benefit from the mistakes of those who went before you; most notably, from our very own Susan Lacke, who wrote the book (literally) on prepping for your first tri.
Everything a beginner triathlete needs! (Just add goggles, a bike and some shoes.)
No Meat Triathlete: Triathlon Roadmap was released just a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, Susan has done a fantastic job of sharing her tips and knowledge in a way that’s fun, readable, newbie-friendly and — most importantly — super, super informative. She covers everything from training guidelines for all three sports to tips to use on the actual race day. Plus, there’s a ton of really useful information about training on a plant-based diet (although, let me be clear — even if you have zero intention of following a vegetarian or vegan diet ever in your life, there’s still so much good triathlon info in there that you’re going to get your money’s worth. Honest.).
This isn’t just a “do this, don’t do that,” type of book — Susan provides examples, both from herself and fellow triathletes (like yours truly) of what works, what doesn’t and why certain seemingly insignificant things, like which foot you put down on your bike, are so important.
The book also includes a 12-week training program, a two-week meal plan that you can follow verbatim or use as a guideline, and helpful extras like a goal-setting worksheet, shopping lists, a race-day packing list (oh my god, if only I’d had one of these for my first tri! What was I thinking?), a basic bike maintenance guide and a video showing you how to change a flat tire. Because you’re going to get one, and trust me, you don’t want to have to rely on your more bike-savvy friends to fix it for you.
One of the best parts of this book, though, is the fact that Susan’s personality really comes through on the pages — it’s like getting advice from a good friend who isn’t afraid to tell you how it is. And, if you’re not yet familiar with her particular sense of humor, well, just read on. Or, if you’re already totally into it, you can find it here for $27.