Covers all aspects of triathlon, from getting started, to training, to how to finish a race.

This is the ultimate official celebration of the world's toughest, most revered endurance event: IRONMAN. For more than 40 years IRONMAN has been, arguably, the toughest athletic competition on the planet, presenting participants with an almost impossible physical challenge: a 2.4- mile swim, 112-mile cycle ride, and 26.2-mile marathon run. Even so, it always attracts thousands of entrants. This unique illustrated book explores every aspect of IRONMAN, from its history and legendary competitors to its major global events, and provides practical advice on how to prepare and succeed at such a demanding challenge. Written by acclaimed IRONMAN expert Bob Babbitt, this book captures the spirit, excitement, and endeavor of this globally respected sports event.

An inspirational, unforgettable, informative collection of personal stories about the experience of competing in one's first ironman-distance triathlon. This is the ultimate test of endurance: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, all raced end-to-end in one grueling day -- and these stories tell it straight: what to expect, how to prepare, what was rewarding, what was miserable, how 140.6 miles will change your life.

Triathletes spend a lot of time and money making sure they have the right gear, optimizing their training plans, and selecting their races. And part of that preparation for big race days is taking care of diet to be sure the body is properly fed to maximize athletic performance. Enter The Complete Nutrition Guide for Triathletes, a thorough nutritional guidebook tailored specifically for the three-sport athlete to reach his triathlon goals and to cross the finish line with the best nutrition plan possible. Dr. Jamie A. Cooper brings to the book her expert knowledge about nutrition and exercise combined with her extensive experience as an active triathlete. The book covers each essential nutrient, offers up tailored nutritional plans for Sprint, Olympic, and Ironman races, and troubleshoots nutrition-related issues specifically concerning the triathlete.

A New York Times bestselling author takes readers inside the Ironman triathlon. As he did so masterfully in his New York Times bestseller, The Gatekeepers, Jacques Steinberg creates a compelling portrait of people obsessed with reaching a life-defining goal. In this instance, the target is an Ironman triathlon-a 2.4-mile open-water swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then finally a 26-mile marathon run, all of which must be completed in no more than seventeen hours. Steinberg focuses not on the professionals who live off the prize money and sponsorships but on a handful of triathletes who regard the sport as a hobby. Vividly capturing the grueling preparation, the suspense of completing each event of the triathlon, and the spectacular feats of human endurance, Steinberg plumbs the physical and emotional toll as well as the psychological payoff on the participants of the Ford Ironman Arizona 2009. His You Are an Ironman is both a riveting sports narrative and a fascinating, behind-the scenes study of what makes these athletes keep going..

Every man an Iron Man, and every woman, too! No longer exclusive events reserved for only the most committed athletes, triathlons, duathlons (bike and run), and aquathons (swim and run) now attract hundreds of thousands of Americans. Filled with the inside tips, practical advice, and photos, this is the book for any man or woman who wants to compete in multi-sport events, regardless of experience level. --Authors are experienced triathlon competitors and personal trainers --Tips on setting up, equipment, training, diet, and motivation --Dozens of exciting instructional photos

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.

OK, so you've decided you are going to undertake an Ironman. You have watched a couple a motivational videos on YouTube, you have logged onto the site, entered your details, paid your fee, told everybody you know about it on Facebook and Twitter and have undertaken a sponsorship drive for the charity of your choice. Life is good and you feel good about it.At some point the enormity of what you have signed up for will hit you. It could be when you wake up in the middle of the night for a pee, when you start to read an article on the number of hours the Pro's put into training on a weekly basis or when you attempt your first swim in the pool and struggle to complete ten lengths.Do not panic! As daunting as it feels at this moment in time this is an achievable life changing challenge which will push you to your limits. If you put the right training and preparation in you will stand (or float) at the start line knowing that this is going to be one of the most amazing days of your life.The following Chapters will take you through planning, executing and recovering in the weeks and months up to your Ironman event. The Chapters are aimed to be succinct and to the point in topics which are notoriously full of differing opinions and supporting scientific proof. The Chapters are based upon my findings during my journey to completing the four Ironman events that I have to date with a lot of reading, picking peoples brains and trial and error.Completing an Ironman is tough and should be given the respect that it deserves in the training and preparation that is made but caution should be taken in not giving the event too much respect in that it becomes crippling in your pursuit of glory.

Okay, you've finished your first short distance triathlon. Now it's time to up the ante and go further and faster. This guide includes longer workouts, balancing work, family and training, adding speed work, recovery and the mental game which are all important to reach the half Ironman distance.

Much too often, the mental aspect of sport performance is overlooked. While all top athletes are in outstanding physical condition and technically exceptional, mental preparation is often what separates the best from the rest. This is just as true for young athletes as it is for pros and Olympians. And even though relatively few athletes will ever reach the top of their sport, the attitudes and life lessons learned from mental training—such as motivation, confidence, focus, perseverance, and resilience—will serve them well in all aspects of their lives. In Train Your Mind for Athletic Success: Mental Preparation to Achieve Your Sports Goals, Dr. Jim Taylor uses his own elite athletic experience and decades of working with some of the world’s best athletes to provide competitors of every ability with insights, practical exercises, and tools they can use to be mentally prepared when it really counts. His Prime Sport System explores the attitudes that lay the foundation for athletic success, the mental obstacles that can hold athletes back, the preparations they must take, the mental muscles they should strengthen, and the mental tools they need to fine tune their competitive performances. Most importantly, Dr. Taylor shows athletes practical strategies they can use to become mentally strong so they can perform their best when it matters most. Train Your Mind for Athletic Success goes well beyond the typical mental skills that are discussed in other mental training books. Readers will not only learn why mental preparation is so important to athletic success, but also where they personally are in each area thanks to brief mental assessments in each section of the book. In addition, each chapter includes exercises to show athletes how to incorporate mental training directly into their overall sport training regimen. The most comprehensive and in-depth book on mental preparation for athletes available, Train Your Mind for Athletic Success is an essential read for athletes, coaches, and parents.