Customer Reviews
One stop shop for Tri starters - By: didds, 27 Jul 2008 
Having spent a fair bit of time recently researching for my upcoming first Triathlon, if I were to be very hard it would be true to say that there is nothingin Joe's book that isn't already available on the web for free, somewhere. Triathlon for beginners stuff does abound, kit suggestions & explanations are plentiful, & there are more training plans than you could shake a pointy stick at out there too... & all for free. If you are also somebody - as previously suggested - that has a backgroundin general fitness maybe the training plans aren't quite for you as they concentrate (fairly enough given the remit of this book) at those that have little to start with. It will really benefit those that don't have any great fitness base to start with (better than couch potato maybe, but certainly not anyone that is already running 5Ks or peel off 1Kin the pool on the way home from the office etc).
However, this isn't to suggest that Joe's book is worthless - far from it. It provides a comprehensive one stop shop on where to start, quickly debunks many triathlon myths (e.g. triathlons are all ironman distances or require budgets of 1000s) & is full of motivational snippets that do leave the reader with the feeling that they WILL complete their first triathlon. The nutrition chapter is worth the book alone for beginners, as also previously stated.
If you are considering your first triathlon, aren't already on any endurance based exercise program & need somewhere to start your research you can't go wrong.
Great for absolute novices - By: Roscoe, 02 Aug 2007 Joe's book has some excellent passages to motivate the reader & dispells many of the myths & fears surrounding this growing sport. The tips of each aspect of triathlon are useful & his section on nutrition is superb. I would recommend this book to anyone just starting outin endurance training, or looking for inspirational cues to spur them on. If you already have a experience of distance running, cycling or swimming, then perhaps it's not for you.
Nothing to Novice in 12 weeks! - By: Julie Pike, 30 Nov 2006 
Having completed my first 2 sprints this year - I can vouch for the fact that this stuff really works! Don't be put off by the mistakein the synopsis above - you don't need to train 5 hours a day to do a sprint. 5 hours a week is plenty plenty! Happy Training.
