Rating: 
Summary: Triathlon 101 Delivers what is promised
Review: As the name implies, and the introduction states, this book is for the novice. It is excellent for that purpose. It provides a lot of encouragement and basic advice. If you haven't run a triathlon, this is a great place to start. Other books on triathlon are more technical and may be intimidating. Triathlon 101 should also benefit someone who has tried one or two triathalons and wants to learn how to train smarter. But an experienced person would probably find the content too light. Triathlon 101 provides minimal details about equipment and technique. Rather it focuses on encouraging and training novices. The recommended training schedules are applicable to all levels but are most detailed for the beginner. The focus is on injury prevention through gradual increases in intensity. The book has many sidebars which chronical stories of people who have over come adversity to move on to become leading ironman triathletes.
Rating:
Summary: Lives up to its title
Review: As the title suggests, this is a great book for getting a comprehensive review of what it takes to run your first triathlon. If you are looking for one book that will cover all three areas of training and describe what it is really like to compete in a triathlon, this is it. Although the author is an experienced triathlete, he avoids the tendency to digress too much into personal reflections, which many of the biography-style guides to triathlon do. The practical advice about equipment is very helpful and not tied to specific products. I found the section that talked about "the frugal triathlete" to be very refreshing. The information on workouts is definitely enough to get anyone started, no matter what your background. I'm a swimmer who has never run before, and I am so pleased to be able to follow the "initiation" workouts for non-runners. The blank templates for workout schedules are also very handy. This is a perfect book to get started with and is likely to remain relevant for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Starting
Review: Good book for the beginner looking for the basics of triathlons. Tells you all the little things that you might be wondering about the sport. Not good choice for advanced triathletes. Beginners book ~ Title says it all!
Rating: 
Summary: Just Starting
Review: Good book for the beginner looking for the basics of triathlons. Tells you all the little things that you might be wondering about the sport. Not good choice for advanced triathletes. Good Beginners book ~ Title says it all!
Rating:
Summary: Well-written guide for the novice
Review: I am interested in doing triathlons at some point, and so far have only competed in races as a runner, and am a fair swimmer. I found that this book is extremely encouraging for the person who is considering giving it a 'tri'. The author gives information that is basic, but doesn't "talk down" to the reader, even though he is an experienced triathlete. He also acknowledges the potential expense of getting involved in this sport, and tries to give realistic advice on where money can be saved for the beginner. This is a perfect book for someone who wants to investigate triathlons. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Rating:
Summary: Well-written guide for the novice
Review: I am interested in doing triathlons at some point, and so far have only competed in races as a runner, and am a fair swimmer. I found that this book is extremely encouraging for the person who is considering giving it a 'tri'. The author gives information that is basic, but doesn't "talk down" to the reader, even though he is an experienced triathlete. He also acknowledges the potential expense of getting involved in this sport, and tries to give realistic advice on where money can be saved for the beginner. This is a perfect book for someone who wants to investigate triathlons. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Rating:
Summary: decent beginner book, but....
Review: I bought this book as I was starting to train for my first triathlon. Overall, the book was well written and covered the "essentials" of triathlon training. However, it appears that major emphasis was placed on buying gear and a little bit of training tips for each discipline. As far as actual training regimens are concerned, they were decent, but certainly not as comprehensive and explanatory as some other references (which may not necessarily be the focus for beginners). The one thing I was most disappointed in, is that even after I had read this book 2 or 3 times, I still did not have a firm grasp of what to expect at my first triathlon (regarding transition set up, body markings, sighting techniques for open water, etc). I had essentially hoped that from reading a beginning triathlon book, that I would have a working understanding of the days events, and ultimately I still was clueless come race day. However, it is a decent book if you are looking for basic training tips and gear talk.
Rating:
Summary: ESSENTIAL BEGINNER BOOK
Review: I excelled in my first 3 attempts at triathlon due largely to my preperation, that was detailed in this book! I couldn't have done as well without it.
Rating: 
Summary: skimpy on details
Review: I really can't recommend this book. I'm training for my first triathlon so consider myself a newbie -- but this book did ~not~ gve me the info I need. Advice like "wear a helmet", "drink lots of fluids"... duh!!! - my 8 year old son knows that. The author recommends to get help elsewhere on swimming and cycling techniques because the details are beyond the scope of the book. I don't need a book for this kind of advice! I read another older book (can't remember the name at the moment) which gave good solid advice -- even for a newbie like myself. The mechanics of the freestyle stroke ~can~ be explained in simple terms by someone who understands and knows how to write. In short: too much filler, not enough meat. That said, it was not a total waste -- I was able to glean some facts obliquely referenced in the text.
Rating:
Summary: Just what I needed
Review: I've been running and biking for years, but I wasn't sure I was up to a tri. This book gave me just what I needed to get started. I even picked up some useful tips on biking, which is genereally my strong suit. This is a book I'll go back to again and again. I highly recommend it for the beginning triathlete.
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