Fast-Track Triathlete: Balancing a Big Life with Big Performance in Long-Course Triathlon

For training, I used Fast Track Triathlete. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous if I did enough because the training plan was a minimal one (about 10 hours a week, longest week was 15ish, and longest day was 8). The workouts were also time based and not miles. I would do a 3 hour ride or a 1 hour run. I also did 90 percent of my training on a spin bike (not my trainer or road bike). I think this plan was great because it allowed me to avoid make my groin injury mad and it did get me to the finish line. I would recommend. I also did 2-4 days a week of strength and functional training.I went from marathons and sprint tris straight to a full Ironman in 1 year while overcoming an injury with this plan.Here are my times:Swim: 1:30Bike: 7:49Run: 5:12Total: 14:42Course: Santa Rosa

So many good words of wisdom in this book. I recommend it to every triathlete I know that is attempting the long course. However, this book could be a great tool for any busy person that is trying to tackle a new physical challenge. The importance of sleep/rest, quality vs. quantity, endurance AND strength, nutrition, etc. -- this book shares such a realistic and balanced approach to training and helped me train for and complete my first Ironman (140.6) race as a working mother of 3 small children and a 13:32 finish time. Most importantly, I trained the entire time injury-free and experienced a trouble-free race; I felt great and had fun the ENTIRE time! Never before in any marathon or half ironman have I experienced such enjoyment and I owe so much of it to this book.

Recently I have been primarily a marathon runner who is preparing for my first IRONMAN 70.3. I was concerned about squeezing the additional training time but this book presents some helpful advice and encouragement to keep the most important things in life as priorities over training. I now have more confidence that I can get more value out of each workout and be prepared my race.

If you're only going to get one training book for triathlon, make it this one. The book clearly lays out all the elements need to succeed and excel at triathlon without compromising all the other important things in your life like family, friends and sleep.Half of the book is dedicated to laying out Matt's philosophy of training and the important fundamentals you will need and the second half of the book has detailed training plans for Ironman and 70.3 distance races. The book is a tome of excellent information, practical advice and inspiration.

This book as boosted my confidence. Many books i have read on the sport do not talk much about the mental aspects of triathlon. This book dives head first into it and has me reading when my confidence goes down. I pick it up off the night stand and read a couple chapters and feel more energized.

Breath of fresh air read on triathlon training - planning - life balance, in context of performance improvement. Really liked the structure and ease of following along. A wealth of science and experience backed approaches represented. Focused on getting the basics right (the 95%) versus buying more equipment (the 5%). Lots of case studies and examples. I expect to bring much of this insight into my season planning and training. **Actual race training plans are a bonus!

Great book and finally an approach that doesn’t just take what the pros do and scale it down. Instead, it recognizes the need for a completely different approach given it is a completely different situation. For example, recognizing that sometimes getting the extra sleep is better than torturing yourself to get the early morning session will make healthier, better triathletes that will last longer. Great way to integrate triathlon into your work and family life rather than sacrificing them!

Enjoyed the tips, ideas, advice and plans. I’ve read countless triathlon books but the focus on being a time-starved (frequently-traveling) triathlete is a new approach. I enjoyed the pragmatic approach to fitting triathlon into your regular life. How to manage when life gets in the way with illness or travel, for example.

This is a brilliant book and here's why. It has a unique, fundamental premise that the whole book is built around - work out how many hours you can *realistically* spend training in a given time period and build your entire training plan around that. There's no suggestion that you have to spend 15 hours a week training unless you genuinely have 15 hours to spare. If you have only 5 hours spare a week then so be it. Your performance may not be all that it could be but, and here is the crucial element, you can still make it as good as it can be for the given set of circumstances you find yourself under and that is what you should be aiming for.There is also an additional premise in the suggestion that perceived effort is more useful that absolute power numbers and zones. As a numbers man who loves poring over the data from workouts comparing power, timings etc I initially viewed this as an almost heretical thing to say yet it does make a lot of sense. Ultimately though, the author does accept that it really is horses for courses, if that premise is not for you then so be it.As an amateur triathlete with a full time job and children I've find it difficult to put together a decent training plan or apply an existing one, I find it difficult to work out how to fit it all in. This book makes it so much simpler. There is also the recognition that you may find that you're unable to do the full session you planned due to time constraints, illness or fatigue. If so, you can tweak it so as to make it shorter or less intense but still get good value out of it.In addition, and this is the icing on the cake, you get training plans for half and full distance triathlons. I almost feel that this book was written with specifically me in mind, it just ticks all the boxes and gives me the confidence that I'm going to be able to perform to the best of my ability with the time I have available. Plus, it is written in an accessible, easy to follow way that makes it easy to dip into

Differently, from many books about Triathlon, this one is centered around how to make it work with a busy lifestyle. This approach is obviously great for most "age-groupers" or really anyone trying to improve in Triathlon who isn't a professional athlete.Like other reviewers mentioned, it includes only one training plan. However, it's one that is scalable depending on how busy you are since it distinguishes between "key" sessions (the important ones) and the "supporting" ones (the nice to have). Also, it includes strength exercises which can be performed anywhere (also at home) and lots of useful tips.The only negative point I'd mention is that sometimes it can be wordy when the same concept could have been explained in a more succinct way.

Two weeks into training following the guidelines of this book, I am enjoying training much more, the variety of workouts and the undulating type and load of training is very refreshing compared to other approaches. I am enjoying training more, and getting more effective training done, but also am able to integrate training into my life in a better, healthier, and more sustainable way.

Book content looks good but arrived with major water damaged. Amazon were grate and USP fast return. I reordered and another arrived with similar water damage so had to return again! I have not ordered a third !

Glossy, nice size and weight, looks like an excellent quality book. Very happy.