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Source: Paul Lieto
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Title: Breakthrough Triathlon Training
Author: Brad Kearns
Price: $18.95
Rating:
(Breakthrough Triathlon Training @ Amazon)

This isn't your typical triathlon training book. You won't find specific training plans, nutritional advice, or overwhelming training jargon. What you will find is a refreshing look at the sport and training principles/advice to help you excel and live the lifestyle without risking burnout or injury.

The first half of the book is about positive attitudes and pure motivation. About finding the reasons behind ones pursuit for peak performance and making sure those motivations and reasons are pure. There are many analogies made to the rat race, usually defined as getting caught up in the workforce, trying to make more money than the guy next to you, long commute hours, and being sucked into a consumption lifestyle. Brad enlightens us to the rate race atmosphere than can find its way to the sport of triathlon and its lifestyle. Whether a pro or an age grouper, the rat race mentality can creep into your motivations. Are you buying a better bike because you need it, or because your training partner has a better one, do you make decisions on which races to do based on prestige, do you find yourself stepping out of your scheduled aerobic workout to catch the guy that just past you on the bike or trail? I'm guilty of these, for sure. Certainly having a new bike and wanting to perform to your best aren't bad things. The point Brad makes is to sit back and take a look at your motivating factors now and then. If you get caught up with the bigger, better, rat race mentality, burnout becomes a real risk just as most of us experience burnout in many other aspects of our lives.

Brad also spends some time discussing stress. Most of us assume stress to be just the negative emotional tax on our system due to work, finances, relationships, etc. We need to also take into consideration the stress put on our bodies due to our training. While it may be a better stress than the former, it is still stress and accumulates with the former to break down the body if you don't rest and train properly. Listen to your body, it will let you know if it's over taxed. Don't blindly stick to a training plan because you have to log in "X" number of yards, miles, or hours in a week. If you need rest, take it.

The second half of the book tackles the principles to effective endurance training. Brad dives into some of the training principles he learned over his years as a pro and coach. He discusses the importance of periodization and developing a good base. He breaks periodization down to its simplest form of Aerobic period, Peak competitive season, and Rest period of reduced training. He also discusses Lydiard theory, MAF testing, heart rate monitor use, Key Workout principles, and importance of being healthy - not just fit.

If you are interested in reaching your potential and enjoying your sporting pursuits, you must always place health as your number one priority... When you are healthy, you are able to improve your fitness levels and compete successfully.

Brad recommends one to two Key Workouts per week as the max any athlete should absorb. This is typically a long ride and/or a long run, followed by a rest or recovery day. He's a strong proponent, as are many endurance coaches, of the long Key Workouts for helping athletes break through physical barriers and that those Key Workouts are the real building blocks for improving ones performance. He stresses, however, that it is critical to get the rest needed to recover from these sessions.

Brad covers other aspects of training as well. How important is Speed work, swimming form vs. speed and volume, balancing schedules, the importance of a coach vs. trying to plug your lifestyle and schedule into a generic training plan, and more.

Brad also shares several stories from his personal experiences and those of other pros, including Lance Armstrong who wrote the foreword for this book. These stories give some real world applications to the principles he shares.

The book is a good read for athletes of all abilities. While I was already familiar, and practice, many of the training principles shared, I related to the motivational, rat race aspect, and found the holistic approach to an overall lifestyle valuable. I also enjoyed Brad's sharing of his key workouts and what he's learned from other pros such as Mark Allen, Mike Pigg, and Lance Armstrong. If you're new to the sport, this book will give you a good foundation to begin your training without overwhelming you with too much jargon that can become confusing.

I think I'll leave the review at that and maybe share one other passage which, to me, sums up Brads message.

Enjoy life, eat healthy food, live in balance, attack your goals with great enthusiasm and energy, always do your best, put your health first, and choose a positive attitude and a pure motivation...

Paul Lieto (tribro) is a middle pack age group athlete who started triathlons about 8 years ago. He is the Founder and Editor of this site, Trifuel, and currently resides in Bend, Oregon with his younger brother Matt. Occasionally I try to post in my blog. You can contact me here.