Slow Fat Trialthete

Do not let this title fool you! This book is for ANYONE who has just discovered the thrill of wanting to compete in a triathlon. "Slow Fat Triathlete" will help ANYONE who has never experienced a triathlon - even if they are rail thin. Also, just calmly brush aside the word, "fat,"(which the author amusingly refers to as the "f -word" in her first sentence) - because if you get involved in THIS sport, you may soon be a LOT slimmer.What if, after a lifetime of HATING to exercise, you suddenly woke up WANTING to exercise? We ALL know the reasons to exercise as a means of achieving better bodies, better health, and increased longevity. Yet how many of us EVER find that "magic pill" that will suddenly make us ENJOY exercising?? Exercise for many of us has ALWAYS been B-O-R-I-N-G. Well, for me that "magic pill" came in the form of wanting to start competing in triathlons. As Jayne Williams reveals in her witty and utterly self-confident style, triathlons do NOT have to be of an "Ironman" caliber where you swim 2 miles, ride 120+ miles and run 25 miles. In EVERY state (including Alaska), you will find many "sprint" triathlons consisting of a 400-yd.swim, 12-mile bike, 2-3 mile run/walks. They also have "Olympic" triathlon events that increase the ante to a 1/2-1 mile swim, 25-mile bike, and 6- mile run/walks. Likewise, they have 1/2 Ironman triathlons as well. How is this possible to suddenly ENJOY exercising? Well, for many of us, it is the lure of the fun and competition. Come Race Day and the pay-off arrives after all the hours of hard exercising. You race, talk and have fun with fellow competitors, get a "goody bag" with t-shirt and neat free items, often enjoy a dinner or gala event following the race, travel to different events, and most of the time you get a medal just for crossing the finish line! Likewise, if you are REALLY good (or it's a really small race!) you get a prize if you are one of the first three finishers in your age division. Having expressed my enthusiasm for my newly found sport, let me say that Jayne Williams and "Slow Fat Triathlete" saved my passion and "career" as a triathlete! I am the type of person who when interested in a subject, promptly logs onto amazon.com. After perusing various books, I generally order a great deal as I seek to gain different information. In this case, I promptly ordered the top 15 triathlon books and virtually ALL of them were written for the seasoned triathlete hoping to shave a few pts. off their time. With the exception of Dave Scott's book, they were written so far above my level of competing, that I was absolutely discouraged and ready to throw in the towel. Even the various websites online (even for beginners) did not offer the kind of information that I was seeking. And then I finally got to "Slow Fat Triathlete," which answered all my questions (and then some!) in a captivating, somewhat quirky style. It was the "Siren of the Triathlon" and it called to me with every page... After I read the book, I actually sat down and read it again, with notebook in hand, to jot down the various advice that it contained. Now remember, I had already read about 10 other books on triathlons that contained none of this information! To be fair, although these top books were written by GREAT triathletes, I often think that the authors are so far removed from their first triathlon experience, that they cannot comprehend the vast amounts of knowledge that those training for and entering their first triathlon need. I didn't even know what T1 and T2 were and suddenly I was confronted with various charts full of abbreviations in other books! I even signed up with the most elite and widely recommended online coaching forum (and certainly not cheap) - and they didn't have a clue as to the level that a real beginner needed. Jayne Williams' book is smart, funny, and somewhat "indelicate" in spots. (After a look at her website, I have to side with her mother...) But it is the most inspiring, knowledgeable book on triathlons that I have ever read. The author hails from Harvard and Berkeley and yet her writing is so hilarious at times that you will swear that she writes for SNL! She covers everything from what equipment is a must, to which flavors of energy gel taste great, to pre-race instructions, to how to get out of your wetsuit, to what brand of sports bra can enable even the most "abundantly endowed" woman to compete! For the first time ever, I actually wrote Oprah's staff, BEGGING for this author to be on the show. (I hope that Williams' editor and/or agent follow through!) This book DESERVES to become a best-seller! If you are thinking of entering a triathlon or simply want that "magic pill" that will lure you to WANT to exercise, BUY THIS BOOK. It has my HIGHEST recommendation. The resources and websites in the back (and her husband's terrific artwork sprinkled throughout) just contribute to help make this the BEST TRIATHLON BOOK OUT THERE!

I really loved this book. The author's sense of humor about the whole situation really helped me get over my tri fears. It was absolutely the right book for me. It gave a great overview of her journey and the things that happen along the way that really can be tragic or hilarious depending on your outlook and hindsight. She didn't get preachy about workouts but gave some great general ideas. (I'm one of those who starts to get rebelious when I see things like 'you must run 10 miles on Tuesday at 2PM.) Instead she talked realistically about how you fit in your workouts with your real life and I've found an amazing amount of time to get my workouts in that I didn't know existed! I'm doing my first tri in a little over 2 weeks from now - I wore my tri suit to the pool to train this week and didn't give it a second thought as I walked through the pool area. I love the water, I love the bike, and someday the treadmill may even register my feeble effort as a run instead of a jog. :)

This hilarious book will have even the most committed couch potato off and running. Trust me. I've never in almost 50 years stuck with an exercise program for more than a couple of weeks, but thanks to Jayne's wonderful combination of laugh-out-loud anecdotes, enthusiasm, wise training advice (stretch, stretch, stretch), and empathy for the pudgy non-jock, I invested in a tune-up for my bike and some day passes at the YMCA pool, and I've almost finished my first 8-week mini-tri training cycle. With a business to run and a husband and child to care for, I have to get out of my warm bed an hour earlier in the cold dark mornings to get my workouts in--and for the first time in my life, I'm glad to do it. I did not start out ambitious to race. I really just wanted to get in better shape for horseback riding. But now I'm thinking, maybe it might be kinda fun to race, just to see if I can finish. On my end-of-cycle "race day" I'm going to see if I can get through what a sprint race WOULD be, if I entered (stopping to shampoo my hair on the way out of the pool of course). . . It may be a while, since I only like to swim backstroke . . . . Anyway, I haven't lost any weight but I feel better than I have in years and I just got back from a a trip where I rode horses 3-6 hours a day for a week and felt great. Thank you thank you thank you, Jayne Williams. I hope you sell millions and millions and millions of copies of this book.

Triathletes are usually those really fit, uber-skinny, exercise-obsessed people that are in the Olympics, but what about the rest of us? This book is written for the rest of us, who don't necessarily know the differences between a road bike and a racing bike, but might want to try this triathlon thing.I completed my first triathlon in October, and I could not have done it without this book, recommended to me by a very dear friend. Jayne Williams's down to earth prose explains everything that anyone needs to know about doing a triathlon, and makes no assumptions about the physical shape of the reader. It's like a Dummies book for triathlon, but with better stories. With easy, step-by-step directions, encouraging narrative, and personal stories of her triumphs and failures, Ms. William's book is a must-have for anyone who wants to try working out but don't know how to go about it starting. It has everything you need to know, from the equipment you need to how to plan a workout schedule. I really like how the book also makes no assumptions about the investment of money and time, and breaks down what you need to the basics and the fancy toys, so that a person starting out knows what the absolute essentials are and pick and choose from the superfluous extras. I would recommend this for anyone who is not (yet!) a serious athlete but wants to try getting in shape!

Slow.. fat... triathlete?? Yes, it can be done and this book written with consistent humour and hands on experience shows you how. I truly loved this book as it shows that triathlon is not just for the super fit, thin people of this world... nor the rich. Enjoy!

A great read!

Thought you were too old, fat or slow to be an athlete? Jayne Williams can inspire you with her own story and practical instructions, all wrapped up with wonderfully humourous writing.

Not what I expected. Would not buy again.

Loved it!!