I'm still around

I've gotten a lot of emails asking if there's something wrong. It's been a long time since my last post. No, I'm not dead. Nor have I stopped blogging. I've been as busy as I've ever before been. At one point recently I had 4 book projects going on at the same time. Now I'm down to only 2. In a couple of weeks things will get back to normal and I'll start posting here again. There are lots of things I'd like to write about and look forward to getting back to normal. Thanks to those of you who wrote asking if I was ok. Very thoughtful of you. Back to work.

Comments

[Michael H.]

Glad to hear that you're not dead! LOL

I saw that a new edition of "Your First Triathlon" was released this month. Since I'm no longer a beginner, I won't buy it. But I do recommend the book to newcomers to the sport. I'm also working through "Your Best Triathlon" for the 2nd year. I like the structured plans and descriptions of why workouts are arranged the way they are.

But I continue to rely on the basic lessons that I picked up from "The Triathlete's Training Bible". Even though some details changed in YBT, the basic principles of the TTB are still what guide my overall approach to endurance training.

While I won't ever become a pro athlete or even a top age grouper, I have gone from being a non-stop injury case in my first year to now being on the verge of going 3 full years without a running injury. (I've never had a swim injury or a bike injury other than a couple crashes, mostly minor ones.) I'm doing more running and overall training than I was 3 years ago but I'm just not getting injured any longer. I have to give much of the credit to your general approach in the TTB. Great stuff. I'll keep recommending TTB to intermediate athletes and YBT to more experienced athletes.

[ian jones]

any chance of a piece on level 5 training- benifits -how hard it should feel -is there any point for some one who isn't at the 'sharp endof races' -how much recovery is required etc etc.

Also what a rest week should actually be?

Thanks this is a great blog that i read regularly.

Ian

[Alan]

Ian,

If you haven't already discovered it, I would recommend Joe's book, the Cyclist's Training Bible. All the principles are outlined there, including such topics as what a rest/recovery week should include. It took me some time to fully read and digest it, and I still refer back to it frequently. After making that initial (enjoyable) investment I have had good success applying the principles. The blog entries then provide useful reinforcement and refreshers on those principles. You can also try Google to search past blog entries, as certain topics do come up again from time to time and there is lots of good info from previous posts.

[Fer]

Glad to read you again