Customer Reviews

Breakthrough Triathlon Training: How to Balance Your Busy Life, Avoid Burnout and Achieve Triathlon Peak Performance

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It's a refreshing and informed read from one of the sport's great semi-unsung stars.

Kearns looks into the very foundations of training for our sport with a very heavy emphasis on the lifestyle surrounding training for triathlons. Perhaps more than any book in recent memory Kearns also (for better or worse) delves into the training and, more importantly, lifestyle regimes of the top pro triathletes. He isn;t recommending their workouts, but more illustrating their lifestyle habits and especially their pro-active rest and recovery routines.

The Phil Maffetone/Mike Pigg relationship is re-hashed here as it is in Maffetone's own books. For those not exposed to the (now out of print) books by Phil Maffetone this is eye opening stuff. I wager few athletes, especially new athletes, would ever have the patience to ascribe to a Maffetone style program in thie age of "13 weeks to an Ironman" style fast-food, on line coached programs, and this different slant on training philosophies is one many athletes ought learn about, especially new athletes.

Kearns writes extensively about motivation, particularly his concept of "pure" motivation. His discussions of secluding oneself and training in exile return such a pleasant simplicity to the notion of the sport. If nothing else, this part of the book painted a beautiful picture of th best part of sport: Self-indulgent, dedicated and simple training. That is the ultimate luxury. Since I am headed to a ten day traithlon training camp in about three weeks the timing on reading this couldn't have been better.

When I started doing triathlons in 1984 there were no books in print on how to prepare for the sport. Now Amazon lists 138 titles. I have read over half of them. Most are quite poor. Brad Kearns' new book, Breakthrough Triathlon Training is a worthy and welcome edition to the few very good books on the sport. It joins The Triathletes Training Bible and Going Long as well as a fewothers as "must read-must own" books for every triathlete.

This book is easy reading, chock full of anecdotes from the arena of ultra-competitive triathletes. While it acknowledges that the reader is probably more of a casual athlete, the book offers still offers too little concrete advice. Rather, Kearns prefers to let you go your own way, rather than offering practical advice.

I'll summarize the main ideas in this book to save you the time:
1) Train only for the enjoyment of reaching "peak performance." The author calls this "pure motivation." I thought this was simply too abstract to be helpful.
2) Aerobic training is the indispensible base for triathletes - anaerobic training must come second and be built upon the long-distance training you accumulate and maintain over time.
3) Rest adequately between "key workouts," the workouts that push your limits, are planned fluidly around your life, etc.
4) Gradually intensify workouts as you become more fit. Do the workout that benefits you most. One suggestion: the 100/10 "brick" (ie 50 miles biking followed by a 5 mile run).

There, I saved you $10. This book is a standout guide for building your mental toughness and motivating you to enjoy your amateur triathlon career. It, however, should be regarded as a companion to other books that can offer you more concrete information about training, especially if you're new to the sport.

I have read many triathlon training books - some excellent, some pretty lame. The focus of most seems to be mainly on physiology, schedule planning and racing strategy. Kearns's book takes a different angle as he talks about real life issues like balancing work and training, avoiding overtraining and getting into the right frame of mind for peak performance. His writing style is very entertaining too. I would give this book a top score for the many excellent insites I have obtained from it.

Brad has written one of the most insightful books I have ever read about triathlon training and life. This book not only changed the way I look at racing and training but how I manage my everyday existence. This book came at a great time for me. I was totally burned out. Running a business, holding down a second job, family and friend commitments, training for and completing three marathons in three months totally took its toll on me. I was tired all the time,grumpy and had to struggle through every workout. But yet I did not slow down. Typical Type A Triathlete behavior. More is better right! Thanks Brad! You have made me realize that "Tri"athlon is more than just swimming-biking-running but more about physical-mental-emotional balance.

Read this book if you want to experience the real joy of the sport!

Like many triathletes (who deep down won't admit it) I was at a place in my triathlon training where I didn't have the motivation, experienced huge levels of fatique and was sick all of the time. Month after month we read our tri magazines and pay coaches to tell us how to train by locking ourselves into impossible training schedules, told to train twice a day and keep the pedal to the medal. Brad Kearns does an awesome job of explaining why we need to train differenlty than the pros and how to keep a balance in our life when juggling work, family and training. I'm so glad he steps up blows the whistle. This book was very motivating for me and has changed how I look at everything, how I want to live my life and train. I was very close to never getting on my bike again and then I read this book. I now listen to my body and I don't lock myself into an impossible schedule. My energy levels are back and my fitness level has improved dramatically! I'm excited about training and racing this summer! Buy this book and it will change your life!

Most training books and articles in magazines are very regimented formulas, i.e. if you are so old and have such and such goals then follow plan x. While this seems terrific for many type A endurance athletes who like to follow a very specific plan, many of us never figure out why all the hard work often only leads to stress, anxiety, fatigue, and poor results. Brad Kearns steps outside the box to explain that 1.) We are not all built the same and cannot expect that there is only one "overall perfect training plan", 2.) As humans there is a huge interdependence on mind, body and spirit which is often neglected, and 3.) We need to calm down, step back and figure out how to enjoy this sport we loved at least at one time and the results will follow.

Brad's own professional experience and his thorough knowledge of many other top pros show the many different methods of training used, the periods of frustration experienced, and how they emerged to be even more successful. Seeing as many great relationships Brad has gained over his career and his continued positive outlook on sports and life are testaments to how he has maximized his enjoyment of the sport. His results prove how you don't have to hate your life in order to do your best.

I highly recommend this book to anyone participating in triathlon. Brad gives an interesting perspective that provides a contrasting view to the more is always better attitude prevalent in the sport. This book is particularly useful for newcomers, time challenged athletes or anyone stuck in a performance rut. Additionally, I found the Attitude and Philosophy section to contain some very helpful ideas on motivation that can be applied to both triathlon and life in general.

This book is fun to read. It really got me to relax and enjoy my training more. I think that I am improving faster as a triathlete thanks to what I learned reading Breakthrough Triathlon Training. Thank you Brad Kearns!

Instead of the normal "on Tuesday run 5 miles at a set pace", this book allows real people to adapt their training and race goals to the rigors of everyday living of family, work and exercising. Brad Kearns' focus on key workouts that matter instead of filling a log book with empty miles is the way to train for busy athletes.

Brad Kearns has clearly struggled with the major issue facing all endurance athletes: balance. Here he relates how to set goals, train for races big and small, and do it all without sacrificing family, work, or perspective. In fact, he actually makes triathlon sound like an adventure in personal growth rather than a daily grind of swim, bike, and run. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the sport and plans to compete for years to come.