Customer Reviews

Iron Ambition: My Journey from Seat 2A to Ironman

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

The first tip-off that you should avoid this unedited mess of a book: it's a vanity publication. Despite his repeated claims of his enormous financial worth, the author apparently did not spend any money on a professional editor to whip this book into shape and it shows. (For example, an editor would have likely caught and prevented the same passage concerning Botox and wet needling from appearing in two parts of the books.)

The lack of editing can be confirmed simply by looking at the table of contents. The author spends 75% of the book in a meandering account of his injuries and the very expensive (and often unnecessary) equipment that he uses in order to finish in the middle of the pack and then he gives a cursory overview of different events he entered, leading up to his ultimate goal of the Tempe Ironman in November 2008 (Chapters 10 and 11 out of 14). So little attention is paid to this race that it was ultimately anti-climactic.

I agree with the reviewer who advises that one cannot use this book as a primer for triathlon training -- mostly because it is impossible to do so. The author does not give a chronological account of how he developed his training in running, cycling or swimming. For example, he suddenly goes on 100+ mile rides without any mention of a gradual increase in mileage. On one page, he mentions he is sidelined by injury for more than a week and a few pages later, he is crowing about how he completed an event -- which is completely disorienting unless you flip to the end of the book to read his brief overview of the event. There is no continuity or development that would give the reader any sense of the author's increasing physical abilities. This book is of limited value to triathlon newbies - even a newbie knows better than to go running for long miles in new shoes, yet this author does it repeatedly with predictable results. Also, although the author mentions that he has lost a great deal of weight, he does not give any indication of how he accomplished this or managed to keep the weight off. It's a complete mystery.

I completely disagree with the reviewer who states that the author does not endorse products. This book was one long fawning ode to the Endless Pool. (My Kindle finds 39 references to the Endless Pool.) It's ironic because the author was indicating how well prepared he was for the swimming portion of the Ironman Triathlon because of his use of the Endless Pool but he developed a debilitating cramp that nearly caused him to drown. The author's repeated efforts to search out "the best" (read: most expensive) products and coaches is tiresome and leads one to dismiss his judgment.

I seriously question anyone who finds inspiration in this author's account. He sacrifices his family and business in the pursuit of becoming an Ironman. This is not something he does for his own satisfaction, he simply wants the satisfaction of bragging to others that he is an Ironman. Similarly offputting is his goal of beating a certain percentage of participants ("I wanted to beat 200-300 participants so that I actually was faster than a bunch of participants; that would be really great." Even though he finishes in the bottom 25% overall in the Ironman, he still takes pains to mention that he "crossed the line in front of 600 other entrants..."). Rather than focusing on beating his own personal bests, he derives satisfaction only from comparing himself to others.

Finally, I wonder how anyone can find inspiration in the author's macho and unsportsmanlike conduct. For example, the author gives this account of his response to a cyclist who was drafting behind him on a windy day: "[T]his joker on the riverbed trail had no problem drafting behind me and he wouldn't get around me. Finally I just pulled over and stopped... until he finally ventured out into the wind on his own. With that, I jumped on his tail and drafted right behind him yelling at the top of my lungs for him to be a man, take his pull and show me what he had. I taunted him mercilessly by yelling, 'Is that all you've got?!' I got him so worked up (or scared) that he went out really fast, totally burned out and then as he pulled over gasping, I took the opportunity to blast by him so quickly that he had no chance to bridge the gap and I dropped him." Really nice behavior, is that what was inspirational to the other reviewers? Perhaps the others found it inspirational that the author has to be told that when he is engaging in poor sportmanship? ("I also learned that it was sort of poor form for an age-grouper like me to sprint the last bit of the race trying to pass everyone. Apparently, that rookie move was sort of poor sportsmanship, but I really didn't know any better.")

I typically only write reviews when I find that the existing reviews are misleading and have lured me into purchasing something I would not otherwise purchase. This is one of those instances. I found the author's tone to be so arrogant, egotistical and self-congratulatory that it was difficult to finish this book.

This is not to take away from the author's admirable dedication to mastering the triathlon - it takes extreme dedication to get up at 4:30 a.m. (or even 2:30 a.m.) to fit in a workout and to train so hard. However, I take issue with the organization and overall tone of the book.

OK, so in the end while I did enjoy parts of this book potential buyers beware! This was not a tale of an average 40+ father & executive's "struggles" to successfully complete an Iron Man event.

I bought this book because like the author John Callos, I'm an older athlete and a mid-life weekend warrior with aspirations of re-capturing my youth through a triathon. While I'm not a CEO, I am a fairly senior level executive in at a SoCal based company and my wife and teenage son support me wholeheartedly. But here the similarities end. John has the benefits of great wealth and access to (almost) unlimited resources. Whatever he needs he gets, be it bikes, coaches, tests, expensive off insurance medical treatment, nutritional aids and so on.

At no point is John constrained by budget. Far from it, at what seems like every opportunity he celebrates his ability to throw whatever cash he needs around to solve a problem. Personally I was looking for guidance & advice on how to manage family, work and training but what I actually got was an ode to gratuitous self indulgence. His description of his home training set up is priceless (I doubt if Chris McCormack has access to home facilities like this and he's a past Kona winner) and his constant mentions of his expensively acquired possessions start to drag, such as his bike set up that makes the boys in the bike shop drool and his top of the line BMW. It just never ends....

All to often this book feels like a hastily thrown together combination of you incredibly self obsessed emails (where John whines on & on to his world famous coach about either his lack of self confidence, vast array of injuries, ever present fear of failure, and long diatribes on over & under training), dubious self motivation statements and the previously mentioned lists of money is no object purchases. Around page 5 I realized that this story was not reflective of the 99.999% of 40+ executive athletes I know and race against. Was this book a self publishing exercise, another vanity project? It certainly feels that way.

John, at least to this reader, does not outwardly appear to be humble man, and I guess that the point he's really trying to make. The sport of Triathlon is by nature self obsessive, something John illustrates splendidly.

My personal reservations aside, this book absolutely reinforced what I think it must be like to complete an Iron Man event and the toll it takes on all participants. Since reading "Iron Ambition" I've stepped up my training and that's solely down to John Callos. If he can finish an Iron Man with all that he has at his disposal then I feel compelled to do it on my shoe string budget. If John's aim in this book is to motivate me then he's succeeded.

In conclusion, John seems to have achieved a great deal in life and my hat is off to him on all fronts. He's a winner and he's done something I only dream of right now. But you cannot help but come away from reading this book without thinking that with all that money, support and access to whatever he needed to succeed, he should maybe have achieved more than just comfortably finishing the event. To be fair John recognizes that. Like John's Iron Man, this book could of and should have been better.

Cons: If you want the super-negative review, go read the 1-star review. It's harsh, but a lot of it is accurate. The editing of the book was not done very well. I was surprised to find out it was edited at all, since I noticed at least 50 errors while reading it, and like the negative reviewer I found much lacking in the general form of the book. I think if the author were to re-read the book now, after having let it site for awhile, he would find numerous areas to improve.

Pros: But so what? Even though I'm a bit of a critic when it comes to books, I still enjoyed reading the book. Just because it's not the highest quality writing it didn't turn me off. The book is not intended to teach you everything you need to know about doing an Ironman, but it is helpful in communicating a sense of the sacrifices that may be necessary in order to pull it off. But like any other biographical book, it's one man's experience and may or may not relate to the experience of anyone else. In my case I found it highly relevant because I'm from SoCal, I've swam at the Boy Scout camp at Cherry Valley on Catalina Island, I'm also a business owner, I've experienced the same sense of shame at my fatness, and I'm walking the same path towards an Ironman. I think if you're a beginning triathlete interested in doing an Ironman then you'll find the book interesting and helpful. I came away from the book feeling a sense of hope, the feeling that "Man, if this guy could make it with all his injuries and setbacks, this certainly isn't impossible for me." To me, that's the primary theme of the book.

Could the book be better from a technical perspective? Sure, there's no doubt about that, but the technical issues don't ruin the content.

Everyone who rated this self-aggrandizing gobbledygook 'one star' is spot on. While I admire his dedication to weight loss and a change to a healthy lifestyle...this author is a braggard. Do I really need to know how many porsches you have? I'm a midpacker but this is the type of jackass I take personal satisfaction passing in races. They are quite easy to find...they are the ones wearing tear drop helmets on the 8,000 bike with every gadget on them known to man. Dude...spend your money, time and efforts racing for a good cause, like supporting running programs for all of those inner city ruffians who seem to chase you all the time. (its no wonder...your bike screams 'rob me') Your ego needs to bring it down several notches.

I'm so embarrased this book is on my Kindle I deleted it immediately.

In this world of instant gratification and entitlement, its nice to read a real world story of someone who succeeds from plain old fashion hard work and determination. While I'll never be a triathlete (asthma), his work ethic, business techniques and vunerable humor is contagious. I find myself searching the web for some of the products he talks about. And who can't identify with his corollary to never negotiate with yourself in the early morning hours for "five more minutes of sleep"? Just get up!

An easy read full of humor and sage advice. My adult children are going to get copies from Dad for Christmas!

I won't waste too many words because others have hit the nail on the head. I cannot believe that an obviously intelligent guy blew an opportunity to share what COULD be an inspirational motivational tool.

He instead allowed his vanity to override and tells a meandering tale of how wealthy he is and how far from the REAL Ironman philoshopy he is.

Buy this book if you too are an arrogant flake so you can learn that :

1. You must be filthy rich and have the funds to build an "ironman cafe" in addition to your normal kitchen and supplement this with the most expensive array of unnecessary equipment possible to become an Ironman.

2. How to harrass or Buy your way into a professional atheletes coaching squad so that you can further stroke your ego. But then also amaze this coach with your drivelling personal insights into how you should be training versus actually just shutting up and getting what you paid for.

3. How to create your own personal ode to yourself. One that you can carry copies of with you & distribute to everyone you meet so they can marvel in awe at your wealth, talent and "Ironman" status. I guess at least they can just throw it in the bin like I did instead of listening to you.

You blew it Mr Callos - there is a wonderful tale for people seeking motivation buried under your ego.

Spend some time shrinking it instead of your gut & your times may improve further.

Not an everyday man's template for going from sedentary lifestyle to Ironman competition. The first half of the book is an accounting of Callos's wild spending spree on elite coaches, resistance pool, garage "bike shop", countless high-end bikes, monitors, supplements, etc. It's clear that there was no limit to the preparation budget which is not a luxury most people have. Also, family and work seem to be obediently out of the way. As a middle-aged executive who is preparing for my first triathlon this year, I was hoping for more of a discussion on balancing the demands of career, family, social life and training. The book is more of a meandering and often repetitive reflection on what came off as a very selfish pursuit.

I agree with the earlier review that pointed to the sloppy editing. Unorganized, disjointed thought patterns, poor syntax, bad grammar and typos litter the book.

There are many better books for people who would like to experience the path of Ironman preparation through the eyes of someone who did it.

I normally don't do reviews but after buying this narcissic book I had to warn off potential readers. Unlike other newbie books - like the excellent "Transformed by Triathlon: The Making of an Improbable Athlete" - all the book left me with was an empty feeling. I am genuinely surprised at the positive reviews that the book received.

Sure, the author did well by taking up the sport and completing an Ironman, but so have many, many others with far greater challenges (and who are less affluent - or at least don't brag about it so much). It offers a very poor view on how to prepare for an IM race - and I have done three without anything like the litany of injuries that the author describes in too much detail. It is more likely to put off potential triathletes than be instructive.

As others have noted, it really is a poorly edited, self indulgent book, with too many platitudes to people who helped him, advertisements for expensive kit, etc. Seems more like a PR effort for the author and his supporters (save the Tri-Talk podcast which is great and helped me to a PR this year in IM Louisville!) than a meaningful book.

My advice? Subscribe to the Tri-Talk Podcast. Get the Endurance Nation free e-book. Buy Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge (Ultrafit Multisport Training Series). But don't waste your money on this book.

John Callos (the author) makes it appear that Ironman training is so very injurious and dangerous but quite frankly he heightened all the underlying risks of the event and training by making myriad bone-headed decisions throughout his endeavor. His judgement is highly questionable; immature and impulsive decisions and remarkably dim-witted at others. His aches, pains and injuries are a direct result of his bad judgement. Taking his advice and following any part of his training program or nutrition strategy is dim-witted by any user who should be questioning this guy's strength as an advisor on any level. Although, I enjoyed the book for its humor... but not in a laughing with you kind of way; I laughed at this guy throughout the duration and the mere drama he brought to this endeavor. This is more a book on not what to do for Ironman training than its positive contrast. His prescription drug use was ridiculus as well as his need to spend money constantly on his lavish Ironman lifestyle. His dropping of brand name vehicles and the money he has was almost sickening. This guy lacks the wisdon gene... read only if you know what you're doing already so as not to cloud your Ironman judgement.

I really enjoyed this book. Inspirational.

Perhaps because im already on my own iron man journey (lost 40lbs, quit smoking, did my first sprint triathlons last year). The author and I seem to have very similar opinions -- especially about things like people at the gym that read books while walking on a treadmill, yet complain that they're not losing weight.