Customer Reviews

The Total Triathlon Almanac 4: The Essential Training Tool and Information Source for the Triathlete and Duathlet

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The Total Triathlon Almanac 4 reviewed by Mark Allen

There are three requirements for developing a great training program that actually brings the results we are all after: knowledge, documentation and review.

Knowledge ... First, you need some intellectual knowledge about training techniques from which to draw upon when you lay down the basic framework of your weekly plans. Having a rough idea of appropriate ratios for both the distance and intensity for swimming, cycling, and running will make planning a schedule infinitely more effective than guesswork, the method we used in the early 1980s.

Understanding reasons why a successful season requires different workouts at different times of the year helps you point more effectively to your key events. And seeing how others have successfully blended the three sports can be a living example of how to utilize this basic knowledge.

Documentation ... The second requirement for evolving your personal program is a tool to document what you actually end up doing week-to-week throughout the year. What we plan to do and the reality of what we actually end up doing can be worlds apart. It is also important to log your workouts and how you felt, along with other events that affected them.

Review ... Documenting your personal workout history brings us to the third requirements for a successful training program: And that is to look at the results of your training and then change the program for the upcoming weeks, months, or the season, to reflect how your own body has responded to the training. It is through this constant process of refinement that you become your most valuable resource for success, both in training and in other areas of our life.

Scientific information is the best starting point for creating something that works. But from that point forward, it is up to each of us to become experts on the subtleties and quirks of our own personal dynamic internal ecology.

THE TOTAL TRIATHLON ALMANAC-4 is the best tool for blending all three of these requirements for a great training program. It is a concise resource filled with the essential information you need to construct the framework of a successful regime. It is also an easy-to-fill-in log that gives you a way to chronicle your workouts and your racing results. Then with this personal history stored in the Almanac, you can change your program to create a time-efficient and highly effective personal workout schedule.

I wish THE TOTAL TRIATHLON ALMANAC had been around when I first started triathlons!

Mark Allen 6-Time Ironman World Triathlon Champion

For a biginner to intermediate triathlete looking for information, this is not the"book". It's a glorified blank logbook. The author even states that much of the needed information is in almanac -3 which you can purchase separately

Tony Svensson has done it again. The Total Triathlon Almanac-4 is not just a revamping of previous versions. Each of the first three almanacs has had a particular editorial focus. The Total Triathlon Almanac-4 offers injury prevention tips and secrets from the top professionals, making it the ultimate resource for even the newest multi-sport athlete. You'll learn everything from changing a flat tire to swim technique, along with a full spectrum of cycling and running workouts.

What do Ironman champions Paula Newby-Fraser, Thomas Hellriegel, Mark Allen, Lori Bowden, Heather Fuhr and Peter Reid do in training? How do they build towards their biggest event? What are their favorite workouts? How do they make use of a heart rate monitor? The answers are all here.

The Total Triathlon Almanac-4 is the best-and least expensive-piece of training equipment you will ever buy.

Unlike the 'biginner' (sic) in the previous review I knew exactly what to expect when I got this book. There is nothing more satisfying than recording another hard earned training session in the well thumbed pages of the almanac. As a training diary it is excellent but it also has the added bonus of great training advice and some superb all action photography.

Wish they made more of these. This log is my favorite. You can use an online log, but a paper log is so much better, if you ask me. This series is the best. If you want to use past performance to figure out how to get better, this the the best way I know how to do it.

This is an excellent logbook for Triathlon training. I don't understand some of the other reviews that slight it for a lack of training advice. It is a logbook! The fact that it has additional info is icing on the cake. If you want a training plan buy a different book or get a coach. In the meantime, I'm picking up my third copy...

This in an absolutely fantastic piece of work by Svensson. The tips from the top athletes integrated with the very well designed and strategized training log pages make this a constant source of guidance, referral and of course log information.

I've been logging my training since 1979 with a variety of products and this beats everything by a large margin. What's interesting is that if you are beginner, it is very useful - covers all the basics and explains stuff in plain English. AND if you are an elite competitor, it is also very useful because of the insights from the top athletes and coaches and the extensive detail of the log pages. This is also a great gift idea.

As a I start training for the very first time in triathalons, I thought this book would have much more complete training information then it does. The title is misleading. The training information is presented haphazardly and in my rookie opinion, at times confusing and incomplete. However I do find the logbook portion to be organized well, and the structure (binding and size)of the book enables me to take it with me on my trips away from home. I have also had fun keeping a log for the first time and it makes me feel more "accomplished" as I can see my progress. Lower the price a few dollars and it is a better deal.

Overpriced diary with very little training information. There is very little room to write