Eric Harr - Triathlon Training in 4 Hours a Week: From Beginner to Finish Line in Just 6 Weeks

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2003, 2015 by Eric Harr

Photographs 2003, 2015 by Mitch Mandel/Rodale Images

Illustrations 2003 by Phil Guzy

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Book design by Joanna Williams

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data number: 2003003927.

ISBN 978-1-62336-559-2 hardcover
ISBN 978-162336-560-8 ebook

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A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

George Bernard Shaw

Truer words were never spoken. I dedicate this to my breathtaking, loving, supportive, fun, beautiful family: Alexandra, Vivienne and Turner.

You are but an earlier heaven.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE HERO INSIDE YOU

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

W e all look to our heroes for inspiration. My hero has always been my mother. She was a triathlete long before I even knew what that meant.

Each one of us has the potential to be a hero to somebodyand feeling heroic, or important, is something we all yearn to experience. But unless we happen upon a burning building or someone drowning in icy waters, we rarely, if ever, dig deep inside ourselves and reveal that hero within.

This is where the triathlon comes in.

While it may seem a weak comparison to real-life displays of bravery, training for a triathlon makes you feel heroic on so many levels. For proof, watch any triathlon anywhere in the world and observe the expressions of the racersmothers, doctors, and account executives of every shape, size, and ageas they cross the finish line. You can use the same words to describe them all: electrified, thrilled, vibrant, and yes, heroic. It is why you will see those same people just minutes after they finish the racesome rushing, some wobblingmaking their way to the registration tent to sign up for next years event.

While there is little doubt that training for and completing a triathlon make you feel heroic in a world that rarely gives us opportunities to feel that way, for many the triathlon appears to be too daunting a task. The moment people consider doing a triathlon, a litany of fears and excuses rises up to extinguish their sense of adventure: Im too overweightI could never do that! Are you joking? I dont have the time. No way. Look at this painful carbuncle on my foot!

Im a little hazy on what a carbuncle is, but I am very clear on the power a triathlon has to change your life. It forces you to move beyond excuses and overcome your fears and weaknesses so you can live life to the fullest. It also ignites your inner firethe hero hidden deep inside youand inspires you to keep striving for a better life and a better world.

Youve got that fire in you. You may not realize it or may have forgotten it, but its there. It burns within each one of us. And its not far from your reach. This book can help you ignite and sustain that fire. For life. And the best part is that you wont have to turn your life upside down to do it. The program in this book, which will set all of these things into action, requires just four hours a week for the next six weeks.

WHY A TRIATHLON?

It is widely regarded as one of the worlds most physically demanding sports, the Mount Everest of athletic endeavors. Until recently, the triathlon was perceived as an esoteric endeavor braved only by the fitness elitean image perpetuated by the medias coverage of the infamous Hawaii Ironman torture-fest.

Youre likely thinking, Why do I need to do a full-fledged triathlon to achieve my goals? You dont. You can undertake an ordinary fitness program, be moderately motivated, and achieve ordinary results. Or you can choose to be extraordinary.

Admittedly, this is no ordinary undertakingand provides a lets be real for a moment breakbut keep in mind that these are not ordinary times, and if you picked up this book, you likely are not an ordinary individual.

This extraordinary quest will not take over your life. Im asking for 24 hours, just four hours a week for the next six weeks of your life. Thats not a lot when you consider the 20 long-lasting payoffs I discuss in . That represents a very high return on your investment.

THE MAKINGS OF A GREAT EVENT

The triathlon is a swim, bike, and run event, in that order. It emerged in the late 1970s and has since lured millions from around the world. The sport is wildly popular in Europe, Australia, and Asia, where the triathlon is tantamount to religion and professionals are revered like NBA players are here. The first known triathlons were organized by members of the San Diego Track Club, intended as little more than playful summer evening pauses from the normal grind of run-only training. Several years later, a few emboldened athletes took this cross-training phenomenon across the Pacific where, apparently in a mai taiinduced stupor, they fused three of Oahus endurance eventsthe Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around-Oahu Bike Ride, and the Honolulu Marathoninto one event: the Ironman. This is the triathlon youve likely watched on television, perhaps shaking your head in disbelief. In 1982, the dramatic footage of Julie Moss crawling to the finish line on her hands and knees triggered an explosion of interest in the sportand also stigmatized the sport for decades. While the gripping images of Moss and the negative-body-fat-percentage ber-people running five-minute miles make for provocative television entertainment, they have very little to do with the collective soul of the sport.