TTH BOOK CLUB

So it's dark outside, it's wet, you have already done your sessions for the day, what else could you possibly do to help you along with your training? Read!

Reading can be a wonderful way to pick up some vicarious experience of other athletes and get a real perspective on what it takes to perform well. A role model can be a really useful influence on your motivation and also confidence.

It can also lead to some greater technical understanding but this can be a minefield of information that can be misinterpreted when it comes to its specificity to you. A coach can be useful in this regard to help steer the ship through this dangerous sea of what at times can be misinformation which actually takes you down completely the wrong road for your progress.

It doesn't have to simply be triathlon either, many things can be learnt from high performers in other sports or even outside of sport entirely.

Below are a few of our coaches favourite books that they have found useful (or believe may be useful for athletes), interesting or just plain enjoyable to read. Note there is a difference between athlete and coach here. Of course, there is some crossover but with some athletes, less information and knowledge can be more.

Alan

1. Chris McCormack - I'm Here to Win

2. Total Competition: Lessons in Strategy from Formula 1 (Ross Brawn)

3. The Happiness Trap (Russ Harris)

James

1. Hell and High Water (Sean Conway)

2. Iron War (Matt Fitzgerald)

Philip

1. Legacy (James Kerr)

2. Winning (Clive Woodward)

3. Flourish (Martin Seligman)

Sorrel

1. Essentialism - The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Greg McKeown)

2. I'm OK, You're OK (Thomas Harris)

Trevor

1. Land of Second Chances (Tim Lewis)

2. Can't Swim, Ride, Run (Andy Holgate)

Will

1. The Champion Mindset (Joanna Zeiger)

If you have any books you would like to share with us, great! The more the merrier so please feel free to comment away with your own suggestions and share them with everybody as well! Feel free to add the hashtag below.

#tthbookclub

Alan WardDecember 14, 2017Alan WardComment

How should you categorise your races through the season?

Athletes often categorise their races. In this article, Coach Philip outlines how athletes can use a category to help adjust their mindsets before the event.

Age is just a number: How does getting older impact an endurance athlete?

Ageing is a natural process which, we hope, we will all get to experience. As we age our bodies change, some more dramatically than others. In this article Coach Denise looks at what changes we can expect and how we can accommodate them, to enable us all to keep training, and racing, for as long as we want to.

How to pick the best Race Buddies

Are you planning on racing with a bunch of clubmates or friends? Do you know how you will cope? Will you be the easygoing traveller, or will you be the one who carries their nerves quite obviously? Coach Philip addresses some key points of self-reflection that athletes should go through before travelling to a race with others.

Endurance Athletes – Training Through the Menopause

Training through the menopause is often a confusing and difficult time. In this article, which was first published for the Castle Race Series, Coach Philip looks at the changes and how athletes can navigate them.

Are Training Plans Dead?

In this latest article, coach Philip explores whether a training plan is now dead. He also looks into the rise of artificial intelligence and its impact on the sports industry.

How do you get faster at endurance races without any training?

In this article, Coach Philip explores how athletes are often distracted by the enormity of the task and get excited about the headline sessions instead of ensuring that all the fundamentals are in place to improve their chances of success or, more importantly, reduce the probability of failure.

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How to be an endurance athlete post menopause?

In a recent series of blogs Coach Denise has looked at the impact of the menstrual cycle, contraception and perimenopause on the female athlete. In this article she looks at what athletes and coaches should consider in the postmenopausal phase of life.

Should we dial down our FTP after the off-season?

In this latest article, coach Philip Hatzis explores how much we should dial back our FTP after an off-season break, or even if we should!? Read on to learn how to adapt your training after taking some time off.

Perimenopause and the athlete

In earlier articles Coach Denise has looked at the impact of the menstrual cycle on the female athlete, and how to train effectively within the body’s natural rhythm. In this article, Coach Denise looks at the impact that perimenopause can have on the athlete, and how to continue to train effectively through this phase of your life.

How can I do better at test sessions?

As we look to the new season, testing is one of the first things many athletes will do. This will be the form of benchmarking to understand initial fitness levels, biomechanics or other areas. Various aspects of training and performance will be measured and improved upon in the coming months. Yet, often, athletes dislike “test week” and miss out on brilliant opportunities to improve. Coach Philip Hatzis explores the topic of improving your testing sessions in this article.

How do I know if I should train if I am not feeling 100%?

At some point in their athletic career, every athlete has a point when they’re unsure if they should or should not train. This is often a result of illness or fatigue or something similar. They are feeling a bit “yuck” but do not necessarily understand why, which makes deciding whether they should train a tough challenge. In this article, coach Philip Hatzis explores how athletes can decide whether to train or not.

Should Goals be Time-bound?

In this article, Coach Philip explores goal setting and the commonly accepted approach to goal-setting that may actually inhibit performance by forcing a time constraint on athletes where no time may be the best option.

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Are Coaches Sacrificing Health for Performance?

In this article, Coach Philip explores some trends we are starting to see with new athletes who have been previously coached by others. Though athletes often start working with coaches for performance, we are also responsible for ensuring that athletes are healthy and safe. This article looks at some examples and highlights some things that athletes and coaches can do to enable a better approach to athlete welfare.

How to plan for a triathlon season

Love it or loathe it, the topic of planning is central to all sports, none more so than multi discipline endurance sports. Helping to focus time, effort and energy, great plans can produce the best results on race day. In this blog Coach Denise looks at the topic of planning, why it helps within the sport of triathlon and how a coach can help you to help yourself.

How to become effective in swimming in the waves

Being able to swim in a pool is not quite the same as being able to swim in open water. In this latest article, Coach Rita explores her learning experience when she took an open water swim session with some British athletes and her surprise at the skills gap between their swimming ability and open water experience.