I have read every one of these books and found them books to be very helpful as I’ve gotten healthier, lost weight, and have become a better rider. Perhaps these are micro book reviews…
Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life is Joe Friel newer book on riding for us older guys. His previous book, Cycling Past 50, that focuses on pure riding, is next on the reading list.
There isn’t time to read stuff by talkers. Joe Friel has proven himself as a coach and as an older athlete. The people he has coached are proven older athletes. He’s doing it and passing on what he has learned to others.
Total Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using a Heart Rate Monitor is the other book that has been very helpful for building a training plan. This book goes into the detail necessary to understand and actually do it.
It’s clear that using a power meter would be better than using a heart rate meter but when all you’ve got is a heart rate meter then that is what you use.
By Joe Friel – The Cyclist’s Training Bible (4th New edition) (1/16/09) is another Joe Friel book that moves quickly thru theory and into the details of how to train on the bike. It is as no nonsense as his other books. This book quickly gets down to what you need to know and how to know to make a training plan.
I’m glad I read Fast After Fifty first as it was a good introduction into the training world. As an engineer I really like his approach to the science. Good books and good stuff to put into practice.
Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year by Del Sroufe is a well-used book at our house.
As the website says, the Forks Over Knives concept is “A whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.”
The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming And Training: Discover How To Quickly And Easily Swim Faster And More Efficiently, Overcome Your Fears, And Have Your Best Triathlon Yet by Kevin Koskella was very helpful when I was working on those triathlons. I’ve always been a good swimmer in the pool. This book expanded that skill set.
Days of Déjà vu and 88 Pianos: A Recumbent Adventure Across America are two travel / adventure books that were good reads and for some reason come back to mind when I’m riding. I guess that means there is something of value inside them.