Product Description

Triathlon and endurance sports are not just for the skinny, the fast, and the young. They’re for you. You’re not too slow, fat, old, or klutzy. You’re just fine. Start today.

If you think that the only people who have any place in a triathlon are zero-body-fat elite athletes, reconsider right now. Triathlon and other endurance sports are a lot more accessible than you think. Jayne Williams, self-proclaimed "Slow Fat Triathlete," is living proof, and she wants you to join the fun. After years of obesity, poor health, and self-doubt, Jayne mustered up the will to exercise and worked her way from walking around the block to competing in her first triathlon in 2002. She got hooked on the rush of the race, and as a Slow Fat Triathlete, laughs at humiliation, embraces her foibles, and accomplishes impressive goals.

Slow Fat Triathlete is for anyone who may be out of shape, undisciplined, or otherwise unprepared to enter a triathlon but is curious to try. With its singular mix of practical advice (do what it takes to avoid chafing), screwball anecdotes (meet the hula dudes from the Big Kahuna Half-Ironman), and off-kilter observations (your wetsuit can make you feel like a superhero), Slow Fat Triathlete proves that you don’t have to lose weight, get your life in order, or have all the right equipment to pursue your athletic dreams. Just get off the couch, start moving, and have fun. You can do great things.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43476 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781569244678
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
Slow Fat Triathlete will get your heart-rate revved up.... Ideal multisport reading material for all shapes, sizes, and ages. -- Bill Katovsky, founder of Tri-Athlete magazine and two-time Hawaii Ironman finisher

An inspiring, witty, and wonderfully written story that athletes of all levels can relate to.... A chuckle on every page! -- Gina Kehr, professional triathlete

Jayne Williams proves that anyone who really wants to can do a triathlon. -- Steven Jonas, MD, author of Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals and The Essential Triathlete

What an enjoyable book! Well-written, informative, and inspiring. Go, Jayne, go! -- Georgena Terry, founder, Terry Precision Bicycles for Women

About the Author
JAYNE WILLIAMS grew up in the halcyon suburbs of Northern California, began her impractical education in Russian literature at Harvard, and got an equally impractical M.A. in Slavic Literature from U.C. Berkeley. She has organized whitewater rafting expeditions in Siberia and around the world and enjoyed years of frantic poverty as a freelance writer, interpreter, and editor. She has dabbled in public service and the Internet boom/bust, and lives in Mountain View, California with her husband Tim and their psycho-cat surrogate child.

Customer Reviews

This is for ANYONE just starting out....
Do not let this title fool you! This book is for ANYONE who has just discovered the thrill of wanting to compete in a triathlon. "Slow Fat Triathlete" will help ANYONE who has never experienced a triathlon - even if they are rail thin. Also, just calmly brush aside the word, "fat,"(which the author amusingly refers to as the "f -word" in her first sentence) - because if you get involved in THIS sport, you may soon be a LOT slimmer.

What if, after a lifetime of HATING to exercise, you suddenly woke up WANTING to exercise? We ALL know the reasons to exercise as a means of achieving better bodies, better health, and increased longevity. Yet how many of us EVER find that "magic pill" that will suddenly make us ENJOY exercising?? Exercise for many of us has ALWAYS been B-O-R-I-N-G.

Well, for me that "magic pill" came in the form of wanting to start competing in triathlons.

As Jayne Williams reveals in her witty and utterly self-confident style, triathlons do NOT have to be of an "Ironman" caliber where you swim 2 miles, ride 120+ miles and run 25 miles. In EVERY state (including Alaska), you will find many "sprint" triathlons consisting of a 400-yd.swim, 12-mile bike, 2-3 mile run/walks. They also have "Olympic" triathlon events that increase the ante to a 1/2-1 mile swim, 25-mile bike, and 6- mile run/walks. Likewise, they have 1/2 Ironman triathlons as well.

How is this possible to suddenly ENJOY exercising? Well, for many of us, it is the lure of the fun and competition. Come Race Day and the pay-off arrives after all the hours of hard exercising. You race, talk and have fun with fellow competitors, get a "goody bag" with t-shirt and neat free items, often enjoy a dinner or gala event following the race, travel to different events, and most of the time you get a medal just for crossing the finish line! Likewise, if you are REALLY good (or it's a really small race!) you get a prize if you are one of the first three finishers in your age division.

Having expressed my enthusiasm for my newly found sport, let me say that Jayne Williams and "Slow Fat Triathlete" saved my passion and "career" as a triathlete! I am the type of person who when interested in a subject, promptly logs onto amazon.com. After perusing various books, I generally order a great deal as I seek to gain different information.

In this case, I promptly ordered the top 15 triathlon books and virtually ALL of them were written for the seasoned triathlete hoping to shave a few pts. off their time. With the exception of Dave Scott's book, they were written so far above my level of competing, that I was absolutely discouraged and ready to throw in the towel. Even the various websites online (even for beginners) did not offer the kind of information that I was seeking.

And then I finally got to "Slow Fat Triathlete," which answered all my questions (and then some!) in a captivating, somewhat quirky style. It was the "Siren of the Triathlon" and it called to me with every page...

After I read the book, I actually sat down and read it again, with notebook in hand, to jot down the various advice that it contained. Now remember, I had already read about 10 other books on triathlons that contained none of this information! To be fair, although these top books were written by GREAT triathletes, I often think that the authors are so far removed from their first triathlon experience, that they cannot comprehend the vast amounts of knowledge that those training for and entering their first triathlon need.

I didn't even know what T1 and T2 were and suddenly I was confronted with various charts full of abbreviations in other books! I even signed up with the most elite and widely recommended online coaching forum (and certainly not cheap) - and they didn't have a clue as to the level that a real beginner needed.

Jayne Williams' book is smart, funny, and somewhat "indelicate" in spots. (After a look at her website, I have to side with her mother...) But it is the most inspiring, knowledgeable book on triathlons that I have ever read. The author hails from Harvard and Berkeley and yet her writing is so hilarious at times that you will swear that she writes for SNL! She covers everything from what equipment is a must, to which flavors of energy gel taste great, to pre-race instructions, to how to get out of your wetsuit, to what brand of sports bra can enable even the most "abundantly endowed" woman to compete!

For the first time ever, I actually wrote Oprah's staff, BEGGING for this author to be on the show. (I hope that Williams' editor and/or agent follow through!) This book DESERVES to become a best-seller!

If you are thinking of entering a triathlon or simply want that "magic pill" that will lure you to WANT to exercise, BUY THIS BOOK. It has my HIGHEST recommendation. The resources and websites in the back (and her husband's terrific artwork sprinkled throughout) just contribute to help make this the BEST TRIATHLON BOOK OUT THERE!

This book ROCKS!
This summer, I decided to find a goal that would really challenge me, and after a lot of searching, I decided that a triathlon would fit the bill. Next thing I did was look for books about triathlon training. Everything scared me. Then I saw Jayne Williams' book and said, "Ahhhh, now we're talking."

I love love love this book. It is on my nightstand, and I've read it twice. The title was funny to me, but it could be confusing to other people. (For example, I told a friend about it and she said, "But you're not fat ... or slow, for that matter.") So if you're skinny or not quite fat, don't let the title put you off. This is a book for people who want and need to get moving more, no matter what their size.

Now that I've devoured the book, I have to get as serious about training! Williams has the right tone between serious athlete who'll push you and a good buddy who'll laugh with you as you struggle out of your wetsuit. You just want to sign up for a triathlon TODAY as you're reading it because she makes you feel this is something you can absolutely accomplish.

I highly recommend this book if you dream of achieving your triathlon goals but worry how you'll actually go about doing it. This book will cheer you on the whole journey. Go for it!

(1/13/06 update) I completed my first sprint-distance triathlon in July 2005 -- woo-hoo!-- and I'm training for two more in summer 2006. And yes, I'll be reading this book again. And again.

A beginner's Bible
She's funny, she's devoted and she's fat. And she's not young, either. So if you're a woman, no longer a teenager or a 30-something, you will find this book funny (sometimes hilarious) and refreshing. It will answer all the questions you'd be afraid to ask a seriously competitive athlete. (Not Ms Williams is not competitive, but she sees it from the light of a person who's happy she can move, much less win.)

I'm 53 and getting ready for my first paddle/bike/run (I hope!)
While I'm sorry there isn't a simliar guide for paddlers, I'm just as happy I won't have to wriggle in and out of wetsuit. This book was just the guide I was looking for to give me some idea of what my first event will be like. And since I too tend to injure myself a lot, due to back issues, I was happy to see that others are just as willing to risk that as I am... gave me perspective. (However I'm more likely to injure myself carrying my boat or bike than riding and paddling!)

Enjoy the book and enjoy your race.