An Cosantóir

book review | 35 BOOK REVIEW TOUGH AT THE BOTTOM Author: Mick O’Farrell Paperback: 226 pages Publisher: Arriba Publications (4 Dec 1999) ISBN: 978-0-953743-60-5 Price: €10.00 Capt Mick O’Farrell’s (RIP) book brings us on a light-hearted journey from his cadetship in the 1950s to his experiences serving in the Congo. The book gives the reader an insider’s glimpse into the day-to-day routine of army life as seen through the eyes of a young officer. The book is humorous and sometimes cheeky but with enough straight talking to give the author’s stories the authenticity you would expect. These stories range from his cadet training to his first posting as a 2/Lt to 13 Inf Bn, Clonmel, and on to his time with ‘The Bloods’ of 3 Inf Bn and a stint serving in Kilworth Camp. He then tries to bring a fresh approach to the Jadotville incident in the Congo in July of 1961. “Many in the army felt that ‘C’ Company that day had let the Irish army down by throwing in the towel and had failed to fight on. After interviewing some of the soldiers on duty in that incident I discovered that there was a different side to that story. The men had been exposed to the most appalling danger, had no water, no ammunition and no food and claimed to have been abandoned. The five day battle was the biggest ever fought by the Irish army but to date no campaign or bravery medals have been awarded. Many of these survivors I personally know to be brave and honourable men. Never once was I conscious of an attempt to put a new slant on events in the hope of being allowed to wriggle off the hook.” ‘Tough at the Bottom’ makes easy and very interesting reading, although the Jadotville content did cause a degree of controversy. The book breathes life not just into the officers but also the ordinary rank-and-file, non-commissioned officers and privates. The 226 pages are filled with all kinds of characters; cooks, barbers, batmen, drivers, medical orderlies, bakers and bottle-washers. This book was the first of three written by the former army officer from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, who died in 2003 aged 71. The other two books are ‘Health And Fitness For The Couch Potato’ (2000) and ‘Skint, The Diary Of A Failed Punter’ (2002). THE TRIATHLETE’S TRAINING BIBLE Author: Joe Friel Publisher: Velopress (velopress.com) ISBN: 978-1-934030-19-6 Price: €23.70 In this book veteran coach Joe Friel dives into the science of sport to have you training ‘smart’ for a successful triathlon. Let’s face it, we can’t all afford the luxury of a coach planning out personalised weekly bike runs for that next big race, and building your own plan can be a daunting task. How many times a week? for how long? what intensity?…and why? It’s a science, and not an easy one to tackle. That’s where Joe Friel comes in. With nearly three decades of coaching experience, he explains the science of training in a language anyone can understand in the newly released, third edition of The Triathlete’s Training Bible, effectively giving you the tools to become your own coach. Anyone from the beginner to elite triathlete can gain something from Friel, as he maps out specialised training for races of all distances - Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman and Ironman - while addressing key points of how to maximize fitness, reduce fatigue, fuel correctly, plan a season, improve skills and more. At 386 pages, it’s like an encyclopaedia on the sport and probably one of the most user-friendly books out there, complete with charts, drawings, graphs, interactive tools, cleanly divided sections and sensible organisation. What makes this book stand out is its scientific and intuitive approach to training. Friel will have you understanding why you do something, rather than just telling you to go out and do X, Y or Z. It’s no secret that some athletes simply take orders from a coach and never question why; robotically obeying the all-knowing coach. It’s also no secret that some people over train in an almost self-destructive manner, just to stick to the plan. Friel attempts to reverse this teaching athletes to listen to, and respect, their bodies. The third edition of “The Bible” presents the latest proven training methods, cutting-edge research, case studies, insights on new technology, and more. It takes the reader into the world of exercise science, physiology, fitness, sports psychology, and nutrition, but without reading like a college textbook or a medical journal. (I’m a kinesiology student and can say with confidence that Friel takes confusing topics and makes them clear and understandable). The triathlon community is expanding exponentially to include all levels of athletes, and chances are most of these athletes have obligations outside of triathlon. Friel takes this into consideration and lays the foundation to have you making the most of your training and non- training time so you nail that ‘A’-race. Other books by this author, who is best known as an elite triathlon and cycling coach, include ‘The Cyclist’s Training Bible’, ‘The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible’, ‘Going Long: Training for Ironman-Distance Triathlons’, and ‘Your First Triathlon’. He holds an MA degree in exercise science, is a certified USA triathlon and cycling elite-level coach, and is a founder and past chairman of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Commission. THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE

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