Reviewed by Carol Johnson
Many of you know Mike Gabor and some of you have probably raced with or against him. You know that he is always willing to share training tips with fellow racers, and he’s been known to gently coach teammates while racing. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of knowing Mike, he started out playing intramural sports in college and developed into an accomplished mountain biker, runner, triathlete, adventure racer and paddler with hundreds of podium finishes. Now Mike has collected the knowledge he gained over those 20 years into an easy-to-follow book. “Training the Average Person to be an Extraordinary Athlete” has something for both new athletes and seasoned veterans. Filled with great baseline information like initial four week plans, benchmarks, and tools to keep you focused, his book takes readers through the progression of setting up a training plan through race day preparation and recovery. Mike includes sections on the science behind your training technique, nutrition tips, and what to do if your progress stagnates. He even talks about the mental game of training and racing, which is an essential aspect of any adventure race. My biggest takeaway from his book was to write EVERYTHING down; the goal, the training plan, the benchmarks, and the results. It’s an easy read and an excellent reference tool for anyone who wants to get serious about training.
You can find Mike’s book in Apple iBooks and Amazon.com. I highly recommend it!
