I'm Here to Win: A World Champion's Advice for Peak Performance

Totally awesome book! First time I ever seen Macca was on a Wheaties box. His grinning face was on our breakfast table for over a year. Don't know why they're doing the old Mary Lou Retton, Bruce Jenner and Ali boxes nowadays. I want Macca back!This book is a great introduction to triathlons by the greatest triathlete on the planet. What I admire about Chris McCormack is his honesty. That's right. He talks about his failures as well as his glories and doesn't sugarcoat his mistakes.The chapter about his mate Sean Maroney's death and later his mother's short fight with breast cancer was a real tearjerker. But he was able to persevere and dedicate his first Ironman World championship to them.This book is more than a book about athletes, but a treatise on life experiences. Since I'm writing a novel with a triathlete as the male main character, I found this book invaluable with diving into the mind of a world class athlete. My character had doubts about his biking ability. His father was an Olympic swimmer and his mother an Olympic sprinter. Yet he was a big man. Although before I read this book, I didn't know 175 lbs is considered heavy. My guy is 6'2" and 179 lbs. His girlfriend encouraged him to attack on the bike and he'd been training with uphill mountain biking and sprints to build is leg power. He'd always been confident about his marathon abilities, so hanging back on the bike had been his biggest obstacle.All this was written before I came across Chris McCormack's book. Imagine my surprise when Chris outlined the exact strategy for my character to win. Obviously my character made mistakes such as attacking on the uphill close to the summit and losing it when he almost fell on the downhill [I mean, in fiction you have to pull out the bunny rabbit ran across the road moment], but Macca's descriptions of his races helped me with the realism of my race scene.My editor may still cut it out, but at least I enjoyed writing it, and I am going to cheer for Macca to beat Crowie for the 2012 Ironman World Champion.At the end of the book, Chris talks about honesty and not cheating. I immediately thought of Lance Armstrong and John Locke. What good is temporary glory when it is bought off the back of underhanded methods? I'm really glad he tackled this taboo topic, because at the end of the day, each person has to look inside themselves and like what they see.I also love the relationship Chris has with his wife, Emma-Jane. Theirs is an undying love, close friendship and emotional consideration that all romance novels aim to achieve.Macca said if you're too focused on the results and not on the process you'll burn out. The same can be said for writing. Enjoy and love the journey and savor the destination, but never cheat or take shortcuts.

I’ve been an avid triathlete for 19 years and have sat on this book for some time. I decided to read it on vacation and am glad I did. If you followed Macca’s career and are a triathlete (the Macca/Alexander era), I think this book is a worthwhile, engaging, interesting read.You need to gloss over or roll your eyes at the very frequent self-promotion and hyperbole. Although Macca will not be remembered in the same caliber as a Jan Frodeno, he is still one of the greats to grace the sport and imparts a lot of wisdom, some humility and interesting anecdotes that make the book an entertaining, quick read.

I'm a marathoner that decided to pick up triathlon a few months ago and been reading a lot about the sport, following races and the athletes and since 2010 I got interested in cocky fellah.Let me tell you first what I was expecting from this book:1. Insight to Macca's approach to racing,2. Insight on his career,3. Some toughs on training and nutrition.Well when you read this book you will get that and more. Macca talks about from the beginning of his running career and his early passion for triathlon to his amazing approach for Kona 2010. You can read very explicitly what he did to improve his game since his Euro season to the transition to the Ironman scene.You also get a look at how he prepares for 16 weeks with a complete workout plan and the best of all he talks about how he address his nutrition issues("big guys") for hot races...like Kona, how he powers up from recovery. Great insight on his mental game and how he use it not only to take the confidence of his contenders but how he pumped his.A good book and reference for amateurs to pro's, if you can't take something from this book. YOU ARE A FOOL!//Got the Kindle enhanced edition//

I'm new to the world of Triathlon and had heard of Chris McCormack through his reputation as being one of the most amazing, record breaking athletes to walk planet earth so that's what drove me to read his story. The writing is much like the athlete. It starts off as bombastic, ego filled with a lingering tactical intention behind every word. Then as you pass through his tactics and the mind games he plays on his opponents, you reach a deep philosophical center.Macca made me a fan when he talked about athletes who skip the growth process by using performance enhancing drugs in their obsession to gain a greater result. Never have I read such an introspective stance on the issue of drug use in professional sports. His insights are the result of years of racing at the highest level and should be a must read for anyone who hopes to compete in this sport.

If you are a fan of triathlon you will like this book. If not then you probably won't get much out of it. It is a good insight into some of the races and the development of the IronMan racing sport as it developed and matured. OH and unless you need to learn how to constantly self affirm that you are the best in the world, you won't learn anything on how to race better. I don't think that McCormic is the arogant guy that many people claim him to be. That said I do believe McCormic is his own biggest fan. Take it for what it is worth entertainment for someone who follows the sport.

Well written, and a story worth hearing. His mentality as an athlete is unlike any other.

Excelente libro, te narra la historia de este gran triatleta y luchar por su gran sueño de ser el mejor

Little slow on shipping but all good.

Quick delivery, great read !

Al principio me pareció que era bastante auto indulgente y que tenia una fuerte dosis de ego. Sin embargo estoy contento de haberlo comprado. Cuenta su historia a su manera y poco a poco el verdadero macca surge y demuestra incluso humildad y simpatia. Sin duda muy util para ayudar a otros que hacen ironman. Disfrute de su realismo, incluso autocritica, su cariño por las personas cercanas y te pone bien claro la necesidad que todos tenemos que mirarnos en el espejo y ser honestos con nosotros mismos. Ello nos debe llevar a buscar soluciones y mejorar.El libro no es un plan de entrenamiento, que tambien trae, es mucho mas, por decirlo de algun modo es el ajuste fino, en todos los apectos, tambien mental, motivacional, de como buscar la mejora continua y no creerse dogmas de fe tan extendidos, cuenta sus fracasos y como se ha ido sobreponiendo a ellos, como mejora su nutricion, su tactica, su guerra con otros competidores (faris y normann), como busca soluciones...En definitiva, la larga distancia es mucho mas que solo entrenar, por eso me ha gustado tanto, para buscar un plan de entrenamiento tienes muchos libros, si buscas un plan de entrenamiento puro y duro mejor mira otros, pero si te gusta la larga distancia descubriras algunos porques de cosas que ha hecho en su carrera y el camino (evidementemente no todo) que le ha hecho ganar en kona. Por eso titulo mi opinion algo mas que entrenar.