Overachiever's Diary: How the Army Triathlon Team Became World Contenders 1st edition by Louis Tharp (2007) Paperback

Take it from this lifetime swimmer, longtime coach and triathlete: Coach Tharp is a pioneer! He articulates thoughtful and successful technique and training strategies sure to influence coaches and swimmers alike. The US Army recognizes his obvious talent and passion for coaching swimming and triathlon that transcends sexual preference! Perhaps these trickles of tolerance will inspire a new paradigm of acceptance in the US military and beyond! Read this book! Robert Watson is head coach of Maximum Propulsion and City Coach in New York City MaximumPropulsion.com and Citycoach.org The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weight Training Illustrated, 3rd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

Lou Tharp is an amazing man -- and he's written a marvelous book. It doesn't fit in any particular category -- it's a swimming book, a motivational book, a memoir, a gay book, and much more. If you're interested in any aspect of the human condition -- improving one's body, fitting in to society, figuring out what makes us tick -- you'll find something of interest here. Actually, you'll find plenty of interest. You'll even find yourself interested in things you didn't know you could be interested in!

It's a fun book to read -- all the emails from him to the team. If you're a swimmer you need to read this. It's all about the basics as well as race strategies. The basics work for pool or open water swimming. The strategy is for tri swimming. He's obviously got a great rapport with the team. He's got a great sense of humor, and he's able to really reach out and grab them emotionally before big events. There are hundreds of pics. Also, the interesting twist is that he's gay, he's out, he's coaching at West Point, and nobody cares that he's gay. It's a very interesting dynamic. This is not your usual boring swimming book -- or triathlon book for that matter. It's worth the 15 bucks.