What are some of the must reads on the subject of swimming? I have read Lynn Cox's and Martin Strel's books. Can anyone recommend another either biographical or technical text?
Thanks and happy holidays!
Grayson By Lynne Cox is a short (read in one evening) book with a really nice story about an encounter she had with a baby whale when she was training in the ocean as a teenage. I liked it, I lent it to someone who liked it who gave it to someone I don't know and then I didn't get it back (guess that's not relevant).
Well, I recently got Swimming Fastest, by Ernest Maglischo, and I'm really enjoying it! Have you got that one? I really should have asked for it for Xmas but I just couldn't wait that long. It's huge, though, so there's no way it will fit in a stocking!
I know Ande said that Jon Urbanchek highly recommended this book:
Amazon.com: The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. (9780553806847): Daniel Coyle: Books
Another one my mom gave me to read by a swimmer is
Finding My Lifesaver
A Swimmer's Journey Through Success, Burnout, and Finding Balance
Kristen Woodring
I just started reading Young Woman and the Sea by Glenn Stout. This book tells the tale of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel. It is written well and keeps the reader engrossed while passing on some good information.
I liked this book, too. There is another new biography about Gertude Ederle, America's Girl, that isn't quite as strong.
The channel book I enjoyed this year is Gavin Mortimer's 'The Great Swim', which covers both Ederle and the larger group of women who gathered to be the first across in 1926.
I think Mark Spitz' biography was quite good. I was overall more satisfied with this than "Golden Girl" which was a bit whiny, especially about Teri Keever's problems coaching.
Just finished Gold In The Water and found it amazing. I stayed up until 2:30 last night reading. This is one highly motivating book that I wish I could have read back when I was swimming in high school. I honestly feel like I might have made better decisions about my swimming career with this sort of insight.
Four Champions, One Gold Medal by Chuck Warner. It's about Tim Shaw, Bobby Hackett, Brian Goodell and Steve Holland and their training before the 1500 free at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Warner does a great job telling each athlete's story and you can really sense the excitement when the big race comes (even if you already know the result!).
I didn't know about this one- thanks very much for posting.
