I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review, This is part biography and part informational on what it's like to be a reluctant triathlete. I read parts but found it a big of a drag to read.

I’m going to say right off the bat that this book is not for the faint of heart. The author talks frankly about peeing and pooping himself during training/racing, as well as how his sex life is suffering during his 3 months of intense training. If you don’t mind the gory details, read on.
The premise behind SWIM, BIKE, BONK is simple – the author signs up for a triathlon. However, it’s not just any old triathlon: he chooses an Ironman race where you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, then run a marathon (26.2 miles) immediately afterwards. In the beginning, he is very laissez-faire about his training, thinking that since he is young and in shape he won’t have any trouble. Everyone else around him speaks differently though. Eventually he realizes that it won’t be that easy as his training miles mount up and he experiences the joy of a numb butt (and other parts) during a long bike ride.
The main part of the book consists of his training miles and his thoughts about same, interspersed with stories on buying just the right bike for the job, which Gatorade flavor is best, his fears about taking on too much, and how his endeavor is affecting his personal life. At times I skipped through some of the training miles because I wanted to get to the racing part to see what happened. Once the racing part started, he accurately captured the emotions and struggles of those involved. He writes about the bonk as he sees those experiencing it:
“With every step, another drop of life falls from their eyes”.
That is a great way to sum up how the bonk feels to a racer. I’ve only run in half marathons, but I have felt the bonk – and this book brings back memories of how it felt. There are some poignant emotions described at the end of the race, as well as afterwards. To finish a challenge such as this brings a wide range of feelings that can only really be understood by those who have done it. The author does his best to convey those feelings, however, and does a good job.
He also adds some thoughts about race volunteers (there was a failed lawsuit where they sued because they wanted to be paid) and how big the Ironman corporation really is. That part was surprising, because I didn’t realize how fully corporate Ironman was. There is a lot of profit generated from these races.
SWIM, BIKE, BONK wasa fun little read about one human’s desire to push himself to the limit. I think anyone who is interested in competing in the Ironman will love it, and those who run or bike competitively will also enjoy the author’s self-deprecating humor that shines through in most situations. As I mentioned, it’s not for the squeamish, but you can skip over those parts and still get the gist of the story.

Well, the title is misleading: Mr. McGough willingly signed up for a triathalon. He signed up for an Ironman: 2.4 miles swimming, 112 mile biking, and then a 26.2 run. It was his own choosing. On top of that, he chose to do it with very limited training time. The book's chapters count down the days to the race. After signing up, Mr. McGough spent a lot of time complaining about the need to train and to spend money to buy things to properly outfit himself to complete the race. I am not a fan of people who are unprepared and then whine about it. This did not start the book off well for me. I quickly learned that he was not going to follow most of the advice given to him by seasoned athletes or follow a consistent training plan. Sure, some people are able to stumble through events in this manner, but it is not something I prefer to read about. I also didn't need to read a multiple page dissertation on Gatorade flavors or about his sex life. Most of the time while reading the book, I wanted to skip ahead to the race itself. Finally, there, I got to enjoy his race report. I think this book was trying to appear to both seasoned triathletes and those who aren't athletes at all. The end result feels like it doesn't quite fit anywhere.

This was an interesting topic and the author bared his soul (and more at times) but it just got bogged down with a lot of detail. Will McGough's journey from regular exercise to Ironman competitor is filled with much humor, especially on some topics that feel like there is too much information. An example of that is the "bonk" portion of this book. Even though his portions of the book are small compared to the amount of information found online on such information as defecating and throwing up while competing, it still felt like too much information and too much detail. The same thing goes when he mentioned how his sex life was suffering while he was training. McGough seems to want to make sure the reader knows every last detail about his training and his racing. Don't get me wrong, some of these stories are great reads, such as when he is shopping for a bicycle. But overall, the book was only okay for me while crawling to a halt with some of the details. It might be a very good read for those who are triathletes/Ironmen (and women) but a casual reader of running books will probably want to pass on this one.

Get into the mind of an athlete. Very well written and such an interesting story. You will love this book.

When Will McGough decides to become an Ironman Run the triathlon little did he realize all he would take on..He takes us along on his journey his training the eye opening expenses bikes helmets socks sneakers etc.Intimate details of what a biker does to keep his privates from chafing,He shares hilarious moments emotional moments.Reveals how rather Ironman cooperation works, This amount of training is exhausting even to read about you will find yourself cheering for Will and the other competes.This was a really entertaining read ,loved reading about bal the training from my comfortable chair.#netgalley #romanlittlefiekd,.