Vance - Triathlon 2.0: data-driven performance training

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Vance, Jim, 1976

Title: Triathlon 2.0 : data-driven performance training / Jim Vance.

Description: Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics, [2016] | Includes

bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015042251| ISBN 9781450460026 (print)

Subjects: LCSH: Triathlon--Training.

Classification: LCC GV1060.73 .V36 2016 | DDC 796.42/57--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015042251

ISBN: 978-1-4504-6002-6 (print)

Copyright 2016 by James Vance

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This publication is written and published to provide accurate and authoritative information relevant to the subject matter presented. It is published and sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, medical, or other professional services by reason of their authorship or publication of this work. If medical or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

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E6013

Robin Sharma, best-selling author

Allan F. Mogensen

Ian Thorpe, five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist for Australia (on being in lane 5 for a final)

Joe Vigil, Olympic running coach

Benjamin Franklin

Tim OReilly, founder and CEO of OReilly Media, who popularized the terms open source and Web 2.0.

William Edwards Demming

Ralph Marston

Joe Friel, Olympic coach, best-selling endurance training author

Jack Daniels, from his book Daniels Running Formula

Joel Filliol, Olympic triathlon coach

Team slogan for Formula Endurance, the nations first USA Triathlon High Performance Team and USA Swimming team

Mike Tyson

Eddy Merckx, Belgian, five-time Tour de France champion

Margaret J. Wheatley, American writer and management consultant

Only three things can be measured in endurance training: frequency of workouts, duration of the workout, and intensity of the workout. Frequency is simple. All thats required is a calendar. Measuring duration is also easy. Any clock will do. Intensity is the hard one to measure. Ive been trying to do that accurately for about 50 years. This book reveals the current state of the art of intensity measurement in sport.

When I started training as a collegiate runner in the 1960s the most advanced technology available for measuring intensity was a stopwatch. And we didnt wear it on the wrist; it was handheld. Ive still got my silver Hanhart shockproof watch, scratched crystal and all, from when I was a high school track coach in the 1970s. By the early 1980s, when I was a triathlete, the heart rate monitor came along. I recall thinking there could be nothing more advanced than this; it was the ultimate measure of intensity. It took a couple of years to figure out zone-based training by sport. Once we had it, we were off to the races! That was the late 1980s.

In the early 1990s I heard about something called a power meter. I had no idea at first what it was all about, but somehow it measured intensity on the bike. Of course, there was no Internet, let alone search engines, so I had to wait for magazine articles on it. That seldom happened. But slowly I began to gather information. In 1995 I started writing a book called The Cyclists Training Bible and decided I should include something about power meters. So I wrote to SRM, the German company that was the only power meter manufacturer in the world. The owner, Uli Schoberer, was kind enough to loan me one for three months so I could become familiar with it. Its been 20 years since I first tried training with power meters, and the learning continues. What an amazing tool! And the list of high-tech tools for measuring intensity goes on and on. Just when I think weve reached the pinnacle, something new comes along. The problem it creates for us as athletes and coaches is deciding what is best for us and then learning how to use it.

Ive known Jim for many years and consider him one of the best triathlon coaches in the United States. I was his coach in the latter part of his career as a professional triathlete. When he retired and decided to become a coach, I was pleased because I knew he would be one of the best. Thats certainly proven to be right. His greatest strength as a coach has always been his understanding of producing the best possible race performances from the athletes with whom he worked. And that is based on understanding how to measure whats important. He is one of the sports leaders in this regard.

By reading Triathlon 2.0: Data-Driven Performance Training, you will become much more capable of determining your priorities and how you can measure and analyze them. Your improved performance will reflect your newfound knowledge.

Joe Friel, cofounder, TrainingPeaks

This book wouldnt have come to fruition if not for the support of some amazing and wonderful people in my life. Thank you to my parents, Rhonda and Bob, for all their work in raising me, and the appreciation they helped me learn for all they taught me and did for me. Thanks to my wife, Orlanda, for her love and support through all the years. Thanks to my young sons, Alistair and Alden, who motivate me every time I look at them and see their beautiful smiles. Thanks to Adam Zucco, who has been a great friend and colleague in the coaching business. Thanks to Joe Friel, Greg Welch, Bob Seebohar, and Peter Reid for teaching me a lot through their coaching during my racing career. And thanks again to Joe, who has mentored me from athlete to coach to writer. Finally, thanks to Lydia Kaulapai, who introduced me to writing and showed me what a great tool it can be in life.