Gourley - Faster: demystifying the science of triathlon speed

Copyright 2013 by Jim Gourley

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by VeloPress, a division of Competitor Group, Inc.

Ironman is a registered trademark of World Triathlon Corporation.

3002 Sterling Circle, Suite 100
Boulder, Colorado 80301-2338 USA
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Distributed in the United States and Canada by Ingram Publisher Services

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Gourley, Jim.

Faster: demystifying the science of triathlon speed / Jim Gourley.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-937715-02-1 (pbk. : alk. paper); ISBN 978-1-937716-44-8 (e-book)

1. TriathlonTraining. 2. Running speed. I. Title.

GV1060.73.G68 2013

796.4257071dc23

2013015748

For information on purchasing VeloPress books, please call
(800) 811-4210, ext. 2138, or visit www.velopress.com.

Cover and interior design by Kevin Roberson

Cover photograph by Brad Hines

Interior graphics by Killer Infographics

Art direction and interior composition by Vicki Hopewell

Additional composition by Jessica Xavier, Planet X Design

Version 3.1

BATTLE AGAINST THE UNIVERSE
Forces and how they relate to you

GET A GRIP
The importance of friction

FEEL THE FLOW
An introduction to aerodynamics

EVERYBODY IN THE WATER
The body and the medium

CATCHING A CLUE
Is it better to cup your hands or keep them flat?

FISHTAILING
The benefit of drafting other swimmers

SALTY DOGS & FLASH FREEZES
Is there really such a thing as fast water?

LIKE A STURGEON
Would I be faster if my suit had scales?

LETS ROLL
The body and the medium

FINDING A BETTER BODY
All the fastest parts might not add up to speed

THE TRIATHLETES SECRET WEAPON
The best equipment money can buy

KNOWING WHATS WATT
The fundamentals of power on the bike

WHATS IT WORTH?
The relative value of a watt

CLIMBERS BEWARE
Working against the weight of the world

A WEIGHTY MATTER
The (relative) benefit of lightening your load

MASS EFFECT
The ups and downs of being heavier on descents

AERO HEAD
The smart way to get fast

NUMBERS IN THE REAL WORLD
Because nobody races in a wind tunnel

HEADS UP
The finer points about aero helmets

BRACE YOURSELVES, WINDS ARE COMING
Crosswinds and their effects on cycling

LORD OF THE RIMS
A discussion of wheels that comes full circle

LAW & ORDER, CFD
Investigating the case of the dueling wind tunnel tests

WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD
Can my choice of tires really make me faster?

THESE ARENT THE UPGRADES YOURE LOOKING FOR
Stop worrying about other losses

THE MECHANICS OF RUNNING
The body and the medium

POGO GADGET LEGS!
Tuning up the mechanics of running economy

FROM KENYANS TO CLYDESDALES
The unknown science behind running economy

THE BIG NOT-SO-EASY
Heat dissipation versus athlete size

DONT STAND SO CLOSE TO ME
Can you really draft on the run?

A DISCUSSION WORTH REPEATING
Running on hills

HERMES SANDALS
Whats to be gained from lighter shoes, shorts, and shirts

KICKS & THE CITY
Is your sole mate out there?

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
How treadmills, trails, and beaches affect your run

FINDING YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Looking at the race from start to finish

DROPPING THE HAMMER
How to finish faster on sprint- and Olympic-distance courses

ITS THE ECONOMY, STUPID
What the smart athlete knows about pacing an Ironman effort

AS THE ICONIC II-TIME IRONMAN CHAMPION Lisa Bentley said to me after my very first half-Ironman, It never gets any easier; you just go faster. This book will not make triathlon training or racing easier, but it will make you smarter. Jim Gourley will tell you that a smarter triathlete is a better triathlete, and I believe hes right. You can use your smarts to get more out of your time and more out of your money. If you want to go faster, this book can help you do that. If you want to go just as fast but spend less money or less time, it can help you do that. Armed with the tools and information you need, you will be able to make the decisions that are right for you.

Faster will help you use the greatest asset you have available to you as an endurance athlete: your brain. Although its your body that has to get the job done on race day, the decisions you make about training, equipment, and pacing are what really make the difference. Gurus and coaches use a popular adage: You dont need to train harder, you just need to train smarter. If we change the way we think about training, our decisions can be guided by knowledge rather than ego, or whatever it is that makes us lust for carbon fiber.

Triathlon is a hard sport, but its not a difficult sport. Unlike a technical sport such as pole vaulting, theres nothing so tricky about swimming, biking, or running that a reasonably smart person couldnt figure out if given enough time and money. Jim will tell you that the information in this book isnt rocket science. That said, I suppose with enough time and money and brave monkeys, a lot of triathletes could probably find the drive to figure out rocket science too. Triathletes are not, in my experience, afraid of a challenge. And thats one of the things that makes triathlon so special. But why not save yourself time and money, and read this book instead, especially when the information is put together in such a nice, easy-to-read, and witty package?

If youre a bit skeptical about a nice, easy-to-read, and witty package, thats understandable. Marketing departments specialize in such things, and this book will wise you up to those glossy, want-inspiring advertisements found in print and online media, in your race bags, and pretty much anywhere else marketing departments can put them. Interestingly enough, the word advertise comes from the Latin word advertere, which means to turn toward. Thats what an advertisement tries to do: turn you toward the product. Now, that doesnt mean that advertisements are inherently misleading. It just means that they have an agenda.

Faster has an agenda too: to make you an informed triathlete. The word science derives from the Latin root verb scire, meaning to know. The scientific method is based on developing a theory (or hypothesis) about something, and then coming up with a test (or experiment) to see if youre right... or if youre wrong. That information is then shared with others. Thats one of the other principle objectives of science: to build a body of information that other people can rely on, for understanding both the present and the past, and also for driving the future forward.

There is a lot of really great innovation, engineering, and product development going on in the triathlon world and the related markets of swimming, biking, and running. And the companies doing that great work try really hard to explain it to you.