FASTER: Demystifying the Science of Triathlon Speed Paperback – August 13, 2013

I used all of the author's recommendations for my 2014 Eagleman 70.3 Ironman race. I have updated my review since each theory was tested. I hope this update helps you to race faster and save money. The author provides lots of physics and explanations on Force, Momentum, Acceleration, Drag, Gravity, Yaw, Aerodynamics and Wind Tunnel testing. His theories are so practical they border on common sense. Here's the summary of this great book: 1) Lose weight! Don't buy a Cervelo P5 when the difference between the P2 is about 3lbs. Save the money and lose 15 to 20lbs. Losing weight will make you more efficient in the pool. You will feel great on the run & on the bike. It will also keep you from overheating as fast as fat athletes. Force = mass x acceleration. If you lose mass (15 to 20 lbs), and your force is the same, you will have faster acceleration. After I lost 25 pounds over two years, my run speed increased from a 12 minute per mile to a 10 minute per mile. Look to the pros for motivation: Sebastian Kienle - 161 lbs, Jan Frodeno - 165 lbs, Frederik Van Lierde - 163 lbs and Craig Alexander - 150 lbs. They are thin and they win! 2) Buy tires with low rolling resistance. My continental gatorskins have 2x the rolling resistance of the Continental GP 4000s. I purchased the GP 4000s and I currently use my old tires on my bike trainer. 3) Work on your swim and run techniques. Go to a Masters Program and a good running program. Training with a Masters and running group really helped me when I did not feel like working out. 4) Buy a Power Meter. After my 70.3, I purchased a Stages Power meter and I highly recommend this purchase. The power meter measures your power and cadence. Its unfortunate that I'm only able to generate only 130W on my rides. I hope to get it to 175 to 200 Watts in 6 months when I race in the 2015 Eagleman 70.3 in Salisbury, MD. 5) Rent your Zipp Wheels; don't buy them unless your power meter is 250 Watts or above and you completed Step 1. For $180, I did rent Zipp Firecrest 404 wheels for my 2014 Eagleman 70.3. I was 1.5 mph faster and shaved 18 minutes off my 56 mile bike with the 404 wheels which was pretty sweet; Free speed with no additional effort! However, since I only will race maybe one to two IM races per year, I cannot justify paying over $2000 for a set of zipps. It would take 10 years to recoup the price and they will have updated the technology by then. I'll probably rent a set of Firecrest 808 wheels for the 2015 Eagleman. 6) Get a proper bike fit - The Retul method is pricey but better than FIST fittings. I went and paid $$ to get this done. It was worth the money. I also purchased an ISM Adamo saddle to make my rides more comfortable. His other tips are great so buy this book.

I found this book as a good book for the average age grouper that wants to get faster without spending tons of money. Several concepts are applicable to all athletes, like concentrating in YOUR improvement (the engine) more than buying expensive gear. With that said, once you have been working on your "engine" (including having a coach, training with power meter, etc) then gear can make the difference! This past November I competed for second time in Ironman Florida, I got a Zipp disc wheel to try and unfortunately it was too close to the race and didn't feel like using it, when I asked my coach "do you think it would help me be faster?" He answered "when you go to transition area look at what the Pros are using, they have the choice of using whatever they want and yet they ALL use discs", so gear matters and it matters more as you get more competitive, above average.Some concepts were oversimplified, like the importance of a new frame, well I didn't see anything related to bike stiffness and how that affects power transfer, same with racing wheels.

This book might be good for a beginning triathlete, but I feel that it could have done a better job of presenting data, and making recommendations.Take for instance the bike section. While it goes through ways to improve your performance using power and using a Tri-bike, it does not make any recommendations or show much empirical data. I was hoping that he had the chance to do multiple tests with various equipment ( not to recommend brands ) so that you could get a general understanding of where the best performance gains come from. Instead, the book seemed to throw out a base level of information and then move on.This is not to say that it is a bad book, it is just very light reading. I know that many will get some good data out of it, but if you are more advanced, you might just want to look at something else.

Great book when I got it in 2013 and I've re-read it numerous times. I've recommended it to many people as a wonderful source of the science behind performing well in triathlons.

As a salty old nuke submariner, I have always worked off the theory of faster, cheaper, lighter. Power increases when you can make the other three happen. In racing with a human engine, we are solving for faster. This book explains why some upgrades are worth the expense, why the drive-thru is your most expensive investment, and which upgrades are marginal at best. And shave your beard, not your legs.

The best read for a long time. This week I was on leave and doing some final training before Ironman Australia in 2 weeks time. This is an awesome book for getting the mind prepared for a big event like an Ironman, and provides some really go tips for each of the disciplines, and pulls them together in the last chapter. Being an Aerospace Engineer, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Jim (an Astranautical Engineer) balances the essential theory with an interesting dialogue, keeping everything relevant to the topic of how to go faster in a Triathlon. The most important points are: draft in the swim with fingers slightly spread, get a power meter, a good bike fit, low rolling resistance tires, save some energy for the run if it is long course. I look forward to Jim's next book.

As someone that is technically inclined, I was hoping for a little more insight to principals of racing triathlon. The beginner will find the information useful and help steer you toward sound decisions on gear and strategies. But for the seasoned athlete you may find yourself saying.. Huh? With that said the concepts and principals presented are well founded in scientific data and research. Even for the season athlete there may be a golden nugget of info you have been missing.

I am a science PhD so a book of this nature is like candy to me. Ultimately the conclusions to be made are not that different from the ones you would make on different sources but the exposition is great and it does provide some previously unread analysis. Recommended.

I bought this book after reading a review in a triathlon magazine. I expected it to be full of new advice on how to race faster but sadly the book is more a reminder of high school physics than a go faster guide. That said if you're new to the sport read this book before buying your equipment! For more experienced triathletes triathlon science is a more comprehensive guide.

There are so many myths and so much information you receive and glean from marketing and companies that sometimes it's very difficult to make head or tails of what is true and what is only a little true. Bike weight was the biggest eye opener. In my opinion power meters are just too expensive to be justified. Probably not for long.

Fantastic book, lots of tips and advice. Some of it is quite technical and hard to get your head around but overall I found it very helpful, informative and interesting to read.

Entertaining and very informative. A worthwhile read even if you aren't a triathlete (especially for cyclists).