Swimming
It’s been said that you can’t win a triathlon from the swim,
but you can certainly lose it. By providing a smooth, hydrophilic layer over
most of the body while still remaining short of a full wetsuit, a swim skin like
the top-of-the-line TYR Torque can shave a minute or three off a triathlete’s
swim split.
Torque Pro
Swimskin Hydrophilic outer finish with ultra-low drag coefficient
Other similar tri suits from brands such as Aqua Sphere,
2XU, Orca, and Louis Garneau help minimize drag, improve speed, and regulate
heat. Speedo’s updated Fastskin line features a complete racing system,
including caps, goggles, and suits.
GPS-HRM
GPS devices are a must-have for serious technologically
inclined endurance athletes who need accurate pace and navigation data.
There's some
pretty significant news coming out of the Suunto camp around the Suunto Ambit
The cutting-edge Suunto Ambit 2 delivers more with accurate
and reliable GPS then adds Heart Rate, chronograph, altimeter, barometer, and
navigation functionality to make it an extremely versatile device. ANT+
capability means it can also be paired with power meters, foot pods, and
cadence pods.
Polar’s RC3 GPS sports watch is another training tool you
can get if you want to monitor your training. It's got smart coaching features
on top of its core function as an HRM.
Cycling
When the first-generation Shiv came out with an aerodynamic
nosecone and won the World Championships under Swiss powerhouse Fabian
Cancellara, the UCI then banned it for violating a certain rule concerning tube
depth: width ratios. The Shiv was too fast.
Specialized quickly removed the nosecone, added a few
modifications, and still promptly won several more World Time Trial
Championships. Piloted by German Tony Martin, the Shiv TT remains the fastest
UCI-legal bike today.
Design Concepts
for the Specialized Shiv TT bicycle
Eyewear
Protective eyewear is a must for all outdoor athletes, and
Oakley has always been at the forefront of the sport eyewear industry. The
flagship Radarlock is an evolution of the venerable M-Frame (still in
production, actually), but makes lens changing a breeze with its Switchlock
technology. Visual clarity is outstanding with their High Definition Optics,
including the availability of polarized and photochromic lenses.
Other brands that are no strangers to performance eyewear
are Rudy Project and Smith Optics. They come with different lenses to
accommodate a large spectrum of light conditions.
Apparel
Wonder not why hundreds of runners these days look like
extras from another X-Men sequel. This specialized apparel provides targeted
compression to specific muscle groups and joints for enhanced performance and
faster recovery.
Basketball and football players have even come to wearing compression,
as the snug feeling has both a mental and physiological advantage. Ranging from
socks to shorts and uppers, compression brands such as CW-X, 2XU, and Under
Armour have made a science out of sports apparel. And their users are all the
better for it.
Training Accessory
It is banned from competition, but nearly all athletes
depend on music to keep them going during rigorous training, yurbuds sport
earphones were designed by athletes who understand how tricky it is to get
earphones to stay in the ears during intense workouts—not to mention stay
intact from all that sweat!
Double Cork 1440
Aerial maneuvers, the Double Cork 1440. So they created
silicone earbuds that twist and lock comfortably into the ears while shielding
the earphones from perspiration. The top-of-the-line Limited model even adds
Triple Magnets and Kevlar cords for outstanding sound quality and durability.
Training Interface
Behind every great athlete is a coach. With the onset of
online coaching, guiding an athlete has become both science and art as coaches
see their athletes' progress via training metrics such as pace, power, and
heart rate.
There are still more than a few coaches who rely on good old’
Microsoft Excel, but the new school of coaches is wholeheartedly embracing an
interface like the Training Peaks app with its sophisticated algorithm for
estimating the highs and lows of an athlete’s fitness in order to build him up
to a proper peak.
