THE SCIENCE OF SPEED PART 1 - WATER
220 Triathlon|August 2023
GETTING FASTER IS THE DREAM FOR MOST ATHLETES - BUT WHEN IT COMES TO SWIMMING, WHAT ARE THE FACTORS WORKING FOR AND AGAINST US? FROM HYDRODYNAMICS TO MARGINAL GAINS, WE EXPLORE HOW TO GENERATE SPEED IN WATER
HELEN WEBSTER 
THE SCIENCE OF SPEED PART 1 - WATER

Water seems to exist beyond the sphere of logical science sometimes. You know the days - the ones where you get into the pool or lake and it feels like someone has tipped treacle in. Every stroke is an effort, you're fatigued after a few hundred metres and would swear someone has attached bricks to your feet.

Then there are the good days - the days you feel more dolphin than human, slipping though the water with ease, wondering why it can't be like this all the time. Obviously the water is the same though (provided you're in the same conditions) so why does it feel so much harder some days - and what can actually help to make us faster?

DENSITY AND DRAG

First, it’s worth briefly considering the properties of water. Without going too into GCSE chemistry, water is the only abundant substance on earth to exist as a gas, liquid and solid and each molecule is made up of one water and two hydrogen atoms. Water’s density is 1 gram per cubic centimetre, which is around 800 times that of air, and the hydrogen bonds also create surface tension (which is why light insects can sit on the surface). So if you’ve ever thought swimming is much harder than cycling or running – you’d be right – and this helps explain why swimming is so much harder on days you’re tired or a bit under par.

So what does this mean for us as swimmers? Here to simplify things is Paul Newsome, head coach and founder of swim coaching platform Swim Smooth. “We know that water is 800 times more dense than air. So consequently the resistance that you encounter when you’re swimming is much, much greater. That creates drag which slows us down – so basically when we try to swim, we are looking to minimise drag and increase effective propulsion. For most new swimmers, reducing drag is the key thing.”

Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA 220 TRIATHLONSe alt
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
220 Triathlon

How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...

Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
220 Triathlon

The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...

The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"
220 Triathlon

"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"

British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
ZWIFT RIDE
220 Triathlon

ZWIFT RIDE

£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
220 Triathlon

PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE

With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
GAMES AT THE GAMES
220 Triathlon

GAMES AT THE GAMES

After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
WHERE EAGLES DARE
220 Triathlon

WHERE EAGLES DARE

With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
220 Triathlon

HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED

The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS
220 Triathlon

BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS

Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
220 Triathlon

POLAR GRIT X2 PRO

\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024