Engine or Equipment?

What really matters more in sports, your equipment or your engine?

Damie and I have been talking about spending money on new bikes and wheels versus training programs and coaches. What's more important, and what is the best bargain for your money? Do we as amateur athletes who train 10-15 hours per week really need to be spending thousands on bikes that are a pound lighter, or a fraction more aerodynamic? Is that aero helmet going to make more difference than an extra few miles on the bike each week? Could I just swim an extra day each week, or should I pay Speedo, Adidas, or BlueSeventy a few hundred (make that $550 for the new Speedo LZR that takes milliseconds off world record times) bucks to make me faster?

(Thanks Norman, for modeling the BlueSeventy.)

As triathletes, it seems like we are hungry for quick and easy ways to make ourselves faster. Are we like overweight America who wants a pill to make them instantly lose weight? We rely on our gear to make us fast, and we blame our gear if we don't perform well. What about good old hard work? It's understandable that not everyone has an extra 5 or 10 hours a week to train. But that's not all of it. It the quality of training, the good nutrition, the rest and sleep.

I have to admit that I get caught up in this too. I have a skinsuit, an aero helmet, a carbon bike, and race wheels that I give sole responsibility to for the completion of my last Ironman. Of course, I had a really slow swim and a pain-filled painfully slow bike, but a run to be proud of. Hey, maybe it's the $85 shoes! Maybe I should invest in some $200 Newtons, because if I run well in my current shoes, I can only be better with technology...

Good Luck to Damie this weekend in her marathon!