Sport spending – should I buy the shiny thing?

Oooh, said the magpie, that’s got my attention…

Over the last month or so I’ve been speaking with a few privately coached athletes about the considerations on buying sports items.

It’s an enormous market. Everything is available. It reminds me of the golf market in the 90’s – every gadget and gizmo promising the world and solving every problem.

Sometimes it can be pretty bewildering to understand both whether there is real value in the item but also to understand where the motivations are coming from to grab the credit card.

It’s not always clear.

This more subtle side of this was especially highlighted when one of the group was considering some new technical goggles and asked…

“ah, but will they make me faster?”

It’s a great question and it’s also typical of many questions I’m asked as a coach.

The direct answer can be different to the more complex response.

So with new goggles as an example they most likely won’t directly increase speed, however there can be secondary affects. Some which have a close connection to swim speed – for example, they could aid in better sighting perhaps if they fit better they may resolve leaks so allow you to relax and concentrate on swimming, they might fog less again allowing better sighting, or they have a tinted lens for outdoor sun swims. It’s not immediately going to increase swim speed but there could be a connected impact.

Similarly, there is the influence on frequency of swimming. The novelty of some new items, especially items that you have to experiment with often lead to a little bit more frequency or higher consistency of planned sessions. This can have a direct impact on swimming skills and fitness and therefore a secondary impact on swim speed.

More subtle again can be the impact on identity. Feeling like you belong or being excited to participate in your social group with something new can again influence on frequency and sense of enjoyment.

Joining in

However, perhaps this also highlights one of the risks or cautions with purchases. The risk of chasing that belonging or credibility. It’s a key marketing strategy as the “gap” in what you have versus what everyone else has gets magnified. As it feels like “everyone” has super-shoes, do you ever get that pang of feeling like you don’t quite make it? I know personally I wrestled with this sense as I considered the purchase of a TT/tri bike. Inside the sport there was my own question of “how can I credibly coach and race without a TT bike?” however outside of the sport my family questioned me “Dad, why do you need yet another bike?”. Although it’s often quite a joke, it’s also hiding in plain sight a question to consider in yourself as to the underlying motivation for purchases.

To help with evaluating decisions I put together a mind-map to structure some of this thinking. It’s extremely logical and data driven.

Don’t forget to ask your heart

However, I’d also emphasise the softer, more internal, heart driven question as it’s probably the more powerful….”Is there an identity or emotional gap I’m trying to close with this purchase?” If yes, maybe there is an alternative path to choose before the credit card gets flex’d.

PS – Post purchase reflection on the TT bike and writing this made me take my bike off the turbo today and out for a spin. It was great fun and it made me smile, even when my legs were sore! 🙂

https://www.canyon.com/fr-fr/velos-de-route/velos-triathlon/