For Ed Baker, a lifelong runner and accomplished endurance athlete, swimming was where he had to put in the work to become a more complete triathlete. By combining FORM Smart Swim Goggles with consistent training, he made measurable gains in the water.

As Chief Product Officer at WHOOP, Ed Baker understands the value of personal data as much as anyone. But long before his technology career, he was an endurance athlete, running competitively through high school and college while balancing his studies at Harvard with commitments to the cross-country and track teams.

When he took up triathlon, however, swimming presented a different challenge. A discipline which was not as natural, and where Ed needed to spend time refining his technique in order to stay with the front of the pack.

While running and cycling were familiar territory, swimming was where he had the most room to improve. In June 2020, Ed began using FORM Smart Swim Goggles, bringing real-time performance metrics and a more data-driven approach to his swim training.

“From the moment I discovered FORM, I knew these goggles could transform the way I swim. Within just a few weeks, I was already seeing the difference in the water.”

Finding a Better Way to Improve

Before discovering FORM, Ed relied on watching footage of elite swimmers and trying to apply what he learned to his own technique.

“I watched YouTube videos of great swimmers, like Michael Phelps, and when I got to practice in the morning, I’d try to remember what I saw and test it out for myself.”

Watching the world's best swimmers can be a valuable starting point, but translating what you see into your own swimming takes practice—and feedback. Without a way to measure the impact of a technique change, it can be difficult to know what’s working and where to focus next.

FORM gave Ed a more data-driven approach to swimming. With Smart Swim Goggles, he could track pace, stroke count, stroke rate and many other key metrics in real time, turning every session into an opportunity to learn and improve.

“FORM tracks everything automatically, so I don’t have to press a button. They’ve nailed the simplicity, giving me the data I want on the dashboards I create, right when it matters most.”

With these insights readily available, Ed could establish a baseline, track his performance over time and see how his swimming evolved as he refined his technique. Rather than relying on feel or memory alone, he had tangible data to guide his training, make adjustments and measure his progress.

Turning Data into Progress

Ed began using FORM in 2020 and continued training with our Swim System as he built toward his 2021 triathlon season. Over the following months, his data began to tell a compelling story.

His average freestyle pace improved from 89.4 seconds per 100 metres in June 2021 to 82.4 seconds by August 2022, with a best pace of 78.7 seconds per 100 metres in July 2022. That’s a seven-second improvement per 100 metres on average, with an even faster best effort. For a triathlete working to strengthen his weakest discipline, this was meaningful progress. Every second gained in the swim was another step toward becoming a more complete athlete.

“To shave almost 10 seconds off my pace per 100 is huge for a ‘non-swimmer’ like me. I couldn’t believe the progress I was making in such a short amount of time.”

His FORM Score told a similar story, climbing approximately 20 points over his training build and reaching the high 80s. The increase reflected improvements in his swimming technique and efficiency, offering another measure of how his training was paying off beyond pace alone.

By August 2022, Ed’s FORM Score had reached 89.7. He had also logged 347.5 kilometres across 118 swims with FORM, including 104 pool sessions and 14 open-water swims - a testament to the consistency behind those gains.

For Ed, FORM turned swimming from a discipline with room for improvement into one he could approach with greater confidence. With clear data showing how far he’d come, he could see the impact of his training and better understand how to keep improving, which would also benefit his bike and run disciplines.

From Training Gains to Race-Day Success

On September 12, 2021, Ed lined up for IRONMAN 70.3 Santa Cruz after more than a year of building his swimming with FORM.

He finished first overall in 3:58:31, recording a personal-best swim split of 26:06 at a pace of 1:22 per 100 metres—in line with the times he’d been hitting in the pool, swimming with FORM.

The victory marked another milestone in an already impressive triathlon career. It also followed a period when Ed made swimming a deliberate focus for improvement.

“To take the times I’d been hitting in the pool and see that translate to my ocean swim at Santa Cruz was very pleasing. My swim certainly set me up for a strong day ahead!”

FORM played a major role in his swim improvement journey, alongside his coaching, training, and broader approach to endurance sport. His data illustrates how greater visibility into swim performance can help athletes track progress, build consistency and better understand their capabilities heading into race day.

An Experiment in Getting Better

Ed has always approached endurance training as an opportunity to experiment and improve.

From fine-tuning his cycling position and testing running shoes to refining his technique in the water and adding rowing to his training, he’s willing to explore different approaches to maximize his overall performance.

That same mindset shaped his approach to swimming. FORM gave him new tools to track his performance over time, understand where his swimming stood, and identify how he could improve. Instead of relying on feel alone, he could use real-time feedback and measurable data to guide his progress.

Furthermore, FORM and WHOOP are now integrated and work together to help athletes adjust their swim training based on their Recovery Score, an integration Ed is excited to deliver.

“It’s been a few years since I raced triathlon competitively, and I know FORM has made a lot of new developments since 2021, including with WHOOP now! It might be time to dust off the tri suit and see if HeadCoach and SwimStraight can help me find more time.”

As Ed’s story proves, you don’t necessarily have to be a natural swimmer to become a stronger one. With consistent training, actionable feedback, and a willingness to keep experimenting, you can turn a weakness into one of your greatest opportunities for improvement.

Related reading: FORM + WHOOP: Smarter Swimming Starts With Smarter Recovery