This. I would skip the swimsuit only idea, unless you have chicken legs/no thighs. Whatever you chose, you'll want to make sure that it is very tight fitting.

In our area the first tri of the season is a pool swim. I've done it a couple of times, and would say because of the seeded start a pool swim is actually more unpredictable than an ows. Either people deliberately put in faster times than they can swim, or simply are ignorant of their times. Either way, chances are big you may end up with folks in front of you that are much slower than you, and behind you that are faster. Be prepared to tug on someone's ankle if they are blocking you (to let them know you want to pass at the wall) or be tugged (and move aside at the wall).

My other tips: Have some warm "throwaway" clothes you can wear standing in line waiting for your pool start. If you can, try out the pool the day before the race to figure out what the walls feel like when you turn, practice getting out at the end, pushing off and going under the lane ropes, etc. If you get blocked during the race, don't spend energy worrying about it. Draft and know you'll have extra energy to blow away the bike!

For some reason for me, I tend to go too fast at the start of a pool swim in a way that usually doesn't happen in ows, so my strategy is to concentrate on a smooth, controlled start, and only picking up the pace when I start the second length, figuring adrenaline will push me faster than expected on the first.

Good luck and have fun!

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball