My wife made me a Tri suit to wear for CDA,wore it under the wetsuit (also wore for a sprint tri where I did not wear a wetsuit) pulled off the wetsuit,good to go for the rest of the IM. Would not do it any different.FWIW Have an awesome first IM and please post how you do. Cda was my first and I have to do it again. Good Luck....As far as gross and stinkey....You got to be a girl!!!! It never occured to me. Kenney

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am a girl :) I didn't realize my post was so girly. I have done a few bricks in my new Desoto Power Tri shorts and Zoot sport bra. I love the shorts but the sport bra is not providing enough coverage from the sun so am planning on ordering the Zoot tri long sport top (basically the same but cover the whole torso). Is there any other recommendation for women tri top? Thanks again.

I would say the decision is a personal one based upon your goals. If you are aiming for a top finish, a certain time goal, or a qualifying spot (each a lofty goal for a first IM) then the few seconds/minutes you save from not changing may be important. If you are going "just for a finish" or have a time goal with plenty of cushion built into it - then if it is more comfortable for you, take the added time to change. I have done a few IM's and have never changed as I like to save the time, plus I find one piece tri suits at least as comfortable as other options. I would recommend trying out whatever you choose to wear in the IM in training work-outs prior to the race. That will let you know what truly is the most comfortable; offers the best support; dries the quickest; offers the least chafing (important); etc. Don't try something new race day.

No matter what you decide - good luck and HAVE FUN!!

Your post was not "girly" I am just old. Have fun. I am still fairly new to this forum(maybe March and my 1st Im CDA was June)and everyone here was just so incredibly helpful and encouraging.Train Hard... Remember that no matter how you train that you are fortunate(some people can not walk)and have a great time. Please Again ...Post how you do!! Kenney

Hey,

I wear a desoto tri suit for the IM, and never thought twice about changing, or had a problem. I wore the same one for 3 IM. Lubricant in appropriate places and I'm good to go, with no flaming chafemarks in private places (I did try it out in training first, on the day of my longest ride/run a few weeks out) ON THE OTHER HAND...My wife prefers to wear a separate top and wears cycling shorts under the wetsuit and on the bike, then changes to her favorite running shorts for the run. She says that this is comfortable for her, and she doesn't feel "yucky" because of her chamois. Her IM PR is a 10:23 at IMCanada last year, so I don't feel motivated to argue with her. She feels, and rightly so in her case, that when you are out there running for 26.2 miles in all kinds of weather, you are better off running in the same shorts you have found to be comfortable on your long training runs. She uses vaseline, like most people do, and she is good to go. So there you have it. It is not a trivial matter, I know, so good luck.

---

"Maybe you should just run faster..." TM

What do you guys do when you need to pee? When I did my half-IM it was in a Zoot skinsuit. My bladder was so full after the bike and when I got into T2, i just had to let it go. I washed myself with a pail and water which was luckily hanging around at the transition area. It seems too much of a hassle to unzip the thing and pull it down which is why I'm leaning towards a top and shorts for my first IM (Australia) in April. I don't want to offend any Australian sensibilities but should I just stop being a wuss and pee all over myself again?

Kim

Happiness is fresh urine running down your legs. At least it is for me during the bike leg of a long race. I don't wear a tri suit, but rather separate shorts and a top. If I have to go on the bike, I just go and rinse of with water. Oddly enough I will stop during the run. This is due to my unwillingness to run with saturated socks and shoes. I find the shorts make things easier, especially if, God forbid, I have to do more than just pee. So I don't think you'd be a wuss for going on yourself again.

Sorry for being so blunt, but you asked...

I've done it both ways and I prefer wearing one outfit the whole day. But I think it comes down to being a personal preference and a time thing - do you want to spend an extra couple minutes in the change tent? I know it's a long day anyway but why make it longer.

The leg opening is elastic, so it pulls up and away to allow me to pee (a bit of practice to do so on the bike)....although if its really cold it takes a bit more effort :)

I did all of IM Canada last year and IM Austria this year without having to pee on the bike...although the second I stepped off my bladder gave me a very short time to find a urinal. However, at the Kona 1/2 I pee'd off teh side of the bike as riding...very tricky. Any "mishaps" can be cleaned with a waterbottle.

I'm doing the Lake Placid IM on Sunday (my first one) and I plan on putting on biking shorts after the swim and then changing into tri shorts for the run (they are great for long runs but don't offer me enough padding for a long bike). I expect to finish in the 14 hour range so 2 extra minutes in the changing tent is worth the comfort.

Good luck on your IM.

I'll also be at LP - maybe see you there.

Looking forward to it. Weather forecast looks pretty good (cloudy in the mid 70's). How the heck do you do a 112 mile bike without peeing? I expect to stop a few times to relieve my bladder (I also find that stopping 1 or 2 times let's me stretch a little and I feel much better when I get back on the bike). Since I'm not worried about my time it shouldn't be an issue.

Enjoy the day!

I.M USA: The clock just said 4 days, 17 hours, and 23 minutes, but who's counting. I'll be at L.P. for my 1st I.M. distance triathlon. Just tryin' to finish and I''m wearing a one piece... It's all about the cool points. I'm thinking three things here:

1. Failure is not an option.

2. Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.

3. Tatoos are a permanant reminder of a temporary feeling. (OK, so I just ripped off Jimmy Buffett... but I'm still looking to earn that M-Dot ink!)

Good Luck Ya'll,

Joel

I don't know - maybe its nerves or my mind is just on other things :) I certainly need to stop a few times during same-distance practice rides. I hydrate like crazy, so its not that.

I'm probably not too worried about time either (but my ego may decide otherwise once I'm there). I just did IM Austria 2 weeks ago, so I am still a tad tired :) Austria was to be my main race with LP a "just finish" event. But I got sick 2 days before IM Austria so my results were disapointing - now I may try to salvage my season at LP - if my legs cooperate.

Good points! I've been telling my wife and kids I plan on getting the tatoo after finishing LP. We'll see if I do it.

See you at the finish line. My number is 1311.

Kim,

I doubt you will offend many Australians - we have several nude public beaches in Oz, and most beaches tolerate "white pointers" - aka female mammory glands. But the official rules of IM may (?) prohibit it!

Hairy Legs

tridad101,

It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude. After seeing your bib number I went to the website and looked for my number so I could pass it on to friends and family. When I scrubbed the database for my name... No Joel Smith... I thought: "Hmmm... my name was listed about a week ago what gives" So I sent an e-mail and left a voicemail for my POC at I.M. North America.

It seems this was just a glitch, and the good folks at Ironman North America responded in a couple of hours, even though it was past their advertised office hours (Bib number 2078). A big thanks to those guys for such a timely turn around.

So, thanks for preventing what could have been a very stressful race packet pick-up (like I need one more thing at this point).

Joel

Joel,

Glad to help. I'll look for you (2078).

Tridad101

In the DeSoto power suit the leg portion stretches quite a bit so just pull it up to your groin and pull out your wee-wee so you can pee, you'll look like an idiot but you should probably do this in a latrine. Don't even try it on the bike.