Practice, practice, practice. Swimming in a pool is nothing like open water swimming - especially with 1000-2000 others. My first triathlon was also my first open water swim - big mistake - the water was to warm for a wetsuit (race morning decision by the rd) and it took me 1hr! 3 years later, I've got it down to 38 minutes. Not great, but going in the right direction. Good luck!

The obvious question to you is whether or not your wetsuit fits you properly. Is too much water entering the suit? That would definitely explain why you are having difficulties, since the arm sections shouldn't be retaining enough water to make them noticeably heavier.

If you're sure the fit isn't the problem, I'd suggest more practice in the water. If you're not confident in your swimming ability/speed, spend some time working on that. If you're a decent swimmer, but the wetsuit causes problems, try doing a few extra practices with the wetsuit to get a better feel for it.

It's also possible that the conditions simply made things more difficult. I know when I've had to battle strong waves and tides during a race, I've become a bit more tired at times too. I think the only thing you can do about that is practice. The more you're out in the water, the more comfortable it will be and the easier it will get.

Good luck!

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It is said that if you want to know what you were doing in the past, look at your body now; if you want to know what will happen to you in the future, look at what your mind is doing now. - H.H. Dalai Lama

my guess is that the problem is with stroke mechanics. if your arms are feeling heavy, i think the problem could be you are lifting your hands too high out of the water, not rolling your hips during the stroke, low elbow recovery, or some combination of those three. lifting weights won't solve this, as you're talking about a high repetition movement which does not have a direct impact on the propulsion through the water. practice will help, but you will need to practice efficiency, and not iron in what could be a significant mechanical flaw. i suggest having either a knowledgeable coach, or even a competitive swimmer analyze your stroke mechanics to see if they can accurately diagnose the problem.

the heavt arms does sound like a problem with stroke recovery, and a good drill to help this would be the fingertip drag drill, in which when you swim freestyle, drag your fingertips over the surface of the water during recovery close to the side of your body. this forces you to keep a high elbow, and to keep your hands close to your side and low in the air. it'll also utilize the stronger lat muscles primarily instead of tiring out your shoulder. but importantly, i emphasize having an expert set of eyes to look at your stroke, as without any visual evidence, a lot of what i said is admittedly speculation at this point. good luck with having this resolved, and done right, your stroke should not be materially altered using a full suit.

Welcome to Combat Swimming and Waterborne Operations.

If your fins break the surface, you lose them. The only easy day was yesterday tadpole.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

One Tri I wore my watch outside the sleeve of my T1. Big mistake. Luckily it was a sprint, because my left sleeve filled up with water (since the suit is so stretchy, it filled a lot.) I'm sure I looked hilarious with a 'mega' left arm recovering each stroke and coming out of the water att the end.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

test the wetsuit in a non-race environment. practice open water swimming or take the suit to an open-air pool - if you are still struggling then there is probably something wrong with your kit.

swimming in a correctly fitted wetsuit is awesome! all the major manufacturers have sizing charts on their websites.

i had breathing problems with my first wetsuit. turns out it was my tri-suit that was too tight and nothing to do with the suit.

what sort of wetsuit is it?

It's top of the line, fits like a glove suit. But neoprene does get waterlogged and your suit is heavier wet than dry. The suit is snug and doesn't get water pockets. I'm thinking that even a few extra ounces in low trained arms is taxing and the effort just to move the suit also a factor.

I did a 70 mile road race the day before and was a little tired. I didn't kick much (also another factor) but when I went to stand up to get out of the water, both my hamstrings seized and cramped. So I was in 4ft of water, treading (those around me running) until I could slowly unlock my legs. I had to walk to the bike and then things got better. In other words I've had better days. That'll teach me for my lazy tri training.

mmm....

don't know

definitely worth trying some open water training and / or try some different suits. when you find a suit that you are happy with you will fly

i hired a few different sizes to test in a pool. this helped a lot.

i'm not convinced its due to lack of arm strength or that weight training is required.

find a tri club in your area to swim with if at all possible.

If your arms are getting heavier from being wet then something is definitely not right. This is a triathlon wetsuit, isn't it? It almost sound like you're using a surf/water ski or a dive suit. If the suit fits correctly it should fit like another layer of skin and only allow a very thin layer of water in - not enough to notice weight-wise. When you put it on, the torso and arms should be pulled up towards the shoulder so there's plenty of movement and no binding or restriction. When you're swimming in it you should feel very buoyant.

I don't think lifting weights is the answer. If you can, try out a different wetsuit and see if there's any difference. It could also be that he whole open water thing is going to take you a while to get used to and you just need more practice. Going off course and having to constantly make corrections wears you down and frustrates you more than you realize at the time.

Larry