I have never done a Triathlon without a wetsuit. They have been legal in every race I have ever done. With the possibilty of my first IM swim (Kentucky) being wetsuit illegal what suggestions does anyone have for race day. All of my training is pretty much in a pool so I never train with a wetsuit, but as I said I have never raced without one. Relatively slow (37 min HIM) swimmer but comfortable in the water. After going anerobic right away in my very first Tri I always swim with the thought of slow, smooth and easy. Naturally, slow smooth and easy is much easier with a wetsuit. I am worried that will end up swimming too hard trying to stay horizontal, not to mention swimming upstream for the first half! I am not looking for training advice but race specifc advice. Thanks!
The locks above and below the course will be closed so there really won’t be much of a current. My guess is that the RD will somehow find the coolest part of the river to measure the temp and, presto!.. a wetsuit swim.
I believe you are likely right but I am still trying to mentally prepare for a non wetsuit swim (physically the training is the same). I don’t want to freakout the morning of. So for all the swimmers out there what is the key to endurance swimming without aid of a wetsuit? In a wetsuit it feels like I could swim forever because I spend so little effort kicking and trying to stay horizontal.
How about this: start reminding yourself now that wetsuit or no wetsuit, your IM swim is the first 1hr-1hr30min of what will be a very long day. You will have plenty of opportunities to push the pace if you want and losing a few minutes in the swim because you weren't wearing a wetsuit won't make much difference.
I think you are going to be fine. You will go a bit slower and have to expend a bit more energy in the swim, but obviously so will everybody else. The fact is you have done a lot of training without one already and the race should be pretty similar. A hear a lot of triathletes talk about using a pull buoy a lot because it simulates the lift that a wetsuit gives your legs. I would say avoid using a pull buoy too much, working on good body position without any help.
Adam