Getting ready for an Ironman Kansas swim course practice this Sunday. Anticipated water temp is in mid 50sF. Air temp about 45F. I have a full wetsuit that I intend to use. I have no experience in swimming in such a cold water. Can someone provide some advice how to approach it. There will be a large group of triathletes.
Also the swim continues into a brick on the race course. Should I wear the tri suit under and continue onto the bike or I should completely change after the swim and wear something dry. The air temp should reach about 50-55F on the bike/run portion. I think that it will feel cold all the way, but what do I know.
Thanks
Neoprene or silicon double cap for sure! I’d also change into dry clothes…it’s only training.
I swim in a local neighborhood lake and in March, it will be in the 50’s so I’m very familiar with cold water swimming. If you don’t carry a lot of body fat, it will feel colder to you than someone with more bodyfat. Generally, it’s the first 5 minutes that are bad and then everything goes numb. Wear a squidlid and/or neoprene cap if you want. I don’t. Definitely get dried off and change clothes afterward.
This is about the temp of the water at Calif 70.3 a month ago. I have minimal body fat and weigh 160 lbs. I was concerned about being cold. All I did was double cap - 1st cap is silicone and 2nd cap is latex (race issued). I was just fine with double-capping and a full wetsuit.
I’d change into something dry and take some arm warmers for your bike ride though.
Splash water on your face and do some warm ups. You want to get the initial shock over with before the swim starts. Also, blue seventy make booties. They helped my husband. Definitely recommend 2 caps…if doing so, make sure to put your goggles on first, then the 2 caps. Your google have a better chance of slipping off with 2 caps.
Thanks for all the advice. It is a training session, so I will take it slowly and with caution.
Splash water on your face and do some warm ups. You want to get the initial shock over with before the swim starts. Also, blue seventy make booties. They helped my husband. Definitely recommend 2 caps…if doing so, make sure to put your goggles on first, then the 2 caps. Your google have a better chance of slipping off with 2 caps.
I definately agree with warming up but if you put the first cap on and then your goggles and then the second cap, they are (IMHO) less likely to slip off compared to wearing one cap.
HTFU! I swam at blue springs lake on saturday (about 65 miles east of Larryville). It was 56. You’ll be FINE. Do double cap for sure. Change clothes. You’ll want to be dry.
I’m going to need a lesson in HTFU as well. 2 friends and I are contemplating an English channel crossing in 2010.
Cotton in the ears also helps. Try that.
In a fullsuit and cap you are swimming “on the cusp” of coldness, in my opinion. For me the difference between 52 and 57 is very measurable. At 52-53, I just can’t handle it: I haven’t been able to get through the first 5-10 minutes: Fingers and toes and face go totally numb so I quit. I would guess a neoprene cap and booties would help that. At 56 degrees or above, it simply takes 5 minutes to get used to and I am fine and I can go for an hour … If the air temp is in the 50s when you get out and brick, a vest or light jacket would be nice to throw over your tri suit for the bike, but you will get dry quick … I have done a couple races with 65 degree water in the lake (balmy!) but air temps in the 30s for the bike. Brrr …
This is about the temp of the water at Calif 70.3 a month ago. I have minimal body fat and weigh 160 lbs. I was concerned about being cold. All I did was double cap - 1st cap is silicone and 2nd cap is latex (race issued). I was just fine with double-capping and a full wetsuit.
I’d change into something dry and take some arm warmers for your bike ride though.
water was 60F at oceanside. any suggestions for 48-50F water?
Having done a few early spring cold <60 swims in Utah, the biggest thing I did that made a difference was wearing ear plugs. The cold water really screwed up my equilibrium the first time I swam without them and the next couple I wore the ear plugs and no problems.
And definetely change into dry clothes for the bike, this is a fun training day not a time to tough it out. Since race conditions are likely to be high seventies to mid eighties it s not like you would be simulating race day anyhow, you would be just miserable and setting yourself up for a cold.
Have a great workout, I am jealous of you all getting this training day. I’ll see you June 15th.
I would invest in a neoprene cap. You may look like a dork, but they really work.
http://www.tri-zone.com/Details.html?cat=39&item=DSNSC
If you are really could you could get the Blue Seventy Swim Socks.
Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on wearing neoprene booties in a race? How about neoprene gloves?
having surfed the east coast through the winter, one thing that helps is to pick up a surf rashguard and wear it under your suit. Long sleeve.
You didn’t say how long your swim will take? In ~55 degree water (especially if it could be a bit colder than that), length of the swim can make a difference.
I will swim down to about ~47 degrees, but can go a lot longer (to an hour or so) once the temp goes about ~53. At 58 degrees, I can be in there for an hour and a half. Like TBinMT says, a few degrees here makes a big difference.
It’s critical to wear the neoprene cap (in fact I’d suggest wearing a tight regular swim cap on top of the neoprene, to help keep the neoprene snug on your head). I usually wear swim socks too. Finally, you do need to wear good earplugs. I recently got full-on dizzy, vertigo, world spinning, nauseous in a Bay swim, before realizing that I’d lost an earplug. Earplugs help maintain your equilibrium in cold water. Now I will swim only with the moldable wax kind, because they keep the water out better than the rubber spear-shaped ones typically used in the pool.
When you get out, well, I don’t have a strong opinion about whether you should change or not. One thing you should know is that if there is a substantial time gap between your swim and your ride, you will get really freaking chilled, even if the water was as high as 60 degrees. Generally you won’t be cold the first 5-7 minutes out of the water, but then if you are still not moving, you could start to get extremely chilled and it will be hard to warm up. At least, that is my experience. So, if you change, set it up to change really fast and get moving on that bike.
Err on the side of overdressing on the bike. Worst that happens is that you’ll ride with a layer or two wrapped tied around your waist.
Don’t forget the earplugs, they make a HUGE difference in cold water.
When the water first gets in it’s not nice, but you’ll be amazed at how warm a wetsuit will keep you. I swam in water that cold a couple of times and my feet and face were cold but once I started swimming I didn’t notice.
Thank you very much for all this info. I will follow this great advice.
The Ironman Kansas 70.3 race course opens up on Sunday for 4 hours by race officials, for the purpose of training and providing feedback to race organizers. I anticipate that the swim will be 1/2 Ironman distance. That is the length of the swim.
Unfortunately I am not racing this race this year as I am not ready for it. I am in my second year as a triathlete with focus on 6 sprint and olyimpic distance races, where my first A race is in July. On May 18 I race in local sprint and am using this lake swim as an open water practice and a test to my brand new Helix wetsuit. The water temp later in May will probably be similar during my B race, so I thought let me swim and get ready for that.
Next year Ironman Kansas will be my A race as it is local. I just did not put enough base work for that distance this year. I am using a 600hr/year program, A race is olympic distance, my longest long runs have been 12-15mi, longest bike ride 50mi, 3x week swim avarage 10000yd/week including masters team practice. So, next season I am hoping.
All this advice is great. I hope I will live to tell it and post feedback on Sunday.
Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on wearing neoprene booties in a race? How about neoprene gloves?
To answer your question, Elvis, NO booties allowed and NO neoprene gloves allowed. You (and I ) must endure cold feet and cold hands while racing.
I actually trained in 55 degree water w/ outside temp of 55 degrees. A neoprene scuba hood (3mm) made all the difference brother. And on race day (April 19th Las Vegas “RAGE IN THE SAGE” I wore my trisuit underneath.
After 4 minutes of pushing through the water you’ll be fine. Hands feet will get cold, but everything else O.K.
GO FOR IT MAN!