Ok, not the most dainty of subjects, but there’s not much about this sport which is prim and proper anyway.
So the question: I just got my first wetsuit and upon training with it for the first time the sound and movement of the water played its usual trick of encouraging my bladder. I “held it”, but very much wished I hadn’t had to about 15 minutes into my swim.
Is it wetsuit-safe, to just let 'er rip while wearing your suit in the water? I’d hate to lose that last chance to lose a few ounces and relieve some bladder pressure without running ashore to a Johnny On The Spot that may or may not be present minutes before the gun.
I spend a lot of time in wetsuits, four or five hour stints booted, gloved and hooded aren’t uncommon. The warmth I generate is all too fleeting. I’ve been trying to grow my bladder for the last fifteen years to maximize the moment.
I have also, out of necessity you understand, busted some bigger items in there too. This, I do not recommend.
Oh my gosh. OF COURSE you can pee in your wetsuit. It is a right of passage!
Having surfed for the past 30+ years, I gotta say that sometimes it is the only way to keep warm in certain locales. I have often loaded up on liquids to ensure minimum warmth.
When I started doing tris in the 80s, peeing in the wetsuit seemed natural. It also used to have competitive value to let it rip waiting for your wave to go off. Other women tended to stay away. I think those days are over!
I’ve got a buddy that, when the pre race porta pottie lines are to long… puts on the wetsuit early. I am envious. I can’t generally relax enough to let er go in the wetsuit… or on the bike.
Yeah…the mid-bike-pee is a whole other monster I’ve yet to master. It’s one of those things I’d rather not practice. Haven’t had to bad enough during a race yet either but I have my first 1/2 IM coming up soon…so we’ll see.
Saturday, I have my first half IM. At my age (58), I need to pee often. So I have my tactic all planned out. When I need to go, I’ll pull off the road, go into some bushes, and let 'er rip. So it costs me 2 minutes? I’d probably cost me more time if I (a) worried about when and how, or (b) let 'er rip while on the bike.
BTW, (and I apologize for the personal nature of this), back in 1981, at mile 18 of a marathon, I absolutely positively needed to do a Stop #2. So at mile 20, I pulled off the road, ran into some trees, did what the bears do there, cleaned up with some grass and leaves, and got back on the course in about 3 minutes. It was my one and only sub-3 marathon (2:58:34 to be exact). I firmly believe that the rest stop, with the accompanying stretching of the quads (due to my squat), helped me, not hurt me, in my quest to run a sub-3.
Okay, that was more information than you wanted. Sorry.
OK, so I’ve been following threads on this site for some time but never joined. UNTIL NOW!! This thread was SO funny I almost cried reading it….
Anyway, I recall reading an article Scott Tinley wrote in the Triathlete Magazine in the early nineties (his back page “stories”) on things he observes and do before the start of a race. His favourite pastime was to P in his wetsuit while waiting to enter the water and watch his fluid like substance trickling down his leg and forming a gentle river on the ground, finding its way through other triathlete’s toes and ankles….
While we are on the subjetc of “lettin it all hang out” so to speak in a race, a buddy of mine has to pee all of the time. In his wetsuit, on the bike (he stops and goes to the bushes) and on the run. Last year at a race he was running nad had to stop to let a little gatorade flow. He went over to a bush and did his thing. he then proceeded to replace his “buddies” and continued on the run. He noticed that in his haste he pulled only his race number belt due to the cooling feeling he was getting. He really let it all hanfg out on that one.
As for the bike, just let it rip. That is why you should carry one bottle of plain old water. Rince after. For bike racers this is a rite of passage.
It is 6:50 am…there are clouds laying low in the mountains…we hear the “thum thump thump” of helicopter blades above…it is a peacful morning, at Mirror Lake…1800 people sit there waiting, waste deep in the cool water…all peeing in their wetsuits…these my friends are the moments I train for…
I enjoy peeing in my wetsuit so much that sometimes I go put my wetsuit on even when I’m not going swimming, just so I can practice my pre-race peeing.
I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned rule #1. Always rinse out your wetsuit as soon as possible after peeing in it. Learned this from years of scuba diving. Neoprene and pee don’t mix and the smell if allowed to dry is horrible.
Since we’re on the topic of triathlon urination, I’ll throw in this little tidbit of advice, gleaned after years of competition: Throw a box of baking soda into your post-race bag (or have one available in your car/truck) for after the race. Particularly in an Ironman, when you might be urinating during the marathon, your running shoes can get fairly soaked with urine. After the race, when the smoke has cleared, those running shoes can get extremely foul smelling. A quick, liberal sprinkle of baking soda in the shoes alleviates this nasty rancid smell, and leaves your shoes ready for the next race.
This is especially helpful if you’ve traveled a long distance to the race and are planning on packing the running shoes in your luggage or bike box, thereby potentially spreading the “stink” to other items of clothing or souvenirs purchased for family members.
