I have an “ironman” on Saturday, not an official M-dot race but the full distance. I have trained in the rain/sleet/snow, but then usually kept my HR and effort a bit lower so I don’t completely exhaust myself and end up in a ditch due to hypothermia.
The forecast for this weekend (Sweden) is 68-70, partly clouded with the chance of showers. The chance for showers is increasing. The run will not be a problem as the whole body is moving and wind chill won’t be a big issue. On the bike however there is the chance that things can get cold.
So I was wondering :
loose knee coversloose armsneoprene toe covers
maybe even some very thin glovesDoes this sound like overkill? Any thoughts? I am scared to put on too much (jacket etc) as this will cause me to perspire more and could lead to dehydration and cramps.
I have never done a race in the rain. This also being my first full distance.
At IMmoo 06 I wore a functional T (not WB) under my trisuit allready for the swim and put armwarmers on after the swim. That was fine. Then took t-shirt and armwarmers off for the run.
i dont think you’ll overheat if its 70 and raining on the bike. that weather is perfect for running though… you’re lucky. if you’re from sweden you’ll probably be much faster in those condition than if it was 80 & sunny.
I think that you are taking the right approach. It’s the bike where the problems can come up. 70F may seem fine when standing around, but after 80 miles of riding in the rain, with the wind that you create while riding, you may feel cold. So make sure to layer-up properly when starting out. That’s the great thing about things like arm-warmers and knee-warmers, they can be taken off and put on easily while out on the road. These should be part of every cyclist and triathletes training and racing kit.
IMWI last year, I wore a base layer under a bike jersey, and arm warmers, normal shorts and short fingered gloves. I would have paid good money for toe covers just to keep the water from spraying into my shoes when I turned. On the bike I was OK except for my hands and feet were cold.
Running I was OK with just a pair of shorts and functional long sleeve shirt. The wind kind of sucked some times, but also it was about 50 degrees about that time.