For the record, I have never been a very strong swimmer since starting to race 3 years ago. My wetsuit has been my “safety” net, confirmed by my first race where I had to chill on the rescue kayak for a few minutes while I hyperventilated and got freaked out pretty bad. I still remember the inability to get a good breath & the overall restricted breathing caused by the suit (ironman stealth) which supposedly has thinner rubber in the chest area for improved breathing.
Anyhow since that first bad experience I improved a lot but still haven’t quite been able to ditch the suit. I haven’t really experienced the feeling of restricted breathing again either, until yesterday. Yesterday was my first race of the year, a sprint Tri (TBF series). Now since last year I dropped the ball big time, I basically took 6 months off and used multiple colds as an excuse to not train. I got in about 7 swims of around 1000 meters each (yea I know far too little)
About 200 meters into the swim I got a little freaked out and out of breath but this time I just relaxed and rolled onto my back and caught my breath and continued. I was able to recover nicely and finish decently but I can’t help thinking my suit is holding me back and I HATE the restricted breathing feeling that it gives me. I really prefer the freedom of swimming in the pool without anything but I also realize if I ditch the suit I’ll need to put in a lot more time in the pool to feel confident enough to race without it.
The suit might be too tight in the chest or you’re not putting it on correctly. There are some good posts about how to work the suit onto your body so there are no creases. I am a very strong swimmer yet I experienced the same feeling the first couple times I wore a wetsuit. After reading up on it, I wear the same wetsuit and it’s working fine - it feels snug evenly over my entire body almost like a second skin. Since wetsuits are expensive, I would search the forum and give it another shot. As a not-so-strong swimmer, you’ll want the advantage the suit provides.
For the record, I have never been a very strong swimmer…My wetsuit has been my “safety” net…I improved a lot but still haven’t quite been able to ditch the suit…Now since last year I dropped the ball big time, I basically took 6 months off and used multiple colds as an excuse to not train…but I can’t help thinking my suit is holding me back…I also realize if I ditch the suit I’ll need to put in a lot more time in the pool to feel confident enough to race without it
mate, i don’t mean to sound like an arse, but its obvious it ain’t the suit holding you back. stop making excuses, get to the pool & JFT for crying out loud…then look into getting a suit that actually fits (in that order). whatever you do, don’t ditch the idea of swimming in a wetsuit completely…
My thought is: figure out how to get more comfortable in the open water. You should not be thinking of the wetsuit as your “safety” net. Get out in the open water and develop some confidence in your ability. Then you can figure out if you need a different wetsuit or if you are having panic attacks that you attribute to the wetsuit fit.
The suit might be too tight in the chest or you’re not putting it on correctly. There are some good posts about how to work the suit onto your body so there are no creases. I am a very strong swimmer yet I experienced the same feeling the first couple times I wore a wetsuit. After reading up on it, I wear the same wetsuit and it’s working fine - it feels snug evenly over my entire body almost like a second skin. Since wetsuits are expensive, I would search the forum and give it another shot. As a not-so-strong swimmer, you’ll want the advantage the suit provides.
I am pretty sure I have the right size suit. I got fit at a store by a guy who is an old pro and is trustworthy. The funny thing is I’ve felt comfortable in this suit most of my races, but not this time. It is possible I just didnt spend enough time working it up onto my body, as I got to the race REAL late and was pressed for time to get ready.
For the record, I have never been a very strong swimmer…My wetsuit has been my “safety” net…I improved a lot but still haven’t quite been able to ditch the suit…Now since last year I dropped the ball big time, I basically took 6 months off and used multiple colds as an excuse to not train…but I can’t help thinking my suit is holding me back…I also realize if I ditch the suit I’ll need to put in a lot more time in the pool to feel confident enough to race without it
mate, i don’t mean to sound like an arse, but its obvious it ain’t the suit holding you back. stop making excuses, get to the pool & JFT for crying out loud…then look into getting a suit that actually fits (in that order). whatever you do, don’t ditch the idea of swimming in a wetsuit completely…
good luck my friend
LOL. And no you don’t sound like an arse. No excuses here, I know I havent put in the time in either open water or the pool this year. =)
My thought is: figure out how to get more comfortable in the open water. You should not be thinking of the wetsuit as your “safety” net. Get out in the open water and develop some confidence in your ability. Then you can figure out if you need a different wetsuit or if you are having panic attacks that you attribute to the wetsuit fit.
Good advice, thanks for the reply.
I raced Timberman last year without a wetsuit. The thought of wearing one never occurred to me until I got there and looked at everyone around me and saw… black spiderman times several hundred! Hmmm.
I did get a wetsuit for Mooseman this year, and I wore it both days that I raced. Once I got over the panic of not being able to feel my stroke, I realized that, as much as I hate it, the thing is faster than swimming without it.
You said that you are fairly comfortable swimming in the pool without a wetsuit, but then have trouble swimming with it. So swim without it and see what happens. You can always go back to wearing it. Or, if you don’t want to try something new on race day go for an open water swim w/o it, and see how you feel.
tigerchik, I definitely am going to give it a try without one. I get a lot of shoulder fatigue with this suit and that will be nice not to deal with, as well as the time taking off the suit in T1. I know I will be slower but it’s only a half mile swim and hopefully I will only lose a couple of minutes at the most. This last time I ran up the beach maybe 300 yards to T1 and when I looked at my watch it said 19:30. It doesnt matter than much yet… I’m usually somewhere between the bottom of the top third or midpack =))
If you are in the right brand of suit for you, the right size and the suit is fitted to you properly, you should not be getting this. A great fitting wetsuit should feel like a second skin and feel like swimming in no wetsuit - just faster!
As for the chest tightness again this could be related to the fit of the suit. You may also want to look into the higer end wetsuits. The neoprene used on the very best wetsuits, such as the Nineteen Frequency is extraordinarily stretchy and can accomodate quite a bit of expansion across the chest.
Then again it may just be nerves and you have done the right thing by swimming out to the side, taking a few big breaths and relaxing.
Emilio posted about this earlier. The first use a long time the wetsuit is totally dry and less elastic. I found this the first time I used mine after a long period without use. Try soaking it then drying it out a dy or two before you swim in it again.
I used to think my wetsuit was causing the anxiety, but for me it was actually the first burst of cold water entering the suit combined with not being able to see the bottom (or seeing just darkness) that freaked me out.
I have been practicing in a cool dark lake, so things are much better. But the main thing that helped is doing a good pre-race warmup… swimming relaxed for a few hundred metres, getting used to the suit and water conditions ALWAYS makes the swim seem easier.
It could also be that it’s NOT the suit–it’s your mind. A panic attack feels VERY similar to a too-tight wetsuit. Just a thought, but I went thru two suits, before I realized that it wasn’t that my wetsuits were not fit properly, it was my panic disorder had spread to my swims.
(a) Why not go sleeveless? I have never felt a wetsuit constrained my breathing but have felt like my arms are swimming against rubber bands. I just got a Blue70 Helix Lohn for maximum flexibility.
(b) Swimming in open water is ridiculously tougher than a pool. I think the only way to compensate is to become a much stronger swimmer, which means swimming more often, longer and harder (i.e., intervals). And certainly any 50m pool or open water swims would help a lot.
As some people said the first thing I would do is get in more swim training ;). A lot of the breathing issues and feelings of tightness can come from not getting in the water early enough before the race as well. I found getting in and used to the water before a race and getting in a good 2-300 meter warm up can get rid of a lot of those breathless feelings for the start. When you do get in submerge yourself past the top of the neck of the wetsuit and pull it away from your skin. Do the same with wrists. This will let water into the top half of your wetsuit which will heat up and build your layer of insulation (helps with the shock factor of cold water at the start of a race). It also helps to reduce some of the tightness and friction you can feel from a wetsuit by moistoning it fully. Those things have really helped me in the past.
If it doesnt get better at all it could just be the wetsuit. I did experience similar feelings from the first wetsuit I used which was a rental until I bought my own. Blue Seventy wetsuits were the only ones available for rent from the store I went to for my first tri. Their sizing didn’t fit my body type quite right. Even though it technically fit it was too tight in my forearms and across my chest. I had trouble breathing and it was too tight in my shoulders which restricted my stroke. I bought an Xterra Vengeance wetsuit once I realized I was hooked on the sport and have used it for 2 seasons. I love it and it fits me in all the right places. The flexibility is perfect in all the places I need it in. Its kind of like running shoes. Even if you by sizes 10s in Newbalance and Asics one is going to fit you better. So if you do get a new wetsuit try a lot of brands and you will probably know the right one when you feel it on.
Swimming in open water is ridiculously tougher than a pool.
Not sure if it is that much harder, but it certainly is a very different environment. There are certainly more variables and throw in the mayhem of a mass start swim and you have something that is very different than swimming laps at the “Y”!
Personally, I loath the pool and love swimming open water, but I grew up on water and did a great deal of open water swimming over the years as a kid and then as a triathlete. My suggestion to people who have some anxieties about open water swimming is to get out and swim in it more. Either race more or find a local open water swim or get some one to paddle/row along with you in a local lake or body of water. Eventually you will get used to it and become more comfortable
My girlfriend, Paolina Allan who is one of the top Professional long course triathletes in Canada was terrified of open water swimming when I first met her. However over the years she has swum more and more in the open water at our summer cottage in Muskoka and now goes out and swims a 3K loop there regularly.
go for an open water swim w/o it, and see how you feel.