My wetsuit just won’t be enough to keep me warm in a race next week. I’m super cold in the ocean and when I exit the water my hands are to numb to function (ie. unzip my wetsuit, do up my helmet buckle etc). I’ve got **neoprene ** socks and a cap.
I’m wondering about what to put under my wetsuit. Will a base layer of polyester or polypropylene or wool work to keep me warm in a wetsuit or will that undermine how a wetsuit works to stay warm?
Also, if anyone has any tips on how to get warm in transition, I’d love to hear them.
Right now my plan is to have a friend unzip my wetsuit. I’ll have a blanket and towel in T1. Covering myself with the blanket, I’ll fully undress and redress in dry clothes for the bike.
It’s an Olympic Distance race…so, yes, I’ll be slow. I love to race and I don’t want to have to back out because of a cold swim.
Get some wax to put in your ears. When swimming in real cold water it will throw some peoples equalibrium off. Besides that you are on your own…have fun
Take some really cold showers on days before the event.
Warm up before swim. Wear 5 mm neoprene cap. Pour warm water inside wetsuit to reduce cold shock on immersion; it will help for a more relaxed warm-up swim.
2 swim caps, neoprene booties, ear plugs and make sure you get warmed up pre race in the water so you have the water in your wet suit warmed up from your body heat or pre-wet as a poster has suggested. Only other suggestion might be to try a broader swim mask to reduce your facial area of contact. I would not suggest putting anything on underneath your wetsuit as it might get waterlogged and is an extra layer to get off in T1. 5mm Neoprene wetsuit should be plenty to keep you warmish to at least finish the swim without overheating which is also a risk if you start adding base type layers underneath which you will not be able to take off during the swim.
Splash some cold water on your face a few times before you immerse yourself to reduce cold shock. keep your warm up in the water very short (1 - 2 minutes) and warm up on land before this.
Splash some cold water on your face a few times before you immerse yourself to reduce cold shock. keep your warm up in the water very short (1 - 2 minutes) and warm up on land before this.
Glad to see someone mentioned this, definitely helps reduce the chance of hyperventilating.
Splash some cold water on your face a few times before you immerse yourself to reduce cold shock. keep your warm up in the water very short (1 - 2 minutes) and warm up on land before this.
This. I use to do a lot of cold open water swimming. The nose causes a series of automatic things that can cause a lot of problems if you are not prepared. By splashing water on your nose, you will get a lot of this out of the way before you are in the water.
Among those:
Heart rate increase.
Core temp increase.
But most importantly your muscles tighten and it becomes hard to breathe.
Finally, when you do jump in the water, take a good breathe, because you will still experience the muscle tightening (ribs) and if you do not already have air in your lungs, it can be hard to get that first breath. This is what hurts most people in cold open water swimming, that first breathe.
Some great advice here. I got away without earplugs by pulling my 2 swimcaps way down over my ears. I’d advise putting your goggle strap between the swim caps… if you get bumped, your manual dexterity won’t be optimal in the cold water and it’s easier to reposition your goggles if they’re securely sandwiched between the caps.
I would advise against putting any extra layers under your wetsuit… it’s designed to work with a thin layer of water next to your body, not waterlogged fleece. I would be afraid of losing out on the buoyancy of the suit with all that extra water weight inside. And sinking is not something you want to have to worry about. You may have heard of people wearing fleece under drysuits – but those work differently, keeping all the water out.
Definitely practice in some cold water if you can… even a few outings will make a big difference to your comfort level and acclimatization. When you do jump into the water on race morning, stay calm and accept that it will be uncomfortable, but it won’t kill you. At a cold-water race I did this summer, some people literally shrieked when they hit the water and started exclaiming to folks around them how cold it was. Don’t elevate your heart rate and breathing by being this person. Stay focused, and dip your face in the water a few times to get the shock-y gasp reflex out of the way.
Finally, unless you’re racing at Lake Tahoe or somewhere that ice is forming on your bike while you swim, I wouldn’t recommend a full change in T1. You’ll warm up and dry off quickly on the bike. If you want, put a fleece top on. It’ll slow the process of your suit drying, but it’ll make you feel cozier if that’s what you’re going for. I think you’ll be surprised at how much your body warms up (feet/hands/face notwithstanding) from your swimming effort – hit T1 running and keep that blood pumping. Best of luck!
Ear plugs and Emilio’s “sandwich” (latex cap, neoprene cap, latex cap) will work wonders.
Booties will help.
Wouldn’t add anything extra under wetsuit.
You will be cold, but the head stuff especially will help.
…a bit of a tangent, but has anyone done any number crunching on the effects of cold water shrinkage on 100m swim times?
2.5yrs later and this question still has not been addressed? Very disappointing. Shrinkage → less drag → hydrodynamic efficiency… Where’s all the “free speed” advocates?
…a bit of a tangent, but has anyone done any number crunching on the effects of cold water shrinkage on 100m swim times?
2.5yrs later and this question still has not been addressed? Very disappointing. Shrinkage → less drag → hydrodynamic efficiency… Where’s all the “free speed” advocates?
It’s directly proportional to the square of the hair by the pole by the hole.