We all know if the swim is wetsuit legal it’s faster to swim a wetsuit. And that a sleeved wetsuit will be signficantly faster than a sleeveless. That said, has anyone had any luck staying cool on those borderline, but wetsuit legal swims? Texas will likely be just under the wetsuit threshold for pros and I know that around 70 I still get pretty warm. Would simply putting some ice in the core of the suit be effective? Anyone tried anything else?
Once or twice during the swim, pull down around the front of the neckline to allow for fresh water to seep in.
Now this is just rubbing salt in the wound.
The water temp here isn’t much above the point where an ice axe is needed to get in !
Wear a thinner swim cap… or just wear one if you normally wear 2 for the ‘goggle sandwich’. A friend of mine kicks the whole squad’s ass regularly in the swim leg, and she only owns a sleeveless wetsuit.
Sorry but I think this is an oxymoron. The purpose of a wetsuit is to keep you warm, so unless it is wetsuit-MANDATORY (in which hypothermia is a real concern) you should ditch it if you think it’s not cold enough.
Sorry but I think this is an oxymoron. The purpose of a wetsuit is to keep you warm, so unless it is wetsuit-MANDATORY (in which hypothermia is a real concern) you should ditch it if you think it’s not cold enough.
Eh. Overheating might cost me 1-2sec/100m. A wetsuit will save 6-7sec, especially in potentially choppy waters. That’s a tradeoff I’ll take.
Sorry but I think this is an oxymoron. The purpose of a wetsuit is to keep you warm, so unless it is wetsuit-MANDATORY (in which hypothermia is a real concern) you should ditch it if you think it’s not cold enough.
Eh. Overheating might cost me 1-2sec/100m. A wetsuit will save 6-7sec, especially in potentially choppy waters. That’s a tradeoff I’ll take.
Really? I’m tempted to try one out in the winter after I move to the UK. (I have never used in a wetsuit in my current country because it’s seldom under 16°C in the water)
I don’t think sleeveless are “significantly†slower. Maybe a little, but they also are slightly easier to take off
We all know if the swim is wetsuit legal it’s faster to swim a wetsuit. And that a sleeved wetsuit will be signficantly faster than a sleeveless. That said, has anyone had any luck staying cool on those borderline, but wetsuit legal swims? Texas will likely be just under the wetsuit threshold for pros and I know that around 70 I still get pretty warm. Would simply putting some ice in the core of the suit be effective? Anyone tried anything else?
You might feel warm, but it’s unlikely your core will heat up much.
April fools?
If real, go sleeveless. If joking, you got some people duped that putting ice in your suit before swimming would help!
April fools?
If real, go sleeveless. If joking, you got some people duped that putting ice in your suit before swimming would help!
Lol, not a joke. Just the first thing that came to mind. Why would putting ice down the suit not help keep you cool? People do that all the time in tri kits during the run. I’m pretty much always willing to sacrifice comfort for speed. Sleeved wetsuits are faster when they fit well, and I have zero shoulder restriction in mine.
The hole in the crotch of my wetsuit always keeps me nice and cold…
IIRC Monty had a knack/system for making sure his swim cap fell off early in the swim to help stay cool.
You can also fold back the flap of neoprene under the zipper so more cold water leaks in by your lumbar.
Tested this late last year and was surprised by the results, 3.8km swim at slightly easier than IM effort, weighed in pre and post swim.
3.8km- 50mins and lost 2.6kg (I’m 73kg) so it’s pretty significant considering I’m not a heavy sweater.
I’ll be racing an IM in June and now feel like either a sleeveless option or test to see if ice packs inside the wettie make any difference to fluid loss.
Failing that I will seriously just swim at a lower effort to make sure I don’t ruin the following 8hrs.
I would assume the ice would melt within the 2 to 3 mins it’s put in.
I would recommend cutting suit legs and going sleeveless.
And, as someone else mentioned, having your cap fall off (accidentally of course).
Sorry but I think this is an oxymoron. The purpose of a wetsuit is to keep you warm, so unless it is wetsuit-MANDATORY (in which hypothermia is a real concern) you should ditch it if you think it’s not cold enough.
Eh. Overheating might cost me 1-2sec/100m. A wetsuit will save 6-7sec, especially in potentially choppy waters. That’s a tradeoff I’ll take.
To me depends more on what the air temp will be. I did a borderline wetsuit swim at the old Silverman outside Vegas and immediately regretted it getting on the bike as it was very hot. If the air is cooler that will bring your core temp down quickly. But The effects of overheating will not be limited to the swim only. It may very well affect your entire race
Agree with you 100%. I am a heavy sweater, prone to cramping in hot races, etc. I have noticed a huge difference in the races where I wore a wetsuit- particularly a fullsuit- when the air and water temps were warm. I ended up paying for it in the later stages of the race. If the water temps are at the upper limit, and the air temps are warm I would never wear a fullsuit in those conditions again. I would go sleeveless or nothing. Like another poster, I had an older sleeveless suit where I cut legs to hit about mid-calf.
I would say go sleeveless, I don’t find the sleeveless wetsuit a lot slower than full one. Besides, giving away 1-2s/100m is better than overheating and dehydrating.
Tested this late last year and was surprised by the results, 3.8km swim at slightly easier than IM effort, weighed in pre and post swim.
3.8km- 50mins and lost 2.6kg (I’m 73kg) so it’s pretty significant considering I’m not a heavy sweater.
I’ll be racing an IM in June and now feel like either a sleeveless option or test to see if ice packs inside the wettie make any difference to fluid loss.
Failing that I will seriously just swim at a lower effort to make sure I don’t ruin the following 8hrs.
That’s my experience. A full wetsuit isn’t just uncomfortable, but rather it is significantly slower if you are cooking. I am a heavy sweater and the best, fastest option for a barely legal wetsuit swim is to just wear a pair of core shorts. You get 90% of the benefit without compromising the rest of your day.
You might test SIM shorts under a swim skin.
-bobo