i’m wondering if i can get away without a wetsuit, as i don’t have much experience swimming in one, and feel intimidated by it. i tried once and seemed very tight on my chest, which made me feel quite nervous.
also, i’m trying to determine what i could wear that won’t have a ton of drag in the water (assuming no wetsuit); but can also run in. i need chest support, so appreciate any ideas from ladies. i’m too shy to swim in sports bra only.
Isn’t this the back end of the triple T? If so I asked a while back about just using a shorty wetsuit but the majority of the people said to wear a fullsuit because the water was so cold. I’m sure you’ll get many opinions. I’m going with the full.
I’ve done the race twice…IMHO…you should were a wetsuit. Not only are you going to be in the water for 30 minutes but in my experience the air temperature when you get out isn’t the warmest either. So it’s a good idea not to be too cold before you start the bike.
You have a month. So you have lots of time to train with the wetsuit. Bring it to the pool if you have to. On race day just remember to remain calm and go out easy at the start of the race. That way you won’t get that wetsuit tightening around your chest/neck feeling. FWIW, most people have had this happen to them at one time or the other.
Last year the weather was incredibly hot (80+) and I don’t remember the water being particularly cold or hot. In previous years, the water has been colder, but nothing horrible, and the weather has been cooler, with some rain also.
I’ve always worn my full suit, for the performance benefits if nothing else. Yes, even in the prolog.
I have done this race five (5) times and a wetsuit is essential. You won’t need it in the race on Friday. Any advantage you get from wearing a wetsuit in a 200 - 250 yard swim is negated by the time you’ll spend getting it off. You’ll need it for both races on Saturday. Especially the second race. Cramping WILL occur. No doubt about it. The wetsuit will stop the cramping from coming right away. Plus, if you cramp at least you have the added flotation to get you to T1 sooner. It’s a no brainer to use a wetsuit on Sunday. The weather this year has been unseasonably cold. I would imagine that Turkey Lake isn’t much above 60 degrees right now. I did a race in Tuscaloosa, AL this past weekend (much farther South) and the water in the Black Warrior River was only 62. Use the wetsuit in the pool. You’ll look goofy and you’ll get some serious stares but at least you’ll give yourself some time to get used to it. Bruce Gennari
The last two years you could have swam w/o a wetsuit, but I haven’t seen anyone do it -I don’t think.
one could have swam without one because the water was warm, or because the air wasn’t too cold when you got out (or both)?
to be honest, i’m not too influenced that everybody is in a wetsuit…i’ve been at HOT races and people are on the beach in wetsuits (why is beyond me, but people believe they need a WS i guess).
It was 90 degrees last year, so the air was extra hot. The water wasn’t too cold for no wetsuit, either. I would wear one just because I know I am faster in the wetsuit.
It was so hot last year that several people passed out on the run course from what I heard. I did the Aquabike and was pretty happy with that choice given the circumstances.
In general, the little valley where the race happens seems to be a bit hotter than the weather reports that you will see, which are probably taken in Portsmouth (proper). The heat seems to settle in the park area.
Get over it. Even good swimmers are faster in a wetsuit.
Just know that the likelihood of a panic attack is very high in your first mass-start, wetsuit swim. Think about that a lot, and then don’t let it freak you out on race day.
But even if it does, you need to go through it to get over it.
at the start if you guys see a woman licking the inside of her goggles (orange swedish) with no wetsuit on–please say hi; that will be me! i’ll probably be the only one on the beach without a rubber suit. HA!
well, i don’t want to panic on this course. so if at all possible i’m going to scrap the wetsuit, in order to be mentally “together” for that hard bike ride.
now, i’ll give it a good go in the pool, possibly (with the wetsuit), but if it’s warm out i’d rather just scrap it. i have to really focus on not panicing in water i can’t see through, so i already have concerns.
there is this stupid fear i have about seaweeds (i know, a lake isn’t the sea) wrapping around me and pulling me down. also, i fear swimming into a dead person that’s just floating there.
Is it possible you just don’t have a properly fitted wetsuit? Instead of ditching the idea try and go somewhere that will rent you a few sizes/brands for the day and go test them out. I bet you just have a mis-sized suit. Personally, I would say go with a DeSoto and you won’t have that feeling in your chest.
I’ll be there for the Triple T as well. I can understand that you might want to make a decision to not wear a wetsuit in order to have one less thing to worry about in the race, but don’t make that decision now. Bring the wetsuit with you and decide that morning. It’s really not that hard to get used to it. I’m a BOP swimmer and I’ve only used my wetsuit about 5 times, but I’m always happy when I wear it. Bring it along, maybe do a warm up in it and then decide what you want to do. At least then you’ll have the option.
We’ve got to have a ST get-together at this race. Are you getting there Saturday night or Sunday morning?
One more thing - I did a sprint once without a wetsuit and had trouble figuring out what to wear. I ended up wearing a tri suit with a speedo on top of it. I looked like a complete dork, but it worked beautifully. The tri top by itself wasn’t good for swimming in, but that with the speedo was perfect.
Definitely wear the suit. Only last year was it very warm - usually pretty chilly. Plus, even the fastest of swimmers (like Bruce Gennari or Eric F. who responded) still benefit from one.