Doing my first triathlon (sprint) this weekend and bought a couple of trisuits online to decide the best fit. The medium Pearl Izumi is just a bit more loose (and an inch or so too tall) for my taste. The Zoot in size small is just about perfect everywhere except it is just a tad tight at the top of the shoulders (could be about a half-inch longer). I don’t want to the Pearl Izumi to wrinkle-drag on the swim AT ALL because the swim is my strongest event. So I plan to go with the Zoot. Will the lake water, sweat, heat, etc. stretch the suit at all during the triathlon? Just a tiny bit would actually be good. I plan to do a bike/run workout today in the trisuit, but without the swim I won’t really know how much it will actually stretch, if at all.
Thoughts? (Other than, “You are an anal retentive SOB, aren’t you?”)
Definately go with the Zoot. Most tri suits do stretch a bit when wet. If the PI suit is loose when dry, it only has the potential to get looser when wet.
If you can, get it wet and see how it retains shape. I wore a top (brand will go unnamed) that was very small on me during my last race. By the time I got out of the water, it was hanging off of me like a T shirt and scooping air in the neck. Bummer.
After you put it on spend some time working the fabric up as tight into your groin area as you can and then work the rest of the fabric up towards your shoulders. Mine always feel tight initially but I find I can usually work the fabric up to my shoulders and the suit feels much better. They will also loosen a bit after a few uses and after they get wet. Wear it for a few workouts, get it wet, wash it a few times and it won’t be quite so tight.
Tri suits are designed for skin-fit, so it should feel a little tighter than you are comfortable with if trying it on at a store. The reason for this is water retention will loosen the fabric, and since in most triathlons you are some form of wet 90% of the time, the fit should feel just right when racing. Normally, the lycra/polyester blend fabrics used on just about every brand’s tri suits will return to the original size/shape once dry, so they don’t really “wear in”.
Must be psychological on my part… or my body is “wearing in” to the suit instead of the other way around. Or more likely the fact that I only ever wear them when racing, or doing race simulation bricks that start with a swim.
Have you ever weighed yourself before and after a race? Your body weight usually goes down, sometimes dramatically depending on how hot and how far, as a result of water loss from sweating. It seems silly but that could contribute to you feeling that what you are wearing is less tight- you actually got smaller during the race. As an aside- the massive sweating and salt water also make your skin more tender, which explains why some people may never experience chaffing from tri suit stitches in training, but then get torn up during a race.
Why would you ever try something new on race day?
Everything will be new to me on race day — this is my first triathlon.
I “broke in” the trisuit last night and it was great. Got a good sweat built up in hot conditions. Suit felt perfect, especially on the run where the full body compression was great and I felt a more efficient stride after getting off the bike. Washed the suit last night and tried it on again this morning. Still felt just right.
No. When you get out of the water you will look fine. By the time you get of the bike you will look like a “manly man”. At the end of the race if a women speaks you will respond in a high pitch whine. This is for an oly, don’t try in an IM
