Triathlon - First Swim in my Wetsuit

Well last night I did my first open water swim in my wetsuit and it was horrible. I have been swimming 2 a week in the pool getting my stroke and breathing down (still a work in progress) but I have really improved. My coach even watched me swim a full 100m and said everything looked really good, stroke, breathing, pace everything. So I was feeling pretty good going the open swim in the wetsuit.

I did notice that it was really tight and a little uncomfortable to breath but not impossible. We started the swim and I was doing alright and around 75m or so I looked to spot (need to work on that part) but after that I could not seem to get my breathing back. I seemed to have to stop every 20m and no matter how long I floated for till I caught my breath it didn't matter.

I was so slow at that point and exhausted. Is this something I will get better at with time or was I just not ready for the open water yet? Also what about swimming in the pool with my wetsuit on to get more comfortable swimming in my wetsuit? Thanks in advance.

What kind of suit is it?

Yes you will get used to it. Most people don't practice in there wetsiut (Big problem) then on race day there up for a big surprise.

Just keep going...the breathing will get better unless your suit is too small and they all feel tight...they should feel tight so I am thinking yours is good..

Make sure you hang it dry and rinse good in the shower after the pool...

:)

My suit is a 2XU T:O and thanks for the advice, I guess I will swim it more often, I have a my first race this Saturday 9/13 so I might not get a chance to swim in it tonight, unless I do it in the pool. I guess I will just take it slow and relax and understand what the deal is. I mean it was pretty easy to swim in and the bouyancy was great so that is a major plus. Thanks again for all your help.

So, how'd it go?

Great I never thought about the breathing and was really relaxed.

hey guys,

is there a difference in bouyancy (sp) between different suits? What is going to give me the best competitive advantage??? isn't that what it comes down to... plus being comfortable.

how much $$$ are we talking, btw?

yes different suits as well as different prices ranges have more or less bouyancy. The best way to start is find a place by you that sells suits go in and try on all the suits in your price range, find the suits that fits you best and buy it. I say this only because you can do all the research you want on a certain suit but if it doesn't fit or feel comfortable why buy it. In some cases the higher end suits have the better bouyancy, but a lot of entry level suits have good bouyance.

If you want to do more reasearch on the certain suits you can buy form your LTS then call ask what they sell then reasearch those one. The suit I bought is the 2XU T:O which is the entry level suit and the bouyancy is great. Hope this helps.

thanks. i ended up picking the low end QR suit on clearance. I read reviews first and people seem to love it, at least for the price.Tried it on and fit well. Sunday will be my first swim with it at 1.2 miles. Also my 2nd tri. OK I am a little scared!!!

^Where you racing? Montauk?

I think Montauk was sold out. I just got into tri's a week ago so I'm not really sure what is going on here. There is another one up in Rye or something that was also sold out? This is the Bassman in Tuckerton, NJ. http://www.active.com/page/eventdetails_print.htm?event_id=1491352&assetId=35EAD788-4D9A-441B-8A8D-0A2F8B89DED4

I did notice that it was really tight and a little uncomfortable to breath but not impossible. We started the swim and I was doing alright and around 75m or so I looked to spot (need to work on that part) but after that I could not seem to get my breathing back. I seemed to have to stop every 20m and no matter how long I floated for till I caught my breath it didn't matter.

I was so slow at that point and exhausted. Is this something I will get better at with time or was I just not ready for the open water yet? Also what about swimming in the pool with my wetsuit on to get more comfortable swimming in my wetsuit? Thanks in advance.

It may be the way you're putting on the suit.

I've just gone through a wetsuit drama myself, even beyond what I've shared in this forum. After my first suit ripped at the seam (factory defect), the new replacement suit felt much tighter, even though it was marked the same size. When I got in the water to swim, it was like there was a resistance pulling on my arms and I soon got exhausted. Now I was really in trouble because I can't return a suit that's been in the water.

Frustrated with a race coming up, I decided I would put the suit in ebay and get one size larger. When I put the new one on, I noticed it was much looser, but tried it out and it was way too loose and water got inside of it easily causing a drag. Now I'm at the height of frustration with two suits that don't seem to fit.

Here's the part that might be helpful to you. I went back to my tighter fitting wetsuit and this time made sure I pulled the arms up enough toward my shoulders. This gave me a much better range of motion, in fact it eliminated the problem all together. Frustrating, but at least the problem is solved. Now I just have to put the larger suit on ebay.

Anyone know a good triathlon shrink? I'm going to need a whole lotta therapy after this. :twitchy: