I did my first tri last summer and found the initial shock of jumping into cold water plus raceday anxiety to really kill my swim. I was suffering! I'm a terrible swimmer anyway and was getting used to wearing a wetsuit so almost felt like I was hyperventilating! Fortunately my biking & running ability put me back in the field.

What can I do to warm up before the race? I suspect the water & outdoor temp will be in the 60's for my next race, if that affects anything. I noticed some racers riding on their trainer, good for bloodflow I imagine, but won't that draw blood away from your arm muscles to your legs?