How to warm up for a sprint tri?
 

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?

a. your using a wetsuit train with it once before the race so you no how you react. next, you have a wetsuit on water with temps' in the 60's is nothing with a wetsuit so dont worry. to warm up all you really need to do is maybe go for a short run and a short ride prier to racing, and possible going for a quick swim. i have yet to warm up for a sprint, generlly light kicking in the water warms me up, and i am still finishing 10+ mins faster than people in my age group. dont over think ****. it aint that tough. remember your first tri is always the hardest.

I jog a couple slow laps (2x400) & do a couple sprints to practice staying upright with tall posture. I stretch legs, calves & gluts with real short holds and then start swimming some strokes. That is the current routine. I had never stretched before and the difference starting warmed up was a lot for me. I placed in the overall for the first time ever about 2 weeks ago. I am racing a sprint in CA ocean in a couple of weeks. Should be fun. I'll be using this routine again! Find something that works for you. Stretching out is rarely accepted it seems; for high impact martial arts I used to do it was common sense to prevent injury and improve concentration. Just don't push too hard or tear anything. Good luck!

For me the biggest thing to warm up for is the cold water, just like you mentioned. I got in 15 mins before the start so I could get the initial shock out of the way and get used to it. Did some strokes too and when it came time to race, I had no problem with the water temp. Good luck!