When to use insulated swim cap?
Planning a HIM in early May. Lake temperature is usually in the upper 60's. I NEVER swim outside in cold water so it will be a shock. At these temps, is it typical to use a neoprene swim cap?
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Planning a HIM in early May. Lake temperature is usually in the upper 60's. I NEVER swim outside in cold water so it will be a shock. At these temps, is it typical to use a neoprene swim cap?
Comments
I always use neoprene cap for 60s.
This is definitely a YMMV situation. Everyone is going to have their own comfort zone. E.g., someone who trains in Houston or Tampa Bay in the summer finds water temps less than 88F to be chilly!
The big worry is if you dress too warmly on the swim. It's not like on a bike, where you can just unzip and cool off. Being too hot can be just as risky (as well as uncomfortable) as being too cold in an HIM swim. It kinda depends on how fast/hard you are going. Someone staying in 62F water for 45 minutes may start to cramp up, while someone else going for 28 minutes may start to overheat if he wears neoprene on his head.
The archtypal (and true) story concerns Tim DeBoom, in April, 2001 @ IM Australia. The temp cut-off for pros wearing wet suits in IM then was 72 F, and Tim (a 48-50 minute swimmer) wore his full sleeve that day with the temps just at the limit. The lifeguards had to go get him and pull him onto a kayak when he passed out in the water 30 minutes into the swim. They unzipped his suit, and steam hissed up from his back. He said, well, he guessed he should have worn his sleevless. (A month later, he won IM California, and Kona that fall, so no harm done?)
So, take your neoprene cap with you, and try it out before the race in the water you'll be swimming in, paying close attention to what happens after you swim fairly hard for at least 5-600 meters non-stop. Personally, I find the neoprene cap too warm when it's over 61-62 F for a race, and about 64-5 when doing early season training swims.
We all have different tolerances for cold.
Go down to the water and get your face soaked before you get in until your face gets comfortable enough for you to go in. If you don't and just walk in the water as soon as you put your face in your HR will spike because you start breathing heavy and then you will spend an amount of time doing a breast stroke until you settle in, that is if you do settle in.
You could practice with the neoprene cap or 2 swim caps but I have found the key thing is the practice first.
Pack for all possibilities. Period.
If you have access to the swim venue the day before, test the water. Adjust what you wear accordingly.
The use of neoprene caps (and booties) is usually race and Race Director-specific, I don't believe there are formal rules for temperature cutoffs. But, then again, nobody has a way to monitor 2000+ people in a mass start race, like an IM.
I've only used a neoprene "squid lid" when it's below 60F. I've never tried the double latex cap trick.
I always use ear plugs, in water ANY temp. Without them: Too cold you get off-balance, too warm I still get water in my ears and feel/hear the sloshing.
NOTE: the neoprene cap you use should always be tried. The Blue70 one I have does NOT have an adjustable chin strap, so sometimes it feels a little 'snug', almost like being choked. Some other brands have velcro-adjustable straps.
All good advice about YMMV.
I used to live in VA and I am sure I never swam outside in cold temps either.
However, now I live in New England. I am no less of a cold wuss than I used to be, but I have been able to adapt. 2012 I was signed up for IMSG and IMAZ, both swims with temps in the low 60's. In April, I started swimming outdoors. (Yes I swim alone on a regular basis.) It was almost unbareable to me, with ear plugs and a Neoprene cap over silicone cap. Had no problem at IMSG with temp, I was adjusted. Normally I would stop swimming outdoors in early September. But in 2012 I just continued on. By mid-October I was wearing 2 silicone caps and earplugs. Adapting was easy as I built up a cold tolerance.
I tend to be a lazy swimmer (34'-37' HIM). I do go out with a sprint, but mostly I just keep a steady pace, so overheating does not tend to be an issue for me.
Do what feels best for you.
@Al
Glad to have stumbled across this. I was just about to create a thread on the topic of booties and to a lesser extent, neoprene caps. I'm doing Alcatraz in March and the RD just sent out an email strongly encouraging double latex caps and booties, but not neoprene caps due to concerns over loss of balance and restricted breathing due to the ears being covered and the chin strap respectively.
The booties sound like they are a pretty big hit in terms of performance, however the catch at Alcatraz is there is a 1mi run between the swim exit and T1 where some sort of footwear is strongly encouraged. The booties would help for the run, but given what I've read about them filling with water the general consensus seems to be pass on them.
General comments:
I'm sorry I had to laugh a bit at the notion of upper 60's being neoprene cap / bootie weather! I think the water at Alcatraz this year will be low 50's, I swam in the ocean yesterday with my DeSoto T1 first wave, a single latex cap and no booties and I believe the posted temp was 54. It is definitely a big shock at first, but not so bad once you keep moving.
I definitely, definitely plan to either use ear plugs or the neoprene cap to cover my ears for the race itself, low-50s water in your ears was not something I care to tolerate.
As you mentioned, the ear plugs make a huge difference. I never wore booties or a neoprene cap, and I always found that I was fine after about 200 yards, but up until that point I was struggling with breathing, an ice cream headache, and a desire to turn around and return to shore.
It is clear from this thread that different people have different thresholds for the cold, but I think that if you can get a couple swims in before your cold-water race, the shock will wear off quickly.
At IMCDA, taking a few minutes to adjust to the water temp probably helped me ease into the swim and not overexert in the first few minutes.
Trevor, that race director is full of it.
Wear neoprene hood!!!!
No botties.
Junk pair of shoes for the 1 mile run.
Have fun.
Yep, I know that we all measure "cold" differently and coming from FL, I definitely used to be among those who cringed at the thought of water in the 60's, the 50's being unthinkable. Living in CA has definitely changed my perspective some, the warmest the ocean gets at the height of the summer even all the way down in SD is the mid to upper 60's. Prior to last weekend, I had not been in the ocean probably since early November or so when the temperature started to dip, but now that I'm only ~1 month or so before the race I'll probably subject myself to at least a handful of more low-to-mid 50's swims to just prepare for the shock and test drive my equipment.
@Robin
Thanks for the tip, I didn't buy the ear-plugged balance thing since I swim with my ears plugged like 90% of the time anyway (headphones for my waterproofed shuffle) and the air constriction thing seemed exaggerated too. Will give the cap a try since they aren't prohibitively expensive and planning on passing on the booties.
Also, the crap pair of shoes for the run from the swim exit to transition. Don't go shoeless like some, there's lots of gravel between the two spots and you don't want to chew up your feet.
Of course the shorter the swim, the less you need it, but for 1/2 IM and IM, i'd rather be a little too warm than too cold.
Earplugs are a must!