Home› General Training Discussions

Wetsuit performance

donymodonymo
in General Training Discussions

I did my swim race rehearsal today in a 50m pool (no wetsuit) and clocked 5 minutes faster than in Mirror Lake last week with a wetsuit.  Granted, in Mirror Lake I did make multiple stops to get my bearings and decide when to turn back, but still...



Everything I read says I should be faster in a wetsuit but I don't see it in my results.



Are there any special techniques or adjustments to the swim stroke when using a full wetsuit?

Should I avoid kicking altogether?

Comments

  • Robert SaboRobert Sabo
    Listen to Coach Rich's podcast with Bob Hiller inre Honu 70.3. They spend 20 minutes talking about swim RRs and wetsuits, etc
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Where is that podcast?
  • donymodonymo
    If you subscribe to the EN podcast feed, it's one of the most recent
  • Robert SaboRobert Sabo
    http://enation.libsyn.com/

    try here Paul
  • morpheusmorpheus
    Don, don't stress that detail.

    Just keep working on your swim. Do a few open water swims like they have at RedTop Mountain. Work on sighting in rhythm with your stroke so that you don't have to stop.

    Once you show up to LP, the first 400-800 m is pure survival mode anyways. (Edit: not a mass start anymore, is it?)
    The water is usually perfect. But, being in the pack will drag you along despite any stroke hiccups due to the crowd.

    Do your work in the water building to LP and you'll get out of the water 'fast enough'. Too many variables to predict a swim time for your first (?) IM swim.

    Now, if you're hinting at swimming without the wetsuit b/c you saw that you were faster without it. I would say, ''NO". Wear the wetsuit. I can't imagine that you'll get different feedback on that one. Too long of a swim in comfortably cool water to not benefit from the leg lift and buoyancy perks. We're not talking about a short sprint or oly here.
  • donymodonymo
    @Chris Thanks Chris for the tips. No, I was definitely not hinting at "no wetsuit". I used my sleeveless for the camp swim and found that my arms never got warm enough to be comfortable (water was mid 60's). I will wear the full wetsuit for the race.

    And...it's not a mass start. It's the wave start by predicted finish time

Sign In or Register to comment.