Wetsuit Epiphany
Okay, so I have one more race this year. I am racing the Olympic distance triathlon at HITS Palm Springs on Dec. 8th. I have heard the water can be very cold, so I had a chat with Gayla at Tri-Zone, trying to figure out a wetsuit that would be good for me and for this race.
My current wetsuit inventory: 2 surf wetsuits (one shorty and one full), 1 full sleeved (TNT) swim wetsuit, and 1 sleeveless (Xterra) swim wetsuit. The surf wetsuits are automatically out for swimming. I feel to constricted and tend to overheat in my current full swim wetsuit. I was concerned about wearing the sleeveless in the cold having worn it recently for a cold water workout, my arms/shoulders get stiff and cold.
After my conversation with Gayla, she lent me a 2XU full sleeve suit V1. I had the suit for about a week before I actually got it put on. So on the morning before a scheduled swim/bike workout, I tried it on before I left the house, and it fit, though I didn't get it zipped. I headed out for my swim, got the wetsuit on again, though needed some assistance with zipping (as I always do). It initially felt good on the shoulders, lots of room, my main concern. I didn't feel constricted at all, though I was still worried about overheating once I got going. I hit the water at Corona del Mar and just got used to it for a while, letting the water seep slowly into the suit.
The swim
OMG... I felt like I had nothing on, no restrictions on my shoulders as I pulled through the water and was able to recover without feeling like the suit was pulling back. It was amazing! I had never felt like this in a wetsuit before. The suit was so comfortable and there was none of the dreaded overheating. I felt faster, and felt like I was putting in less effort to maintain my speed.
I swam just over half a mile in this wetsuit, and will be using it again in Palm Springs.
The bike
So after the swim was a bike ride. Other than testing out the wetsuit, the other purpose of the workout was to also test the new Tri-Zone tri-top. We rode from Corona del Mar down to Laguna Beach, then back up to Corona del Mar and up through the Back Bay. The jersey performed like a champ. The pockets in the back were large enough to hold my iPhone in it's various cases, as well as my keys (one item in each pocket).
Thanks
Thanks to Gayla at Tri-Zone, Raul-mechanic @ Tri-Zone & SBR buddy (swam and rode w/me on epiphany day).
