After seeing a woman break 24 seconds and I think we can stop the discussion of "IF" the LZR suit is faster and start thinking "how much faster".
The previous line of suits (Fastskin and so on) were pretty similiar to a shaved swimmer. Sure - they do feel like they make you float, but overall the times seemed to move along "in line" with what I would expect to see in terms of improvements in the sport. If the previous suits would have been that much faster than shaving, you would have never seen people just using the legskins. By the way - for us Masters swimmers there was always the added benefit of keeping in all the "extra layers of skin".
So how much faster are the LZR suits ?
If I had to guess based on the results so far, I would say 0.25 to 0.30 per 50 and double that for the 100. I can see the Bernard going 48 low in the 100 and I can see Sullivan getting close or just breaking the 50 record. It makes sense that Libby Lenton would swim a 24.2 or so in the 50.
I think one of the top regular teams out there should do a test - you need a good amount of world class swimmers training together to be able to do a test. Here is the test I would propose:
8-10 swimmers
2 days of testing
4x50 on 10 minutes all out
Day 1 - swim 2 with a Fastskin2 followed by 2 with the LZR
Day 2 - swim 2 with the LZR followed by 2 with the Fastskin2
Get the averages of all 10 swimmers - maybe drop the high and low and there you go.
Why do the test ? I would HAVE to know. Swimming is a big part of your life and you just set a massive PR using this new technology - my very first question would be " How much was me and how much was the suit?"?
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In terms of net time, I went 0.5 seconds faster with the LZR compared to the Fastskin Pro (at the Janet Evans meet) -- I was fully rested swimming with the LZR today compared to 3 days rest - but then again, I did swim at the Janet Evans meet against a very strong field -- today I was all on my own.
By the way, overall today's time was less than 1 second slower than my all-time best.
Feel of the suits: The LZR was actually ok to get on - I was pretty careful and used a plastic bag -- it took me less than 3 minutes, but it was very tight to zip up. I did not shave my legs today, thinking it was not really neccessary with the suits - but there is a LOT of hair coming through the LZR on the legs - you have to shave. The suit felt good in the water - maybe a little higher than usual overall, but really not all that different from the Fastskin Pro.
Blue 70: Pretty easy to get on - again a plastic bag is a good choice. Big problem right before the start though - I bent down to get some water and the suit ripped a small whole right between my legs at the seam. It was tight - but not that tight. I think once you put it on and sweat a little bit (which is almost impossible not to) - the suit really sticks to your skin and you can rip it. I don't think it made a difference in the race. The material is totally different from the Speedo suit - nothing will get through that suit, very wetsuit like feel. Similiar body position in the water, little bit floating feel - but it's a 100 - you don't really check and see how things feel, you just go ...
Fastskin Pro: I really feel that this suit is pretty close to the LZR - except for the panels, the material is the same as in the LZR. If you can get a deal on this suit, it may be a good value - although retail is still pretty high.
Now I have to go and shave for tomorrow ....
In terms of net time, I went 0.5 seconds faster with the LZR compared to the Fastskin Pro (at the Janet Evans meet) -- I was fully rested swimming with the LZR today compared to 3 days rest - but then again, I did swim at the Janet Evans meet against a very strong field -- today I was all on my own.
By the way, overall today's time was less than 1 second slower than my all-time best.
Feel of the suits: The LZR was actually ok to get on - I was pretty careful and used a plastic bag -- it took me less than 3 minutes, but it was very tight to zip up. I did not shave my legs today, thinking it was not really neccessary with the suits - but there is a LOT of hair coming through the LZR on the legs - you have to shave. The suit felt good in the water - maybe a little higher than usual overall, but really not all that different from the Fastskin Pro.
Blue 70: Pretty easy to get on - again a plastic bag is a good choice. Big problem right before the start though - I bent down to get some water and the suit ripped a small whole right between my legs at the seam. It was tight - but not that tight. I think once you put it on and sweat a little bit (which is almost impossible not to) - the suit really sticks to your skin and you can rip it. I don't think it made a difference in the race. The material is totally different from the Speedo suit - nothing will get through that suit, very wetsuit like feel. Similiar body position in the water, little bit floating feel - but it's a 100 - you don't really check and see how things feel, you just go ...
Fastskin Pro: I really feel that this suit is pretty close to the LZR - except for the panels, the material is the same as in the LZR. If you can get a deal on this suit, it may be a good value - although retail is still pretty high.
Now I have to go and shave for tomorrow ....
