Hi,
I am thinking of investing in a wetsuit. Any wisdom out there? What style is the best...long, short, sleeves, no sleeves. Where is the best place to find one? Does wearing a wetsuit significantly improve your time?
Last year I did the 1 mile swim in the Chesapeake Bay. Most people had wetsuits. The water temperature was 72 degrees, and I was not cold at all even though I did not have a wetsuit.
Any thoughts?
Swimmy :)
Parents
Former Member
Hi Diana, it's great hearing from you! I sent you a message - yes, I'm interested in your friend's wetsuit voucher if she hasn't sold it yet.
Actually I think I might have a better chance of finishing the Potomac swim than the Bay Swim, because although it's longer, there are no time limits (I checked previous years results, and a few finishers took over 7 hours), and although I'm slooow, I can go on and on... and having a kayaker to do the navigating and stop for feeding should make things easier too (I'm going to have to practice drinking water and eating while treading water...)
Unfortunately I'm going to be in Kentucky the week of the Swim for Life, or else I'd do that one, too.
I probably will go with a full coverage wetsuit. There's a triathlon shop in VA Beach that carries wetsuits, so I'll try renting one with long sleeves and seeing if it's too constricting on my shoulder (my right shoulder's been hurting/ popping; can't tell if it's because of lousy technique or an old injury). But I doubt if I could finish without one. Last Sept. at Lake Montclair I was fine while in the water, but as soon as I got out, I was verrry cold.
I'm thinking of joining a group to train with. There's a Masters group at the Y we belong to, but they are all sprinters, and the time doesn't fit my schedule. But there's another group that has triathletes and several Bay Swim finishers; sometimes they do a timed mile as part of their workouts, which are three days a week. A friend from the track club who finished the Bay Swim four times (once third place in age group) told me about it - I'm thinking of joining even though it's a 30 minute drive each way. Maybe that would be better than training on my own. How do you train for your long swims?
Good luck with the Bay Swim!
Sandra
Hi Diana, it's great hearing from you! I sent you a message - yes, I'm interested in your friend's wetsuit voucher if she hasn't sold it yet.
Actually I think I might have a better chance of finishing the Potomac swim than the Bay Swim, because although it's longer, there are no time limits (I checked previous years results, and a few finishers took over 7 hours), and although I'm slooow, I can go on and on... and having a kayaker to do the navigating and stop for feeding should make things easier too (I'm going to have to practice drinking water and eating while treading water...)
Unfortunately I'm going to be in Kentucky the week of the Swim for Life, or else I'd do that one, too.
I probably will go with a full coverage wetsuit. There's a triathlon shop in VA Beach that carries wetsuits, so I'll try renting one with long sleeves and seeing if it's too constricting on my shoulder (my right shoulder's been hurting/ popping; can't tell if it's because of lousy technique or an old injury). But I doubt if I could finish without one. Last Sept. at Lake Montclair I was fine while in the water, but as soon as I got out, I was verrry cold.
I'm thinking of joining a group to train with. There's a Masters group at the Y we belong to, but they are all sprinters, and the time doesn't fit my schedule. But there's another group that has triathletes and several Bay Swim finishers; sometimes they do a timed mile as part of their workouts, which are three days a week. A friend from the track club who finished the Bay Swim four times (once third place in age group) told me about it - I'm thinking of joining even though it's a 30 minute drive each way. Maybe that would be better than training on my own. How do you train for your long swims?
Good luck with the Bay Swim!
Sandra
