OK, I admit that I'm not that tough when it comes to cold water, but would love some advice. I'm doing a splash 'n dash this weekend in Tempe -- 1500M swim and a 3KM run. The current water temp is 71 and the air temp during the time of the swim will likely be around 65. Most of the people in the race will be triathletes, so I'm assuming they'll be wearing wetsuits. I'm mainly doing the race as a warmup for a 2.4 mile swim in the same lake the following week.
It seems a waste of time to put on a wetsuit only to have to strip it off for a 3KM run ... especially as I'm not a triathlete and therefore not experienced in transitions. Two questions:
Am I being a wimp to think that 71 degrees is too cold to swim without one?
Am I putting myself at a significant disadvantage vs. the wetsuit-clad triathletes to not wear one?
Great points, Kurt. I'm going without it tomorrow. I just checked the water temp on the web and it says 72. Plus, I just read the swimming world article about the RCP Tiburon mile with everyone doing that without wetsuits at 63. I've lost a little weight lately, but I still have a lot more body fat than the pros doing that race.
Great points, Kurt. I'm going without it tomorrow. I just checked the water temp on the web and it says 72. Plus, I just read the swimming world article about the RCP Tiburon mile with everyone doing that without wetsuits at 63. I've lost a little weight lately, but I still have a lot more body fat than the pros doing that race.
