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?
I swam without the wetsuit today, just in a pair of TYR jammers and a silicone cap. The race announcer said the water was in the high 60s, but the official website from the city of Tempe said 72. Either way, it was totally the right choice. I didn't feel at all cold and this was with a 7:30am start after a 6:45ish sunrise.
Unless the water gets consistently below 68 over the next week, I'm going to wear my B70 pool suit in next week's 2.4m swim. That race goes off at 10:30am and the current forecast shows a high of 83 air temp for the day. I think, like Kurt said, I'll cook if I'm out there in a wetsuit. I'll have to keep an eye on the water temp, though, as it looks like nighttime lows over this coming week are about 8 to 10 degrees colder than they've been.
Thanks for all the advice ... and now I'm seriously thinking about braving Tiburon next fall.
I swam without the wetsuit today, just in a pair of TYR jammers and a silicone cap. The race announcer said the water was in the high 60s, but the official website from the city of Tempe said 72. Either way, it was totally the right choice. I didn't feel at all cold and this was with a 7:30am start after a 6:45ish sunrise.
Unless the water gets consistently below 68 over the next week, I'm going to wear my B70 pool suit in next week's 2.4m swim. That race goes off at 10:30am and the current forecast shows a high of 83 air temp for the day. I think, like Kurt said, I'll cook if I'm out there in a wetsuit. I'll have to keep an eye on the water temp, though, as it looks like nighttime lows over this coming week are about 8 to 10 degrees colder than they've been.
Thanks for all the advice ... and now I'm seriously thinking about braving Tiburon next fall.
