If I have to wear a wetsuit in order to do an event ...
Former Member
...would you rather I just don't show up?
I've found my tolerance to cold water is just not that great - I think around 68 degrees is my breaking point. I've done a few 500M swims in triathlons at around 65 degrees and my experiences were completely miserable to the point that I won't do it again - especially over much longer distances. I don't even feel safe doing it.
I have my eye on a few races in Lake Michigan which is what I have been really looking forward to having grown up swimming in this lake all my life. This feels like the real deal and something that I would have thought was right in my element until I realized my tolerance is not what it used to be. But it looks like the chances of the lake being over 70 will be slim unless I catch a sudden heat wave.
I have absolutely no desire to wear it if the water is warm enough. And I have no interest in the bouyancy/speed factor from it. In other races on inland lakes I have overheard some derogatory comments towards wetsuit wearers, although these were more justified because the temps were in the low 70s. It does seem like cheating. I recently swam a 1500M in 26 minutes so I doubt I will be stealing any awards (some of them I think have seperate divisions anyway). But I feel like I would be cheating myself and it wouldn't make me feel better if all the real open water swimmers were ripping on me.
Thanks in part to Mr. Chaos's influence, I've shed my wetsuit in recent years and become an advocate for going naked whenever possible. When it comes to others wearing rubber, I do my best to encourage others to consider participating in events without wearing a wetsuit for the experience.
However, at the end of the day, I'd rather everyone jump in the water than stay on the beach, so Herb, if you feel that you need to don the wetsuit to participate, go for it. I wore my wetsuit for the first time in 3 years this spring at a tri for pretty much the same reason as you. Water was about 70, so it would have been doable w/o the wetsuit. However, I was set to stand around for about an hour before starting with temps in the 60s, slight drizzle and light winds, and I made the call for comfort.
Thanks in part to Mr. Chaos's influence, I've shed my wetsuit in recent years and become an advocate for going naked whenever possible. When it comes to others wearing rubber, I do my best to encourage others to consider participating in events without wearing a wetsuit for the experience.
However, at the end of the day, I'd rather everyone jump in the water than stay on the beach, so Herb, if you feel that you need to don the wetsuit to participate, go for it. I wore my wetsuit for the first time in 3 years this spring at a tri for pretty much the same reason as you. Water was about 70, so it would have been doable w/o the wetsuit. However, I was set to stand around for about an hour before starting with temps in the 60s, slight drizzle and light winds, and I made the call for comfort.
