We recently were informed Big Shoulder's 5K OW is likely to be cold this year. (60-63)
Due to a very warm summer in central Indiana most of my training was done in water 85-88 degrees warm. This week-end we got a break and out water has been 72 in the pool. (It feels so good!)
My question is how much lower to what I'm used to can I go and be safe?
I am 5'5" and weigh 117. I have done BS 5K in water as cold as 68 with no problem but I'm just not sure where to draw the line and bail into a wetsuit. I do not want to get hypothermia. I'm planning to be in the water somewhere between 1:20-1:30. :coffee:
I left my wetsuit at home yesterday. I had two options. let the others know I was going to swim in the pool instead or man up and swim in the lake with just my jammers.
I swam in the lake it was just under 59F at the first bouy. and slightly colder about 400m south of that bouy. we only swam 2km, but since the others I was out with swam at a slower pace than me I wound up waiting on them every 200m or so to keep the distance between us to a min.
It felt great. I would never had just tried that without reading what others here have done. I had always thought 64-68 was my min temp, but now I know I can handle 59 too.
but I noticed that I burned alot more calories during that short swim. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerrys (1600-2000 cal) last night and was still 1lb lighter today than yesterday ;)
I left my wetsuit at home yesterday. I had two options. let the others know I was going to swim in the pool instead or man up and swim in the lake with just my jammers.
I swam in the lake it was just under 59F at the first bouy. and slightly colder about 400m south of that bouy. we only swam 2km, but since the others I was out with swam at a slower pace than me I wound up waiting on them every 200m or so to keep the distance between us to a min.
It felt great. I would never had just tried that without reading what others here have done. I had always thought 64-68 was my min temp, but now I know I can handle 59 too.
but I noticed that I burned alot more calories during that short swim. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerrys (1600-2000 cal) last night and was still 1lb lighter today than yesterday ;)
