Wetsuit Questions (of a different type)

When I was fitted for a wetsuit, I was told to pull it up "obscenely high" in the crotch. Supposedly, that's to give you the maximum amt of material in the chest and shoulder area. Once you get it up over your hips, then bend over forward and pull it up your chest.

It's a lot like pulling on tight pantyhose, actually.

Body Glide is great for those areas where it might chafe (around the neck). But I've found that cheap Suave-type conditioner is great for helping it go on easily and come off even easier.

As for the range of motion thing, I didn't really feel that at first. That might be because I was also instructed to pull the arms up very high into the armpits.

Then, when you're ready to be zipped up, find someone you trust, and have them give the back a couple of really good yanks before they zipper it up. And you might want to decide how you want the string to be handled. Some people like it over the top of the velcro part, some like it under, and some like it wrapped up a couple of times so it doesn't "swim around" in the water.

There is some truth to the tightness in the chest thing that might take a couple of yards to adjust to. And it might feel even tighter since this is your first OWS and there might already be some anxiety about that. Just go slow until you get used to it.

I have a devil of a time getting my wetsuit OFF after a swim. Specifically, off my calves. The conditioner pretty much solved that. But one thing to remember is that it's not like taking off a pair of pants. More like rolling off a condom. Don't let it bunch up or it will fold over on itself and then you'll land on your in the middle of T1, like me.

Does it make me a faster swimmer? I think so, but since I'm so slow, it's hard to tell. It certainly makes me more bouyant. And in salt water I'm like a fishing bob. I couldn't drown if I wanted to.

I hope you have a great race, no matter what you decide to do!

Edited to add: you might consider renting a wetsuit for your OWS and race.  Many places that sell them also rent them.  And they usually credit the rental fee toward a purchase.  That's how I got mine, and it worked great.  That way, I got to "test drive" a couple of different brands before I bought one.

This becomes more important the longer your wetsuit goes without being used.

The biggest surprise about a wetsuit was how much easier it was to swim. I tend to sink, but with the wetsuit my hips are much higher in the water which reduces the effort needed to swim. I feel like I glide between strokes rather than losing momentum between strokes. I don't know if this makes sense, but it almost feels like I'm swimming downhill. I'm still pretty slow, but I think I expend less energy swimming with the wetsuit.

Mine is sleeveless, so I can't comment on tightness in the shoulders, but, even though it is very snug in the chest, I don't feel like my breathing is constricted.

I love my wetsuit and wouldn't think of doing an OWS of any distance without it.  Mine is a promotion full and I actually enjoy the full compression and the resistance on recovery.  In my case I think this is because my pull just isn't very good yet and my recovery works muscles that are very strong.

I was surprised at just how much "spring" I got out of the suit on my pull because it was returning to "neutral" for the suit.  I was also surprised at how buoyant I was.

I like being warm so for me the full suit has been great even on 90 degree days.  The only time I have felt it become something of an issue was on a 1 mile OWS  when it was sunny in a shallower lake where the water temp near the surface had to be close to 80 degrees.

Oh and because of the float and "spring" in the suit I am wayyyy faster in the suit then I am without it.  The longer the distance, the faster I am compared with no suit.

Unfortunately this means I feel like a slug when I get back in the pool 8(

My wetsuit makes my legs float, and I'm actually not used to them being that high.  I have a funky lower-back problem that makes any exercises where my legs are behind me a bad idea, so it's actually a bit of a strain for my back to swim in the wetsuit.  Maybe it's just me.