Leegoocrap's Mentor Group - Closed (Page 10)

Congrats! And good luck with the training!

Oh and with the running, trust the heart rate training. It'll seem like you're going slower than you should, but your times will drop!

Congratulations Sir! Excellent Choice

Great job on your race.  Winning your AG is excellent for anybody.

55 degree water- Yikes  I am trying to decide if I will wear my wetsuit this weekend just for the swimming help in 73 degree water.

Kevin

I am thinking about doing the Sprint race in MB.  1 1/2 hours from the house and National Championship atmosphere.  Should be very exciting.

Kevin

Yea, I'm definitely looking forward to the atmosphere! I think it's gonna be a blast. If it's so close, you should definitely do it! If you do, I'll see you there!

Hello

Feeling good after my run last night.  Same route as Sunday but 2 minutes faster and no swelling of my right knee.  I think I have turned the corner on knee rehab.

Thank you all for the support of my me & wife. She is doing much better and will start back to work next week part time. Her parents are in town staying with us to help and it is nice to have someone prepare dinner for us.

I am looking forward to racing this weekend. Charleston Sprint Series Race #1.  My brother is coming up from Florida to race with me.


I hope to ride tonight.

Kevin

Kevin, have a great time at the sprint.

Great to hear everything is going well too!

Lots of training for me. Trying to figure out whether or not I have the time to go on vacation next month...

..sad that IM training dictates things like that haha.

Hello

I am hoping to get a ride in tonight.  Then maybe a short swim on Saturday morning. 

I am going to stay with my same race goal as my race 3 weeks ago.  I know the run will be a a full 5K,

So I am hoping for 1.40.30 with no stopping on the run.

Plus no injuries & have fun.

Kevin

Good luck at the race! We're rooting for ya!

I hope your race went well!! 

Competed in the Oyster Off Road Adventure Race in Glenwood yesterday.  It was such a blast and definitely a challenge.  If the Oyster Urban Racing Series comes to your town, you should definitely do it. It's like a mini version of the show "The Amazing Race". You won't be disappointed!

That's awesome! Hope they come to NY. Glad you had fun.

OK I'm super frustrated right now and need some advice. I finally put my wetsuit on today, and I was able to get it on, but it took a good sweat-filled 20 minutes of pulling and adjusting. This is a wetsuit that I bought second-hand on BT, from a member that said it was for my size. But, being dumb, I took her word for it and didn't check the company's sizing chart. Today, after thinking, "That seemed WAY too hard," I checked the sizing chart and found out this size is meant for someone three inches shorter than me and about 10 pounds lighter.

I'm doing Ironclad next weekend- should I just budget half an hour to put the wetsuit on before the race and hope I can breathe in it, or should I attempt to rent one that fits this week? I'd really rather not rent one since money is incredibly tight, but I'll do it if my swim is going to be a total disaster in a too-tight wetsuit.

Sorry this was so long- I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Wetsuits are supposed to be incredibly tight. Can you get to a body of water (even a pool will do) and try swimming in it? If you're able to swim without restrictions, then it is probably a good enough fit. Wetsuits are going to be tough to get on in the first place. (Then again, they can be TOO tight if you really can't breathe in them while swimming, or if arm rotation is restricted)
When I was buying my wetsuit, I thought I'd never be able to get into it, and then once into it, I had no idea how I'd get out of it. But it was the right size for me, in the end, and I got used to putting it on and taking it off.
Try swimming with it. If it's impossible or seriously painful or something like that, then yep you've got the wrong suit. If it isn't, and is just tough to put on and get off, I'd say use it. You'll get used to taking it on and off.
There's also some bodyglide you can buy that lubricates the chafing spots (around the neck especially).
I hope this helps?! 

One thing about wet suits is that they will stretch out some after several times wearing it. That is if it is worn often and not let to dry out in the sun. The neoprene of a wet suit will shrink, dry rot and stiffen if it is not taken care of properly (trust me). You will want to put some lube around your neck to keep from getting chaffed and tops of your feet and ankles to help get the suit off much quicker. As someone that has surfed for 25 years a properly fitted wet suit is worth its weight in gold. Every manufacturer has a different "cut" to their suits. Some are longer in the torso, wider in the shoulders, narrower in the hips and tighter in the crotch area, etc, etc. Don't take someone's word that their suit is the best even if they have a similar body type to yours. Try several on and when you do, walk around, do dips, touch your toes, swing your arms and bend over to try to tie your shoes. A good fitting wet suit should last a few seasons if maintained properly, if not maybe just one. Good luck!!

The question is... how tight is "really tight" in the suit? In my orca It takes a good 5-10 minutes to get it on correctly (and I have some experience putting them on.) So... if it does go on, it is probably a close fit.

Definitely swim in it BEFORE race day. Swimming in a wetsuit is different (not necessarily easier if you are used to swimming without one.) and can really mess with your stroke / wear your shoulders out. Lots of bodyglide around the back of the neck.

All that said...
If it's tolerable, I would definitely wear it.

Hello

I survived the race.  Swim good, bike fair, run sucked.

It kind of went the way I thought it would.  Waiting on the offical time to publish my race report.









Kevin

Edited by b2673ad 2010-05-23 5:23 PM

Nice pictures! I'm glad it went according to plan. Good work!

Thanks for the replies! I feel the tightness the most in the legs- to get it over my calves, I had to turn it inside out and "roll" it on (and that was with plenty of Bodyglide on my legs). Then the suit was sticking to itself and me, and I started getting pissed off... It wasn't easy. Once it was on, it was hard to tell how tight it was- I didn't zip up the back (it has a reverse zipper and no one was home to zip it down for me), but it felt pretty snug even without it being zipped. Hard to say if it was too tight since this is the first wetsuit I've ever put on.

Since I got the suit used, I assume it's already as stretched out as it's going to be.

Unfortunately I didn't get to go swimming in it today, as I'd hoped- I couldn't get an OWS buddy. I'm hoping to try again the day before the race (next Saturday), which is cutting it extremely close, but I guess I'll do the best I can. It's a sprint, so the swim isn't super long. I guess I'll just try it out and see what happens.

Thanks again- I'm just already really nervous about the open water swim, and this isn't helping matters. Also, I just don't want to look like an idiot who can't even get her wetsuit on, much less DO the swim in it.

A wet suit should have a very long string that allows you to zip up or down by yourself. If not, get one. If the suit is really tight before you zip it up, it might be way too tight to move in. A suit should be tight to minimize the amount of water getting in but loose enough for you to pinch some material and not your skin in your abdominal area.

You might have to "suck it up" for this race and save some money and have a good shop fit one to you. No matter what, you should have free movement in your suit and NOT be choked or given a "wedgie" when you bend over. Also, don't stand on one leg and pull the other out, doing that is a sure fire way to put a hole in the leg, pop the stitching or both.

Great pictures Kevin.
I see a smile on the face in that run picture. Always a good sign Can't wait to read the report

def. Agree with the above.

The only thing I'll add is - take it to the pool! Get SOME time in the water in it before the race, and preferably before you take it ows.

Don't worry about getting the suit "on" before. you've got all morning to do that
I would suggest doing a couple of "test runs" in it... trying to get it off as quick as possible. What I do is this.
-out of the water, pulling the velcro off and unzipping the back
-one arm out of the wetsuit
-goggles and cap come off. Holding them in the hand/arm that is still in the wetsuit
-second arm comes out, leaving goggles/cap rolled up in the arm sleeve.
-into transition to my towel, shimmy suit all the way down to below my knees
-leg WITHOUT timing chip on it comes out.
-leg WITH timing chip comes out (takes me a few extra seconds to get over the chip.
-wetsuit either on the ground or over bike rack if one's available.

You will do fine
-

Hello

The race report is published.

Overall I am happy to have raced and improved in swimming and the bike was good.  Running kick my ash!

So now I have the 2.4 OWS & a 5k on the schedule.  I am thinking I will race # 2 in the CSSR.

Swimming and running will be my focus over the next few weeks.

Kevin

Kevin -

Congrats on your races, your numbers look good to me

And it is always nice to see a smile on your face while your running..

Kevin,

Awesome job on the race! And thanks for posting the pictures, I agree, it's great that you are smiling on the run.

Christina