Subject: RE: Ironman Texas 2016 - North American Championship : Official ThreadOriginally posted by uhcoog
Originally posted by jareed58 Originally posted by hathecr Optional every year but one so far. Legal once (2014 I believe). Thanks. Wanted to know if I should train more with or without the wetsuit. I like the confidence the suit gives me. I have noticed a significant increase in speed with it. I would not typically wear a wetsuit at IMTX. If it's a typical IMTX (upper 80s/low 90s) you will sweat in the neoprene. It's going to be a long, hot day. There is zero need to start sweating your a$$ off in the water.
Everybody's different. I've done 4 of the 5 IM-TX races and worn the wet suit every time. The year I missed the race was the "cold water" year (2014 ). I can make the swim okay without the suit, but I'm much more relaxed and confident with the wet suit on. I probably do sweat a little more than I would without it, but I also swim faster with less effort, and my anxiety level is much lower. I'm a slow swimmer, so I don't swim hard enough to generate crazy amounts of heat. My swims have all been in the 1:20 - 1:35 range, and my goal is to always stay smooth and relaxed. My recommendation for slow swimmers (say 1:15 or slower ) is to wear the suit. I look at this in the same way as I look at bike technology; I don't need to wear an aero helmet or ride a tri bike, but I'm faster if I do.
As far as training goes, train to swim without the suit. Don't count on it, or you may be in for a nasty surprise.
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