Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 80)

I'll forgive you bringing up the discussion again if you'll indulge me the same questions I asked last time.  Are you 100% positive you:
1) have the correct size, and
2) took the time to put on the suit correctly?

Those would be the first two places I would look.  If your discomfort is in the pool, I'd also try in an OW swim as well... it's possible the suit is getting scrunched up (undoing what you were careful about when you put it on correctly) when you do your turns and then tugging in the shoulders.  It might work out well with a steady effort without all the summersaults.

Agree that Xterra might be willing to help you out.  It also might just be a matter of making a training adaptation, as with anything else.  When you first make a positive correction to your swim stroke it might feel uncomfortable and even be slower... but as you rehearse it the efficiency increases and eventually you don't feel it and it's faster.  IMO even the entry level suits available today (if fitted properly and donned properly) offer sufficient shoulder flexibility to as not pose a real problem.  YMMV, of course.

I've done 4 OWS thus far in my full and I'm totally fine with it now.  The trick for me was to make sure I get the sleeves pulled up my wrist 2-3 inches and to get that extra slack all the way up to my shoulders.  I did that for my last two swims and I'm totally fine with it.  I only knew sleeveless for 2 years so the adjustment for me, I think, was more mental.  Plus, I bought the most flexible suit I could find.  The ever so fragile Vendetta.   

Also agree with what 3Aims just wrote.  Work from the ankles up to your waist on the legs and then work those sleeves up a bit above your wrists.  That'll get you a little roll of slack in the suit to work upward and increase freedom of motion in your shoulders. 

Figured it was high time I started making some kind of effort in the swim part of this endeavor. 

So, tonight I went to the pool and did a nice comfortable 3300 yards in 55:50 (all I could get in before the pool shut down) and was pretty happy with that considering I've swam less than 10k yards in the last 4 months. 

That pace puts me at around 1:12 for the 2.4 (yes, I'm aware there are lots of other factors in open water, but in races  tend to be faster anyways) and I'd be perfectly stoked with a time like that.

Woot.

Thanks for the great link!  I see it's even got some help for me down here in Olympia.

Brad

So I am off to NOLA 70.3 tomorrow (with a stop in Dallas first). I am very excited for this race. I did it last year, and I will feel much better having done a race before IMCdA. Once I get back, 1 week of rest/recovery and then the work begins again! For those of you doing NOLA, have a great race

Good luck to all you racing NOLA this weekend! Please don't injure yourself when the big show is getting oh so close. Remember this is a long training day; not an A race.

thanks for the advice.  Will try some more swims.  However, I know the fit is close on the rest of my body.  I did pull the sleeves up and try to give the shoulders as much room as possible on both swims.  If, things do not work out with the suit - would love those locals or multi racers to just give me the warm fuzzy or the don't do it on the sleeveless.  Thanks again

Ben

How about the Hudson river!?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River

Good luck Lea and everyone else racing NOLA or another race this weekend!

I'll be doing a HIM in Lake Mead.  I'm looking at a cold swim a hilly ride and a hot run. Squeee!  I know it's a training day and not a "race" day, but I'm excited to do an OWS and have my tri bike out on the road.

I also imported my training logs here, so if you've tried to stalk me before and were disappointed feel free to take another look.  My blog page isn't pretty yet, but most of the data is there (I lost my sports data, but I think I'm ok with that).  The logs include my training for IMCDA last year.  I would consider my training plan for last year the "self-coached athlete's trying not to flirt with midnight and finish smiling" plan.

4:59:59 or bust!!!!!!

I'm 6'2 and weigh 170 pounds.  I wear a MLO sleeveless (X2 Pro) and a MLA full (Vendetta).  I tried the MLO full and it was too tight.  Traded up one size and it made a huge difference for me.  I'm totally fine with my new suit...although it's really fragile.  Three uses and an equal number of aqua seal spots later. 

I'm 6'2 and weigh 170 pounds.  I wear a MLO sleeveless (X2 Pro) and a MLA full (Vendetta).  I tried the MLO full and it was too tight.  Traded up one size and it made a huge difference for me.  I'm totally fine with my new suit...although it's really fragile.  Three uses and an equal number of aqua seal spots later. 

By the end of June the local families are taking their kids to the lake to play in the water.  It is not uncommon to see a little kid in a swim diaper slashing around in the water and not thinking a thing about the cold. 

So, what's the difference between a triathlete and a little tot in a diaper?  They are both going to pi$$ themselves in the water but the triathlete is going to worry about the water temp for months while the kid just gets in and plays. 

It somewhat comes down to a mental thing.  If you want to swim in a sleeveles then you can.  But if you get in the water convinced that you're going to be cold then you probably will be.  I have even see a few guys go without a wetsuit but that's just nuts.  I've had more people tell me that they overheated in their full suit with cap and booties then have said they froze in a sleeveless. 

IMO, the wax earplugs are a must to keep the cold water our of your ears no matter what type of suit you swim in. 

(6 time sleeveless IMCDA finisher)

I used to swim in that lake all summer long every summer as a kid.  Now I'm a big wuss.  I swam last weekend in 55 degree water and it wasn't too bad...maybe because I've been masochistically practicing in 46 and 47 degree water.

One more big "good luck" to everyone with 70.3s coming up!  I'm feeling a bit jealous.  After all the training so far, I'm pretty sure I would destroy my time from last year.

Maybe I should plan a solo HIM in the next week or so, just to put my theory to the test.