Very cold water swim tips

Neoprene swim cap, ear plugs and spit in the goggles.

I've found my goggles tend to fog up a lot faster in cold water.

And theres always the pee in the wetsuit method of keeping warm.

Edited by nhunter344 2010-09-09 12:29 PM

Krypt,

Hope I can be helpful here.  50F is pretty cold.  Definitely wear 2 swim caps or better yet, get a neoprene cap which will be warmer.  A couple things that I would point out to be helpful:

1) Don't layer underneath your wetsuit with clothing (unless it's with another wetsuit! ha).  A wetsuit works because a layer of water essentially gets trapped in your suit and is warmed by your body heat.  Wet clothing likely won't help.  

2) Get in the water and get that initial shock taken care of BEFORE the race starts.  Add in the stress and anxiety of a race AND cold water shock and you are sure to feel a little bit of panic.  Take care of as many of those issues beforehand as you can.  Warming up pre-race is a must.

I hope that is a little helpful.  Might be wise to have some arm-warmers in T1 if this is a Tri.

Drew

  

Yeah neoprene cap / booties are helpful.  Also be sure to get in before the race starts, and get your head beneath the water.  Get your body used to the shock otherwise you'll be terrible the first 5 minutes of the race.

Thanks.  So following the logic of the wetsuit function I should not even wear a tri top.  I am not however about to forego my tri shorts!

On really cold races I apply a light layer of vaseline on exposed areas (namely face, arms if using sleeveless).  Try to avoid getting the vaseline on your wetsuit.  Supposedly is not good for the wetsuit but I have had no problems.

Cap and booties if allowed.

Pee works great, just make sure its your own.

Well, you bring up a good point which I should have been more clear about.  Wearing a tri top under your wetsuit isn't going to make you warmer.  It will make you faster in transitions though as you are not having to put a top on.  That being said, is your goal to win your AG?  Just finish?  Based on that answer, I'd say wear it or don't.  

One thing to keep in mind would be that if you do wear the tri top, it will get wet and will continue to be wet for some or all of the bike.  If the air is going to be really cold, you might want it dry.  Again, that will depend on what your goals are.

For what it's worth, I would wear my tri-suit under my wetsuit but my goals may be different than yours.

Drew 

I did a Triathlon with the water temperature of 58 degF and an air temp of 50 last year. Good advice about using earplugs, and a neoprene swim cap. Also good advice about getting used to the cold water before the start especially getting your face under the water. When your face is cold some people have trouble breathing out under water and endup trying to breathe out as well in when sticking their head out of the water. That leads to not getting enough air in and panic in some people A friend advised when starting out to concentrate on breathing out under water until you get comfortable. It really helped.

Even with earplugs and an extra cap you may experience balance problems getting out of the water. Just be prepared for it. It will go away by the time you reach T1 or so I thought. My bike mount was a little unsteady to say the least.

One thing you might consider if the air temp is going to be that cold, is a windbreaker jacket (full front zipper) to put on in T1. I found it helped make me more comfortable on the bike. I took it off in T2 for the run. Also, if your bike shoes have air vents in the soles, you might want to put some duct tape over them so your feet don't freeze on the ride. If you have a high tolerance for the cold, you can skip all of this advice.

Edited by browncd 2010-09-09 3:25 PM

Best advice I can see here is getting in the water for a "warm-up" prior to race.  The shock of the cold water on the face will send the heart rate up in a hurry.  Knowing this ahead of time will certainly help.  Good luck.

Swim fast

x2.
I've trained in water in the mid-50's, and the hard part is getting acclimatized.  For myself, if I just jump right in, I tend to get an ice cream headache.  Also, my face, hands, and feet go completely numb.  If you can prepare mentally for the shock of it, it is manageable.

Not to much experience with cold water swims here, but I was just in Banff a few weeks ago and saw all the signs for their triathlon. Wish I could have stuck around to do a tri in such a beautiful area. When we were there it was a bit warmer - 70's during the day and 50's overnight. We watched part of the X-Terra triathlon in Canmore - that was fun!

As others have said, get in the water early to get used to it. You don't want that shock and hyperventilating to happen at the start of the race.

Another vote for neoprene and multiple caps here. All of my OW swimming is in cold water, I live in CA, after all On the Central Coast, it tended to be in the low 50s all Spring and early Summer.

Experiment with the ideas here, because choice of gear for cold water is a very individual thing. My own favorite setup is Emilio de Soto's cap sandwich. Make sure the neoprene layer is just above your eyebrows. That keeps me comfortable enough. I can get by with two latex caps, but prefer adding the neoprene.

I *hate* using ear plugs - not worth it. The sensory deprivation isn't worth the marginal increase in warmth. I've never broken down and gotten booties (which are legal in many or all (?) cold races) or gloves.

My club has a wide range of gear preferences, from a beast of a swimmer who only puts on a wetsuit when the water flirts with the 40s, to people who use every trick to stay warm. Most people who are used to it get by with two swim caps or the cap-neoprene-cap sandwich.

Gear aside, the most important advice here is to get used to the water. Practice at that temp as much as possible, and it's essential that you get over the cold shock before the start. That first slosh of ice water inside your suit will incapacitate a lot of people who aren't ready for it, but isn't a problem of you prepare.

Wow, 50.  I've been in some sub-60 water and not sure I'd get in 50.  Some races (if not all) allow booties.  I'd be getting some if I were you.  Maybe a portable heater??? 

Since everyone else answered the question (and considering the coldest tri I've done around here had the water temp at 82 or so) I just wanted to add that I am insanely jealous of your tri location.  Banff is on my short list of places to visit before I kick the bucket.

Edited by sand101 2010-09-09 11:11 PM

Collegiate Nationals were about that cold. I wore a full wetsuit, neoprene booties, ear plugs, and 2 caps. After I got used to the water, I was fine. Admittedly, I also run warmer. Getting back regular breathing took a good 2 minutes.

I am in the race as well. 53 is the current temp and I doubt it will go down much more, maybe 52.

I'm more worried about being wet after the swim. On my other cold/snow race (Arbor lake a few years back) the water was 55 or so but 20% of the field dropped on the bike cause of hypothermia.

I may opt for a dry top after I'm out, as well as another long sleeve shirt (I dont have arm warmers). 

 

at 50F.... I don't care who pees in my wetsuit, as long as it's warm.   In fact, just having someone else in my wetsuit would probably go a long way.

That's a good point. So was the Western collegiate championship. Here's the thing, the conditions on the bike and run can be a lot tougher to deal with than water temp. I can't recall any athletes of any age who had problems with the water at Lopez Lake, and it was nice and warm for the bike and run. In Texas, at the same water temp, officials got concerned so shortened the swim, which I'm not sure made any difference, since the race reports said the air temp was sort of brutal. Now, tons of people got sick from the water in Texas, but that's another story.