Hawk Island Triathlon (Page 5)

Quality tri wetsuits can chafe.   Non-tri wetsuits rub raw.  They are constructed very different.
 
You could physically wear the suit and swim the distance, but it might slow you down and leave you more tired.  If its critical to have a wetsuit because of temperatures, I'd rent or borrow.  That's just my opinion, but its one that you will likely hear a lot.

The closest that I can rationalize for adapting a non-tri suit to tri use, is to cut a full suit with huge arm holes to make it a john-style.  You'd likely have to modify the neck as well.  That might open up the "floodgates" and create more drag as the suit fills with water.  The tri specific suits rely on very tight, but flexible fits that keep the water from billowing at the openings.  Does that make sense?

Last thing:  tri specific suits put the bulk of the flotation in the legs and hips.  Non-tri suits are more uniform.  The tri design promotes leg flotation without lifting your upper body too far out of the water.

I just looked at the advertisement.  It looks like they use variable thicknesses in the material.  That is a good thing.  But I still think that the construction isn't going to lend well to the dynamics of swimming the front crawl.

Sam's doesn't have a dressing room, so you'd have to buy it to try it on.  So, what would happen if it got wet, say in a lake, but then you decided it didn't fit right?  Would that void the return policy?

bckirkland - 2008-05-22 9:57 PM  I just picked up my first wetsuit today that I plan on using for my OLY on 6/22. Probably would be wise to use it here as I'm considering it a prcatice run for that race. That really sounds like the intelligent thing to do now that I think about it. But eh, intelligent things are for smart people

Big Fish?   

This is my first post on these boards and this will be my first triathlon.  I am definitely looking forward to it!!  I hope to see you guys in your tent come race day, i'll come over and say hi.  As a side note, (I hope I don't scare anyone) I took a swim in my springsuit at kensington this sunday and the water was so cold if I put my head in the water I couldn't breath when I came up for air (this was at 10am though).  I'm really hoping that the weather warms up the water before sunday or the swim might be a bit uncomfortable.

 I look forward to seeing all of you on sunday!! Good luck!

I think the water was a little warmer at Hawk Island.   Its a smaller lake, and I think its warming up faster.  Once we get past tomorrow, the weather is supposed to warm up more and hopefully make the swim a little more comfortable.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to actually put up a tent.  It seemed like a good idea at first, but I'll be traveling a couple days before the race, then swinging by Lansing on my way home.  I might not have room in the car.  Either way, we'll find a way to get together. 

Another quick question, if you do pop a flat tire during this race does the bike team come and change/inflate it for you quickly?  Right now the hand pump that i have sucks and if I need to I will buy a CO2 inflater for a quicker tire change.  I definitely do not want my first tri to be a DNF because of my bike. )

Thanks,

-Jon

As far as I know, there is no bike support. Pack what you need to get you home.

For me, that is a spare tube, co2 and inflater, tire levers, and a small multi-tool. No spare tire, just the tube. I should have a patch kit, but I've never owned one. I like a little improv.

The course is uber-flat and it was pretty clean. I only saw one spot that had any glass. The email from the race company also said that they were going to sweep the corners before the race. Pot holes are minimal. Its going to be a FAST bike leg.

Since I'm recapping the bike course, I might as well give the rest of the course...

The swim was cool/cold, but I was completely comfortable in a full suit.  I could swim it without a wetsuit, but I will certainly choose to wear one.  The visibility was good, but I imagine that it could get a little churned up after the group starts and into the TT starts. There were minimal weeds, and they did not factor in at all. I will say that we were not able to swim the entire course. The lifeguard/employee was gracious in letting us in the water at all. She was super-cool to not boot us immediately. So, we did not get out to the stretch between the turns. I imagine the water to be much deeper out there. The lead in and out of the water was pretty shallow. That does cause a little concern for me. I haven't practiced land starts. All of my races have been wet starts. If we run into the water, it will certainly take some distance off the swim and allow for dolphining, but I'm not up to speed on that. I might have to try to practice it.

The run is on a super smooth path. Its well shaded, and curves and swerves. It might get a little too narrow if you are running through any groups. We got a little turned around so I can't say we ran the course exactly as its planned. It'll still be a fast run.

All in all, there are likely to be some really fast winning times at this race. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that nobody trained through the winter.

I just noticed that the email sent out on Sat AM gave a shout out to BT.  Cool!

http://hub.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/NOISE07/805210312/1104/hub

Jeff, if you are reading this, let us know who you are.   

Cold water swim tricks and tips....

1) wear the wetsuit. If it saves you 10 seconds (and it will, if not 20 or more) and keeps you warm, you come out even time-wise and warmer. It's a no brainer.  

2) if it's really cold, double bag your head. That's right, wear two swim caps. I did this weekend, and it was outstanding. My 3 miles of swimming was in 56 degree water, and it worked fine.

3) get a good warm-up in. concentrate on three things...1) exhaling completely underwater, 2) taking long strokes, and 3 gliding. Cold water tends to make us gasp and shorten our strokes, especially when you first put your face in the water. Warm up for long enough that you're breathing easy, taking the nice long strokes, and aren't super choppy. You'll know when you're there.  

If you are prone to ear problems, I think that ear plugs would help.  I got water in my ears last weekend and didn't notice any problems.

Keep in mind, this is a 400m (440yard) swim with two turns.  You're going to be out of the water before you know it. 

I have a question for you, or Dave ...

What was the start like last year?  I know they did time trial starts, but was that for everyone or by choice?  Did you start from the grass/sidewalk or in the water? 

Thanks.  I need to practice the run into water and dive in entry.  

Rick, you have any tips for that?  I've only done wet starts in the past.

I always knock my goggles off when I dive....