login
What distances do wetsuits truly aid?
-
No new posts
|
 2010-07-10 8:54 PM |
New user  6 |  Subject: What distances do wetsuits truly aid?My friend and I were talking in the car today going to our run and we were debating at what point do wetsuits really become helpful and not a hindrance in the T1. We had settled on 700m in open water, but for a pool, we're not sure. what do you guys think? do you think a wetsuit can really shave that many seconds in a sprint tri? |
| 2010-07-10 9:14 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
Expert 2555    Colorado Springs, Colorado | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? A wetsuit may allow a person to swim 8-10 seconds per 100 faster and should take no longer than an extra 20-30 seconds to remove making the breakeven point in the range of 300-400. With that in mind, there can be a gain for anything over 400, but 500 for sure. I've never seen anyone wear a wetsuit in any of the pool tris I've done so that matter seems irrelevant. |
| 2010-07-10 9:18 PM in reply to: #2972998 |
| On your right | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? I think it would be helpful for you to know how quickly you can take the suit off. If you're good at it, and can get it off in the 20-30 second range, and you know how much faster you swim with it, it's just a matter of doing the maths and finding out if it's adventageous. Of course, the slower you take it off, the longer the swim will need to be to make up for the removal time. |
| 2010-07-10 10:06 PM in reply to: #2973002 |
Extreme Veteran 475 Watertown, MA | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Quick answer: not as long a distance as you think. It all depends on the individual and what kind of speed gains you get, but even 5 seconds per 100m (relatively small gains in my experience), with an extra 30 seconds in T1, would make 600m the break-even point. Take more typical gains of 8-10 seconds and you'll looking at an even shorter break-even. I haven't done a tri this season but last year I was 1:50-1:53 in the pool, 1:35 in my tri swims, so I had pretty massive gains and even for a 200m swim it would have been worth it. |
| 2010-07-10 10:49 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
Regular 107 | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? IMO I think a major factor is the water temperature... I wear a wetsuit in a local sprint race that is a very fast 500yd. But the water is also very cold as the race is early in the year. The wetsuit makes a major difference in me being able to get through the water efficiently... Without freezing! |
| 2010-07-11 3:08 AM in reply to: #2972980 |
Master 2491 | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? I've been experimenting, and my wetsuit swims are both faster and at a lower HR than my non-wetsuit swims. I only do sprints and have decided to always wear the westuit when allowed. At a recent race, there was a great deal of traffic in the swim, and I didn't wear the wetsuit. The bouyancy of the suit would have helped keep my body in a better position with all of the stop-and-go traffic. |
| 2010-07-11 4:10 AM in reply to: #2972980 |
Pro 4360 Baton Rouge area | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Just about any OWS distance if you are BOP or MOP swimmer. If it adds 30 second to your T1 time you need to practice. 15 seconds at most it should add. For BOP or MOP swimmers (includes me) it can add more then 10 sec/100 meters (for me probably 20 sec/100m). My last tri I was the only one in my AG wearing a wetsuit. I was first out of the water in my AG (not typical for me), 3rd fastest T1 time (would have been 2nd but my timing chip came loose and stuck to the inside of my wetsuit, next time I am pining the dang thing). I was out of T1 at least 45 seconds faster than the next guy in my AG. |
| 2010-07-11 5:10 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
| Expert 618 | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Any and all races where it is legal. End of discussion. |
| 2010-07-11 5:16 PM in reply to: #2973789 |
Expert 684 Bend, OR | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Road Phoenix - 2010-07-11 3:10 PM Any and all races where it is legal. End of discussion. Even a sprint triathlon in a pool? |
| 2010-07-11 5:24 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
Veteran 129 Chicago | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? I think it depends on your swimming ability to begin with. For people with poor form, I think it adds a lot more advantage. I'm by no means an expert swimmer, but I do have a competitive swimming background from my better days, and in the two sprints I have done (800m), I was out of the water in the top 5 of my age group with no wetsuit. I've worn one to train OWS several times and the differences I've noticed have been negligible and hard to determine because of varying water conditions (the waters at Ohio street beach in Chicago can be rough). Additionally, even in a sleeveless, I tend to get pretty hot, so if the water is above 65, I'm probably going sans wet suit no matter the distance. |
| 2010-07-11 5:30 PM in reply to: #2973800 |
| Expert 618 | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? n.k - 2010-07-11 6:16 PM Road Phoenix - 2010-07-11 3:10 PM Any and all races where it is legal. End of discussion. Even a sprint triathlon in a pool? If it is legal. Yes. I had a pool tri where it was legal and still had less than a 1:30 transition in T1. So the "excuse" that it is slower in transition is BS. There shouldn't even be a discussion in my opinion. You don't use it, you are throwing away a free advantage that others WILL use. Just like with the pros. Whenever it is legal, they will wear it. And they aren't exactly slow in the water to begin with. |
| 2010-07-11 5:36 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? If you are worried about how much time you spend getting out of your wetsuit then you need to spend more time practicing T1. A wetsuit should add very little time to transition if you have taken the time to practice how you will go through T1 and worked out any kinks. As a rough estimate, if your wetsuit adds more than 10 seconds to your T1 time, you can most definitely save time by practicing more. Shane |
| 2010-07-11 5:40 PM in reply to: #2973839 |
Extreme Veteran 374 Hattiesburg | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? gsmacleod - 2010-07-11 6:36 PM If you are worried about how much time you spend getting out of your wetsuit then you need to spend more time practicing T1. A wetsuit should add very little time to transition if you have taken the time to practice how you will go through T1 and worked out any kinks. As a rough estimate, if your wetsuit adds more than 10 seconds to your T1 time, you can most definitely save time by practicing more. Shane What he said! |
| 2010-07-11 7:10 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
Pro 5361 | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? If you're a good swimmer, the wetsuit probably only adds a few seconds per 100m. If swimming is not your strong suit, then it could be 8-10 sec/hundred. That's a full minute every 600m- which is way longer than it takes to dispense with even the most ornery suit. I wear them mostly because I'm a weanie in cold water. I figure most of my improved performance comes not from the suit, but from being comfortable. In my non-scientific tests- I seem to get ~5 sec/hundred improvement using the suit |
| 2010-07-11 7:28 PM in reply to: #2972980 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? I agree with the others. Do some T1 tests. If it adds more than 15s to your T1 (just ballparking here) then, IMO, you should practice getting the suit off faster. |
| 2010-07-12 8:18 AM in reply to: #2973830 |
Champion 6962 Atlanta, Ga | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Road Phoenix - 2010-07-11 6:30 PM n.k - 2010-07-11 6:16 PM Road Phoenix - 2010-07-11 3:10 PM Any and all races where it is legal. End of discussion. Even a sprint triathlon in a pool? If it is legal. Yes. I had a pool tri where it was legal and still had less than a 1:30 transition in T1. So the "excuse" that it is slower in transition is BS. There shouldn't even be a discussion in my opinion. You don't use it, you are throwing away a free advantage that others WILL use. Just like with the pros. Whenever it is legal, they will wear it. And they aren't exactly slow in the water to begin with. Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner. Always if it's legal. |
| 2010-07-12 9:13 AM in reply to: #2974579 |
Expert 2547 The Woodlands, TX | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Marvarnett - 2010-07-12 8:18 AM Road Phoenix - 2010-07-11 6:30 PM n.k - 2010-07-11 6:16 PM Road Phoenix - 2010-07-11 3:10 PM Any and all races where it is legal. End of discussion. Even a sprint triathlon in a pool? If it is legal. Yes. I had a pool tri where it was legal and still had less than a 1:30 transition in T1. So the "excuse" that it is slower in transition is BS. There shouldn't even be a discussion in my opinion. You don't use it, you are throwing away a free advantage that others WILL use. Just like with the pros. Whenever it is legal, they will wear it. And they aren't exactly slow in the water to begin with. Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner. Always if it's legal. Keep in mind 'legal' for pros is 72 degrees, so you're dealing much colder water. Also, most pro races are Olympic or longer. As wetsuits help people differently, based on swim ability and quaility of wetsuit, the equation is still pretty simple: If time saved swimming is greater than the time wasted removing it, then you wear it. For me that falls somewhere around 1000meters. |
| 2010-07-12 11:12 AM in reply to: #2972998 |
Sensei Sin City | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Donskiman - 2010-07-10 7:14 PM A wetsuit may allow a person to swim 8-10 seconds per 100 faster and should take no longer than an extra 20-30 seconds to remove making the breakeven point in the range of 300-400. With that in mind, there can be a gain for anything over 400, but 500 for sure. I've never seen anyone wear a wetsuit in any of the pool tris I've done so that matter seems irrelevant. This is my view as well. |
| 2014-07-08 1:59 PM in reply to: fcrellin791 |
| , Alabama | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? In my mind there are several questions. First, is this sprint "your distance", or are you training for a longer "A" race down the road? If you are, the practice of getting into & out of the wetsuit may be beneficial. Second, what is your temperature tolerance? If 70 deg. water doesn't seem cold to you then no problem. If it is (I believe the question of air temps has been mentioned as well which is just as important) and there's a breeze, is the discomfort of being cold coming out of the water & getting on the bike worth it to you? (BTW, I'm a Florida girl so 70 deg. is FREEZING to me!) Just some food for thought. |
| 2014-07-08 3:11 PM in reply to: Road Phoenix |
Expert 2355 Madison, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Originally posted by Road Phoenix Any and all races where it is legal. End of discussion. Not end of discussion. Example: On a day where it is hot, with a water temperature that is close to the cutoff, I would argue this. Lots of people overheat in races and fail to think it may come from the swim. You can save yourself time, but if it hinders you later on then you have to be careful about this I would generally agree with you, but you're comment being a blanket statement is incorrect. |
| 2014-07-08 3:49 PM in reply to: bcagle25 |
| Master 10208 Northern IL | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? 4 years later, I guess not! |
| 2014-07-08 3:53 PM in reply to: brigby1 |
Expert 2355 Madison, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? |
| 2014-07-08 10:46 PM in reply to: Road Phoenix |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Wetsuits catch a ton of water on each and every turn in the pool. Racing in Canada means doing pool swims triathlons in the early season. Wetsuits are not allowed in a pool swim period. I have seen a few folks that have tried to use one and got shut down by the RD. |
| 2014-07-09 5:27 AM in reply to: fcrellin791 |
Pro 5892 , New Hampshire | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? I think there's two other things to keep in mind. First, the worse you are as a swimmer, the more you will rely on the wet suit even for very short distances. Personally, the wet suit makes me quite a bit faster than 8-10 sec per 100m (and that should say something as to why I'm sticking to duathlons as much as possible!). Second thing is that you save energy, so even as a break-even time between time saved in the swim and the time it takes to get the wet suit off, you're still ahead of the game, so you can use that energy saving for a better bike split. I've also found that my core is less tired after a swim in a wet suit than one without, allowing me to produce a bit more power on the bike. In my case, even losing a full minute due to wet suit would still be worth it. |
| 2014-07-09 7:40 AM in reply to: audiojan |
| 434 | Subject: RE: What distances do wetsuits truly aid? Just about all, especially for so-so swimmers like me. Additional factor is very low bodyfat (I am 6'2" and weigh 165). I am a "sinker" and I can be seriously shivering after a 500 yard swim in 70 degree water without a wetsuit. |
|
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK