Need Advice Re: OWS in Cold Temps

[rocknrollgirl]

I have raced in water that cold, the swim was 1500 meters.
A full suit with two caps and I was fine. I do not think you will need all the extra stuff. Just remember, it is going to be shockingly cold when you first put your face in. Once you get going you will warm up.

[HillSlugger]

I love my BlueSeventy booties. They help some with the cold and they make it much more comfortable running to the transition area. Mine come off very easily and quickly. Put them on first and then put on the wetsuit.

I'm also a big fan of the neoprene hood for cold water swimming.

If you have the chance, before the gun goes off for your wave, start splashing the water on your face to start getting it used to the shock.

I tried my wetsuit over a long sleeve Under Armour compression top; it was a little hard to get the sleeves on but not too bad (my wetsuit sleeves are pretty tight). The suit came off easily. If the air temp is cool you can then just start riding with the top on.

[Alex]

Thanks so much for the advice! You all rock!

At the swim clinic tonight, I wore the neoprene hood with another cap over it, put in some silicone ear plugs, wore a tight CWX half-sleeved top underneath my wet suit, and wore DH's Blue Seventy swim socks.

They had us get in to about our waists and then counted down (3-2-1!) and told us to swim to a buoy. Well, I like to warm up a bit, so I hung back to sort of ease into things. And, yes, it was shockingly cold on my face! After swimming to the buoy, we did various things like swim over and towards one another, practice sighting, practice rounding buoys, etc. I am not a big fan of the full body contact stuff, so I sort of hung around the back of the melee. It was a very big group tonight.

After we were done, I went back in for a bit, just to be able to swim by myself and practice some smooth strokes without getting kicked, etc. That was so much nicer! I plan to start near the back of the pack on Saturday because I am not fast enough to be in front. It's a 750m swim.

When I finally got out, my hands basically wouldn't work. I had a heck of a time getting my wetsuit off and putting on my shoes and socks. I drove all the way home with the heat on full blast and was still cold. I finally got warm after taking a 30-minute hot shower.

I think the swim will be fine once I get going, just like all of you have said, but I am worried about being really cold on the bike. I plan to take the time to put on some extra layers and full-fingered gloves.

Thanks again!