Open Water/Wetsuit Question

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Okay Ladies,

I am contemplating signing up for the Santa Cruz Sentinal Tri in Sept (Olympic Distance). I don't know WHAT the heck I'm thinking as my very first tri will be a sprint down in Solana Beach in July... but, my DH works out of Santa Cruz and we are originally from that area so I'm thinking I could get a decent cheerleading crew going! Plus ya'll scared me about the heat in Tempe and the Timex Tri...

Okay, here's my question.... I'm VERY cold blooded and that water up there is 55 degrees on a good day (DH used to surf there every weekend). I looked this up in the USAT Rule book and didn't see anything BUT, I am wondering if there are any rules about putting one of those little heater packs (like I use when diving) in your wetsuit???

I'm such a baby, but I'm afraid I will be so cold that I'm unable to function!

Thanks!

Tracy

[crazycanuck]

Hi tracy

NO idea about putting the heat thingies in your wetsuit but would it
damage the material in any way???-(this is just me thinking aloud and probably talking a bunch of hooeey...) Clueless on wetsuits as i've not done a long tri yet...need to work on swimming style when i speed up & confidence really...

Anywho..how is your training going???

c

[Nanci]

4.9 Illegal Equipment.

Any swimmer wearing any artificial propulsion device, including but not limited to fins, gloves, paddles, or floating devices of any kind shall be disqualified.

Info@USATriathlon.org

It doesn't appear to be listed, but I would write to clarify that.

Crazy, no, it won't damage her wetsuit. They are made for that, plastic heat packs that, I think, you boil, cool off, then click this metal disc thing inside it that makes it heat up when you want it to. Then you re-boil it to reset it? That's the kind I've seen, anyway.

Nanci

[Lise]

I, too, am talking from no experience. BUT...I know that people naturally heat up in wet suits. That's why they ban them in races where the water is > 74 F. Seems to me that keeping your head warm with a neoprene cap or "squid lid" would make a difference. You might overheat with a heating device. Let's see what Denise has to say when she gets back from Las Vegas. I think she's done surfing in cold waters.

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the heating thingys I'm talking about last about 30 minutes, you pinch them and they create heat, they are thrown away after one use. I used to dive in Monterey quite a bit and I get very cold in that water so I wanted to ask about this. I did see that "propulsion" info in the rule book - nothing on warming packs though!

Thanks Ladies!

Tracy

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okay, I just e-mailed the USAT, I guess we'll see what they say! Or if Denise or Melisa know that would be great too!

T~

ps. Lise, yes, peeing in the wetsuit does help but not enough for me hee hee hee

[Lise]

ps. Lise, yes, peeing in the wetsuit does help but not enough for me hee hee hee

Ha! I hadn't even thought of that, but, true enough!

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Here is the response I got back from Kathy at USAT. Plus, that is Jayne's favorite race too. I'm still not sure I'm up for getting ready for that length of tri but at least I know I won't FREEZE burrrrrrrrrr!


Hi Tracy,

Yes, those are allowed. Be sure you discard them properly (at T1 or in a garbage receptacle on the beach) so you don’t receive a penalty for abandoned equipment J

Have a great race, the Sentinel is a classic!

Best regards,
Kathy

Kathy Matejka
Director, Event Services
USA Triathlon
1365 Garden of the Gods Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 8097

[Running Mommy]

Hey- I'm baaccckkkk....
I would get a squid lid for sure! Blue seventy sells quite an assortment of cold water gear now. They sell booties and gloves too, but I'm not sure how many races will allow them. It's wierd cause they are marketing them to triathletes? All I know is at IMAZ we were not allowed to wear the booties or gloves. But in the cold ocean they may make an exception.

And Santa Cruz.... That was *my* old surfing grounds.... waaaaayyyy back in the day! OY! I'm old!!
Pleasure point BABY!!! Long board heaven!!!

I think as long as your noggin is warm you'll be ok. But if it makes you feel better to use a heat pack, by all means...
Where is the race held at? It's not at the boardwalk is it? Or is it in capitola? I thought one of the races was in capitola. I LOVE it there!!
Anyhooo..... Look at YOU!!! Big bad ocean tri mama!!!

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Anyhooo..... Look at YOU!!! Big bad ocean tri mama!!!

Not sure what you're thinkin'?!?! Here's the link to the Santa Cruz Sentinal Tri

http://www.sentineltriathlon.org/index.htm

Also, Jayne does this one every year and proclaims it as her favorite. Basically its a swim around the Santa Cruz wharf then a bike and run on the west side (past the lighthouse). So, its relatively flat and my only issue is the temperature of the water. I am SO cold blooded; heck, I might be just fine but I want to be prepared. I used to dive in Monterey and I'd be fine for the first few minutes but then be completely miserable the rest of the time. But, diving wetsuits are thicker AND you have full head foot and hand coverage too. Now, granted, I will be swimming much harder at the tri but just knowing I have a little extra warmth will help me stop worrying about it!

So, there ya go... still not sure I have the guts to commit to an Olympic Distance Tri though... help!

Glad your back Denise! Did ya win any money??? Massage??? or is it stayin' in Vegas

Trac'

[triflor]

I swim in the wonderfully chilly lakes of Ontario and Quebec, and I must say they get cold. However, on an Olympic swim you're going to be working up a fair amount of heat, so be careful you don't over heat. Peeing in the wetsuit is standard works pretty well. Get in the water a bit before the start to do some warm up so you aren't starting the race with the water in your wet suit still cold. Try to swim in water the same temp as you're expecting a few times first to experiment. Trying the heating packs in a race if you haven't swum with them in before in those temps could bring some surprises.

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Good Point Triflor! I will definately be there the day before and try it out. I'll have practiced open water swimming this summer but down in SoCal and the water is warmer down here. This Triathlon is pretty much the same area where I used to dive but I will not have gotten into it w/a tri-wetsuit. I thought about the fact that I will be working hard and probably creating heat too; I'll just have to experiment! At least I know that if I do need the heat pack, I won't get into trouble using it!

Tracy

[Nanci]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I tell ya, that's what it feels like to me anyway At least that person probably has a dry suit on!

T~

ps. Since I'm on the fence, I went ahead and signed up for the tri because it does fill up - I figure I'm risking the entry fee but I'd be more mad if I wanted to do it but can't get in! I keep re-reading Jayne William's race report and it seems almost doable!

[Running Mommy]

Nanci is that YOU in that ice hole??
Ok, missy- and I'm talkin to YOU Tracy..... You CAN and you WILL do an Oly. If I could go from spriints to the big dance, you can do an Oly. Just work on the swim - distance wise. I found it easy to go from 1.2 to 2.4 miles in the pool, but going from sprint half milers up to the mile was a bit harder. Wierd? I dunno... maybe I'm a freak... Oh yeah, I AM!!!!
Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to come see you in Santa cruz. I love it there!

Vegas was fun. It was windy though, and I'm still tired. I really didn't get to relax. I did play some roulette though. Walked away up 44 clams all total. I won't complain.. I took Terrie to the hofbrauhaus. I LOVE it there! I've been to the one in Munich so it brings back fond memories.