Who Wants to Get Active--Belle

RE: The Wetsuit Dilemma

jamesodder@yahoo.com — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:08:20 GMT

I am going to change my opinion from earlier in this post... and say... yes the wetsuit is worth it! I would say I am a strong swimmer and as you can see from this forum (http://timbermantri.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2304) I seriously questioned if it would be worth wearing a wetsuit for the Timberman Sprint TRI. As you can see from my tests (in the forum post link above), wearing a wetsuit seriously cut my time down even in a short quarter mile swim.

On race day... I shaved my swim time from 10+ minutes in Timberman last year to 7:46 this year... mostly from wearing a wetsuit (a small bit of the improvement might have been from fitness).

If you are not a strong swimmer... the wetsuit will make an even more dramatic change in your time... plus give you confidence in the water from the flotation it provides.

RE: The Wetsuit Dilemma

Active Belle — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:02:36 GMT

Hey, I did rent one and I'm glad I did.

I live in San Diego so I joined the San Diego Tri Club which costs $65. With the membership, I was able to get a free wetsuit rental from a local shop. It normally would have cost around $45. So for $20 extra I got to join the tri club too. You can also check out wetsuitrental.com

The water was pretty cold and shocking so it was nice to have but I had not practiced with it so the first few hundred yards were stressful as the neck felt tight and restricting.

It's hard to practice with it if you are renting it so I would suggest taking a few strokes the morning of the race, just to familiarize yourself with how it feels.

I did another race recently where the water was 65 degrees but I was only doing a supersprint~~less then 400 meters~~so I went without a wetsuit. The water was super cold but it was a swim start so I was able to get over the initial shock before I had to start swimming, then I was perfectly comfortable with the temps by the time I got out of the water.

I hope this helps. If the race is any longer than a supersprint, I would recommend the wetsuit.

Good Luck!

Belle

RE: The Wetsuit Dilemma

lifrunner — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:56:16 GMT

Hi!

I am in the same predicament that you were back in April. How did it go? Did you rent one?

RE: I Did Wildflower

arenas_k@hotmail.com — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:08:34 GMT

You are my hero and a true inspiration! Congratulations a million times over.

RE: I Did Wildflower

Active Belle — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:14:05 GMT

Thanks Gale! I had a blast. I really do appreciate the light-hearted approach to training. That attitude carried me all the way through race day, which made the event super fun.

RE: I Did Wildflower

Active Belle — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:12:21 GMT

Thanks so much for your support. It was a ton of fun to have you as a virtual training partner!

As for the triathlon bug: I'm not quite ready to choose gear over food in my monthly budget but quitting my job to train full time sounds like a blast:)

During the run I had the thought that maybe triathlons aren't for me. But as soon as I finished and saw my times, it was hard not to analyze how I could do better next time, which indicates that there just might be a next time. And I am curious to see what I could do with another 6 months of training-- starting at the fitness level I'm at now.

Thanks so much again and please let me know how your race goes next weekend!

Good luck and have fun:)

RE: I Did Wildflower

Gale Bernhardt — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:42:26 GMT

Nice job, Belle!!! Big congrats. Wildflower is a hard first race. You rock!

RE: I Did Wildflower

sbourdeau_ca@yahoo.com — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:59:47 GMT

Congratulations!! You are a triathlete!! I'm extremely happy for you.

Great job Belle. Sounds like a tough race but you made it. I went through the exact same thing at my first race: the panic attack at the start (lucky for me it was still shallow enough to stand up), the mayhem of transition, the ups and downs and even walking on the run to take full advantage of the aid stations.

I'm glad to have worked with you to accomplish your goals and thank you for helping me get this far with mine.

You did it and now the question is whether you've got the bug? The itch to upgrade ever piece of equipment you have, hire the professional coach and quit your job to train full-time. The willingness to give up your first born to shave an extra 30secs off your bike split. That's the second step of becoming a true triathlete. (just kidding)

RE: I Did Wildflower

kokobean5@hotmail.com — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:59:52 GMT

WOOOHOOOOO!

Go Michelle!

Aww I'm so proud

RE: Weekend Workout

sbourdeau_ca@yahoo.com — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:28:14 GMT

Thanks Gale for the advice. Last think I want is to get injured again after a taste of competition.

GOOD LUCK this weekend Belle!!! I'm sure you'll have no problems and will really enjoy yourself.