Comments on: Wet Suits…..Whats Up With Them Any Way?

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:27:17 +0000

To Laura-
My wife has the same issue as you with being tall and slim. She found that Patagonia and O’Neill wetsuits work best for her. I would definitely suggest checking online to see where they are sold and trying one on. Hope this helps!

By: Rocky

Rocky — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:05:43 +0000

HI Kerry,

Thanks for all the great tips. I also would like more info on suits for women. Are there ones specifically for us and what brands are the best? I live in the Bay Area so it’s always cold, and I’m no Dolphin.

Rocky

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:34:43 +0000

Hi Kerry
I have a more women specific question….I have such a hard time finding anything to wear for training, but I really need a new wetsuit. The problem is I am 5′10″ 135 and tri clothing doesn’t seem to be made for tall slim women! Do you know of any wetsuit brands that would fit a tall women?
I know I need a wetsuit with arms because any tri’s near where I live the lakes are always wetsuit legal.
Usually anything I buy is always too big because I have to buy a size larger than I need to get it tall or long enough to fit my height!
Thanks

By: shaun

shaun — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:38:13 +0000

Hi Kerry, I wonder what your opinion is on sleeveless versus full sleeve wetsuits. Most stores will try to get you into a full sleeve wetsuit but I have swum the last couple of seasons with one and I find in the last half of the swim( 800m or longer) my shoulders and arms get very tired, possibly from the extra drag. In my last race I switched to a sleeveless suit and was noticeably faster (approx 3 mins over 1km). I do have poor shoulder flexibility so maybe this is a factor. It did feel colder in the sleeveless but not enough to affect me badly.

By: Don

Don — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:22:36 +0000

We were taught to use PAM cooking spray, but then they figured out it was a good way to get a burn. Body Glide is definitely the way to go!

By: Peter Hendriks

Peter Hendriks — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:18:51 +0000

Hi Guys,

I am part of a swim squad down here in Melbourne Australia…..We are currently in our Open Water Swim season down here….
We have about 15 …… (1 mile swims) and 3 x (3 mile) swims during the season and a couple for the endurance swimmers (1 x 10 mile and 1 x 15 mile…the classic Perth to Rottnest swim) ( not quite as glamorous as the swim to Alcatraz)..
Anyway…the pupose of this message is to say that sometimes we train with and sometimes we train without wetsuits….. Down here in Aus it is acceptable to wear Wetsuits below 20 degrees Celsius.. and in Melbourne all of the time..
We sometimes train with some people in wetsuits and some without…The difference a wetsuit can make is 150-to-200 yards over 1 mile….
So when it comes to race day…if you have a choice……Wetsuit swimmers definitely have the advantage…..

Cheers
Peter

By: John Mayer

John Mayer — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:04:43 +0000

I will be swimming 1.6 miles from Alcatraz to San Francisco in August, without a wetsuit. Many people do not use wetsuits. The water is 58 to 61 degrees. I am thinking I will be swimming the whole time, thus burning kcals and not getting too cold. I will be doing some open water swimming in preparation. I do plan to wear a neoprene hat. What are your thoughts? Am I crazy? Is there any danger and what is it? do I need to rethink this idea?

thanks, John Mayer

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:17:11 +0000

Aside from DeSoto, are there any other companies that make two piece wetsuits?

By: Alan Mellor

Alan Mellor — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:11:49 +0000

Great advice. Question, With life it is hard to be discplined in working out. I got sick 2 weeks ago a cold kinda of thing.I was out for 10 days. How do I get back into training, where do I start? Do I keep going where I was at? Do I trim it back?

Over training.

I am following the essential week by week traing book by Matt Fitzgerald. Sometime I get cracky when I follow the training to a T. What do you recommend??How do I know that I am over training? Sometime I traing what the book recommends and I feel like I could still do more. What do you recommend for that situation??

Thanks;

Alan Mellor

By: Leo Rutten

Leo Rutten — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:40:14 +0000

Good one. Ask Terry, I’m the worst swimmer he’s ever coached, bar none so I wear a wet suit whenever I can. Louisville Ironman I’ll be swimming without so I need lots of practice this summer open water swimming without a suit. Looking for a farm pond here in Kansas to do that and someone to swim with, that is difficult. There is no one here in Abilene to run, bike or swim with at the level I go. Sad since there is noone to keep up with an old guy. thanks alot.