Wetsuits. Are. AWESOME.
I took my new Zoot Suit Riot (that’s what I’m calling it since the manufacturer is a company called Zoot Sports; I know I’m a dork) to the pool last night. I was certain that I’d be given some strange looks and maybe even a giggle or two, but I got nothing. In fact, as I was laughing to Jen that the suit made me bob like a cork, the girl in the lane next to me looked over and said “first time in a wetsuit?” The conversation continued from there, and it was shortly revealed that not only is she doing the Aquabike that’s part of the same triathlon festival as my Half Ironman (where you do the swim and bike but not the run), but she’s also one month away from doing Ironman Arizona on April 15. It will be her second Ironman in a year.
THAT, my friends, is HARD CORE.
So, duly intimidated by the girl in the lane next to me, I began my swim. With me in my wetsuit and her without, I was much faster — ha, ego restored. 😉
Anyway, back to the beginning. Wetsuits are awesome. After enjoying the sensation of floating without even trying as soon as I jumped in the pool, I took off for my first 100 yards. Time? 1:38. Yes, 1:38! That is crazy! That is a full 15-20 seconds faster than my usual average!
I swam the full Half Ironman distance last night…at least I think I did, since I completely lost count of my laps on more than one occasion, and it was difficult to back out the number of laps based on time since I was faster in the wetsuit. I stopped a couple times to do some suit adjustment — the neck is still pretty tight, even though it doesn’t affect my ability to breathe — but mostly I just swam. I stopped my watch when I wasn’t swimming. Total time for 2100 yards (or maybe 2200?) was 37:25, or an average of about 1:47/100 yards. Any way you slice it, I did the Half Ironman distance at least 5 minutes faster than I would have without the Zoot Suit Riot.
That is awesome. Or, as the Ironwoman in the lane next to me said, “wetsuits are God’s gift to triathletes.”