Jennifer in a wetsuit
No not the name of a kitchy indy flick, this was me last night…or should I say…Jennifer trying to squeeze into a wetsuit. I took advantage of the Xterra wetsuit sale and bought a sleeveless suit. I went back and forth between sleeved and sleeveless and ultimately decided that in NC the water just doesn’t get that cold and I was worried that I would overheat. I also read having a sleeved suit can feel restricting and I didn’t feel like reverting back to my freak out days in open water, plus the sleeveless suit was $50 cheaper! So within 4 days I had the wetsuit delivered to my office.
I had a crapload of cooking to do last night and was pretty much non stop all night and just when I was ready to sit down Scottie wanted me to try it on to see how it fit. See how it fit…right! So I pulled it out of the box and wondered how I was going to fit into this thing, it was teeny! Then I was worried about ripping it or poking a hole in it, plus I was sweaty from running around a hot kitchen for 3 hours, so to say it was a challenge is putting it lightly! It was a bit of a team effort with Scottie trying to help work it up and me getting frustrated and cursing at him for making me put it on. 26 minutes later I finally had the thing on. It fit well except for the neck which was pretty much cutting off the circulation to my head and making me feel quite light headed- fun! After more maneuvering I finally was able to breathe and take a look. This thing hides no flaws! I looked nothing like the girl on the box which was rather disappointing for both of us. I did feel like a super hero in it and happily pranced around the kitchen, pretending to run out of the water after an amazingly fast 1500 m. swim, maybe the lack of oxygen was getting to me. 
So add this to the long list of tri equipment I have purchased my first season. I still have more to go including cycle shoes, clipless pedals, an indoor trainer, new running shoes, a new bike jersey oh and maybe a new bike it I happen to fall upon an extra $2k. Yeah, no one said this was a cheap sport, but it sure is a fun one! Luckily my birthday is next month (eek!) and I already dropped the hint to my Mom about the running shoes- heehee :cough: Saucony Pro Grid Guide 2 in size 8.5 :cough:
And speaking of swimming, I signed up for the Nuclear One Mile Swim this Sunday. This is taking place at the same location as the Triangle Tri where I had my worst swim ever so this is sort of my redemption swim. I have no doubt I will be one of the last out of the water but completing this swim will be the ultimate testament of hard work and determination. To think I couldn’t swim 50 meters earlier this summer and am now attemtping a mile swim, in open water nonetheless, makes me proud. It will also calm my nerves about the Olympic Tri we are doing in oh, 6 weeks. Scottie will not be participating in the swim with me, he didn’t take an crazy pills like I did, but we plan to bike afterwards so it will be a perfect brick workout!
August 25th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
im still shaking the wetsuit box for the girl on the outside to fall out!!!!
August 26th, 2009 at 5:30 am
I’m sure the girl on the box has not actually participated in any competitions either.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:51 am
You are going to LOVE swimming in your wetsuit. Honestly, wetsuits make you just float right on top of the water and it is awesome. Are you going to wear it this weekend? One tip that I have for you is to use a TON of body glide around the seams of the suit. Focus especially on your neck and around the underarm area. I had to learn that lesson the hard way and it is not a fun one to learn.
p.s. I feel like a superhero in my wetsuit also! : )
August 27th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Stacy- thanks for the body glide tip, I had not thought about the seams rubbing. Not planning to wear it this weekend because the water is still so warm but we swim every Wednesday in a local lake so I will get plenty of practice in it!
Tammy- I don’t think the girl on the box does much besides blow dry her hair
Scottie- I won’t mention how YOU looked in your wetsuit, heehee
August 27th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
http://www.twentysixpointtwo.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ultraman2.jpg
August 30th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
[...] On a last minute whim, I decided to do the Harris Lake 1 mile Nuclear Swim. The reason it’s called “Nuclear Swim” is that Harris Lake is the cooling lake for the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power plant. This is the same lake that hosted the Triangle Triathlon I did in July. It seems clean enough, and I didn’t see any strange creatures except my swim buddy, Scottie. hehe. This is what he looks like in a wetsuit, according to his girlfriend’s blog. [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Thanks you for this post! I didn’t know about the Xterra promo until I read about it here (followed a link from Carol over to your blog). I took the plunge as well and ordered the Vortex 3 full suit (it’s a bit colder here in Michigan than in NC). I have been wearing a Body Glove wetsuit made for surfing/wake boarding so I am excited to see what difference an actual tri suit gives me.