Careful with that Wetsuit

You might need to rethink wearing your wetsuit during triathlon. Come 2013, the wetsuit you've been using might not make the cut for legal use in competition. Not because its warmth factor is ahead of the pack, but because its thickness can possibly help you move to the front of the pack.

USA Triathlon, the governing body for the sport of triathlon, recently announced that beginning in 2013 it would disqualify anyone using a wetsuit thicker than five-millimeters from competition in a USAT-sanctioned event. It found research that showed athletes received a marked advantage over the field by wearing wetsuits laden with the latest technological advancements. While some age-groupers might appreciate the added aid, they won't be able to use those wetsuit technologies that have been found to add even more buoyancy in the water. Why? Because they reduce passive drag and can help the athlete cut through the water at a faster pace while expending less energy.

So much for technology advancements in sports--or rather, using those advancements. Remember the LZR Racer swimsuit that was all the rage in the pool at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (and all the records smashed at the U.S. Olympic Trials and the Games)? Banned from the pool in part because the full-length suits make human skin far faster, their NASA wind tunnel-tested fabric designed to repel water, reduce drag, create better oxygen flow through the muscles and hold the body higher in the water. That went into effect in January. Then the World Triathlon Corporation banned the speed suits popularized in triathlons where the water temperature is too warm to wear wetsuits (i.e. Hawaii's World Championship). Well, actually, they specified that swimwear needed to be made of a textile material, no rubber, and needs to only go so far as the knee and shoulder, otherwise it's considered a wetsuit. Well, sort of. That's my interpretation after reading the why's and why not's for the acceptance of Xterra's Velocity suit in USAT-sanctioned and WTC-sanctioned events. If you see a sale on speed suits, you know why.

For the most part, this doesn't really change much on the wetsuit front. Take Xterra's priciest model, the $695 Vendetta. It's labeled as the "most technologically advanced" wetsuit on the market, yet it still meets the requirements for competition. And usually expensive price tags--if I'm thinking in bike mode--mean more top-of-the-line goods. Carbon frame, race wheels (Zipp, HED), components. But that's for another discussion. Maybe. I might be opening a whole new can of worms with that one. Photo grabbed from Ben Lawson at flickr. 

Note: The LZR Racer link sends you to the newly designed Speedo suit that meets the FINA regulations. For a picture of the suit used at the 2008 Olympics, click here.

Guess Where I'm Going, The Reveal

One thousand miles. Less than 16 hours, closer to 14 actually, behind the wheel. A bike and enough gear to survive the coldest and warmest of conditions. A wetsuit, two pairs of running shoes and a bag full of random triathlon accessories. Leaving the flatlands for some Rocky Mountain Highs. Yes, I'm in Colorado, but this isn't the typical Colorado trip that sends tourists to Rocky Mountain National Park (although I have done that before). I'm not packing a tent nor am I attending a triathlon (that was last weekend). And I'm not sitting around a campfire, sharing ghost stories and roasting marshmallows. I will be camping but it's not camping in the traditional sense--the kind of camp you'd ship off to for entire summers as a kid, or day camp to keep you occupied when school wasn't in session. We're talking a full-on week all about triathlon at Endurance Corner's Boulder Camp.

Immersed in sport and surrounded by athletes of all ages and abilities, it's a camp scenario I haven't seen since I was 14 or 15 when I attended swim camp for a one-up on the high school season around the corner. But yes, adults go to camp too--just take the Chris Carmichael camp I passed up to attend this one--just that these camps are more elective than the kiddie ones. Just that this time around we're all motivated and excited to be at camp because we chose to attend. Take that, Mom.

As for what I'm expecting, I really can't say beyond the plan to be active for the six days that I'm there. There's an undisclosed number of guests that won't be revealed until the evening's kick-off dinner. And we didn't learn until yesterday the specifics on the activities that would be filling our days. But would you really want to pass up this camp even if you only read the initial description and itinerary?

• Sunday – Arrival, camp overview talk and welcome dinner
• Monday – Metric or Imperial Century in the local mountains
• Tuesday – Open Water Session with Brick to Follow 
• Wednesday – Practical Skills Sessions (all sports) and Transitions
• Thursday – Aquathon followed by shorter ride option
• Friday – Mt. Evans (we will get you high in the Rockies!)
• Saturday – The Classic Boulder Big Day (swim, bike and run)
• Sunday – Depart

It's too hard to pass up, right? Plus factor in the price --$875--and the inside information that last year's campers dined at Dave Scott's house one evening, and you'd probably be on the next plane, train or automobile out to Boulder. A week to be well spent, at least in my book. And only further solidified by learning last night that I'd be in the company of Chrissie Wellington, Craig Alexander, Matty Reed, and Greg and Laura Bennett, plus famed coach and running expert, Bobby McGee. It's a ton of activity for a week, but that's just how we roll--we'll be altitude trained (at least a pinch), mountain climbed, run down and tri focused by the end. And gaining knowledge and tips from a great assembly of professionals that many wait a year to meet one from the above arsenal.

First up, Chrissie Wellington, a three-time Ironman World Champion, who makes triathlon look easy with a grin practically tattooed to her face during the Ironman. Then mountain riding tomorrow--or at least what I'll consider mountain since it's so flat at home.

Guess Where I'm Going, Hint 3

It's only T minus 24 hours--give or take--before this adventure gets underway. I passed up the Horribly Hilly Hundreds. I couldn't run Grandma's Marathon again and listen to Kara Goucher speak at some of the expo activities. I can't race two favorite Chicago-area triathlons: Big Foot and Pleasant Prairie. But in going on this trip, I'm thinking I won't be missing those events by the end of the week.

Clue 3 is two-fold: one is a giveaway for where I am, the other, not so much. The more difficult hint to guess:

This is one place many of us go shipped off to in the summer when we were kids--full of kayaking, arts and crafts, swimming, and more. Or on a personal note, I haven't done a week-long intensive of this magnitude since I was 14 and all I did was think swimming for seven days straight.

And here's what I think is the giveaway:

I'll be in a part of the country that I also like to visit in the winter, participating in a sport that consumes a lot of my time back in Chicago. This sport is also very popular where I'll be traveling, so much so that the town is full of some of the sport's top athletes. I might get to hang out with some of them and what I'm attending is led by one such athlete.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the reveal.

Guess Where I'm Going, Hint 2

I'm not quite sure why I'm into this guessing game for my latest adventure but I think part of it stems from my excitement, and trepidation for what's about to unfold. Trepidation because I'll be conquering some fears, hopefully, or at least trying.

You saw my packing list. You read my lame-o first clues that didn't really provide accurate hints as to what I'm doing. You read clue 1: I'll be spending a week in one of the top outdoor meccas in the country. People here put Chicagoans to shame when it comes to physical activity. And I fear posting a picture from the area might give it away. Now it's time for No. 2. Again, this next clue still might not make much sense unless you heard me talking repeatedly about the trip or looked at the itinerary, but it is one of those things I can't help but think about and recall when I start worrying about everything I still have to pack.

Hint No. 2:

A lot of people head out this way for winter and summer outdoor activities, creating traffic to and from. And this place in particular is home to several professionals in sport--and I'll get to meet a few of them.

Stay tuned for a third and final clue tomorrow.

Guess Where I'm Going, Hint 1

You already saw my packing list, but that--and my lame-o clues that I was too tired and brain-dead to describe properly the other night--probably didn't provide much of an idea for my next adventure. So I figured I'd attempt to write up some better hints. And while this next clue still might not make much sense unless you heard me talking repeatedly about the trip or looked at the itinerary, it does include some of the highlights I'm looking forward to.

Hint No. 1:

I'll be spending a week in one of the top outdoor meccas in the country. People here put Chicagoans to shame when it comes to physical activity. And I fear posting a picture from the area might give it away.

Stay tuned for a second clue tomorrow.