Original Post (April 24th)
For my upcoming tri on May 4th, I had seen last year's temp (84 F) for Lake Woodlands so it didn't even cross my mind that it could be wetsuit legal this year, so I wasn't thinking about it. However, I looked yesterday at the race website and it said 73 F, which got me starting thinking about a wetsuit. I don't need one to finish ... it's not a life preserver but the cold temperature at my first tri (68F) definitely added to the anxiety of my first OWS (along with the mass of people, sighting, and the dark lake). I figure OWS anxiety would go away with practice, but its not something you can practice easily. This tri may be a bit warmer, but there will be lots more people and it will be 500m versus 150m.
For my upcoming tri on May 4th, I had seen last year's temp (84 F) for Lake Woodlands so it didn't even cross my mind that it could be wetsuit legal this year, so I wasn't thinking about it. However, I looked yesterday at the race website and it said 73 F, which got me starting thinking about a wetsuit. I don't need one to finish ... it's not a life preserver but the cold temperature at my first tri (68F) definitely added to the anxiety of my first OWS (along with the mass of people, sighting, and the dark lake). I figure OWS anxiety would go away with practice, but its not something you can practice easily. This tri may be a bit warmer, but there will be lots more people and it will be 500m versus 150m.
Some will cite time savings from the wetsuit, which is true. I estimate I could save about 40 seconds off the 500m swim and probably lose 20 seconds in T1 taking it off. I don't really care about a net savings of 20 seconds. If I did, I would be buying race tires.
I took a quick browse on eBay and saw a used Xterra sleeveless for sale for $70, so I hastily pulled the trigger. I figure even if I can't use it this year, I could use it next spring. I hope it arrives on Friday so I can practice with and without it at the open water swim practice this Saturday.
So will it stay below 78F? I first did a little research into temperatures for the race prior to 2012. Water temperature race had ranged from 74 F to 78 F from 2005-2011, so the 84 F experienced last year was more of an anomoly.
I found this website that predicts pond temperature based on forecasted air temperatures. Last night a cold fron came through and it rained, so the lake temperature was down 5 degrees to 68 F this morning. The 10 day weather forecast looks rather mild: highs around 78-80 and lows between 58-64. Based on the forecast, water temperature may stay in the lower 70s.
Update (April 29th):
The temperature this morning is 74 F, so it is right on line with the prediction from last week. Below is an updated prediction. 66 F is getting chilly, so I am happy I got my wetsuit. It will also help keep me warm while we stand around for the race to start. 45 F in May in Texas. So much for global warming.
For future reference, I will track the daily temperatures leading up to the race:
April 23: 73 F
April 24: 68 F
April 25: 69 F
April 26: 70 F
April 27: 71 F
April 29: 74 F
April 30: 75 F
May 1: 71 F
May 2: 72 F
May 3: 69
May 4: 68
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