So as I sit here with ice on my ankle, I thought it'd be fun to reminisce of the good ole days where I was in good shape and could do whatever I want. Today I tried swimming for the first time back, and it was a disappointing excursion. Unlike my exhilarating experience swimming in the middle of Tampa Bay less than a month ago.
It was a calm day after the Clermont race, and we were out on my uncle Ronnie's sail boat for the afternoon. We were moving so slowly, I thought it'd be fun to throw on my new blueseventy Helix wetsuit and swim around/alongside the boat. Swimming in open water can be a little scary. You see a tree branch coming out of the deep when you're in a lake, and you're startled by the thought that Nessie is reaching out to grab the lonely swimmer, helpless and vulnerable in the lake. Totally understandable, and while you're startled, you continue swimming because... well... what are the chances. But when you're 2 miles from shore in the middle of Tampa Bay, the chances that what you find when you look down in the water is a hungry shark are much more likely. No I did not see a shark. But it was still pretty scary. In any case, it was worth the risk to try out my new toy.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, many companies that sell triathlon wetsuits are triathlon companies that make wetsuits. Blueseventy is a swim company that makes wetsuits for open water swimmers. They completely understand the mechanics of swimming, and what makes you fast swimmer. That's why they've designed two lines of suits: one balanced for beginning swimmers that struggle to keep their hips up when swimming (positive buoyancy), and one balanced for seasoned swimmers who are looking for a more natural feel in their wetsuit (neutral buoyancy). The Helix (my wetsuit) is from their neutral line of suits, and I can tell you that it feels VERY FAST. I know the boat wasn't moving very fast that day, but in my Helix, I was swimming away from it! (When I took the wetsuit off, I could barely keep up... then again, maybe the wind picked up...)
In any case my experience in the Helix has only confirmed what I've believed to be true for some time now. If you're going to buy a wetsuit, it should be from blueseventy.