I put the Sugoi Velocity Tri Suit through some more testing. Part 1 is a video blog about swimming in the suit. I really loved the suit in the water. It was very hydrodynamic, comfortable and felt like a second skin.
I tried the suit a couple times on bike/run bricks, and it felt hot. But then I realized I was feeling hot on ALL my bike rides and runs no matter WHAT I was wearing. So, I figured it was just me. Hehe, guess I am a ‘hottie’!
I am feeling a little better now on that front, so I decided to give the suit another spin. I swam for 45 minutes at the lake and then went for a 5 mile run. The weather was 75 degrees and very humid. I had a really great workout. This is what I wrote in my BT logs:
11:00 AM Swim 45m 2100.00 meters Avg HR: 132
OWS at lake. Good solid swim. Had fun playing with my stroke in a slight chop.12:00 PM Run 49m 4.92 Mi 09m 58s/Mi Avg HR: 152
Big Woods Brick, 5 miler Climb: 745 feet
Good solid hilly run. Felt strong! was going a pace that I thought I could hold for a HIM race.
This time I did NOT feel hot in the Sugoi Tri suit. The suit was very comfortable and light weight. Honestly I didn’t even think much about it much at all. I was just focusing on putting in a solid run. That is a good thing – you shouldn’t have to think about your wardrobe while you are working out!
My Comments…
The legs seemed to stay in place fairly well despite no silicone grippers.
I had a Gu in one rear pocket, and was able to retrieve it easily while running. I had my car key in the other rear pocket. It was still there when I got back to my car. Good thing!
While I was running, I poured some water over my head. Some water went into the partially unzipped neckline of the suit. It took quite a while for the water to dribble down and out the legs. This had a nice cooling effect, and I imagine if I was in a race on a really hot day, this might be great.
The suit was still wet when I got home, 30 minutes later. The fabric does not seem to dry quickly while still wearing it. I don’t think that matters during a race. It is so lightweight that it doesn’t hold much water.
I did get a little bit of a wedgie butt toward the end of my run. I have a long torso, so one piece [bathing] suits normally do this to me!
Here’s the really cool thing: I had to pee afterwards. There’s no bathroom facility near my lake swim spot, so…you know me, I trekked off into the woods. I was actually able to bunch one leg of the suit up to my crotch, and then do a “side pull squat pee maneuverer”, ala Paula Radcliffe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6I2-YP42rs This is my preferred method of peeing on the run. It’s very easy with loose running shorts. It’s usually impossible with tri shorts or bike shorts.
Here I am at home after my workout. I think the suit looks really great. I will wear it at Triangle Sprint triathlon in July. For Rev 3 Tri, I will wear my Trakkers Team suit, which I think is also going to be a Sugoi brand.
I wrote this earlier, in case you missed it: the sandy hue that the white fabric picked up from my lake swim washed out of the suit…and it looks nice and bright again. The rear pockets also did a good job holding my cell phone and Gu while riding. The pad was thin, but comfy. Seems like all tri shorts have a thin pad, and as long as you have a good relationship with your bike saddle, not a big deal for sprints, olys, and even 1/2’s. For a full iron race in November, I would take time to change into bike shorts, for sure.