1st open water race. clinic day before was good prep; good advice, but most appreciated the opportunity to practice and learn the course since i don't see the buoys until i'm pretty close to them. during the race, surprised at how crowded it didn't feel. really took my time, didn't push my pace, and know i could've gone faster, but acclimating to the stupid wetsuit was my priority. water temps were somewhat warm, but glad i opted for it. race director discouraged last minute changes (racing with or without wetsuit), but registrar encouraged it. glad i was in a relatively fast wave (based on estimated 1 mile time) bc i wasn't slogging my way through the crowd.

next year i'd like to try the 2 mile swim. i'm fairly confident that i have the physical endurance for it, but the mental endurance is a whole other thing....