Open Water Swim--Need advice

I am considering doing my first sprint tri with an OWS. I am not a strong swimmer but have been training in a pool. I've completed 2 sprint tris in a pool. The temperatures will be too warm to use a wetsuit and to be honest I just don't know if I can do it or not. I've been told that you can take a break on the kayaks if you need to. I'm planning a practice swim at the lake next week just to see how it goes. DH and our training/riding/running partner are planning to do the Olympic distance at the same race and I really want to do this too since I'm a much better participant than a spectator. I hate watching everyone else have fun.

What advice can anyone give me?

Yes, it is true that you can take a break by hanging onto a kayak. However, there may not be that many kayaks and there may not be a kayak close by. I wouldn't sign up for an open water race unless I was sure I could complete more than the required distance. Sometimes the courses are longer than they should be and sometimes you may sight poorly and swim a whole lot farther than you need to. I like to be over-prepared for what I may face.

I just learned how to swim last summer and have only done two OW tris. However, I swam in open water a lot last summer and intend to do so again this summer. Knowing that you can do it goes a long way towards relieving race day jitters and will likely increase your enjoyment of the whole day.

I think it's a great idea to see if you can do the entire swim before signing up. If you are not ready yet, there will be many other races later in the year.

Good luck!

Practice, just like anything else. I swim open water once a week as soon as it gets warm enough in April. I am a strong swimmer and very comfortable in the water and I still have a small freak out moment the first swim of the year. I attribute that to the wetsuit.

So, how not to freak out? I took a friend of mine through the process last summer but starting her in a lake where she could stand up at any time. We swam parallel to the shore and stayed in water that was shallow enough to stand up in. She also took breaks to breast stroke and sight.

If you decide to do the race, hang back for a count or two and let the craziness of all of the other swimmers die down before you start.

Thanks guys. I think that's what I needed to hear. There is a pool sprint tri the day before and I think I will stick to that for now and train with the guys in the open water. Maybe by the end of the summer I will be ready to give it a shot. It's intimidating to me but the challenge is exciting. That's why we do this, isn't it?