Yesterday I showed up to a group OWS practice. I just started swimming. The only swim I've done was .6 miles and the other 3 times in the water I worked on my technique.

There were seven of us (6 guys and then me) plus 2 kayakers. We met at Lake Michigan. I didn't realize they are training for an endurance swim through the Straits of Mackinac.

We were wading in the water and the leader said "so, today we'll swim to that pier over there." I look and don't see a pier. "What pier?" I say. "Oh" he says, "it's about 2.5 miles down the beach. Everyone okay with that?" All the guys answer with a resounding "sounds great!" Who am I to argue?

The first mile went pretty well. The lake was calm and clear. Even though I was behind everyone else, I felt like I was doing pretty good. At one mile we took a short break. Not wanting to completely do myself in, the last 1.5 miles I counted out 100 strokes and then walked a little bit and then swim again (I stayed about chest deep in the lake--Lake MI scares me).

Just over 2 hours later I finally made it to the pier. I'm just so happy I survived.