Hey K,
Thanks for your reply. I can't stand cold water either and had thought that the water in this lake was going to be warm since it was at least 70 when I practiced in it a month ago. Anyway, I think I'm going to order the Ironman Instinct fullsuit as long as I can return it if it doesn't fit. I saw on another thread where someone recommended the Xterra suit but I can't justify kicking down nearly $500 for a wetsuit.

Thanks for asking about the event. Here's a rundown: Bottom line, I only missed my goal time by 4 minutes. I had foolishly thought that the swim wouldn't be much of a problem since I used to swim competitively as a kid and recently have incorporated swimming into my workouts so I figured 400 yds. in a lake - no problem. Good grief, I couldn't have been more wrong! With the anxiety and all the people around and the cooler than expected temperatures, I panicked a bit and did a lot of breaststroke. I just could not get my breathing right for anything! The bike part was great, though! I recently took up cycling and joined a great group in April and have been riding between 40-70 miles every Saturday. I averaged about 18 mph on a very flat 11-mile course with one small incline. I had been nervous about the run because I had thought it was my weakest segment and I often get side cramps but I was able to run through the cramps (albeit rather slowly) and didn't have to walk. Granted it was only 3.1 miles but I had enough left in me to sprint at the end.

I still have a bit of anxiety and have yet to register for the "Tri for Real" next month but I'm hoping to get the courage to do so within the next few days.