The Swim Starts or "Fatman Begins"

I got in the water just before 7:30 and early on knew that it was going to be a great swim. We start by going upstream for about a mile in this somewhat protected area. The water temp was 83 degrees , so no wetsuits. After three years of struggling with the swim, I could tell that I finally had this beast under control. It only took four years, daily practice and lessons from 5 different instructors, but hey. I made it up to the turnaround marker and then stopped for a few seconds. A number also stopped at that point and i think we were all somewhat shocked that we had mad it this far. So a tiny thirty second party was going on in the middle of the fourth busiest shipping channel in the US. I knew the current was great further out in the river so i tried to get in the middle. At a few points I developed cramps in my foot which were scary and at one point I started to cramp in my thigh--big scare. I was able to work things out and keep moving.

We had to get under two bridges to reach the finish. Even with the current, the bridges seemed to come slowly. I then had to angle for the finish line and account for the current. All of that went well and the whole family was there at the finish.

Off to a great start and ready for the bike.