PSA: Your first open water swim will feel like drowning, mine took 2 years to fix
Tbh nobody warned me that pool swimming and lake swimming are completely different animals. I showed up to my first group swim in Austin and panicked within 50 yards because I couldn't see the bottom and my breathing went sideways. It took me 9 months of weekly lake sessions to finally stop hyperventilating, and even now I still hug the kayak on windy days. The real kicker was buying a wetsuit after my second race, it solved most of the float and fear issues instantly. Has anyone else struggled with sighting in murky water or is it just my brain being broken?