Some friends and I (hi girls!) headed down to a local swimming/diving lake this weekend for some open water practice and a swim clinic put on by a local tri girls company.
It was my first real OWS practice and I didn't drown, woohoo!
We swam 820m together and then they went a little longer and I went for just a 200m loop, since that's the distance of our super sprint swim.
And I know this doesn't matter at all, but I swam the 200m in a time that would have put me in the top 10 from last year's first timers wave of the tri. So since that will be my wave this year, that's my goal for the swimming portion, to place in the top 10.
The water was pretty chilly at 74* but not unbearable. I swam in my tri suit and sports bra and everything worked perfectly. Well, everything except the sunscreen as you can see I missed a few spots.

that's life as a ginger
Re: first OWS!
Yay!! OWS is really fun! Just remember that a mass start might throw you off a little. It's a little nerve wracking at the beginning, even for people who have been swimming for a long time.
Good luck! When is your race again?
oh - we got to practice mass starting! We had a great swim coach for the clinic who had us practice it in a group of 20 three times. And yes, it was pretty insane.
My race is May 13th (the super sprint) and then I'm going to do a sprint August 12th. Both of these are put on by the same company and both are all women's.
Depending on how much fun I have in May, I might not be able to wait until August for my next one
j+k+m+e | running with needles
I also want to say that you are very lucky to even be able to get out in the water SANS wetsuit this time of year!
I don't even think I would attempt an OWS with a wetsuit in my area right now. BRRRRR!
Yay! My first OWS practice was supposed to be last week but I missed it b/c of work. Hopefully I can get out there this week.
Andplusalso, I am SO jealous of your 74 degree water. We won't get that until like June or July around here. I don't own a wetsuit, so the first couple months of practice are kinda torture.