Into the wild wet yonder

I tried my first ocean swim this weekend. I had been swimming 3-4 times a week in a lap pool and was feeling pretty good about it. I might as well have spent that time sitting on the couch because the ocean was totally different. It sucked. It's not just the waves; it's the idea that you can't see anything. There is no sense of motion. I would swim as hard as I could for a while and then have no idea if I moved forward, stayed in place or drifted backwards. Back on land, our team leader asked us "so, once you got past the waves, it was pretty great, right?". Well yeah, the same way that it feels great when someone stops hitting you with a hammer.

He started telling us a little bit about how there is a special way to get out of your wetsuit and wrap up your goggles with it so you don't need to worry about them, and therefore save precious seconds during the transition time to the bikes. It sounded logical to me, but I think we're in different worlds. MY idea to save time during the transition is that I'm going to order my pizza BEFORE I jump in the water, so it will be ready for me to eat when I get out.