First Outdoor swim

Today was the first really hot day that we had in MA. It was 90, but the air was dry and the wind was blowing hard. So we decide that we are going to suck it up and go for our first swim to train for this triathlon. OK.. The water had to be in the low 60's. But once you get wet and start swimming, we should warm up.
So we start swimming. Amy and I are both very good swimmers, or we were in our teens and early 20's. We both took the lifeguarding course together and we had to swim a one mile swim for that. So we slowly go in. Me slower than her of course. And we start swimming. The water is so choppy. We are getting beaten up pretty bad doing the crawl, so we flip and do the back stroke which we both decide will work if we have choppy water the day of the race. On the way back in we did the breast stroke, which was easy as long as we were going with the wind and not against it.
Man, I was so winded. I am not out of shape, but I am not in swimming shape. It can be so discouraging. So I will repeat again and again to myself," Remember how it felt the first time that you went in. Because It will only get easier each time that you do it. Just like everything else. You need time to train!".
Amy and I are getting together tomorrow night to start to plot our work out regimine for this triathlon. We have 3 and a half months to chart our course and to nail it down. I am sure that we can do this with planning.
:) Jeanne