Saturday June 8th I swam in an open water 5K race at Clemson. The weather was good, overcast so we could see the buoys, and the water temperature was 78 degrees. I have done this swim before so I knew it was a long swim. Part of the challenge of a race like this is the mental aspect, keeping your head in the game over a long, monotonous swim. This is an out and back course which makes sighting easy and there is not too much chop since it takes place in Lake Hartwell. I was in the second wave with my husband, Steve. Once we got started, I lost sight of him as I was trying to hang on the back of a pack of young kids. It was not a very physical race, people spread out quickly and I was with the pack until the halfway point where I stopped to take a gel I had stuck in my suit. I then had to really focus as I swam the rest of the way without alot of company. I did turn over on my back a few times to do backstroke, which makes me feel more energized. I finished in 1 hour 22 minutes, first in my age group but more importantly, 2 minutes ahead of my husband! This is a very well run race, they have different lengths to race if you prefer shorter ones, or you can do all of them for an 11 mile mornihs.