Open water swim geek out-first tri of the season

Don't worry about it. Go ahead and do another (and then another and then another).

I came to triathlon from an athletic background that included swimming competitively as a kid. I'm a good, strong swimmer. In a pool. With lane lines and walls. It took me my first year plus of doing triathlons to get comfortable with open water swimming. I still have my moments, especially at the start of the race (why is that buoy soooo far away?). First, I try to get in the water before the race. Swim a few strokes. Just float and get comfortable in the water. Feel my buoyancy. Feel the water's motion and pull. Then, for the start, I try to stay out of the melee. I make my way back into the crowd when I'm ready. If I start to lose my mind, I take a few breast strokes (mindful of people around me so I don't kick anyone...but usually at that point, they're all in front of me). Then, I switch to 5 pulls of freestyle. Back to breastroke for 2 or 3 strokes. Then, 10 pulls of freestyle. I keep doing this until it's just freestyle. I focus on counting and breathing (I exhale "loudly" into the water...remember blowing bubbles in swimming lessons?). Then, I just count, sight, and keep going. It really helps me get my mind off my panic/nervousness and find my rhythm.

(Note: For me, anyway, practicing OWS makes no difference in my comfort level at the beginning of a race. But, if you can, I do recommend it.)

Don't dwell on past performance. Just keep moving forward. It will come. And believe me when I say, you are not alone. The OWS is an issue for a lot of us.

Yup, do more races.  Nothing can simulate ows in the race environment. It took me years to get comfortable.  More ows will help w/ your confidence but really you just need to keep racing.

fwiw, I still get anxious waiting for the gun to off. Sometimes I even have to stop, relax and start over (maybe even more than once). Eventually I'm able to get mt face in the water and go.  Nerves are tough thing to deal w/ sometimes. 

Keep at it , you get it!

Awww... cut yourself some slack.    Race swimming is so much different from regular swimming, OW or otherwise.  The energy, the pressure, the excitement, the masses of other people, etc.   Just like running outside is different than running in a race setting.

EVERY. SINGLE. RACE. I ask myself, "WHY am I doing this?!"  Yes, the first buoy is soooo far away.  But then, so is the next buoy, and the next.  And I swear that there is some kind of space/time warp between the last buoy and the shore.  Every time I sight, it feels like it's not getting any closer at all. 

As for tracking and zigzagging, was there any kind of current?  Or was it just you?  I ask because I'm a classic zigzagger.  What helps me is to sight every 3rd breath, which will keep me from getting too far off course. 

And if you can get a couple of OWS sessions in over the next couple of weeks, that would be a great help.  I have a swim lagoon near me that's open during the summer (I'm anxiously awaiting its opening) and swimming there once or twice a week really helped me feel more comfortable in the water and in my wetsuit.

I have read more than 1 post saying more or less the same thing.  Freaked out in the swim.

I think the cure is hang back at the start, don't push too hard.  Plan your race to do just that, knowing that once you get comfortable in the water you can make up whatever time you need to.  Verses blowing up at the start and killing you overall time from a horrible swim.

I raced one race last year with a wetsuit, and I am doing that same race this year.  I am planning on doing better this year, and with all the swimming I have done expect to make it happen.  But even with that, I am planning on holding back at the start, going out easy and then picking it up as I go along.  I just do not want to die like I did last year.  I am planning on doing a longer warm up, and making a point of doing that hard enough to keep me from going out too hard.

You can do it, just don't allow this one event to haunt you.