Wetsuit Experience 6-7-11

So this past Sunday was the first day I put the wetsuit on which was a chore in itself.  It also happened to be the first time to really swim in a lake.  I had those same feelings of panic that I did that very first day i was in the pool.  I started to swim and was like how come i can't breathe?  Well when I stood up I realized i was holding my breath.  The wetsuit gives you super floating capabilities which is something else to get used to.  So I spent 20 minutes just hanging out in the water.  So Tuesday was a swim day.  I packed all my stuff up, wetsuit too, and headed to the lake after work.  Rough!  The water was, what I thought, rough.  So we had measured out the distance between 2 of the buoys the weekend before but the closer you got to the one buoy it was nothing but seaweed and god knows what.  So I backed it off to what I thought was halfway between maybe a bit over and just swam that length.  Well 400 yards in the pool is about 20 minutes.  Last night 28 minutes before I was done.  Now granted it may have been over, but geez.  My arms hurt so bad by the time I was done.  Which I can't figure out because I have been swimming for 5 weeks.  So can it really be that different when you are dealing with the elements?  I gotta find out.  Now I know I wasn't as relaxed as I should have been, but I am hoping the more I do it the better I will be.  I did backstroke in there a little bit so that could have been the weakness in my arms as well.  So just another fear to conquer along the road.  The weather just hasn't been the best.  The wetsuit has its downfalls, but has some perks as well.  The ability to float is crazy.  So this morning I have some sore arms and shoulders for the really the first since I started that it bothered me during the night.  Practice makes perfect, right?