The water was cold and choppy, I swallowed gallons of saltwater and I got kicked & kicked others in the face, but on Aug. 25 I swam my longest open water race yet, the Cedar Island 5K Swim in Avalon, N.J. The goal of the race organizers is to raise awareness and provide support to the troops and honor members of the military. On the morning of the race, mom, Kevin and I headed down to enjoy a nice day at the beach before the 4 p.m. race. Unfortunately, the weather was cool, cloudy and very windy which made for a poor beach day. So instead we enjoyed a long lunch (cheesesteaks, soda and French fries) and made our way to the start at the Avalon Yacht Club. There I met up with nine of my fellow members of the Rocky Run YMCA Creek Rats , a group of open water swimmers who joined over 200 other brave souls in the bay. They have all swam long-distance races, so knowing that they would be at this race eased my nerves. Af...