My first TRI.... or shall I say Try?!!

Yesterday I completed a 1/2 mile swim * 9 mile bike * 3 mile run!!!!! Honestly Insane. My Husband is completing his first IronMan on July 31, which is a 2.4 mile swim * 112 mile bike * 26.2 mile run, makes my effort look like peanut shells on the floor, but it's all relative. So, I started out with a pack of 100 girls in my age group. As we were waiting for our time to start, a girl next to took one look at me and said "Is this your first Tri?" Was it the arms crossed in nervousness, or my white stark face? Neither. She said "You should go get wet first before we start." So with 5 minutes to start, I painfully walked into the Bay. 58 degrees later and with nipples so hard they nearly shreaded my wetsuit, I dunked my head and slipped in a few warm up strokes, although, they barely warmed anything up. So we started. I was fine.. until about 3 minutes into my swim, when the shock wore off and I suddenly realized.. "WHAT IN THE FRUIT CAKE AM I DOING OUT HERE!!!!" Absolute terror rushed over my body and I felt like a piece of steel sinking into the ocean. What was I doing out there. Why hadn't I tried swimming in the bay BEFORE this manuever? What in the hell was I thinking. I can't swim, I feel like I am going NOWHERE fast because there are 50 people in front of me all trying to swim around the same damn booey! I started thinking of escape routes... where are the lifegaurds in the canoes... I need a canoe, find a canoe, get me in a canoe... anxiety and panic are rushing over me... I truely consider stopping at this point, finding a canoe and getting the hell out of this situation... who WILLINGLY does this to themselves? I started paddling over to the left, quasi backstoke (because this is the only way I feel I can breath), away from the mass of yellow swim capped seals. I backstroke to get more air, because I certainly feel as though I cannot breath with this tight ass wetsuit around my neck. I start to swim normal again, and find myself at RELATIVE ease. Suddenly, I look up and I realize I am almost there... I kept trying to center myself, but it's proving to be a challenge with the ocean waves slapping me in the face. I just put my head down and swam.... finally land. I run out of the water, I can't believe what has just happened. It was like a rendition of my car accident ALL over again except I was in the water, and "willingly." I hear Brett yelling for me... and I tell him I had a complete anxiety attack... I want to stop, but he tells me to keep going you're doing great.... (see video clip). The bike and run proved to be a feat! I passed about 25 people on the bike and 6 on the run - no one passed me. Needless to say, it was an amazingly terrifying experience. I just kept thinking to myself, how am I ever going to do an olympic distance tri - which I am signed up for in July. I guess I'll just have to train this time...