It happened.  I was able to swim 1 mile.  It was ugly, and I took several easy laps to get my heart rate down, but did 44 laps in 46:20.  Did 20 not stop, then some kickboard laps, backstroke recovery laps, and some slow lengths.  It would be nice if the pool was longer so there would be fewer turns, but it's working. 

Would like to do some open water swimming and see how I do in a lake.  A few years ago the TAT (Tulsa Area Triathletes) did some weekly swims at Skiatook Lake.  That would be a nice "test" to see how I do swimming a mile or so without help.