Okay... I'm having serious swimming problems...
I'm trying to read up on different strokes, etc, and I'm looking into beginner swimming courses, but my major problems are:
Trying to breathe without inhaling half the pool, freaking and gagging,
Trying to float. If I'm not constantly in motion, even when relaxed, I can't float to save my life unless my lungs are completely full...
Maintaining any sort of momentum. I seem not to 'glide' on my strokes at all... probably because of the aforementioned problem.

I'm trying to get into swimming because I think it'd build me up aerobically enough that I could handle running once I got going... so I can *someday* manage a tri... but swimming is also my worst point (can't just stop and put your feet down when you get tired...)
Any suggestions?