I remember well how overwhelming the swim portion of a tri used to be. But after taking the leap and signing up for a 1/2 Ironman I was determined to get over that and get comfortable in the water. Not to mention more efficient.

Don't freak out that at this point you are worn out at the end of swimming one length of the pool. You are not alone.

I was the same way and now I can swim over 1.2 miles!! It just takes time and practice. Each week I spend 3days training for the swim.

I will second what others have suggested here. I read the "total immersion swimming" book when I started to swim and that helped me greatly.

Stay positive, you can do this! And at the end of it all you WILL be a triathlete. Addicted to the sport like the rest of us.