Swimming for the first time in 25 years

I totally know exactly where you are coming from; that was the boat I was in 3 weeks ago and the ramp-up to effortless swimming is rather gradual.  I would totally recommend http://www.totalimmersion.net/ find a coach in your area; watch the DVDs, visit their forums.  There are a few very basic techniques that will allow you to start finding you balance in the water; which allows effortless and nearly endless swimming.  By no means and I an expert; but I will say that I was exactly where you were three weeks ago; the furthest that I have gone to date was 2k yards continuously and I only stopped as I was bored going back in forth in a 25 yard pool.  Stick with it; I thought I would never say it but I now enjoy the time in the pool.

I think this is a great swimming site: http://www.swimsmooth.com/

Stick with it and good luck!

We put swimming in triathlons to keep out the really good bikers and runners.  Actually your experience sounds typical of many triathletes.  Swimming is most often the discipline that people complain about.  However, over time and with help, most people start to enjoy it eventually.  Keep at it and good luck.

I live in a very rural area. I haven't had any luck finding a swim coach. Are the total immersion video's worth the money or is it very difficult to learn from videos. If they are worth it which one's should I get. Just the one on freestyle or the tri package.

EKH,

You sound like the perfect candidate to move on to triathlons. You are getting injured on the regular running mileage; the age and years on the road are adding up, and you are now in the position of having enough interest in other sports to be able to transition to something where you are not killing yourself by pounding up and down the roads. With all of your muscle memory on running, YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT ANYMORE. Focus on the swim and bike. As soon as your leg heals, only do enough running to "remember". Not knowing anything more about your situation, but conceivably, in 6-9 months, you could be doing your first sprint triathlon and thanking your lucky stars that your current injury put you in an altogether different direction that will allow you to compete and grow as an athlete for many years to come. As a former runner, then injured/beat up runner has-been....welcome to triathlon! Don't sweat the swim troubles; overcome them and keep improving! You will....as long as you keep trying....GUARANTEED!