Newbie swim question

I agree with TI, but I would get the DVD. I have the book and it is really had to understand.  I used it briefly and it did help  but unless you can see the drill performed it is difficult. 

As for my experience, I started swimming Memorial Day weekend last year just for a different type of excersice, no real intentions of doing a tri.  First day I did 4 25 meter laps with breaks between each and was dying. I slowing got to were I could swim about 200m nonstop but was out of breath.  At this time I was training for a 50K trail run so I was in Cardo shape at least.  In sept I signed up for a tri about 5 weeks out (and did not even own a bike) that had a 300 meter pool swim as motivation.  Until about 3 weeks before the race I had not even swam 300 meters straight.  For some reason about a week before my race I was in the pool and just made my self keep swimming and swam about 750y nonstop and was tired (I was not fast about 2:30 per 100) but I made it.  I went back a few day laster and swam a mile at the same pace.  Not really sure why I just made my self slow down and keep going.

Basically TI will teach you to "Press the Bouy" which to me is looking at the bottom of the pool and pushing your chest down to make your legs float. 

At this point I am basically in the 2:00 per 100/yard range and can pretty much swim until I get bored.  No faster and really no slow.

 Just keep at it.

I agree.  I really like the TI program, but it's really hard to visualize how to do some of the drills just from the descriptions and line drawings in the book.  Once I saw the DVD, I realized I had been doing some of them incorrectly.

The thing that really helped me was getting some coaching from the members of the local masters team.  Learning to maintain a good head position and keeping a high elbow position have been most beneficial for me.

Mark

I kid you not when I say that not too long ago that I couldn't swim 50 meters without stopping.  I hit the did not drown box after every swim session and especially at races.

I had a sprint triathlon that was 400 meters.  I swam to the turnaround and had to walk back.  Luckily it was in a shallow lake.  So I know where you are right now.  Take some lessons and practice.  If you can find a Masters swim practice, do it.  They have a variety of lanes from slow to fast.  I started out in the whirlpool and am now in the fast lane.

So stick with it and you'll do great.  don't get discouraged!!

Oops I meant the DVD - guess it didn't sound like that though. - I only bought the DVD and I found that it worked fine.

Swimming is tough, but you can learn it.  Check out the TI page, they have some free video feeds that are pretty good.  When you go to the pool, talk to someone that you see swimming.  If they are pretty fast, ask them to watch your stroke and give you some pointers.  Much of the stroke is hard to self correct, how it feels maybe right to you but totally wrong for effective swimming. 

The other thing to remember is this, at the start of EVERY RACE relaxe swim YOUR race, swim like YOU planned to race.  Don't get sucked into the start hard, swim fast and hard at the start.  If you do 200 yards into the swim, you will be laying on your back wondering how the heck you are going to finish doing back/breast/side/doggie/ducky and any othe stroke you can invent.  You want to get out of the water and feel like you want to bike, not feel like you want to DIE.