Has anyone started triathlon training without...

knowing how to swim?

I just found this web site. It looks great!

I am a 41 year old male. Three years ago I decided to get active and get in shape. I took up martial arts. This past summer I added in-line skating. Then I was invited to run in a charity event in late September. I hadn't run more than a mile since high school, and never was a good runner. But I was able to train for a month before the event and ran a 10K in just under an hour. By searching for run training information on the web, I kept bumping into people on forums who did triathlons and I felt challenged to see just what I could do. I stopped eating junk food and started eating properly this past summer (70% carbs, 20% protein, 10% fat) and went from 215 pounds to 180 pounds. I want to lose another 10 pounds by Christmas.

I have a free membership to a health club through the company I work for, so I can train treadmills, stationary bikes, and pool workouts through the winter. I've been researching endurance training and will be starting base building in January with the goal of working toward an Olympic length triathlon by the end of next summer. Possibly train for a half-ironman the next year. But I'm not sure I would be able to put in the time to do that distance. We'll see.

My biggest problem is I don't know how to swim. I have a good idea of what steps are needed because my kids have been through swim lessons. For the past three weeks I've been working on it. I can swim across the 25 meter pool with an elementary backstroke. I can swim a few yards with a back crawl. My biggest problem with the front crawl is breathing. Yesterday I actually was able to take three breaths with the front crawl. I'm hoping to get some free instruction from experienced swimmers at the club, and I'll be checking out possibilities for paid lessons.