Pick a sprint distance tri thats a month or so away and sign up. Most people are intimidated by the swimming part. Is there a pool you can use a couple of times a week to do laps in? Do not worry about swimming the whole distance in freestyle/crawl. Use a combination of sidestroke, breaststroke and whatever stroke you feel good with. Work your way up to the distance you will swim in your event. Goggles are cheap, get some. Before your event try and go watch one so you can get a feel for how the transition area works. On the day of your event approach an attractive member of the opposite sex in the transition area and state the following "My name is xxxxx and I'm new to this and feel a little awkard, can you help me?". Go do it, I promise when you finish you will feel like a gladiator!

I'm in my first tri ever in a week - this past Saturday, I tried what I've heard called a "brick" : biking and running (I did 16m biking and 4m running) . Kind of like a duathlon I suppose. I'm a pretty good swimmer and knew running would be difficult for me; after finishing the bike/run I have the confidence that I'll be able to finish in pretty good shape.

Good luck!!

The swim is definitely the most intimidating. You can pedal in a low gear, and walk three miles, but you can't BS your way through the water. But as stated above, do whatever strokes you need to do to get through the water.

Try to swim at least three times a week, 20-30 minutes each time. You don't have to swim nonstop: swim a lap or two, then rest for 15-30 seconds. You just want to get your body used to being in the water for a period of time.

See if you can find a swim coach. Even if it's just a single hour-long session, he/she will immediately be able to point out weak spots.

Get some open water swims in! This is important, because the lake/ocean/whatever won't (generally) have nice clear water and lines on the bottom. You'll be faced with reduced visibility and the necessity of sighting a distant buoy, both of which will conspire to increase your panic level.

When race day arrives, hang to the back and/or sides of your wave. Pace yourself, and if you start to feel panicked or short of breath, SLOW DOWN. Your goal is just to get out of the water safely. As slow as you swim, you probably won't be the last one out.

Good luck, and may you be severely bitten by the tri bug.

There is a nice 3 month training schedule for new triathletes on the Nike website-- I used this before my first sprint-- Makes the difference on being prepared