Hey Plaz,as you know swimming is an important part of Triathlon,you need to train in the pool at least a few times so you don't panic in the beginning frenzy or as I like to put it "swimming in the washing machine",if you can't a find pool to do some swimming I would stick to Duathlons,half marathons etc.Remember in swimming it's sink or swim,you can wing it on the bike/run portion but not the swim,good luck Mike....btw I'm 50 with 2 teenagers and 2 jobs and still "make"time to get to the pool.

I agree with the other posts - there is no substitute workout for swimming.  I know sometimes its hard to find a pool that's close enough that you would be consistent in your workouts.  Most communities have a public pool with lap swimming open during the summer, that might be a good place to start.  I found a gym near my house with a pool and swam there for a few years before a masters program started up that was close enough for me.  I would highly recommend joining a masters group if you can.  If that's not your thing, print out some swim workouts (lots of free training plans online, but I also like the Active plans) and head to the nearest pool.  When I first started training for triathlons the only pool that was close to my house was only 15 yards long if that, but I made due.