Try and Tri again

As my training for my first triathlon continues, I would like to share with you a few mistakes I have made along the way. My first big mistake was made last year. I did not give myself enough time to train. I started in May for a race in Early September. I underestimated how long it takes for me to go from no swimming at all to a half mile distance. My running and bicycling training seemed to go smoothly. As I have stated before, I have a large frame. My weight hovers around 200 lbs. even though I am only 5'9" tall. My bodyfat is around 15% which is where it should be for a male. I am convinced my genetics makes it more difficult to swim, but I will not use this as an excuse to fail. The best we can do is learn from our mistakes.
This year I started in January. By March I felt great, and got up to 10-12 laps, whereas I need to be able to do 15-17 laps comfortably. So being about 2/3 of the way there with plenty of time to spare I thought I would try something different. Something to lower my bodyfat even more. This is where I went wrong. Greatly reducing carbohydrate intake initially felt great. I felt lighter and leaner. But within a few weeks my training suffered. All I could muster was 4-5 laps. I continued through April and May, but I could not increase my distance in swimming. Now even my biking and swimming started to suffer. Eating a low carbohydrate diet depletes the body of glycogen stores, limiting cardiovascular endurance. I could tell that my muscle strength was not effected, but this did not help me. I needed endurance.
Now I am back up to 8 laps, or about half the total swim distance needed. I have done a complete turnaround now and eat a high carbohydrate diet. I am fairly certain that my body can catch up in time for the Triathlon in September. At least nothing will stop me from trying.