So I went to the pool and deviated from my scheduled workout. Focused on a couple things:

1. Body position
2. Steady breathing
3. Not kicking
4. The TI teaching that if you want to go faster, move your belly button faster

And it worked. The only kicking I did was the natural movement that came when I turned my body,and my breathing was much easier-- found I could really get the arms moving and not get nearly as short of breath.

I also focused more on breathing, and realized that what I was doing was exhaling partially and trying to pull in a full breath--very uneven. So, with slowing down a bit and just being calm, I was able to steady the breathing quite a bit.

I still suck, but I suck less.

Thanks for all the advice.