Thanks for the update. Glad you made it! Haha yes 12 mins is completely possible, though I guarantee he is a competitive swimmer. My peak time for an open water 1/2 mile was right at 10:32.27 however, that was n a single swim race my normal for a triathlon or training would be anywhere between 11:30-13:00 depending on number of people, where I start, lake its in, temp., etc... Great job 24 is respectable for not training until last minute. If you want a goal for your next tri with a 1/2 mile swim your best bet would first to beat 20 mins which is not going to come easy. With swimming you have to keeping upping the ante as they say complacency with a workout is bad news in swimming it means you've reached a plateau. Every time you start to feel comfortable with a workout you need to either increase distances in the pool or speed up interval, sometimes both. If you put in about 3-4 months consistent at least 3 days a week (preferably 4 or 5) of good training you can definitely shave about 5-6 mins off of that time. Hope this helps feel free to PM me if you need help planning a long term training schedule. Once again awesome job!