Speed ... A Lack Thereof

5 miles in 52 minutes = 10:24/mile pace = respectable, especially at a training pace, assuming you're at a fairly low level on the perceived exertion scale.

43 minutes/1500 = 2:52/100, eh, maybe not as "respectable," but not shabby for all breaststroke.

Truth be told, the best measure of respectability is within yourself, how well you are doing at different distances, how much you improve. Your speed in comparison to others is, for the most part, irrelevant.

All breaststroke, any mixture of any stroke, floating, walking (if you can touch) is all permissible in the swim. Fastest, most efficient stroke  is the crawl. Suggest you get a swim coach, find a masters swim group, check out Total Immersion, get frommer to adopt you, or all of the above.

Check out http://www.usatriathlon.org/Rules_Officials/rules.htm for the short list of rules by the governing body of most US triathlons.

Is Peter Reid fast? Is he slow? He wasn't fast enough to win at Kona this year. The only person that determines if your speed is adequate is you. This should be judged by your own perception of your ability measured against the effort applied.

Great Job! Nice workouts! 

Is there an "unrespectable" pace to complete an Oly?

Not that I'm aware of.

My definition of fast enough is just not coming in at the back of the pack.  Even the middle of the back of the pack is ok.  I just don't want to be a trailer.  That's all. 

PGoldberger, THANKS!  That is really encouraging. 

Danielle, we have a little saying around here:

DFL beats DNF beats DNS

Which means that "dead friggin' last" is better than "did not finish" which is better than "did not start." As a matter of fact, DFL is almost a badge of honor in these parts.  The "trailer," by the way, usually gets the biggest round of applause, probably because all the participants are there to see him/her finish.

Ya' know, I am going to have to stop not liking the crawl.  Phooey.  I haven't done it since grade school, and when I did it then, I was awful at it and couldn't ever tell where I was going ~ hence the breast stroke.  Plus I can keep my head above water with the breast stroke. 

But efficiency is really important and safety is critical.  Thanks for the safety input!

If you have an idea of what race you are going to do check out their website.  Almost all races have the past years' results posted and then you can compare what you think you will do with who competed in the past.  I'll bet you will be presently surprised.

You'll do great and I very much doubt you'll be coming in as the trailer.

You are faster than me at running and maybe a little slower than me at swimming...but you've just started training. I've come in last at an Oly distance so when I compare speeds I just want to encourage you that unless something strange comes up, you'll be racing with others not being the trailer or BOP.

I agree a great way to see how others do it check out the past couple of years and look at times...it gives you a ballpark as to how fast the course is and what average speeds are. You may be able to search the race reports and find out other BTers that did the race so you read about the race and learn about special things about the race. But reality is you are competing against yourself and that is what counts. Of all the races I did last year, the one I am the most proud of is the one I came in last..it was very very hard for me but I pushed through and finished.

You can do the distance already and you just started training...which is awesome! Check out the training plans here on BT and pick one that fits your needs.

You are doing great!  Keep up your training and you'll be set to go.  And even a two a day...good for you. That's something I can't really make myself do, but will need to at some point.

One thing to consider with breaststroke is that it really relies on your legs to propel you, while your arms do most of the work in crawl or freestyle. You are going to need those legs for the bike and run segements, so I would definitely incorporate more freestyle into your workouts, using breast stroke or back stroke for catching your breath.  Also, find someone at your local pool to help you with stroke.  You may only need 3-5 classes to help your form become efficient.  I am always amazed by how much someone improves with a single session of instruction.

Keep up the good work!