Today I finally got the distance workout I was looking for.
After yesterday’s swim was cut short because the pool was ridiculously warm, I went to a different VASA Fitness location today. The difference was immediate. The water temperature was almost perfect, and I was able to put together a full 3,000-meter workout.
More importantly, I opened the workout with a continuous 800-meter freestyle in 12:35.12 — my fastest recorded 800-meter training swim so far.
Today’s Workout
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Distance | 3,000 m |
| Swimming Time | 49:13 |
| Average Pace | 1:39 / 100 m |
| Normalized Pace | 1:38 / 100 m |
| Average Heart Rate | 124 bpm |
| Maximum Heart Rate | 171 bpm |
| sTSS | 76 |
| Intensity Factor | 0.98 |
| Calories | 705 |
The workout included 1,850 meters of freestyle and 1,150 meters of breaststroke. At 3,000 meters, this was also my longest workout since returning to the pool following eight medically restricted days without training.
A New 800-Meter Freestyle Training Best
The most important part of today’s workout came first.
I swam a continuous 800-meter freestyle in 12:35.12, averaging approximately 1:34.39 per 100 meters.
My previous 800-meter training best was 12:40.25, so today’s swim improved that mark by 5.13 seconds.
| 800 Freestyle | Time | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Silver | 12:16.56 | +18.56 sec |
| 2025 Bronze | 12:32.85 | +2.27 sec |
| Sep. 19 Training Best | 12:35.12 | — |
| Previous Training Best | 12:40.25 | -5.13 sec |
| 2025 4th | 12:56.76 | -21.64 sec |
The number that immediately stands out is 2.27 seconds. That’s now the difference between today’s training swim and the 2025 Huntsman bronze-medal time.
There are still important differences between a training swim and competition. Today’s 800 was done from an in-water training start. At Huntsman I’ll have the benefit of a starting block, electronic timing and race conditions.
For the training log, however, 12:35.12 becomes my new 800-meter benchmark.
A Note About FORM Splits and Race Starts
I don’t want to overanalyze individual first-length splits from the FORM goggles.
There can be a small delay while the goggles recognize that a set has started and another delay when they recognize that it has ended. Those effects tend to offset one another reasonably well when looking at the complete set, so I consider the total recorded time much more useful than trying to adjust it by a second here or there.
That also matters when comparing training with competition. Coming off a starting block, the first length of a race should naturally be faster than the following lengths because of the dive, streamline and breakout. A faster opening length therefore doesn’t automatically mean the race was started too aggressively.
For my distance events, what matters more is how quickly I settle into sustainable swimming and how consistently I maintain that pace through the middle and closing portions of the race.
Breaststroke Stayed Consistent
After the opening 800 freestyle, I continued with mixed freestyle and breaststroke work. A 10 × 50 breaststroke set produced times of 50.04, 52.34, 53.08, 51.13, 50.84, 50.40, 49.33, 51.29, 49.88 and 51.94.
The average was approximately 51 seconds per 50 meters, but the consistency is more interesting than the average. There was no progressive collapse through the set. In fact, one of the fastest repetitions — 49.33 — came on number seven.
That continues to support what I’ve seen since returning to the pool: breaststroke speed remains available.
Freestyle Speed Under Fatigue
Later in the workout I completed 10 × 50 freestyle after already accumulating considerable distance.
Those repetitions ranged from 39.15 early in the set to 45.25 on the final repetition. There was a gradual slowdown, but this wasn’t fresh speed work. It came after the continuous 800 and additional swimming.
Even the slower repetitions remained considerably faster than the sustainable pace required for my 800- and 1,500-meter races.
Late 100s Were Encouraging
One of the better endurance signals came late in the workout during alternating 100-meter freestyle and breaststroke repetitions.
| Stroke | Times |
|---|---|
| Freestyle | 1:33.73, 1:33.97, 1:35.87 |
| Breaststroke | 1:54.24, 1:51.65, 1:56.75 |
The first two freestyle 100s were separated by only 0.24 seconds, and all three remained strong despite occurring after more than 2,000 meters of previous swimming.
That is more useful to me right now than chasing an exceptionally fast isolated 50. I already know the short-distance speed exists. Sustainable speed is what matters for the races I’m preparing to swim.
Yesterday Really Was About the Pool
Today’s workout also provides some useful context for yesterday.
Friday’s workout ended at 1,600 meters because the pool temperature was simply too warm for the distance work I wanted to do. Today I changed locations, found much better water conditions, and completed 3,000 meters without the same problem.
That makes it pretty clear that yesterday’s shorter distance wasn’t a fitness limitation. The environment was the limitation.
Four Days Back
I have now swum four consecutive days since returning from the medically restricted break.
| Date | Distance | sTSS |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 16 | 2,650 m | 66 |
| Sep. 17 | 2,600 m | 65 |
| Sep. 18 | 1,600 m* | 39 |
| Sep. 19 | 3,000 m | 76 |
| Total | 9,850 m | 246 |
*September 18 was shortened because of excessive pool temperature.
TrainingPeaks currently shows Fitness 61, Fatigue 49 and Form +19. Four days ago the biggest question was how much swimming fitness had survived the interruption. After almost 10,000 meters back in the pool, I’m getting a much clearer answer.
September Training Total
Today’s 3,000 meters brings my September swimming total to 25,250 meters and 605 swim sTSS. September 8–15 remain recorded as Medical Restricted – No Workout.
18 Days to the First Race
The countdown is getting short.
| Huntsman Event | Date | Days Remaining |
|---|---|---|
| 200 m Breaststroke | October 7 | 18 days |
| 800 m Freestyle | October 8 | 19 days |
| 1500 m Freestyle | October 9 | 20 days |
The 200-meter breaststroke is the fourth event on Wednesday’s schedule. The 800-meter freestyle comes Thursday after the scheduled break, and the 1,500-meter freestyle follows Friday after that day’s break.
I’m still not interested in trying to recover the eight days of training I missed. Those days are gone, and cramming extra workouts into the remaining time would accomplish very little.
Instead, I’m continuing to judge each day by how I feel and what the previous workout tells me.
What I Learned Today
Wednesday showed me that my speed survived the break. Thursday showed that I could come back and swim well on consecutive days. Friday was compromised by pool temperature.
Today finally gave me a good look at the distance side of the equation.
A continuous 12:35.12 800 freestyle, five seconds faster than my previous training best and only 2.27 seconds from the 2025 Huntsman bronze time, is a much better result than I expected to have four days after returning to the pool.
There is still work to do, but I don’t think that work is about finding more raw speed.
It’s about using the speed I already have efficiently, maintaining it longer, and arriving in St. George rested enough to use it when the times actually count.
Eighteen days until the 200 breaststroke. Nineteen days until the 800 freestyle. Twenty days until the 1,500 freestyle.
The Road to Huntsman is getting very real.
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