There was no swimming today. We had contractors working in the house and I couldn’t get away to the pool. With my taper now underway, I’m not concerned about trying to make up the missed distance. As it turned out, there was still some important swimming news today.
The 2026 Huntsman World Senior Games swimming psych sheet has been released, which means I can finally compare my seed times and recent training performances with the actual swimmers entered in my Men 60–64 events.
There is an interesting pattern in my entries: I am seeded fifth among the Men 60–64 swimmers in all four of my events. My recent training times, however, suggest that the seed position doesn’t tell the entire story.
My Four Huntsman Events
| Event | Seed | Men’s Seed Rank | Training Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m Breaststroke | 1:51.03 | 5th | ~1:42 |
| 200 m Breaststroke | 3:49.03 | 5th | 3:22.52 |
| 800 m Freestyle | 13:30.09 | 5th | 12:35.12 |
| 1500 m Freestyle | 25:47.06 | 5th | 24:04.84 |
The seed times were submitted before several of my strongest recent training swims. In every event, my current training performance is faster than the time beside my name on the psych sheet. The size of that difference varies considerably by event.
200 m Breaststroke – The Most Interesting Comparison
The 200-meter breaststroke immediately stands out. Just yesterday I opened my workout with a 3:22.52 training 200. My submitted seed time is 3:49.03.
| Seed Rank | Swimmer | Seed Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | V.B. | 2:57.09 |
| 2 | G.C. | 3:38.07 |
| 3 | T.P. | 3:38.07 |
| 4 | J.P. | 3:39.00 |
| 5 | Christopher Molnar | 3:49.03 |
My 3:22.52 training time is 26.51 seconds faster than my submitted seed and would fall between the first and second seed times if the training performance were inserted directly into the psych sheet.
The first seed at 2:57.09 is still in a distinctly different range. The more interesting comparison for me is the group seeded second through fourth at 3:38.07 to 3:39.00. My recent training swim is approximately 15½ to 16½ seconds faster than those submitted times.
That doesn’t mean I expect a particular finishing place. Seed times are entry times, not predictions of what another swimmer will produce on race day, and a training swim isn’t the same thing as racing at Huntsman. What it does tell me is that my fifth seed understates where my current breaststroke performance appears to be.
100 m Breaststroke
The 100 breaststroke hasn’t been one of my primary training targets, but I am still racing it at Huntsman. Here the psych sheet shows a different competitive picture.
| Seed Rank | Swimmer | Seed Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.P. | 1:29.00 |
| 2 | G.C. | 1:30.06 |
| 3 | O.K. | 1:43.00 |
| 4 | J.S. | 1:50.00 |
| 5 | Christopher Molnar | 1:51.03 |
The first two seeds are well ahead of my recent training level. After them, however, there is a large gap to the third seed at 1:43.00. My recent training level of roughly 1:42 falls into that second group and is considerably faster than my submitted 1:51.03 seed.
I haven’t emphasized the 100 breaststroke enough in training to treat that comparison as strongly as the 200. I still intend to swim the 100 race distance before September ends, which should give me another look at where that event stands before Huntsman.
800 m Freestyle
The 800 freestyle has a deeper group of faster seeds. My submitted time of 13:30.09 again puts me fifth among the Men 60–64 swimmers.
| Seed Rank | Swimmer | Seed Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K.E. | 10:40.00 |
| 2 | R.P. | 12:00.00 |
| 3 | J.W. | 12:00.01 |
| 4 | T.P. | 12:12.05 |
| 5 | Christopher Molnar | 13:30.09 |
| 6 | S.H. | 14:00.00 |
My current 800-meter training best is 12:35.12, set on September 19. That’s 54.97 seconds faster than my submitted seed.
Unlike the 200 breaststroke, the improved training time doesn’t move me ahead of the four faster seeds. It does make the gap to fourth much more manageable. T.P. is seeded at 12:12.05, putting my training best 23.07 seconds behind that mark.
Behind me, the sixth seed is 14:00.00. My current training best is 1:24.88 faster than that submitted time. Based on the psych sheet, the 800 looks like a race where my current performance sits most naturally around the fourth-to-fifth portion of the field, while recognizing that everyone still has to swim the race.
1500 m Freestyle
The 1500 has a similar pattern. My submitted 25:47.06 again places me fifth among the Men 60–64 swimmers, but my current training best is substantially faster.
| Seed Rank | Swimmer | Seed Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K.E. | 20:15.00 |
| 2 | V.B. | 21:09.06 |
| 3 | T.P. | 23:10.00 |
| 4 | J.W. | 23:39.04 |
| 5 | Christopher Molnar | 25:47.06 |
| 6 | S.H. | 28:00.00 |
My 24:04.84 training best is 1:42.22 faster than my submitted seed. That still leaves me fifth when compared directly with the submitted times, but the gap to J.W. in fourth is only 25.80 seconds.
Spread over 1,500 meters, that difference is approximately 1.72 seconds per 100 meters. T.P. in third is another step ahead at 23:10.00, while the two fastest seeds are considerably farther ahead.
As with the 800, there is also a substantial gap behind my current performance. The sixth seed is 28:00.00, nearly four minutes slower than my current training best.
What the Psych Sheet Changes
Until today, I had been comparing my training primarily with the 2025 Huntsman results. The psych sheet gives me something much more specific: the actual 2026 field and the times everyone submitted when they entered.
The most interesting discovery is that being seeded fifth in all four events doesn’t mean the same thing in all four races.
In the 200 breaststroke, my recent 3:22.52 training performance would move me well ahead of the second-through-fourth submitted seed times. In the 100 breaststroke, my recent training level puts me near the third-seed range. In both distance freestyle events, my current best still falls fifth against the submitted times, but the gap to fourth is now relatively small compared with the times I originally entered.
Current Competitive Picture
| Event | Seed Rank | Current Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| 100 m Breaststroke | 5th | Near 3rd-seed time |
| 200 m Breaststroke | 5th | Between 1st and 2nd seed times |
| 800 m Freestyle | 5th | 23.07 sec from 4th seed |
| 1500 m Freestyle | 5th | 25.80 sec from 4th seed |
None of those comparisons is a prediction of finishing place. Seed times don’t tell me how another swimmer is currently training, whether the submitted time represents that swimmer’s best ability, or what anyone will do once the race starts.
What they do provide is context. My submitted times are now clearly conservative compared with several of the performances I’ve produced during the final weeks of training.
No Swim Today – And No Need to Make It Up
I didn’t swim today because we had contractors working in the house and I couldn’t leave. Tomorrow may present the same problem. That’s okay.
I had already begun deliberately reducing my training volume this week, going from 2,600 meters Monday to 2,400 Tuesday and 2,200 Wednesday. Wednesday’s workout included the 3:22.52 opening 200 breaststroke, so I’m not looking at today’s forced day away from the pool as lost training that needs to be recovered.
I plan to swim Saturday and Sunday. I won’t be adding extra distance simply to compensate for Thursday or potentially Friday. At this stage, the goal is to preserve the fitness and speed that are already there while allowing fatigue to come down.
Less Than Two Weeks to Race Day
The psych sheet makes Huntsman feel considerably more real. There are names beside the times now, and for the first time I can see exactly where my submitted seeds place me within the 2026 Men 60–64 field.
The numbers are encouraging, particularly in the 200 breaststroke. They’re also a reminder not to change what I’m doing simply because the psych sheet is available. There is no reason to chase someone else’s seed time in training or add workload during the taper.
I still want to touch each of my four race distances before September ends, but the objective remains the same: arrive at Huntsman rested, healthy, and prepared to swim my own races.
Today’s Takeaway
On paper, I’m the fifth seed in all four of my events. In the pool, my recent performances suggest a more complicated picture.
The 200 breaststroke appears particularly competitive based on my recent 3:22.52. The 100 breaststroke puts me near another group of swimmers around the third seed. The 800 and 1500 both show fourth-place seed times within reach of my current training performances while also showing significant separation behind me.
But the psych sheet doesn’t change the job. Seed times establish the starting order. The actual places will be decided in the pool.
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