September 26, 2026 – Back in the Pool and 11 Days to Huntsman

After two unexpected days away from the pool, I was back swimming this morning. There was nothing wrong with me on Thursday or Friday—we had contractors at the house installing our new air-conditioning system, and I couldn’t leave to go swim.

At this point in the Huntsman taper, I wasn’t interested in making up the lost distance. I had already reduced my workouts from 2,600 meters Monday to 2,400 Tuesday and 2,200 Wednesday. Two additional days without swimming simply provided some extra recovery before today’s workout.

I returned with another 2,200-meter session today, and the results suggest that the extra recovery didn’t cost me anything in the water.

Today’s Workout

Total Distance	2,200 m
Duration	37:18
Average Pace	1:42/100 m
Normalized Pace	1:42/100 m
Training Stress	52 sTSS
Intensity Factor	0.94
Average Heart Rate	136 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate	160 bpm
Calories	587

This was almost the same overall workload as Wednesday’s 2,200-meter swim. Wednesday took 37:40 and produced 51 sTSS at an IF of 0.93. Today took 37:18 and produced 52 sTSS at an IF of 0.94.

The more interesting information, however, came from the individual sets.

A Strong Opening 10 × 100

I opened with 10 × 100 meters alternating freestyle and breaststroke. After two days out of the pool, this provided an immediate check on whether I still had both speed and consistency.

Freestyle 100s

Rep	Time
1	1:31.34
2	1:33.15
3	1:29.36
4	1:32.24
5	1:33.54

The five freestyle 100s averaged approximately 1:31.93. Four of the five were between 1:31.34 and 1:33.54, while the middle repeat dropped to 1:29.36.

That’s a useful combination during the taper. I could access a faster gear, but the surrounding repeats remained controlled and consistent rather than falling apart afterward.

Breaststroke 100s

Rep	Time
1	1:48.22
2	1:48.93
3	1:48.42
4	1:48.70
5	1:53.11

The first four breaststroke 100s were remarkably consistent. Only 0.71 second separated all four, with each one landing between 1:48.22 and 1:48.93. The fifth slowed to 1:53.11, but the overall set still gave me exactly what I wanted: repeated breaststroke at a solid pace without turning the workout into another race test.

Speed Was Still Available Late in the Workout

The workout continued with mixed freestyle and breaststroke, including a mixed 400-meter segment in 6:56.95 and shorter work later in the session.

Even later in the workout I recorded a 1:47.06 breaststroke 100 and a 1:38.53 freestyle 100. That was encouraging because the quality wasn’t limited to the first few hundred meters after two days of rest.

I finished with shorter 50-meter repeats rather than adding unnecessary distance. At this stage of the taper, there is very little value in adding meters simply to make the workout total larger.

Two Days Off Helped the Taper

The last week now looks considerably different from the higher-volume training I was doing earlier in the preparation.

Date	Training	Distance
Sep. 21	Swim	2,600 m
Sep. 22	Swim	2,400 m
Sep. 23	Swim	2,200 m
Sep. 24	No swim – contractors	—
Sep. 25	No swim – contractors	—
Sep. 26	Swim	2,200 m

I didn’t plan Thursday and Friday as part of the taper, but there is no reason to treat them as training that needs to be replaced. The work has already been done. At this point, recovery is becoming increasingly valuable.

TrainingPeaks Is Showing the Unloading

The two days away from the pool are clearly visible in TrainingPeaks.

Date	Fitness	Fatigue	Form
Sep. 23	60	53	+8
Sep. 26	57	41	+18

Fitness has fallen slightly from 60 to 57, but Fatigue has dropped much more sharply, from 53 to 41. Form has consequently increased from +8 to +18.

I’m not trying to make any of those numbers reach a particular target before Huntsman. The more important observation is that TrainingPeaks shows increasing freshness while today’s actual swimming shows that I can still produce good speed in both freestyle and breaststroke.

A Better Way to Read the Psych Sheet

The Huntsman swimming psych sheet was released this week, and I’ve been looking more closely at what the listed times actually mean.

One important clarification is that the 1500-meter freestyle was the only event for which I was asked to provide a time when I registered. The psych sheet lists times for all four of my events, but I did not personally submit the listed times for the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, or 800 freestyle during registration.

That makes me more cautious about interpreting the other swimmers’ listed times as well. I don’t know how every time on the psych sheet was established, so I’m treating those numbers primarily as seeding information rather than verified current performances.

The psych sheet is still useful. It tells me who is entered and how the field is ordered based on the published seed times. What it doesn’t necessarily tell me is exactly how fast each swimmer is capable of swimming in October.

My own entries demonstrate why that distinction matters. My recent training performances are substantially different from several of the times appearing beside my name on the psych sheet.

11 Days to Huntsman

There are now 11 days until my first race at the Huntsman World Senior Games. I’m entered in the 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter breaststroke, 800-meter freestyle, and 1500-meter freestyle.

Date	Event
October 7	200 m Breaststroke
October 8	100 m Breaststroke
October 8	800 m Freestyle
October 9	1500 m Freestyle

My 3:22.52 200 breaststroke from September 23 has already checked off one of the four race distances I wanted to swim before September ends.

That leaves the 100 breaststroke, 800 freestyle, and 1500 freestyle. I still intend to touch all three before the end of the month, but there is no need to force them into consecutive workouts.

Tomorrow Depends on the Pool

I plan to swim again Sunday, but I’m going to continue making the decision based on how I feel and what the pool looks like when I get there.

A 1500-meter continuous swim is difficult to do properly on a busy weekend when I may have to share a lane, so I’m more likely to save that one for a weekday when I have a better chance of swimming uninterrupted.

That makes either the 100 breaststroke or 800 freestyle a better possibility for Sunday. If the lane is crowded, the 100 breaststroke is easy to fit into the workout. If I have enough room and feel good, the 800 freestyle is another option.

Either way, I don’t need to do both. The objective is to touch each race distance before September ends while continuing the taper—not squeeze every remaining test into the weekend.

Today’s Takeaway

Thursday and Friday weren’t planned rest days, but they fit the taper surprisingly well. I returned today with lower accumulated fatigue and was immediately able to produce consistent freestyle and breaststroke swimming.

That is exactly what I want to see now. The total workload is coming down, freshness is increasing, and the speed I need for Huntsman is still available.

With 11 days remaining until the first race, there is nothing to make up. The focus now is on preserving what I’ve built, touching the remaining race distances, and arriving in St. George ready to race.