Today was supposed to be the final major swim of August, and it turned into considerably more than I originally expected. I completed 6,000 meters in 1:44:43 of swimming time, bringing my August total to 68,700 meters and finally putting me over my goal of 75,000 yards for the month.
There were three reasons today’s workout became so long. First, I simply felt really good. Second, the pool was almost completely empty until I reached about 4,800 meters, which gave me the opportunity to keep swimming without the usual interruptions. Then a younger swimmer showed up next to me, and naturally I couldn’t stop at that point—I had to show the young guy how it’s done.
But the third reason was the most important: I had set a goal for August, and I was going to finish it.
August 30 Workout Summary
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Distance | 6,000 m |
| Swimming Time | 1:44:43 |
| Average Pace | 1:45/100 m |
| Normalized Pace | 1:45/100 m |
| Average HR | 123 bpm |
| Maximum HR | 163 bpm |
| sTSS | 134 |
| Intensity Factor | 0.92 |
| Calories | 1,458 kcal |
This was a significant endurance workout. FORM recorded almost exactly the same amount of actual swimming time as TrainingPeaks, with approximately 1:44:43 spent swimming. Including recovery between intervals, the entire pool session lasted considerably longer.
An average swimming pace of 1:45/100 m across 6,000 meters is particularly encouraging because this wasn’t simply a long, slow continuous swim. The workout contained repeated freestyle and breaststroke efforts, including some surprisingly fast freestyle late in the session.
How the 6,000 Meters Was Structured
FORM divided the workout into nine major sets. To keep the table readable on smaller screens, I have summarized the structure rather than listing every individual interval.
| Set | Distance | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 m | Mixed |
| 2 | 1,000 m | 10 × 100 mixed |
| 3 | 1,500 m | 10 × 150 mixed |
| 4 | 500 m | 10 × 50 mixed |
| 5 | 500 m | 10 × 50 BR |
| 6 | 500 m | 10 × 50 FR |
| 7 | 700 m | 14 × 50 mixed |
| 8 | 100 m | 2 × 50 BR |
| 9 | 200 m | 2 × 100 mixed |
| Total | 6,000 m |
The Most Interesting Part Came After 4,500 Meters
One of the strongest indicators from today’s workout wasn’t what happened at the beginning. It was what I could still do after swimming 4,500 meters.
At that point I completed a dedicated 500-meter freestyle set consisting of 10 × 50 meters. The combined swimming pace for those repetitions was approximately 1:33.5/100 m.
That doesn’t mean I could continuously hold 1:33.5 for an endurance swim because there was recovery between the individual 50s. What matters is that after 4,500 meters of previous swimming, I still had access to considerably faster freestyle speed.
For my 800- and 1500-meter freestyle goals, that is useful information. The challenge isn’t simply developing more speed. It is retaining as much of my existing speed as possible as fatigue accumulates.
Three Days of Very Different Training
The last three days of August produced three distinctly different workouts.
| Date | Meters | sTSS |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 28 | 1,600 | 39 |
| Aug. 29 | 3,500 | 87 |
| Aug. 30 | 6,000 | 134 |
| Total | 11,100 | 260 |
August 28 was primarily a speed and threshold assessment through the CSS test. August 29 returned to longer mixed endurance work. Today dramatically increased the distance again with 6,000 meters.
That means I have now completed 11,100 meters and accumulated 260 sTSS in only three days. TrainingPeaks finished today’s workout showing Fitness at 68, Fatigue at 117 and Form at -13.
I probably will not swim on August 31. It is a workday, I am not sure I will be able to get away from my desk, and after today’s workout there really isn’t anything left that I need to accomplish before August ends.
Huntsman 1500 Freestyle Comparison
My current 1500-meter freestyle training best remains 24:04.84. Today’s workout wasn’t structured as a continuous 1500-meter race effort, so it doesn’t replace that benchmark.
| 1500 FR | Time |
|---|---|
| Training Best | 24:04.84 |
| 2025 Silver | 23:39.43 |
| 2025 Bronze | 25:04.75 |
| 2025 4th | 25:06.88 |
The most useful next target is the 2025 silver-medal time. My current training best is 25.41 seconds behind Silver, equivalent to only about 1.69 seconds per 100 meters.
My 24:04.84 training swim was also completed with open turns and an in-water start. September doesn’t need to be about dramatically increasing freestyle speed. It needs to be about pacing, efficiency, endurance and gradually improving the turns.
Huntsman 800 Freestyle Comparison
| 800 FR | Time |
|---|---|
| Training Best | 12:40.25 |
| 2025 Silver | 12:16.56 |
| 2025 Bronze | 12:32.85 |
| 2025 4th | 12:56.76 |
The current 800 training best is only 7.40 seconds behind the 2025 bronze-medal time. That works out to less than one second per 100 meters.
This is why today’s ability to produce fast freestyle after already swimming 4,500 meters is encouraging. The required speed is already present. September needs to focus on making that speed repeatable over eight consecutive 100s.
Huntsman 200 Breaststroke Comparison
| 200 BR | Time |
|---|---|
| Training Best | 3:27.54 |
| 2025 Silver | 3:38.74 |
| 2025 Bronze | 3:39.92 |
| 2025 4th | 4:00.27 |
The 200 breaststroke remains the event where the current numbers are strongest. My 3:27.54 training benchmark is 11.20 seconds faster than the 2025 silver-medal time.
That doesn’t predict what will happen on race day, but it does suggest that the priority for September should be pacing and race execution rather than trying to develop substantially more raw breaststroke speed.
August Training Ledger
Today’s 6,000 meters brings the August total to 68,700 meters.
| Date | Training | Meters | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 2 | Swim | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Aug. 3 | Swim | 2,500 | 7,500 |
| Aug. 4 | Swim | 2,500 | 10,000 |
| Aug. 5 | Swim | 2,500 | 12,500 |
| Aug. 6 | Swim | 3,000 | 15,500 |
| Aug. 7 | Rest | — | 15,500 |
| Aug. 8 | Walk | — | 15,500 |
| Aug. 9 | Swim | 6,000 | 21,500 |
| Aug. 10 | Swim | 2,500 | 24,000 |
| Aug. 11 | Swim | 2,500 | 26,500 |
| Aug. 12 | Swim | 2,500 | 29,000 |
| Aug. 13 | Swim | 2,500 | 31,500 |
| Aug. 14 | Run | — | 31,500 |
| Aug. 15 | Swim | 2,500 | 34,000 |
| Aug. 16 | Swim | 2,500 | 36,500 |
| Aug. 17 | Swim | 2,500 | 39,000 |
| Aug. 18 | Swim | 2,500 | 41,500 |
| Aug. 19 | Swim | 2,500 | 44,000 |
| Aug. 20 | Swim | 2,500 | 46,500 |
| Aug. 21 | Rest | — | 46,500 |
| Aug. 22 | Swim | 3,000 | 49,500 |
| Aug. 23 | Swim | 3,100 | 52,600 |
| Aug. 24 | Swim | 2,500 | 55,100 |
| Aug. 25 | Run | — | 55,100 |
| Aug. 26 | Swim | 2,500 | 57,600 |
| Aug. 27 | Rest | — | 57,600 |
| Aug. 28 | CSS Test | 1,600 | 59,200 |
| Aug. 29 | Swim | 3,500 | 62,700 |
| Aug. 30 | Long Swim | 6,000 | 68,700 |
75,000 Yards – Goal Complete
The August goal was 75,000 yards.
| August Goal | 75,000 yd |
|---|---|
| Completed | ~75,131 yd |
| Metric Total | 68,700 m |
| Over Goal | ~131 yd |
I didn’t leave myself much extra room, but I didn’t need to.
Goal accomplished.
And I accomplished it without needing August 31.
Where August Leaves Me
August produced much more than a monthly distance total. It gave me a much clearer picture of where my swimming stands heading toward the Huntsman World Senior Games.
- 1500 FR: 24:04.84
- 800 FR: 12:40.25
- 200 BR: 3:27.54
- CSS: approximately 1:39.5/100 m
- August distance: 68,700 m / approximately 75,131 yd
Today’s workout added another useful piece of information: after more than 4,500 meters of swimming, I could still produce meaningful freestyle speed.
August was largely about rebuilding, accumulating distance and discovering what I am currently capable of doing.
September needs to be different.
The objective now isn’t to see how many meters I can accumulate. It is to convert the fitness developed during August into better Huntsman performances—particularly through 800- and 1500-meter freestyle pacing, 200-meter breaststroke race execution, improved turns and enough recovery to make the quality workouts count.
After 11,100 meters and 260 sTSS during the final three swimming days, a day away from the pool would probably be a pretty appropriate way to finish the month.
August Complete – Next Stop, September
I started August with a simple distance goal: 75,000 yards.
I finished with approximately 75,131 yards, a new CSS benchmark, meaningful race-distance benchmarks for all three of my priority Huntsman events, and a much clearer understanding of what the next phase of training needs to accomplish.
Today wasn’t about setting another race-distance record. It was about endurance, finishing something I started, and maybe applying just a little unnecessary competitive pressure when somebody younger happened to get into the lane next to me.
August is done. The mileage goal is complete. Now the focus shifts from accumulating meters to getting ready to race.
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