Two messages reached my inbox less than 24 hours apart. They came from different swimmers, but together they told the same story. You can achieve a lot on your own. You can teach yourself, work hard, and keep making progress. But there comes a point where support, experience, and someone who can see what you can’t often become the difference between improving… and truly unlocking your potential.
The Next Step
Last week I spent an hour with a swimmer who’s preparing for Ironman. He’d taught himself to swim from YouTube videos. That got him a long way, but he knew he needed some coaching support to take the next step.
A week after our 1-1, this message landed in my inbox…
“Hi Bryan, seeing some good progress since our session! Stroke is feeling more powerful and my pace has went from 2:25/100m down to 2:00/100m with HR staying nice and steady! Coming along nicely 👌 Didn’t think I’d ever see splits hitting under 2:00 but today it just seemed to click.”
That’s 25 seconds per 100m faster… while keeping his heart rate under control.
The really exciting bit isn’t today’s pace.
It’s that swimming now feels different. More connected. More powerful. More efficient.
Operation Ironman is officially go!
The Right Environment
The second story arrived the very next day.
This one wasn’t about a technical breakthrough. It was about what happens when you stop training alone.
I received this message from a swimmer who came to three Swim Squad sessions this week:
“Thanks so much for this week, I absolutely loved the three sessions – they really pushed me in a way my usual long solo plods never do. On my own, I never seem to get my pace below 1:35, but at squad sessions I somehow never see it above 1:35! 😂😂”
There’s something powerful about swimming with others.
The structure. The challenge. The encouragement. The little bit of healthy competition. The coach on poolside. The sessions when you discover you’re capable of more than you thought.
The biggest breakthroughs aren’t always a change in technique or a different training plan.
It’s putting yourself in an environment that brings out your best.
As a coach, these are the messages I love receiving.
Not because someone swam 25 seconds per 100m faster, or because another swimmer found an extra gear in Swim Squad.
I love them because they remind me that most people are capable of far more than they realise.
Sometimes all they need is someone to show them the way – and a group of people to help them believe they can.
You don’t have to swim alone to become the swimmer you’re capable of being.
Bryan
Discover more from Triathlon Swim Squad
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.