Lessons We Can All Learn from Jo’s Coniston Swim
Jo doesn’t usually do much post-race reflecting. “I just swam it, biked it, ran it,” is her usual line – straightforward and no-nonsense. But after her recent swim at Coniston, she took a moment to write about the experience. And what she shared is a reminder of how powerful it can be to slow down, enjoy the process, and trust yourself – no matter your speed or level.
First, let’s be clear: Jo is an exceptional swimmer. Despite her laid-back, experience-first mindset at Coniston, she still recorded one of the fastest female swims of the day and finished in the overall top 50. This wasn’t a casual swim for Jo – it was a masterclass in steady, confident, and intelligent swimming.
But here’s the best part: you don’t have to be as fast as Jo to learn from her swim. Her approach offers lessons for every athlete – beginner or seasoned, fast or slow.
So here are eight lessons we can all take from Jo’s Coniston swim:
1. Set Simple, Meaningful Goals
Jo’s goal wasn’t flashy or time-based. It was simple and honest: finish feeling good. That kind of goal grounds us, shifts focus away from stress or pressure, and encourages us to tune in to our bodies.
It’s a reminder that in endurance sport, sometimes the best target is how you want to feel at the end – strong, happy, and fulfilled – not just a finish time or a place on the leaderboard.
2. Adapt On The Fly
Jo admits she didn’t fuel as well as she should have before the swim. But rather than panic or push through blindly, she made a smart mid-race decision to stop early at a fuel boat and top up.
This kind of adaptability is key in any race – conditions change, your body talks to you, and flexibility often beats rigid plans. Jo’s choice was pragmatic, calm, and effective. Small adjustments like this can save a race.
3. Swim For The Joy Of It
One of the most inspiring parts of Jo’s story is her deliberate choice to ditch her watch mid-season and swim purely for feel.
“No watch, no map, no kudos, no stats. Just swimming for pure joy.”
In a world obsessed with data and pacing, this is a powerful reminder that reconnecting with the simple pleasure of swimming can actually make us better athletes – physically and mentally.
4. Trust Your Experience – Even When It Feels Uncertain
Jo described swimming in a mass of tow floats and other swimmers, struggling to sight clearly, unsure if she was swimming perfectly straight.
“Was I going the right way at that point!? Who knows.”
Despite the uncertainty, she stayed calm and trusted her rhythm and instincts. This mental resilience – holding steady in the unknown – is vital for all athletes. Sometimes we won’t have perfect conditions or clarity, but trusting yourself and your training will carry you through.
5. Presence Beats Perfection
Jo’s swim wasn’t the fastest of her life, but it was the one she truly enjoyed.
“These events are more about completing the challenge than the time you do it in. 2hrs or 5hrs – you still just swam 5.25 miles!”
That mindset – valuing presence and joy over chasing perfection – is one we can all benefit from. The best performances often come when we let go of pressure and simply be in the moment.
6. Experience Builds Quiet Confidence
Jo reflected that she swam Ullswater a few years ago, but this one felt different:
“I have had 3 more years of open water experience, and felt like a much wiser swimmer.”
There’s something powerful about accumulated experience. It might not show in flashy stats or headlines, but it’s there – in smarter decisions, steadier pacing, better awareness, calmer reactions. Every swim, every session, every race builds that base. And one day, you realise: you’re wiser than you used to be.
7. Celebrate Progress – Even If It’s Not The Focus
Jo didn’t wear a watch and wasn’t racing the clock, but when the stats came in later (thanks, Jon!), she’d taken a significant step forward in pace since Ullswater:
“Ullswater, 7.5mi, 2022 – 2:02/100m pace
Coniston, 5.25mi, 2025 – 1:45/100m pace.”
That’s a big jump – especially in long-distance open water. And even though it wasn’t her focus, it’s a nice reminder that letting go of the numbers doesn’t mean progress stops. In fact, when you focus on feel, presence, and process, the gains often come anyway.
8. You Don’t Always Need Validation To Know It Was A Good Day
Jo didn’t track her distance, pace, or route. She wasn’t interested in social kudos. She didn’t need to check splits to know it had been a good swim. She felt it.
“No watch, no map, no kudos, no stats. Just swimming for pure joy.”
Sometimes the strongest internal validation comes from how the effort made you feel – not what the data says. When it feels good, honest, and joyful, you’ve already won.
Coach’s Final Thoughts
Jo’s Coniston swim is a beautiful example of how mastery and mindfulness can coexist. She’s a great swimmer who could push for speed any day, but choosing to swim with joy and presence brought her something even better.
You don’t need to be as fast or experienced as Jo to learn from her. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro, these lessons about goal-setting, adaptability, joy, trust, and presence are universal.
Let Jo’s swim remind you to enjoy the process, trust yourself, and celebrate every stroke – no matter how fast or slow.
Jo’s Full Report
As someone who normally doesn’t really have much more to say after an event other than: “I just swam it, biked it, ran it” (much to Bryan’s disappointment, I’m sure!) I thought it write a little bit about this.
For Coniston, my goal was to finish feeling good – it’s pretty cool that I get to do this!
I had done Ullswater end to end in 2022 but this one felt a bit different. I have had 3
more years of open water experience, and felt like a much wiser swimmer than I did back then. However, I knew that I hadn’t done enough continuous open water swimming in training for Coniston … not ideal.
On the day, it was hot and there was a delayed start. I set off steady (too steady!).
I stopped at the first boat for fuel which I didn’t originally plan on. I saw that it was super quiet and as I didn’t plan my hydration/fuel very well in the hour before getting in the water (oops!), I decided that I’d best get something in early.
I had no stops after that. (except for a bit of backwards ‘swimming’ for some goggle and swim hat faffage – standard for me!). It was just steady, mindful swimming and building for 5miles, enjoying the day.
There were so many swimmers in the water at Coniston that day. I couldn’t see anything but tow floats for miles. I couldn’t sight clearly for anything in the distance and it felt like they kept moving the buoys. Swimming straight didn’t feel possible. I was out on my own for a while as the other swimmers hugged the shoreline. Bliss…! Was I going the right way at that point!? Who knows.
In the last mile the weather changed. The wind picked up, and it all started to get a little bit gloomy. The amount of swimmers around me suddenly became more dense.
An “oh sh*t, wake up and focus!!” moment struck as swimmers decided to make wild moves in different directions in front of me. I finally saw the yellow duck and sped up through the soup of tow floats and back to land.
I loved this swim.
5.25 miles is a long way and seeing those from squad at the end was pretty special.
I love that these events are more about completing the challenge and less so about the time you can complete it in. 2hrs or 5hrs – you still just swam 5.25 miles!
On reflection, could I/should I have picked up the pace? Probably. Did I want to? Not really!
Should I have swam with a watch? Maybe. I guess it would have been good to check the distance and how straight I actually swam afterwards, but who really cares?
No watch, no map, no kudos, no stats. Just swimming for pure joy.
Side note: I’m not advocating that swimming without a watch is what everyone should do. I’d like to think I’m not that annoying! A watch absolutely has its place and is a great tool if you need it. This is just my story
Pace stats for Bryan (worked out by Jon Farrell the numbers man):
Ullswater 7.5mi, 2022 – 2:02/100m pace
Coniston, 5.25mi, 2025 – 1:45/100m pace
Progress in the long distance swimming world!
For Context …
I felt a bit ‘meh’ in the water most of 2024 and into the start of this year. One day, I decided to take my watch off mid session and just swim for the love of it. Just the clock, my head, coach and my lane mates.
Honestly, it’s the best thing I’ve done and I haven’t worn it the pool since.
Feeling and changing pace without any idea of time.
Doing sets not knowing any of my times unless I made an effort to look at the clock.
Not really knowing the distance I’d covered in a session.
Swimming to feel good and be present.
Swimming to ‘breathe’.
My swim, since that day, has been the best it’s felt for years.
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