The Quiet Power of Showing Up
Small gains, stacked consistently, become something much bigger.
Hey Swimmers,
I share this not to focus on me, but because it’s a simple, real example of what consistency can do when you give it time.
Each Monday morning at just before 7am, I repeat the same benchmark set: 10 x 400 with 15 seconds rest between each done as:
4 at CSS+6
3 at CSS+5
2 at CSS+4
1 at CSS+3
It’s not glamorous, and at times it can feel repetitive, but that’s exactly why it works. It keeps me honest, measurable, and accountable to the goal of showing up in my best possible shape. If I can get through this on a Monday morning, I can get through anything that the week throws at me.
The average pace across that set has moved from 1:22.75 to 1:20.22 per 100m over the last 6 weeks. That’s just 2.53 seconds per 100m, but over 4km it adds up to 1:41 faster. Over 10km, it’s 4:13 quicker, around a 3.1% improvement.
It reminds me of a grandparent watching their grandchild grow. Day to day, they don’t notice much. But then they see them a few months later and think, “Wow, you’ve grown.” The changes were happening all along, just too small to notice in isolation.
Training is the same. The gains feel invisible in the moment, but they are quietly stacking in the background.
With Best Fest 10km on 28 May, if this trajectory continues, there’s potentially another 2 to 3 minutes to be found. Nothing guaranteed, just the compounding effect of showing up and doing the work.
It’s not rocket science. It’s just consistency, done well. It’s what our Swim Smooth Coaches live and breathe in their own squads:
So go on, get swimming!
Your Coach, Paul.
