Last month, a 39-year-old swimmer joined our weekly coaching members call. She was training for her first Ironman. She'd been swimming for about a year—consistent, disciplined, three sessions a week, following her program exactly as written.

But there was a problem.

She was exhausted after every session. And her pace hadn't improved in four months.

In this episode, we unpack what was really going on—because when you're doing all the "right" things but not getting faster, it's rarely about working harder. It's about working smarter. We'll talk about why consistency alone isn't enough, the hidden mistakes that keep adult swimmers stuck, and how small technical and structural changes in your training can unlock real progress.

If you're training for an Ironman—or any long-distance event—and feel like you're spinning your wheels in the water, this episode will show you what to look at, what to adjust, and how to start moving forward again.

01:19 From 2:10 to 1:55 Per Hundred
01:43 What Was Happening?
03:04 Getting A Good Catch
04:10 Think Of The Catch As The Set Up
05:53 Connect With The Water
06:54 What To Do?

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What would drive someone to voluntarily swim through the most dangerous ocean channels on the planet — no wetsuit, no cage, no way out except forward?

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Sowerby, one of the few athletes in the world to complete the Ocean's Seven — often described as the Everest of open water swimming — a feat achieved by just 36 swimmers.

His new film, Don't Be Prey, captures a decade-long pursuit across five continents and seven of the most brutal channels on Earth. From the freezing Irish Sea to the shark-patrolled waters of Hawaii, it's raw, unfiltered man versus nature — no protection, no shortcuts.

But this isn't just a story about distance or danger.

After a life-changing event leaves him searching for direction, Mark channels his anguish into purpose with the help of coach Tim Denyer. Together, they build a mindset around one simple but powerful mantra: keep the stroke steady, don't splash, keep the heart rate down — don't be prey.

We go beyond the film to explore the swims that nearly broke him, the unseen moments of doubt, and what the ocean taught him about fear, patience, resilience, and staying calm when everything around you is chaos.

This is a conversation about endurance — not just in the water, but in life.

Let's dive in.

There's a timing pattern that separates fast swimmers from slow swimmers—and most people never see it.

You can watch someone swim in real time and miss it completely. But slow the video down, frame by frame, and suddenly it's obvious. Every fast swimmer has this. A lot of slower swimmers don't.

And when you fix this one timing detail, it doesn't just make you smoother—it feels like someone just switched the engine on in your stroke.

In today's episode, I'm going to break down exactly what that timing pattern is, why it matters so much, and most importantly, how you can actually feel it in the water so it shows up in your own swimming.

00:52 Waiting Too Long To Begin The Catch
02:29 Begin Catch Earlier
03:22 Back Off The Power
04:10 Early Connection
05:31 How Do We Fix It?
08:09 What To Do?