Breaking Through Plateaus: Keep the Faith – Your Day Will Come
One stroke, two strokes—kick, pull, breathe. My heart pounded as I swam for the wall. I knew that this was the swim that would be different, this is the swim where my hard work would finally pay off. I touched the wall, and slowly looked up at the scoreboard as I took my goggles off. I could not believe my eyes. My breath caught—not from exhaustion, but from another disappointment. The time on the board didn’t match the countless hours of hard work I had put in throughout the season. I thought this was it—my breakthrough moment—but instead, it felt like just another letdown.
Four years. Four years without dropping time. For a sport that often measures progress in hundredths of a second, this felt like an eternity. Physically, everything seemed right—I was training harder than ever, eating well, sleeping enough, and staying consistent in every way I knew how. Yet, my results were consistent in another, much more frustrating way: I simply could not break through.
Many swimmers will go through a time in their athletic career where they question if they have “peaked.” Will I ever drop time again? Is this where my journey ends? Should I throw in the towel? In these moments, self-doubt can creep in and the negative thoughts can take over, they can start to overshadow the love for the sport that got one competing in the first place.
The frustrating truth is, progress in swimming is rarely linear. The big time drops, the ones that make all the hard work feel worth it, are often followed by long stretches of drought. During these times, swimmers grasp for even the tiniest gains—an extra hundredth of a second, a slightly faster turn, a cleaner breakout. It can feel like swimming in an endless pool: giving it everything you’ve got but never quite getting anywhere. Yet, these periods of not dropping are where the most important growth occurs—not just in the pool but outside it as well.
What I failed to see during my plateau (or you may see in your plateaus) was that every seemingly “unsuccessful” moment was still contributing to my growth. Every practice, every drill, every race that fell short of my expectations was building the foundation I needed for future success. It was during this period that I discovered a critical truth: success isn’t just about the times on the board—it’s about the lessons learned along the way. My resilience, determination, and mental toughness were growing stronger with each so-called failure.
Looking back, my plateau became one of the most defining chapters of my swimming journey. It taught me to celebrate the small victories: completing a challenging set, nailing a difficult drill, or simply enjoying the support from teammates. It taught me the importance of surrounding myself with good people and allowed me to lean on my teammates, my coaches, my parents, and my friends; which I believe made all the difference. Those moments are just as valuable as a medal or a personal best, even if they don’t feel like it at the time. Sometimes, success is simply showing up day after day, putting in the effort, and trusting that the work you’re doing will eventually pay off.
The breakthrough came when I shifted my mindset. Instead of focusing on what wasn’t happening, I started focusing on what I could control. My effort, my attitude, my resilience. I learned to find joy in the process, even when the results didn’t immediately follow. And when the breakthrough finally came—after four long years of waiting—it was all the more rewarding because of the struggle that came before it. That breakthrough wasn’t just a time drop; it was a culmination of every moment I spent fighting to get there.
If you’re experiencing a plateau, trust that your breakthrough is coming and be confident in your ability to get there. You’ve got this.
