Mark Shepherd is self proclaimed British. He has a Scottish accent / Welsh heritage and lives in the West Midlands
His nickname of Gobi (pronounced Gobby) how where why?
Mark talks about childhood sport, Football mad and Roller Hockey.
He talks about where it went wrong and him going off the rails with drink and has now been alcohol free for 33 years.Â
Mark joined the army at 18 for 1 year 234 days – only thing he achieved was sub 8 mins for 1.5 miles and a 16.37 5kmÂ
Mark played Semi Pro (low level) football at points in his 20s, his career ended when he turned his knee the wrong way.Â
He has been a coach since he was 20 and understands how to break things down.Â
Mark was involved in Roller Hockey to international level as a player and a coach.Â
Mark is a qualified personal trainer and a UKA level 2 speed and endurance coach – no formal tri or cycling qualifications.
Marks first Tri was Corporate games in Aberdeen in 1996, he ” couldn’t swim, hired an MTB and ran like a train”Â
Mark ran his first marathon 1997 – tore a hamstring and hobbled in around 4hrsÂ
His a fear of water -stemming from nearly drowning as a kid and his damaged shoulders keeps him away from Triathlon, although he has done his share.
Marks first proper Tri – was Newbury in 2001, he has done this twice and finished second twice and when you understand how bad he claims his swimming is, it shows you how good his running and biking are and then you understand why he prefers duathlon.
Mark has done a number of half ironman(70.3).
He has been the Welsh ultra distance marathon champion.
Mark Broke a leg and got back on the bike in rehab and after a few triathlons and then decided that he would try and qualify in 2010 and 2011 for worlds and Euros.Â
After the Worlds 2011 Mark decided to go back to running and time trials. after another broken leg he became a cyclist until was persuaded to do some pace making for another athlete at 10k and through that by 2014 he was in such good shape he decided to go back to triathlon and duathlon where he finished 2nd overall in Newbury tri twice in a row and won the local duathlon outright.
Somewhere in all this Mark made the decision that as a V50 he would go to the Agegroup Euros and Worlds so did some qualifiers as training, did well. Bronze at British AG champs in 2017 and 18 – DNF in 2019 with leg issues while at the sharp end.
2020 Punta Umbria Spain – Mark tells us he went to win and how disappointed he was with 6th and the shock of being dropped running sub 17 min 5km pace. ( he cursed the bike course for offering nothing to the cyclist and that was proved.)Â
As well as training and racing Mark coaches a number of Athletes including the podcasts previous age groupers Yiannis Christodoulou episode 9Â and Christina Dove episode 12
We really enjoyed this conversation with a very Knowledgable guy and hope you do too.
Follow Mark on Instagram @markshepherd
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Welcome to am my name is Richard Conway and this is the platform for age group multisport athletes to Showcase their Journeys welcome along to episode 21 of amp and um we’re doing this second podcast from the new amp HQ we’re all settled in finally uh we’ve been here about three weeks now we finally got the interweb up and running uh so we’re not having a hot spot anymore which is fantastic when
We’re trying to do a podcast and also when we’re trying to use technology such as whift it’s um quite expensive really trying to um hot spot into into your Wi-Fi all the time but that’s over with and we managed um and I was just thinking that not only
Does this podcast um show the journeys of the the Fantastic athletes that have been on which is the whole point of it to be fair but we’ve um there’s a there’s another side to it really that uh come to me and it’s the fact that this is going to
Be left in The Ether um for generations to come of each of those athletes families to listen back to which I thought is quite extraordinary if you think about it so grandchildren and great grandchilden will be able to find this um off the worldwide web cuz it ain’t going nowhere
Is it let’s face it it’s once it’s once it’s recorded and put out there there it’s there forever um and it’s on all the platforms and unless something happens drastically then it’s like I said it’s going to be there forever so you know platforms like Spotify and apple podcast and
YouTube these things will probably be around for a long long time so um Generations I would think but uh so yeah so their stories are on here and they can dip in and and listen to what Granddad and or Grandma were were doing back in the day which I think is just
Fascinating really so if you’re interested in in coming on and um leaving leaving a bit of a legacy about what you used to get up to for your grandchildren are you great great grandchildren then uh give us a give us a shout get in touch on Instagram or um
Send us an email age group multisport podcast um B group multisport podcast. gmail.com and um yeah we’ll get you on and you can leave your legacy yeah um so that’s about it I think for now there a’t much much news um going on um we’ll get straight
Into this episode 21 which features Mark sheeper so you on the other side no surprise to I’m wearing orange orange indeed yes I remember from pter that that was your favorite color yeah it hasn’t changed M it’s still the same on um on everything the the amount of orange um I own doesn’t
Bear thinking about well if it in broke and you like it it’s fine in well the the other half said it was in in pter when you’ve got basically everyone’s in a GB suit riding a bright orange bike wearing bright orange shoes with bright orange gloves on in a bright orange helmet yeah
In a sea of blue Strang that still stands out much you laugh even transition my my bike was so easy to find my kit was so easy to find in transition yeah you know people can people can laugh and joke about it but actually as a tactical racing strategy it’s
It for finding method in your Madness yes something it’s a great excuse for wearing orange that’s for sure you don’t need an excuse do what you want well there is that yeah do what you want that’s that’s a philosophy just do what you want who cares I
Do so it’s um great to see you again you are oh there you are just gonna say you are frozen again welcome along to amp thank you for showing an interest in coming on there and um we’ve had a couple of your your athlet on already chrisa yeah both ironically both
Both ends of the I would almost call them both ends of the um the gbh group Spectrum I mean you’ve got Janis who is is almost bordering on Old hand and Christina really is the ultimate novice I mean she’s actually had only even done a handful of joons
Which which which made that quite stunning yeah so yeah it’s it’s it’s an interesting obviously coaching both of them with slightly different objectives and goals is brilliant so guess it keeps an interesting VI as a coach doesn’t it you know I I coach a mix and I mean I don’t
Just coach obviously triathletes du athletes I coach marathon runners Ultra District Runners I I I coached Athletics in the club semi-pro football I coach roller hockey I I I like coaching I mean e even when I mean you have like I said to you before I I’m
Not let’s be honest I’m an age group of yes and I see it as the reason I do it and I’ll be honest with you I I turned up in pter because I wanted to win yeah but let’s not mess about I I spent I I would have qualified
Every year that I started press for this I spent three years prepping for Spain yeah everyone everyone laughs oh no no I I deliberately went to age group qualifiers not to qualify because I wanted to make sure that when I was a first year vet
50 I was going to win I didn’t go trying trying to explain to people how disappointed you are when you finish sixth yeah yeah people people people can’t get their head around that and I think that’s where age group is interested because on the one hand you’ve got the people who
Qualifying is an achievement absolutely and they qualify and yes yes it’s because you can pay but you do have to qualify so it it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s an interesting borderline where you’re not necessarily the best but you have still had to earn that slot and so there’s there’s the level of there’s
The level of you did ear the right to be there and then you get the opposite end of the Spectrum which is why let let’s be honest I I think I’m marate among age group athletes because for me qualifying isn’t hard it’s all about makes me a bit I think people
You’re right at some in some level I think but to get even to qualify you’ve got to be a certain standard aren’t you let’s face it you’ve got to put the work in unless you unless you’re naturally gifted you know and and and that’s it
And I think this is this is it isn’t it and I mean I I’m I’m I’m lucky I I’ve played sport let let’s be frank here I was a good runner when I was 10 I was a good footballer I was already I already as a 10-year-old had a
Level of analysis in my life imagine turning up at trials and going oh that right I’m 10 years old that right winger looks a bit good and they say what position you playing I went I’m a left Winger because I knew the guy on the right was
Better than I was at 10 years old and so I went away and learned to kick a ball with my left foot you know I’ve always had that and I I never and it’s fascinating you read about guys like Steve way the AL dist Runner or Paul marelli these guys were
Very good school boys who then had 20 years off so when they reappear in the stories about how 18 Stone man does this when you dig back through their background you discover actually they were County Champions when they were kids I was never a county Champion but
I’ve never not played sport and and and people look I’m 50 years old and I played football I ran in my teenss I roller skated I joined the army at 18 I was the fastest runner in my regimen of course I was I wasn’t going to get beaten by
Anyone as long as it wasn’t 100 meters once once they got over 400 meters and it stopped being a an out andout Sprint I played I left the Army I played football for a decade I coached roller hockey I was always the fit kid of my football team because I went to
The gym I went running so when my football career ended I went well I can run in a straight line my KNE is okay if I’m only running in a straight line I’ll go running you know I went running I was working at a company and said we need
Something to do triathon in the corporate games suddenly there I was in Aberdine in 1996 I can’t swim when when you you laugh when people tell you they can’t swim and then they say yeah yeah I I only do um seven and a half minutes for 400 meters and I look
At them and I go I I am 10 minute on my best day my best 400 meter time for swi is 958 is that still yeah yeah I’ve got worse not better I’ve never got better that is my Best Time Ever why I took I took an hour
And 16 minutes to do a swim in a half Iron Man to that and all that what you’ve said so far has been absolutely fascinating and there’s loads to pick up but let’s start off what youve done I mean you’ve hinted out it already let’s start off of growing up where you grow
And you’re into your sports give us a bit of give us a bit of background on that up until up until let’s let’s say up until you found uh multiport let let let be honest people people notice I have a Scottish accent they then get confused when I point out I ran for
Wales but put putting that aside I I grew up in um a place called ferk which yeah I I think putting it politely is not a very nice place or it wasn’t in the bit that I grew up in there are some very nice areas around there my my mom
Brought up four boys on a house in the state um didn’t didn’t I play I played school boy football yeah uh fell on the dark side when I was a teenager went completely off the rail still played sport with my friends no clubs I played Cricket tennis football
Whatever um but no clubs I was a roller skater through my teens and for would of a better way of putting it a potential alcoholic right uh had access to a roller rink and access to lots of alcohol my my teenage years were those of um destruction and ruining your life
While still playing football at the weekend with the boys so staying fit um didn’t didn’t really start me I didn’t start playing organized sport again I joined the army at 18 and off no training got on a track while allegedly ill with post viral syndrome and ran a 1637 5K wow and
Everyone went but you don’t do any exercise you’re not allowed to train I was lying in a keep after I collapsed when I crossed the Finishing Line I said but I was 18 I was n Stone four all I was doing was I was carrying
A rib cage around on a pair of legs that were used to running because I’d growing up in some Woodlands playing with the boys was I growing up just playing football and running around so I left I left the Army and played fo obviously had a chance to play some football with
Friends so I spent my 20s playing playing um I played football like I say I played football played roller hockey I coached I coached your laugh I coached gos Under 12 Football I obviously got involved in coaching in the clubs I played I I played both standards so on a Saturday I
Got as far as playing sort of high enough standard that occasionally you got a 10 quid rather than paying match fees occasionally I got paid yeah and then on a Sunday I was playing ERS Choppers and kickers division six with my mates because I loved playing the
Game I I loved the sport I played in the five side league if there was a game going I’d play for an extra game on a Sunday if one of my mates said Mark do you mind playing as John Smith then sitting on the bench for us because
We’ve only got 11 players and getting there the coach said we’ve only got 10 players you’re playing by the way if you get booked your name’s Barry James or or whatnot and um I I turned my KNE wrong way a tackle right it was that that
Simple yeah but I I say I was working and the corporate games came up in aine at that time I was working for a company called EDS who are an outsourced they do outsourced it and whatnot right an american guy but and I I somehow found myself back in Scotland
Working in Edinburgh okay and the corporate games are in Aline and love this uh don’t swim did no swim training I could run I hired a mountain bike and a helmet from someone near the event and I I I can’t I don’t have any idea on any times all I know is there’s
No way I scared anyone towards the front all I’ve I’ve got pictures of it and you can tell I look like a runner who who turned theath on when I come out to do the last run you see I’m in running k i put socks on I was in running ch in a
Running vest i’ obiously cycled in my sport my baggy shorts and a running vest on a mountain bike and I never thought anything of it I put it away I I I came back I carried on playing my football my roller hockey dude I’ve coached to Great Britain
Standard at roller hockey I played for Wales obviously because that’s my thing and hit hit 30 had to give up football I said I turn my knee the wrong way in the tackle yeah voided surgery by not playing the knee got strong enough that
I could run in a straight line I I used the gym bike you know the drill when you building back up bit a bike and I went I got a bike and in1 I did my local triath on in um newy right because I lived in barkshire okay
And new TR still runs every year and obviously I didn’t scare the leaders I was in the water for about four days even though the Swim’s only 300 Meers I had a giant TCR with some Arrow bars on it that look like you know when
You you see people on um TT bars and they look like they sat on top of the bike like that yeah I’ve seen the pictures I look like I’m sat on top of the bike and I ran and I thought oh this is fun yeah
So I went off I I I I then entered an Open Water event and bought a wet was uh entered anous event was nearly last out the water battered everyone on the bike and then of course storm around the water and I I won the novice category some Open Water traon I went
I’m going to do a half Iron Man and in 2001 and you laugh it wasn’t hard to enter these things yeah I suddenly decided in July I was going to do a race that was in the September and I did flamb Baris if you’ve ever been to flamber
You’ll know how cold the water is how hilly the courts is and the possibilities of um getting well in the space of a day I swear to God I got CH blaines and sunburn do sound like fun it was one of the I took an hour and 16 minutes to do the
Swim I took 3 hours 20 minutes to do 56 miles on a bicycle and what was left of me run up and down Penny pass in I think officially 1 hour 50 but I distinctly remembered spending 10 15 minutes satting the um in a transition trying to convince myself that I could
Get my cold battered body to run up and down the hill once it was running it was fine but I didn’t want to leave transition I remember that um but it got me I know it sounds weird I I was hooked now and that that you know that that got
Me into interested now I should point out I don’t swim I’ve got two bro I’ve bu um I’ve got Rotator and impingement damage in both shoulders I’ve broken both collar bones I’ve broken one shoulder and I’ve dislocated the other one right so I can’t even do swim
Training it’s not like I can go away and become a great swimmer my body can’t take the swimming but the bigger problem than that is as a school boy I nearly drowned so I have an I have an actual fear of water right right uh so CLE that to
Having a bus stop body but something about slam Baris hooked me and I thought I’m gonna I’m going to master this and I took swimming lessons and the next year I went to Sherborn and um I did almost the same time i’ done it Laris Sherborn as well was incredibly
Hilly but after I did Sherborn there was a lot of web chatter even in those early days about the course being short right the swim was short the the Run was short and they went no no no our course was actually measured those of us who went back in
2004 discovered that the accurately measured course the swim boys had moved out and amazingly there was this whole extra bit of running you had to do each lap and it was like um it was like a set of switchbacks so that not short course obviously was and I did almost exactly
The same time a year later on the longer course so I was fitter I’d gone faster on the bike I went about an hour faster I did like 540 but my swim and my run were both almost were like 52 minutes which I was quite happen with
After taking an hour and 16 as you can imagine yeah and um Still Still recreational and um my run was about 90 minutes it’s solid bike was three hours yeah still riding just a road bike with a set of bars on the top of it and and then they announced that the following
Year it was going full distance there was going to be no half Iron Man in Britain I mean back then it was a long time as much as we laugh and we know how big Triathlon is now yeah it wasn’t big yeah it was a niche sport in even in
2004 so when they were going full Iron Man in I think 05 was well was or whatever wasn’t it yeah I I wasn’t ready there was no way I was going to SP do 3.4k of swimming so um that was it that was the
End of my tri and journey I went out to distance running right right so I should point out I’ve got a 238 Marathon PB I’ve run sub three and a half hours for 50k I’ve got a 16 minute 5 kpb my my pedigree is in the trainers really yeah
Yeah and and it parked and that was me I went running and I was doing three 4,000 miles a year I won the wellsh out to dist Marathon championships oh the welness by the way is my mother my mom’s from pen my mom and back are all from
From pen sure so I I I I earned the right to be Welsh through my family from my mother backwards what happened after the ultas then so um in two in January 20 9 I of all things I I just I won a marathon in a tunnel in
Germany right and um I fell during the race and I got OB I roll straight over I cut myself whatever got up and I ran I won the marathon yeah and um I was training a week or so later and I tore fiber in my pelvis it turned out I’d
Done some damage in the fall right and I damaged my my lower back yeah never thought anything of it I I made a recovery I thought I came second in the Shakespeare Marathon was training again to do the comrads and um I broke my leg it’s I mean for one of
A better way um you know when someone gets a stress fracture and they say I had to have a week off running yeah well one of my stress fractures broke right just above the ankle just above my ankle joint I’ve got I’ve got a nice lump on my leg where it
Became a broken leg when I had my scan this woman looked at me and she said um she showed me this little white marker well that’s not too bad when they spun my MRI my basically my lower left leg looked like a jigsaw puzzle and I was just basically M my from the
Cal down to my ankle my my lower left leg micro fracture basically I I spent three months wearing an air boot right I I couldn’t walk never mind run um but I could ride a bicycle because I could take this thing off yeah so I needed competition I got back on
The bike again and I went time trialing okay and unlike a lot of people I got straight out on the bike jumped my battered old road bike from 2001 with the arrow bars on it and I rode 24 minutes for 10 miles and everyone went huh you’re not bad at
This so funnily enough I I did some more I bought some Wheels I got myself a pointy helmet and I went a little bit faster so I thought ah I need a Time TR B don’t I so next thing you know I had a specialized transitioner set as it 404
Is a py helmet and a skin suit and I went the question is was it orange uh no it was um nasty gray and and those BS the helmet was red because um my local bike shop picked me up and offered to spons sort of sponsor
SL support me a little bit so I took whatever they would do me a diamond deal on so suddenly I had a red mat helmet I had a gray specialized transition and I went oh that’s part of rehab my leg was now working I spent a
Lot of time I I rode I ran and while I was coming back I went oh I’m going to do something I’ll do the local triathon I I’ll do a gathon I’ll try and qualify for GB so in 2010 I I qualified for Nancy just just
Going back there then how did you find out about um JB age group uh um I entered a couple of events and I met I I saw the truits right and it’s and you laugh I don’t was that the first time you come across them then
Yeah yeah I I did a couple of events I I came would you believe I think in 2010 I actually came third I actually came third in the um age group championships as a vet 40 yeah and okay rexie and I had actually crossed paths running at the 10ks and things
Like that when I was running yeah but we bumped into each other again and I I took an interest went on the British triathon website yeah again it was quite quiet in those days yeah yeah and um and I qualified so I went to ncy I then qualified for Edinburgh which
Was quite funny to go to Edinburgh I I punctured and I’m not a completer even then yeah I got off the bike and I clapped my friends in yeah qualified the following year I went to Ireland and I think I came eighth what distance was this m uh back then that
Was standard standard distance right so I was doing standard distance back then and um and I I was coaching a couple of I coached also qualified for Ireland so we had a road trip four of us actually went to Ireland for the Euros I
Was coaching all four of us we we in a blast mate we just had a cracking weekend the course in Ireland was was good the event went well and it was all that and I qualified again for the worlds as well and I just it was getting a bit expensive and I’ll be
Honest I got a little bit antsy with the I a GB athlete Brigade right and I just thought I I’ve had enough I was starting to about to run a lot yeah and I I thought you know what I’m ready to go running again and that that that was my 2010
2011 that was my age group experience and I filed it I’ve done that yeah I’ve done that I’ve had enough I’ve done it off my own back I’ve paid my way I’ve raced I’ve done right my friends raced I can as a coach I can say I’m a good
Enough coach to take people there and I I don’t coach I have no website there’s no website there’s no advertising I coach because people find me yeah so how many athletes have you got tomorrow 10 I think okay 10 I’m coaching and then I Mentor I mentor and
Support a group so I run a group on zwift and things like that yeah and I mentor and support a few other friends as well yeah cool well I I went back to my running I slipped I slipped in my cycling shoes I was commuting to work
And I slipped down two stairs and I don’t know if you can see it I turned my left ankle again that way yeah you’ll laugh I limped at all that smarts a bit it was two days before I was due to do my comrades qualifier right 50k race yeah
Um the next morning I got up I thought yeah that doesn’t feel too good it’s a bit sore went for a run that’s okay I did my qualifier qualified for comrades and I was training and two days later I’m out running my M and I thought this feels like a stress
Fracture my ankle was purple when I burned and pulled the ligaments and it turned out I it turned out I had broken the other book bone in my lower left leg so I didn’t get to go to comrades yeah I had to stop running again and
While I was in healing I got a call from the hospital they said um we need to talk to you about your ankle and I went but I’ve got a broken leg you know your leg’s heing fine so I come in it turns out I’ve got degeneration in my ankle joint and my
Ankle is wearing bone on bone right so um in in in no short words they said stop running okay was that simple yeah and I went you are joking they said no no they said every time you run you’re wearing your joint um I I’ll be frank with you I
Cried when I left the hospital I walked home in tears I had plans for Ultras comrad silver medals um yeah and you don’t believe them do you so I I recovered and tried to get back tried to run and every time the Run miles went up my ankle went purple swelled
Up and I stopped and 2013 I ran 130 miles in 6 months I got to 78 kilograms in weight which is um fact I think I peaked out in nearly 80 K which is 12 st8 which is the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life even
When I played ice hockey I didn’t get that heavy and um I rode my bike I was time traling I was going okay and I was happy I was going to just be a cyclist and um I was sat having Chinese with a friend of mine who I coached a girl
Marathon runner has won a number of races 250 marathon runner and she looks at me she says coach I said what’s that she said you could get in shape again and Pac make me 10K could you and you know it’s like you laugh don’t you you
Laugh you sit back you say you are joking I sat I’m like I’ve run 130 miles in six months I’m fat she says you’ve got three months’s in January coach so I went out two days later and I’m having run 130 miles in 6 months I did a flat out 5K
Effort and um people who are listening to this are about to hate me I already do and you haven’t said it I ran 19 and a half minutes I don’t like haven’t done nothing basically for six months at the best part of 80 kilograms the next three weeks I ran 20 miles a
Week and I pasted a controlled effort 1854 three weeks later and my friend just looked at me and she says you’re already half way about a Pac me to a sub 38 minute 10 Cas you been 3 weeks yeah yeah a month later we had a second Benchmark event the weather conditions were
Horrendous I ran full gas and run exactly the same time which at the first point you thinking well that’s not good you didn’t make any progress in a month until you realized that a number of people who had run the same event a month earlier were a minute slower
I had run the same in horrendous conditions that January we ran 37 something and um my friends all went well how fast do you think you can run I was like don’t know I said I’m not training for me I’m training for this girl so I can Pac
Me and one of the guys who are knew said if you run BL time will you run a a fly effort we’ll see and um I I turned up at 5K like you do and they said you know will you know will you enter a 10K if you run X
Fast and I ran 1729 for uh a 5K and I went yeah if i’ actually believed in myself i’ have gone a lot faster you off I was at the front and I slowed down because I got so used to be in mid pack with having not run when I
Caught the leaders it was at a park run in up in Lincoln somewhere yeah I slowed down because I thought I shouldn’t be here people should be quicker than I am and for 2ks in the middle of the event I went and then kicked around
1645 a few weeks later wow at 44 yeah and went oh okay I’ll enter a 10 now and ran 35 something for 10K I went oh that’s not bad so um that that actually ironically got the duon bells ringing again didn’t it because I was time filing and
Whatnot so what do you put your is it natural ability I know you you’ve always your lifestyle has been running and biking and doing all these different sports but do you think some of that’s natural ability that you’ve got genetic I have some genetic so I have done some
Of the genetic profiling right I I do have a level of genetics which allow me to I I can do very high volume training which my body responds to and recover so I can do 20 25 hours a week week after week after week and my body just sucks out I done
Nine hours on the bike this weekend yeah I I there is obviously a level of that although annoyingly I do have um measured small lungs of all things all right but my body uses oxygen very very well I’ve been I’ve been to see Gary
Palmer at sports test okay I I rode I I rode and raced for Gary for a couple of Seasons because he’s in the West Midlands yeah and so I I I’ve testing I I do have a level of but I also have something that I like misery pain and suffering I
Think that goes a long way doesn’t it my I I know how to put myself I can put myself in a Hur Locker which which is something that a lot of people a lot of people think they’re trying hard and they’re not you know you you look at them you hear
Them running oh I can’t run any faster than that you think you’re putting a sentence together when when I’m under when I’m under extreme Jess I I can barely manage left right thank you and sometimes you’ll get that as I go past because you’ve moved over for me you know
And I I like that there’s a part of me that obviously likes misery interesting interesting going back to your athletic story then and your journey um you’ve obviously got back into running and you’re helping the the girl do a pacing for a 10K what did
That lead on to then it it was it was that led on to me discovering that I could still run a bit yeah what about cycling what about your injury your uncles I I I I learn to look at my ankle when it goes it sounds silly I I can get
Away with 20 or 30 miles a week right every so often I can do a little bit more the second I know I’ve done two more is the fact that my ankle goes a funny shade of mtled purple and swells up and at that point I know it’s time to
Take a few days out the trainers yeah and it’s balance I I can’t I mean I I did something stupid last year I thought I I thought I might get lucky and be a manage a last because I’ve been doing I’ve been doing 1500 miles a year
Year pretty much every year since since the girl got me running again yeah and I’ve done a couple of 15 Mile runs I’ve been I’ve done some pacemaking I can run 90 minutes by a heart I can run 90 minutes for half marathon tomorrow and it made me think what if
Can I do it could I maybe get another Marathon out of my legs I tested that theory in September last year and discovered no my body broke down around 17 miles it’s put that to bed now at least you know that I do know
That now and I I I didn’t and you know and it’s good to know because then you can move on and plan other things can’t you and that’s where I’m I’m at an interesting place at the moment in the respects that because of lockdown and since September I’ve hardly
Run I’ve put my my efforts into the bike because well Spain last year it was a little bit of a shock running sub 17 minute 5K pace and being dropped and I was probably one of the strongest riders in our field but because the course was so flat yeah I couldn’t get
Away I planed to turn up I planed to turn up my next age group event being an even stronger cyclist and do making more attempts to break everyone and be upsetting in the bunch by blasting off the front every time I think I’ve recovered if I get caught yeah
So you know I I will I will turn up if there are events this year I’ll turn up at 50 years old in 17 minute 5K shape but I also plan to turn up with an FTP of the best part of um 330 Watts as well do you think that term affected your
Race then in punter because you were trying to escape the drafting race well it’s an interesting one if I was sensible and I thought my legs could take it I should do standard yeah you know and I I’ve taken a bro I took bronze
At 1798 at the GB AG group Champs I step up and I do the age group Champs every year even though they’re in the standard distance just forax I got bronze and 17 bronze and 18 but my legs tied up both times and I still got bronze and then in
19 a dnf because my legs broke down completely and I had to walk off the course on the second run I couldn’t move my my leg completely broke down um but yeah I mean I I’m a victim of the fact let’s face it I can raid I’ve rid
Sub 20 minutes for 10 miles I’ve got a 51 minute 25 mile PB I’m going to be one of the strongest cyclists but the reality was mate I came off the um in spam I I if I was one of the six and the Brits are very vocal in
The bunch probably because there’s 4,000 of us compared to everyone else I was just yeah and they’re cursing away at the spani and that because they don’t want to work and I’m going to say this and I was there we were in the front
Group if I knew I was one of the fastest Runners then I would sit in the bunch and do nothing as well but I’d had to come out of transition I came out in sixth place yeah so I had to ride close the gap get the leaders if I was going
To make anything happen my job to do that yeah no the best yeah no you’ve said that from the you you gauged from the first run that you weren’t the quickest you’re about six so absolutely right in that scenario you had to try and break them on the bike I had no
Choice and so what I did was I attacked every time I got my breath back every time off around out I attacked everyone and I tried to hide myself in traffic and hope they wouldn’t notice me and all sorts but of course the downside of being in bright
Orange I’m not hiding anywhere so I I sort of shot myself in the foot trying to lose myself in amongst the other guys coming out of transition on other laps by wearing bright orange and I came in a transition in the front in the lead group and I finished
Sixth of course I did because the same five Runners who outrun me on the first run yeah well they outr me on the second run yeah and I didn’t run slowly could I have run faster if IID sat in the bunch maybe I might have got fifth not
Sixth because I caught I caught the fifth fastest runner and he dropped me in the last basically the Sprint to the line last sort of 400 meters but I’d spent 5K CH I’d spent the entire run chasing him finally got to him but of course he had a little bit left that I
Didn’t have but do do do I do I think I should have been sensible and save myself so that I could come fif no no not in that not in that regard no I was already disappointed because I’d been dropped by five people anyway I did
Everything I could to try and upset them I came six it was the best I could do on the day I ran 32ks out of transition on the second run it wasn’t like I was um the course was if we’d had the standard distance course for the
Sprint i’ had a chance because there were lots of sharp turns and there were a couple of slopes yeah yeah I needed that course to be competitive it’s it is what it is and alir let’s be frank alir is GNA be horrible for me again because the bike course is pan
Flat and bu yeah but i’ I’ve got no choice but to try and turn up there even fast even stronger on the bike than what was this year well it’s something some Far isn’t it and I’m training yeah yeah yeah good well good luck with that I
Shall see me I’ll uh yeah I’m training as well so it’s uh it’ll be it’ll be good just me it up again in the flesh um I just want to go and do some running races mate I want to get I need I need a
Spot to do things even if it’s park run so that I’ve got the motivation to run because at the moment I was the anti zwift until March the last year yeah so so I believe that yeah yeah I mean I remember I don’t know where he was I didn’t need it mate I
Didn’t need it because I can train staring I can train staring at a door on the wall if I know I’ve got races to aim at when you’ve got a club time trial every Wednesday you’ve got an open Event every weekend you can race two three
Times the week and peak season park run on a Saturday time travel sight lacrosse on a Sunday club club um Club 10 on a Tuesday one other session a week you can do that you don’t need to go playing on your Game Boy with your bicycle but when there’s a lockdown
Yeah I needed something to make me train I can’t run I haven’t run faster than um I haven’t run I I haven’t run flat out since April last year for any amount of distance yeah because there’s nothing to Target what I’ve done is I’ve given my legs some
Downtime and I’m thinking well by doing this my leg is getting recovery I’m taking over I’m doing 20 miles here 20 miles there I do no speed work I might run it I might run 7 Minute MP occasionally when I’m out for a job just
Because I can but I’m thinking do it all on the bike do it and zift has given me racing it’s giving me my training group yeah I’m doing the hard I’ve had to changeed my training to race on zift that’s the funniest thing is I had to modify how I was training so
I could compete on zft so just that you’re adaptable doesn’t it as well and and and in these times you’ve got to do what You’ got to do yeah and and at the moment if you ask me what I am I’m a zift tracer yeah that’s fine that’s fine because at least
You know we keep doing something and that’s the main thing isn’t it m it’s giving me the motivation to train yeah uh and right I got I got a hill climb season in last year which was fantastic yeah was absolutely great because every weekend I got and do one or two hill
Climbs and what it showed was that the numbers for the hill climbs translated from zwift to the real world and that meant that when we came out of that and they canceled Cy cross season it gave me the motivation to have a winter break kick back and train knowing for
Will that if I race and train on zwift now when I can get back outside that power that I’m building on my bike transfers to the real world which is good some advice you would give to people starting out in multi sport or people who want to qualify for age
Groups take your time I know it sounds silly but actually do a few races yes but train train take advice take take advice trains train I’m not saying get a coach but take take take a little bit of advice do do some research and actually try try try different distances it’s
It’s amazing how often people go long you encourage them to do different distances you soon learn who the sprinters are but you don’t make them focus on the 100 meters cuz that’s where they’ve done their best at 12 years old they still do the 200 the 60 and the
Four and actually you encourage them to do cross country season in the winter because they’ll make them strong yeah an 800 meter Runner doesn’t do marathons he does the eight the 15 and maybe the 3K and actually you make him do the four and as you learn what
They do then they distance lengthens so if you look at har gab salassi Paula they were 5K they were well they were 800 1500 met not good at that they were 3K 5K Runners I’m okay at that I like it 10 oh 10K oh actually not about
At 10K I’ll do a half marathon and then they became marathon runners adults get up they do a 5k thing that hurt and someone says you should run a marathon yeah but it seems in Triathlon it seems to be that there’s a there’s a path isn’t there
They start off with spr that’s the first Iron Man they might they might do a couple and then then they’ll do the Olympic and and yet they’ve done that and then they’ll go some say man let’s let’s do an Iron Man yeah come on maybe the second season and it’s like you
Try and we always say to people the difference between you coach kids and they come up with the speed the running technique the smooth the foundation they’ve done the build on the muscles and they’re ready to go along the reason why so many people get disillusioned with multisport with
Running anything is because they get injured and they get injured because they do too much too soon go too long too soon they’re scared and I think adults are often scared of hard work they’re scared to suffer a little bit this what I said to you so they
Go they go long because it’s easy to train to hold a steady pace and complete something then it is to go short and I say people start short become as fast as you can and then if you want to go further go further yeah but take the time to
Build you need you need to build an engine doesn’t come overnight it it takes time there’s no there’s no quick fixes there’s no shortcuts you might find you’ve got you hear people of to say oh yeah but I’m designed to go long it’s like no you just haven’t trained to go
Short you know you haven’t given it a chance you’ve just got oh I I can I can hold the same pace for hours yeah but the same case you hold the Brows just slow if you spend a little bit time in the short end of the field when you want
To go long later you about to hold the pace for hours that’ll be faster because you’ve done some development built built some muscle twist built some muscle built some Fiber build some technique a lot of technique comes from doing things fast and you can tell you you can you
Can see when you watch when you watch people running marathons even when you see a 70y old guy you can spot the 60 70 year old who ran when he was younger you watch triathon you watch the age groupers yeah and you watch the 7080 year olds you can sport the guy who’s
Been Racing for 40 years cuz he actually still looks like he’s running at 75 years old not shuffling along yeah um there used to be a guy did age group uh it Brian wedin 10 years ago he was at vet 50 vet 60 whatever was very good on the bike he
Was he was like a 20 minute 10 Mile as a 50 something but if you watched he could run and his legs turned over and and that’s what what you see you see the guys you watch the vet 50s who are at the very very front you look at how those guys are
Running you know if you cut their heads off and actually said how old’s that guy running you wouldn’t know that that was a 50y old guy yeah because the posture is built the stride is there it’s long the heel is raised the turnover is fast you see the guy who’s come to it
Late and didn’t run for 40 years generally they’ve got a big long stride but they lull up the turnover is slow because they’re not doing any quick feet drugs they just that’s how fast I run yeah because you’re not doing speed work because you’re scared of
It don’t be afraid of speed work is the advice I would give to people speed workor is fun pain Embrace a little bit of suffering wise words next question what’s your favorite piece of a kit and wow my favorite piece of Kit right now it’s my walk bike right I bought a walk
Bike after having a really bad crash in a crit race turned out to be the best thing I ever did yeah I bought it for Rehab because I had well I had two broken ribs broken collone a deated shoulder broken elbow concussion um yeah right now my favorite
Bit of Kit is um is my walk bik so going forward then Mark shortterm goals long-term goals what do you see yourself uh shortterm quite simply this year is Worlds and Euros uh do you know what longterm I’m probably going back on the bike um to to be
Honest I I I I’m not it’s like we said I I’m not a I need to do age group every year I’m I like to come and do it for a few years years yeah I I I see myself doing more um I’ve been dabbling in 24hour mountain bike racing right okay
Um you gonna laugh like like many people I I I’m I’m very good at going for a long time well I did ultas I was an ultra dist marathon runner um I don’t like the idea of doing 12 in 24 hours on the road on a Time Tri
Bike I do however enjoy doing 24 hour single speed mountain bike races right but I’ll do that I I’ve got I’ve got a couple I mean it’s weird I say I’ll do this year and maybe next year and then I’ll probably Park age group again at least till I’m 55 maybe
Even until I’m 60 yeah like I did before did it at 40 did it at 50 I might wait till I’m 60 but I’ve got a couple of Ambitions for the track I ran 220 for 800 meters right last year before before in 2018 before Co I’d
Like to see whether or not I can get my 800 meters back down towards 210 because that would be quite competitive as a 50y old man so I’ve got a little bit and I like that short speed which is the interesting contradiction because the other thing I’ll be doing at
The same time is 24hour single speed mountain bike racing definitely mixing and I I love those extremes but I mean I did that while I was doing while I was playing with age group Qualifiers I was doing 25 mile time TRS I was pacemaking half marathons I was running well when I do when I when I do vs track League I say I’ll do any distance you want under 1500 meters and I’m on the line doing hundreds but I can’t spread I’m a distance Runner I
Mean 800 meters is a Sprint race I stand on the start line to do the 100 and it’s like I’ve got the reactions of TR you go and it’s like oh people are moving but I love that I I I I as much as I love winning I also like putting
Myself out of my comfort box so running a 400 meters or 200 100 is great because it makes me run and it makes my technique and it helps with all that stuff I believe in to keep the old um keep those old legs working like a runner should yeah I do
That um the 24-hour Mountain bik racing started is a joke I’ve done three I did three in the same year I’ll do some because it’s it’s it’s a mental challenge as well as physical and a part of me I’ve discovered needs that I I I can do a draon for for
Giggles at any point I know I stay in X shape I want to be I want to do Hill Clint championships which means I have to lose five sixks in weight and if I do that it’s hard to then focus on about do enough running and so I I think this this will
Probably be say this year or next year will be my my my last my last little play with age group for a bit I’m hoping I’ll carry on coaching I might turn up at the occasional jeath one because I enjoy them yeah I was going to say you’ll still be involved because you’ve
Got some you know you got some groupers oh yeah very much so and I I’ll be coaching hopefully and um and like I say I’m I’m hoping I’ve got I’ve got people who are doing things like Outlaw and things this year and I’m hoping I’m
Gonna go watch I’m gonna go be a fan and just cheer people in I might ride there for example to get my training in but go along and be a fan I I love Triathlon I think that’s the thing is I mean I I I I love the
Sport and and that’s never changed and um even if I don’t do it I love the sport um I always laugh why why be why be bad at one sport when you can be bad at three you know yeah or why be good at one when you could be mediocre at three
All those jokes yeah this is why I’m a Jew athlete absolutely absolutely I always say you’ve got to play these strengths I I think yes M sport gives us the ability to do that doesn’t it I I think if you want if you want to be
If you if you truly have goals on being competitive then plenty of strengths I I I think on the other side of that is if you are someone who gets Pride just from qualifying or just achieving things then the best advice I can do is do the events you
Enjoy if you hate swimming I use me as an example yeah don’t be a triathlete because swimming is hard it’s hard technically it’s hard to learn and hor those skills and if you don’t enjoy it what’s the point don’t do it if you hate riding your
Bike then be a runner or a swimmer do M you well swimming go be a master swimmer yeah be a 5k expert don’t do triathle when you hate riding your bike the bike is the place where you make the most time up we we’re not going
To be Pros if you’re not going to be a pro you’re not going to win a medal if you hate cycling don’t do multisport or don’t do the part of Motorsport that involves riding a bike if you hate running do Aqua bike multisport there is so much
Different things if you don’t not good at one you can do something else but it’s even not not even it’s not even not good is it I know people who are solid swimmers but they hate swimming and every time they go swimming they curse so if you don’t like it don’t do
It we’re not gonna we’re not making we’re not we’re not making money from this yeah you know you are and you do age group you’re paying you’re paying a lot of premium for the pleasure so make it pleas pleasure yeah I when I went to Spain this year you
Laugh I drove to Spain yeah so I could drive back go claim Von two go claim Al alz Because deep down I’m a cyclist I think large of M of age groupers do that though don’t they make it a holiday yeah I mean I don’t think many
Took the car all the way to the South the spin they did I don’t think they did well Mark it’s been a great pleasure to talk to you I think that’s great great place to end it um yeah thank you ever so much for coming on and and giving us
Your wise words and opinions um and I’m sure that uh lots of people listen and enjoy it cheers buddy take care see you soon take care bye bye by bye thanks again to mark for coming on and sharing his story uh much appreciated yeah well um lots to digest
There to be fair uh I think the biggest message to come across from Mark was um do what you enjoy and if you don’t enjoy it don’t do it so and as Mark you know rightly says and he he follows his own example there by doing other things he’s not
Particularly doesn’t particularly enjoy swimming so he does time traling he does daflon he does 24-hour mountain bike riding and you know it’s just do what you enjoy at the end of the day um so so yeah wise words there from mark and um if you have any questions or you want
To get in touch um you can email us at ageg group multisport podcast at gmail.com or drop us a drop us a message through uh _ 1967 um and you can follow us on _ 1967 and Facebook at amp GB and you can go on our website at agegroup multisport podcast.
Buzzsprout.com and you can find us on Twitter at agegroup multisport podcast and that is it for another episode thank you for joining us thank you for listening thank you for your support much appreciated and we shall see you in a fortnite and remember stay safe keep training and love the process