Tri 2 Listen - The Podcast for Curious Triathletes

Episode Episode 10: Mark Usher – Overcoming a Mechanical Heart Valve Episode 10: Mark Usher – Overcoming a Mechanical Heart Valve https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/tri2listen.podcast/audio/Episode_10_Mark_Usher_2021.mp3 Guests: Resources Heart  and Medical Conditions Discussed:Bicuspid Aortic ValveFirst Degree BlockThird Degree BlockAtrial FibrillationBeta blockers in Endurance athletesCardioversion for Atrial FibrillationDupteryns Contracture Skills & Qualities of being a TriathleteBudgeting TimePlanning SchedulesRace PlanningWorkout ScheduleDiscipline Masters Swim Team & CoachesArlington Park, Sarasota, FLIra Klein Sarasota Tsunami’sShiela TaorminaButternut’s Club Name DropsArthur AlberoKelsey Wohrl Favorite Swim Sets "THE" Auburn Sprint Set The "Other" Auburn Sprint Set (Transcription by Your Swim Book)WU: 400 Easy3 x 50 @ :452 x 75 @ 1:15 as kick/swim/heads up kick100 build by 25s Main Set:100 x 25 Maintain 100 race pace throughout)10 @ :60 - (50 easy)10 @ :60 - (100 easy)10 @ :55 - (150 easy)10 @ :50 - (200 easy)10 @ :45 - (250 easy)10 @ :40 - (300 easy)10 @ :35 - (350 easy)10 @ :30 - (400 easy)10 @ :25 - (450 easy)10 @ :20 - (500 easy) Cool Down:300 Easy Progression set for endurance ~200m each1 stroke fly, rest freestyle2 strokes fly, rest freestyle...up to full fly Sponsor This Episode About this Episode    In this episode, masters swim and USA Swimming Official Mark Usher joins me to talk about overcoming a congenital heart defect called a bi-cuspid aortic valve.  Mark was an active athlete who began experiencing increasing amounts of fatigue with exercise.   An evaluation showed his aortic valve which was less flexible than it should be, and it reduced the amount of oxygen filled blood to his exercising muscles. He was faced with many decisions about surgery, replacement options, lifelong medication possibilities and whether or not he could return to endurance sports safely. After making his decision, full of all the potential risks of heart surgery including a poor outcome (or death!), Mark resumed his training and thrived in the pool. He continued to face decisions about his heart condition, guided by his love for being active. After decades of training and competing as an athlete, Mark decided he'd like to help give back to the sport of swimming that he is so devoted to.  He became a USA Swimming official, putting his time in (with love) working at local  youth meets, and working his way up to higher and higher stakes. He's now an in demand official at Swimming meets of the highest caliber and has worked meets with the swimming superstars of the decade including Katie Ledecky and Caleb Dressel. Mark continues to comlete in masters swimming events and even in his 60s continues to work on perfecting his butterfly! Tune in to be inspired by his story, learn from his upbeat and optimistic attitude, hear his favorite swim workouts and more. Ryan Lochte with Mark Usher USA Swimming Official Nathan Adrian with Mark Usher Swim Official Mark Usher Peripheral IV in Hand Mark Usher Pacemaker Testing Mark Usher Heart Surgery – Pacemaker Butterfly Swimming – Masters – Mark Usher – Sarasota Tsunami Episode : Transcript Mark Usher Suzanne Atkinson: Hi, this is Suzanne Atkinson with Tri 2 Listen. The podcast for curious triathletes. Each episode features an interview with an athlete, coach or scientist whose passion lies in triathlon, it's my job to uncover their story.

Zac Baker, 11 years old, racing in a local youth triathlon organized by his mother, Joella. Zac Baker, 16 years old, racing at USA Triathlon Youth & Jr. Nationals  Mighty Moraine Man is the largest multi-sport race and event series in SW PA

Mark Miller sits with us in Kona and shares his four year journey to qualify for the World Championship for the first time. After taking a year off he details his journey back to fitness and his efforts to re-qualify for Kona with help from his coach Zach Ruble I caught up with Mark recently to see what he’s been doing since this last World Championship. I’ll let him tell you in his own words: "I haven’t raced since 2016. I did IM Florida in 2015 and then followed that up with a 100 mile trail run in April 2016 to check that off my bucket list. That wrecked my body literally. Haven’t had the ability to train with any intensity or endurance since that point. Now I simply run and exercise for fitness, fun and therapy." Photos and Full Transcript are available on the episode page: https://tri2listen.com/episode-2-mark-miller-a-magical-place/ Highlights 0:00 Intro 1:50 What made you want to cme back to Kona for the 2nd time? 2:30 What draws you to Kona the most? 04:10 Suffering on the Queen K 04:30 Mark’s Role Models 06:30 Taking a mental break after 2012 World Championship 07:30 The coaching buildup to 2016 qualification, how it differed from his first 4 years of training 08:50 Key workout … Hammer Session 09:40 Solo training & Mental training for Ironman 10:15 Mark’s father’s influence on his first 5k events and his training in general

Marathoner Floyd Miller has run a complete marathon on every continent, including Antarctica! Join us as he explains how he got started racing, life on an Amish farm with 11 siblings and his joy at being in Kona to watch his son race in the Ironman World Championships Full Transcript, Links to resources and additional photos can be found on the episode page at Tri 2 Listen https://tri2listen.com/episodes Go to Episodes in the menu -> Select this episode from the list