Mark Hudson (KTC's very own swim coach)
1. How did you get into Triathlon?
Just getting bored with swim training and seen an advert for a try-athlon, 250m swim, 9mile bike, 3mile run so borrowed a bike of mate in school and had a go. 1st out of water and about last onto the bike! but loved it. I was 15 years old then and I’m still trying in 2011 ( must be at least 10 years now….! )
2. What training do you enjoy and what do you hate?
I always say training when you're fit is a great feeling but training to get fit is horrible!! When fit, there's nothing like the effortless feeling you get from running (anybody that's run with that damn Jim Cox and seen how he looks will know what I mean! ) but find it hardest to keep motivated for swimming, maybe just because of memories of having to get up at 5.30 before school for so many years.
3. Give us an insight into your day dreams when you are out training on your own?
Always think about racing when I'm training which now seems to totally involve kicking the arse of another guy with a northern Irish accent in our club!
4. Give us one top training tip?
Especially for sprint and olympic distance events do at least one race pace session a week now it's racing season. Call them sustained / tempo / HR zone 3 or 4 however they might be referred to, if you only train plodding you'll race at that pace and your body won't know what's hit it when you try and gun it.
5. Talk us through your best and worst tri events to date?
Best tri ever has to be ITU race, Portaferry Northern Ireland '91. World cup race with 40 pro's and finished 15th. It was before the ITU introduced drafting and beat women's world champion American Karen Smyers. Was 1st amateur and went home that night thinking I might be able to make a living at this game even though men's world champion Greg Welch who won was always a couple of minutes up the road
Worst race was when I got selected with three other amateurs to race another ITU world cup in Ireland. Now '95, all pro field and drafting. My two team mates and I were last three over line and although fitter and faster than '91 the then women's world champion, Aussie Emma Carney, beat me by three minutes. It was the realisation that there isn't an argument that drafting / non-drafting is harder or easier, it's a just different race. Drafting makes it a running race for whippets that can swim like power boats, if you're not out of the water in the pack it's time for the pub!
Having said that, I’ve never really had a worst race, sure I'm sometimes disappointed with performance but everything about triathlon is so much fun and always feels great talking about the race in the pub after with other competitors, no matter what's happened, it's better than being in the office!
6. If you were doing (or thinking of doing) a triathlon for the first time, which one piece of advice would you give?
Practise your transitions. You can lose so much time doing the headless chicken looking for your bike and getting changed. Before the race walk your route from swim to bike and out of transition, then your entry back into transition on the bike to where your shoes are and out again. Enjoy this part, it's all part of the race and what sets triathlon apart from all ather sports.
7. What’s your ultimate triathlon dream (e.g. win a race, complete an Ironman)?
Still want to do an ironman. I take loads of inspiration from KTC's ironmen and women. Inspired and think it's amazing how well Ed, Jim, Frazer, Andy and Fiona did last year being so new to triathlon!
8. What’s your favourite piece of tri kit/gadget that you own?
Without doubt or even thinking about it has to be my Kestrel frame. 17 years old this year and there’s still no bike I'd swap it for!
9. What’s your post race indulgence (food and drink)?
Love to be healthy here but pints with friends and other racers after race is just the best ( even tastier if you've beat them! )
10. Finally, who from KTC would you most like to pip on the finish line?
EVERYBODY!!! Sorry, even though not very likely, but I’m still as competive as I was in my first tri when I was 15.
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