Mark Ryall is the author of Age Decoded and Run Daughter, Run Father, a book he wrote with his daughter about the experience of developing a love for sport and some of the challenges that we encounter along that path. Mark is an accomplished triathlete who is getting ready to compete at his third Masters World Championships with a wealth of knowledge to share with anyone looking to level up their experience in sport. It was an honor to share a conversation with someone who understands the essence of what is great about the sports we love.
Key Points, Top Takeaways and Memorable Quotes -
“The daughter initiated and the father followed.” 8:50
“It’s hard as a parent to just sort of separate yourself from them and do what’s best for them, not what’s best for you and makes you feel good. You have to think of their long term future.” 12:37
“You lose about one percent of your aerobic capacity per year on average at that age.” 25:25
“They are very serious researchers that claim they will eradicate what they see as the ‘disease’ of aging.” 27:29
“That’s actually how the two books tie in, right, is mortality, getting the most out of your life, if you’re mortal, and we’ll always be mortal.” 30:19
“It’s never too late to inject that into your life” 31:27
“As you get older, you actually sleep a little less.” 39:16
“I wish I had explored a little more, getting some assistance.” 51:12
Guest Bio -
Mark Ryall recently retired from teaching economics at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton, Ontario. His first love in coaching was always cross country running, a sport which he felt made students stronger mentally and physically, and which promoted teamwork and mutual support. The speculative fiction Age-Decoded is Mark’s first novel. He wrote it to educate himself and the world about the imminent tsunami of genetic engineering. CRISPR-like technology will impact humans in physical and psychological ways, thus fundamentally affecting what it means to be human. The story peers 100-200 years into the future, allowing the reader to critically imagine this new scientific frontier. Mark has also just published his second book, Run Daughter, Run Father, which provides stories, anecdotes, and scientific advice on running and racing. It highlights the training adventures of him and his daughter Stephanie, whom Mark coached and ran with. The insights are targeted at younger and older age-group competitors. Mark also competes in triathlons and represented Canada in the 2019 World Age-Group Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. He also recently qualified for the World Age-Group Championships in Spain in 2023. As hobbies, Mark enjoys acrylic art and snooker. His education includes BSc, MBA, and PhD (University of Toronto).
Show Notes -
0:00 - WIMTS Podcast Intro
0:32 - Introducing Mark Ryall
1:03 - Welcome to Mark Run Daughter, Run Father
1:26 - Athletic Background
3:16 - Cross Country & Running Marathons
7:01 - ‘Run Daughter, Run Father’ by Mark Ryall
16:32 - Lessons from Your Book
19:35 - Running for Time
23:52 - Master’s Competitions & ‘Age-Decoded’ Book
25:53 - BB Commercial
26:02 - Interesting Research Findings
30:34 - Staying Content in a Long Term Athletic Career
33:00 - My Failure at the Last World Games in Switzerland
38:28 - Other Pillars of Health Outside of Training for Aging Athletes
39:58 - What is Snooker?
41:32 - Swimming Discussion
45:58 - Runner’s High
50:48 - One Piece of Advice
55:45 - Daughter’s Role in Writing the Book
56:22 - New Writing Concepts
57:27 - Where Can People Find You?
58:49 - Thank You
59:32 - WIMTS Podcast Closing
Links & Where to Find Mark -
Book: https://books2read.com/b/4jqeVY?edit=maybe-later