The Long Game - Fit for Life

In this episode of The Long Game , Mark sits down with San Diego cyclists Andrew and Maribel Gavin to explore how a surprise tandem bike has grown into the core of their shared lifestyle, marriage, and mindset. From nervous first rides and learning to communicate in sync, to century events, European adventure routes, and big climbing days across Poway and Rancho Santa Fe, they unpack what makes ta...

The Long Game Episode 13 explores the mental side of aging in sport with psychotherapist and former elite gymnast Laura Collins, focusing on how changing bodies, injury, and life transitions reshape an athlete’s identity. Through Laura’s story—from 1980s elite gymnastics and career-ending injuries to her current work with high performers—we also dig into anxiety, comparison traps, and practical wa...

After seeing the scale go up despite doing everything right, Mark breaks down why weight is one of the most misleading health metrics. This episode dives into the power of sleep, HRV, and recovery data as true indicators of performance and long-term health. If you’ve ever let the scale dictate your mood, this conversation will help you shift from chasing outcomes to tracking what actually drives p...

In this episode of The Long Game, Mark sits down with endurance coach and multi-time Boston Marathon qualifier John Bermudez to talk about fitness, purpose, and playing the long game in life. John shares his journey from growing up in Southeast San Diego, navigating corporate careers in music and entertainment, to building a coaching business centered around helping everyday athletes chase big goa...

Mark sits down with longtime friend, former business partner, and endurance coach Joe Beckerley to revisit their shared history in triathlon, Performance Strength Lab, and the endurance community. Joe shares how a Crohn’s disease diagnosis pushed him out of an unhealthy corporate routine and into boxing, running, triathlon, and eventually coaching. The conversation explores the mental and physical...

In this episode, Mark explores how the people and spaces around our workouts quietly decide whether we stick with training for years or drift away. Drawing on Maya Angelou’s quote about how we remember feelings more than words or actions, he shares what it was like to be a nervous beginner in a boxing gym and a co-owner of Performance Strength Lab, where community mattered more than perfect progra...

This episode is about playing the long game with your body. Coach Chad Chrisman joins the podcast to share how to build real strength, stay consistent through busy seasons, and train in a way that supports your life—not burns you out.

The Rent Is Due, It’s Time to Collect…. This is a race-day reflection from the Bedrock Valley Gravel Race, and we break down preparation, pacing, execution, and recovery—showing how race day simply reveals the work you’ve already put in. Beyond the result, we dive into what it truly means to stay in the long game: finding your “why,” staying consistent through imperfect seasons, and understanding...

This episode dives into the reality of being both an athlete and a parent of young athletes—where your schedule is no longer your own and your priorities constantly shift. It explores the challenge of balancing your own health and fitness goals with practices, games, and family commitments, and how that often forces you to rethink when and how you train. The core message: you don’t have to stop sh...

Instagram Health vs Real Life Health This episode breaks down how social media can make you feel like something’s wrong—whether it’s your hormones, your golf swing, or your gear—when in reality, you’re probably closer than you think. Through a personal story about getting bloodwork done and realizing sleep—not supplements—was the real lever, the episode highlights a simple truth: real health isn’t...

In this episode of The Long Game, Mark explores how to stay consistent through travel, heavy work seasons, and shifting priorities. Through personal stories—from a post-snowboarding slump to rediscovering the triathlon community after six years away—he shares how small actions, flexible structure, and a focus on enjoyment can keep you moving forward. Because in the long game, it’s not about perfec...

In this episode of The Long Game, Mark sits down with endurance athlete and owner/creator/race director of Elevation Cukture, Eric Chrisman to talk about resilience, patience, and what it really takes to keep moving forward when things get hard. Through the story of Eric’s experience pacing the final miles of the Tahoe 200, the conversation explores the mental side of endurance sports — the moment...

This episode is for the grinders — the athletes balancing work, family, and real life while trying to stay consistent. Mark sits down with a fellow endurance athlete who has run marathons and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Together, they unpack the “make-up workout spiral,” the pressure of perfection, and how adopting the mountain mindset of pole pole — slowly, steadily — can transform not just traini...

This episode is sponsored by Elevation Culture. Episode 1 of The Long Game challenges the idea that “perfect weeks” lead to long-term success, but instead, chasing perfection often makes consistency harder. Real and lasting progress is a compounding process built on sustainable effort, patience, and showing up even when conditions aren’t ideal.

If you run, ride, swim, hike, lift, play golf — or you just want to be the type of person who still can at 60, 70, or 80!— you’re in the right place.