It's been awhile. Almost 2 years exactly, since Amy and I lined up at the same race. Or lined up for any race, besides life, for that matter. Calgary 70.3 2014 was the last time we raced the same race. I would finish 3rd with a kind of wonky calf that would feel like it was going to take me out of IM Wisconsin a couple of months later. It didn't, and I finished 2nd at IM Wisconsin. Amy would finish 5th at Calgary, not quite high enough to garner her a spot to Kona that year. She would race a sprint race in October of that year knowing something just wasn't "right".

70.3 Texas is this weekend. New Orelans 70.3 the next. And many local races to follow. Ironman Texas is in a bit over a month.

Here are a couple of general documents that might help you on race day. They aren't specific to any one race nor are they all encompassing, but you might find some value in them. We'll be posting this type of info along the way this season.

Good luck if you're racing this weekend!

I admit it. I am a troll. I troll, sometimes comment, on a couple of triathlon forums. Next to what tires should I get to race on, and what is the best multisport car, swimming is a favorite topic of discussion. It's seldom that I get drawn into the discussions. If I have something that I think might be of help, I'll post it.

One of the things that we talked about at our early season swim clinic and recent small-group IMTX camp was knowing your paces. And pace stretches to basically include 'data'. Watts. Swim paces in the pool. Run paces with and without a GPS. When I say that I mean that you can develop an internal GPS for almost everything. Watts and perceived exertion. Run pace and perceived exertion.

The swim is a bit more difficult, but it helps to know what your swim paces 'should' be in the pool to swim what you 'want' to swim in your race. In this case, we are talking about an Ironman swim. 2.4 miles. 3,863 meters. 4,224 yards.

Do you know what swim pace a 1:10 swim is? 90 minutes for an Ironman swim? How fast is that? Is there a difference in your open water swimming and your pool swim...yes. How much difference is hard to quantify. For simplicity sake, let's say your open water swim pace is 10% slower than your pool pace. At the faster end of the swim it might be a bit closer. At the slower end, it might be a bit slower than 10%.

Are you tired of the generic red, white, black, or blue kit? For 2016, we have re-designed our Team Marsh kits. You'll see our coached athletes racing in them.

These kits are designed and made by Zoca Gear out of California. They are made in the USA. A size chart is here.

Act quickly as we're going to place the order within a week. You can purchase both the top and shorts, or a single piece either the top or the shorts. For women, we will order women specific shorts unless men specific shorts are desired since some women prefer the longer leg style.

We have been wearing Zoca kits since 2013. They are very comfortable and well made.

We will be hosting our first ever camp for age group athletes in The Woodlands March 17 - March 19. Please see the flyer below for more details.

The cost is $300. Included in the cost:

- 3 meals

- 2 coached swim sessions in an indoor pool

- Group run session

- Group ride session

- Sponsor Swag

- Open access to 2 former professional triathletes who have extensive coaching and racing experience! (Amy and me!)

We are limiting this camp to 16 total athletes. A sign up link is provided below. Accommodations are not included for this first camp. Please also fee free to email with any questions you may have.

Last week we headed back to Houston. It was a 2-fer. 1-fer was for another MD Anderson appointment. The 2-fer was that I met with one of my athletes down there. We wanted to look at the fit on her bike. More precisely, she had 2 bikes, one that she could ride all day and her 'race' bike which was uncomfortable after 90 minutes or so.

I thought that a follow-up post on bikes and fit and such was in order. This isn't a post to tell you how to fit your bikes nor is it a post to tell you what 'system' is best. In the coaching world, it is common to have athletes in different cities and states. It is common for athletes in the same city to go to a different shop or bike fitter. When possible, I like to look at the fit of my athletes in person.

My advice to you is to seek out the nearest qualified fitter. Ask around to see who is recommended. A 'computerized' fit is typically only as good as the fitter behind the computer...

This particular athlete has 3 bikes: one that stays on the trainer, one that was raced last season, and one that was raced previously but will be used in 2016. All three bikes were tri/TT bikes. As someone who has ridden multiple bikes in the past, I am leery when an athlete of mine has more than one bike. Leery because, more often that not, I find one or more of the following occurs:

Amy and I headed down to New Braunfels a few weeks ago for a Saturday and Sunday set of swim clinics. It was a little bit of a new offering for us in that we were out of the 1-1 or 'team' setting that we are typically used to when it came to on deck coaching. We had a group of 8 on Saturday and a group of 8 on Sunday. The focus was to provide each group and each swimmer something to work on. Something to build on. We'll likely head back down there for a follow-up.

The structure for each day was the same:

• 45-60 minutes of swim and instruction
• 45-60 minutes of QA covering just about anything. This was gold, we should have recorded it!
• 45-60 minutes back in the water for swim and instruction

With 16 age group swimmers in the water, we saw a range of abilities. We also saw a few things that were almost universal to the swimmers. The time suck known as the internet is full of swim discussions. Generally it consists of someone asking how they can get better with as little work as possible. I can appreciate that, but generally there are no easy ways in swimming. Add this post to the list. And, I (Brandon) get pulled in at times. Not because the information is bad or wrong, but because the reader will leave with a my way or the highway view, and it is important to speak in a way that a wide swath of athletes will understand.

We are not succeeding in posting "more" frequently. This will be a not quite year end update.

'Team-Marsh' had 2 athletes at Ironman Florida last weekend. Both had very good races given their respective seasons and lead ins. It was a very process vs. outcome type of day. Each of them had a detailed race-day plan and process. They focused on their race day process rather than the specific outcome of the race. Process = controlling the controllables. Outcome = placing or Kona qualification, etc.

For one of our athletes in particular, the weeks and months leading in to the race seemed to have a focus on 'Kona'. Ironman has, in Kona, a real crown jewel. Every athlete of every ability wants to compete in Kona at the Ironman World Championships. And, because of the qualification set-up it seems as if 'Kona' is in the grasp of every competitor.

As is typical in the weeks preceding an 'A' race, I talk at length with my athletes who are racing. I would group athletes generally into 3 categories when it comes to qualifying for Kona: no chance at Kona, possible to qualify for Kona given the right scenario, and almost certain to qualify for Kona given no mishaps. A particularly difficult situation is the athlete who is 'on the bubble' for Kona qualification. For one of our athletes...TrainingPeaks updates as well as social media posts indicated that there was a lot of Kona, Kona, Kona talk. Yes athletes, your coaches do sometimes follow your social media posts.

We are certainly overdue for an update to the Triathlon Page!! If you have been following the front page, you know what has transpired.

What might not surprise you is that our small group athletes continue to plug along. We wanted to highlight a little bit of the summer. As we look to the end of the season, a look back at how the season has gone is in order. It is a common misconception that by being an ex-elite athlete, that we only coach 'fast' athletes. We have a varied range of athletes that we coach. It is just as rewarding to get an athlete off the couch and through their first triathlon as it is to get an athlete to a World championship race.

Fast or not as fast, we focus on the race day performance for that athlete. Not in relation to anyone else that was on the starting line. Our goal is to get our athletes to the starting line healthy and prepared to have a good race. A good race that might be a Kona Qualifying performance for some, and 'just' a well rounded well put together race with no mistakes for others.

Bobby both earned some well deserved rest after a cold and wet race at IM Whistler. Many described the conditions as some of the toughest. He's wrapping up the season at a couple more local events.

Another Thursday blog brought to you by our 2014 title Sponsor...Ashworth Awards.

Day 1– Don’t try in a race what you haven’t tried in training. Race as you train...to avoid a negative statement.

Day 2 – Meet a new person at each race. You’ll likely see them again, and it is always good to have people to hang out with after races. Some of our better friends that we've made through triathlons are those that we met at some of our earliest races.

Day 3 – Train with faster people. Whether it is swimming, biking, or running, faster people will push you to new limits. It doesn’t have to be an all time thing, but as a some time thing it can definitely help.

Day 4 – A focused off season working on your weakness might be just what you need to limit that weakness. It likely will remain a bit of a weakness, but it will make you more of a well rounded athlete.

Day 5 – Help out with a training group or mentor another athlete. It can really help you reflect on why you train and race the way you do or at least let you share your experience with a new athlete. Technique tips are not limited to the swim…run and bike cadence as well as pedaling technique are two other common areas that triathletes can work on.

This will wrap up our keep it simple series of posts, another one of our Ashworth Awards Thursday blogs. We'll switch to another topic in a couple of weeks...suggestions are welcome!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat...

We coach athletes, and enjoy it, but there is a lot of missing the forest for the trees going on in training today. There is no quick fix or magic bullet. It’s easy to read a pros blog and see what they are doing and try to copy it. Pick up the latest issue of any tri- or run- mag out there and find ‘3-steps to your best 5k’ or ‘6-weeks to an Ironman’ and follow that. You can also buy any one of the myriad of books out there and read up on training theory and setting up a schedule...or you can borrow ours.

Spend a bit of your time laying out your entire season. Plan a schedule and commit to it. Barring injury or other emergency stick to it without to many additions or subtractions. If you spend more time worrying about how many of what type of interval you should do than just getting out there and doing something every day, you are missing the forest for the trees.

So, particularly if you are a new triathlete, take a little bit of time to plan out your races for next season. Then, take a look at your non-triathlon related activities and fit in your workouts around those. Find a general week that you can repeat for 40 weeks of the year and DO IT. Wake up on Monday and Friday morning and swim just like you did last week. Tuesday and Thursday morning get up and run and do a gym workout in the evening. Do a solid weekday ride on Wednesday. Keep your really long stuff for the weekends.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner we thought our next post about nutrition would be appropriate. Again, brought to you by Ashworth Awards.

Nutrition:

Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, Primal, Low-Fat but High-Carb, Grapefruit, Vegan, Raw Foods, Mediterranean, Zone, Macrobiotic, Weight Watchers. Sound familiar? We're not going to dispense with concrete nutritional advice here.

Do you want to lose a few or at least start to get down to your race weight? A ‘diet’ like those above is just a band aid or a patch. They are relatively quick fixes to get you headed in the right direction weight-wise, but they aren’t long term solutions if you can’t maintain them. New go-fast equipment doesn't do you any good if you don't train. A 'diet' does you no good if you can't maintain it or have it be sustainable.

Want to lose a few pounds? Eat a little bit less or at least change some of the foods that you eat. When it comes to being an athlete and worrying about nutrition, we try to remember that our pre- and post-workout nutrition helps us to recover from and prepare for our workouts. A food log might seem over the top, but after keeping one just out of curiosity for a week or so, it has been pretty eye opening as to what you might think you are eating vs. what you are really eating.

Note the author. He's a mustached, deep voiced, actor who lately does the Dodge Ram commercials.

Anyway, it's the month that Amy loves to hate. It's November, also known as Movember for more than a few men who grow a mustache in an effort to promote men's health issues. Breast Cancer has its own month. Now men's health issues get theirs.

I have joined the 'Men of Triathlon' again this year. Last year, it was an effort to raise money as a team after we all individually failed. I have not done a good job of promoting myself this year, so I will promote the team. Here is my donation page:

https://www.movember.com/us/donate/payment/member_id/618250/

So, there you go. We aren't quite half way through with the month yet. Today at Master's it was suggested that I keep the mustache through the entire winter. I'm pretty sure Amy would NOT go for that.

Sponsors, I'm tagging you now. We've got a world class (literally) team of athletes assembled. How about it Ashworth Awards, Cervelo, Cobb Cycling, First Endurance, Roka...can we get a donation?!

It’s been another year already, and we find ourselves trying to figure out the best way to close out the season for you. Since it’s the giving season, and people are putting together gift lists, we thought that we'd write indirectly about ‘stuff.’ Triathletes love ‘stuff.’

We're going to do a short series on "Seeing the forest for the trees" or maybe “Can’t see the forest for the trees.”

“An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole”

How many times have we lost sight of the situation as a whole? We worry or think daily about what shoes to wear, what foods to eat, what workouts to do. Maybe we should just focus on keeping it simple.

Today we touch on gear.

We have a swim bag with suits, goggles, swim caps, paddles, pull buoys, fins, kickboards, tempo trainers, and you name it. We have bikes, wheels for training AND racing, powermeters, cyclo computers, GPS, bike shorts, bike shoes, jerseys, winter gear, summer gear, rainy day gear and cold gear. We also have run bags with shorts, shoes, tops, socks, hats, tights, and a myriad of other things. As triathletes we have other stuff like gels, electrolyte replacement drinks, salt tablets, recovery drinks, body glide, sunscreen, and more. And let’s not forget about the bike racks, stationary trainers, race results books, race memorabilia, awards, and everything else.

I'm putting a bow on the 2014 season. A bow in that it is wrapped up. This might end up being a 2 part blog lest this one becomes even more TLDR. Seemingly there is a lot to cover here. It wasn't actually a difficult decision for me.

I have withdrawn from IM Arizona. I blogged last week that I had a knee issue that surfaced a couple of weeks into my return to training after IM Wisconsin which I think was the result of a combo of things...an aggressive return to a build, and thinking it was kind of normal tightness when clearly it was NOT. I am pretty sure that it is on the way out. I am also pretty sure that I could get to the line for IM Arizona healthy and ready to race. Amy and I have a great support network in Austin. Between Performance Wellness and Airrosti, I'm pretty good to go. I found though that I just didn't necessarily want to 'go'.

I'm tired. I was very tired physically and mentally as I started the build for Arizona. I am not planning on Kona for 2015. With 8-deep prize money, and a field that is likely to be relatively deep...lining up for my 3rd full of the season felt daunting.

Honestly I didn't "watch" any of Kona. I saw some of the pre-race interviews and such, but on race day I was out of town. Neck deep in an IM build, and I had a knee niggle that turned into something really grumpy. I was tired and overly frustrated. So, I headed out of town to get away from it all for a bit. That it was Kona weekend made it 'easier'.

The title...see the picture!? That is Amy at the start of the 2013 Ironman World Championships. She would have a less than ideal day and finish 17th. Me, 22nd in the pro field. Neither of us was on the Island this year. See the blog from last week for the explanation. Almost famous? That was the header picture on the live coverage for the 2014 Ironman World Championships all day!!

But Kona is won and done. Congrats to Sebastian for a great race. Big congrats to Ben Hoffman for bringing home 2nd. Jan Frodeno rounded out the podium. A shout out to Andy Potts as well for his 4th place finish. We got to hang out with Andy in Calgary, and he's a great guy as well. For the women as we all know it was Rinny with another spectacular come from behind run. Rachel Joyce, a fellow Cervelo athlete, and Daniela Ryf rounded out the women's podium.

The picture was posted to twitter by Declan Doyle. Kind of funny. Kind of true. Kona is where even the pros feel out of shape.

NO I AM NOT RACING.

NO AMY IS NOT RACING.

It was not in my plans for the year. I am neck deep in my last IM build of the season. Ironman Arizona. I will toe the line with probably 50+ of my closest friends who are throwing up a hail mary pass for the end of their seasons. Some will have f-ed up Kona and show up at AZ. Others might not have and will show up. All will be hoping for points for next years Kona race.

Amy is NOT racing Kona this year either. It WAS in her plan if she qualified. Long story short she was 5th at the regional in Germany in a decent but not great season. That put her a few spots out of making the first round of qualifying. She raced Calgary 3 weeks later knowing that she would need a win to get to Kona. She was 5th. She did not make the first cut and even without racing in August missed the 2nd one by about 5 spots. No Kona, no chasing points. And, somewhere along the way she had a case of shingles show up. So, even had she qualified...she might have turned down her spot since it would have been overly questionable if she would have been able to start. #GrumpyMarsh.

Absent a cool video or trying to be someone I'm not, race reports can be seemingly mundane. This one will be no different. It's taken longer than normal to post. Not for any reason other than procrastination. In fact, procrastination might as well be the theme of my race to a degree. It wasn't overly difficult to say that I had a good race. It isn't overly difficult to say that I placed 2nd to a better athlete on the day. I just procrastinated. I went dove hunting and camping instead of writing a race report!

If you consider the fact that I set a 'PR' on the IMWI course by over 40 minutes...it might be a bit more interesting. If you consider the fact that I was 2nd at IMWI 2014 like I was at IM Mont Tremblant in 2013...it might be a bit more interesting. If you consider the fact that I was once again first out of the swim like I have been for my previous 5 or so IMs inclucing 2013 Kona...it might be more interesting. Likewise, if you consider the fact that I was under the IMWI course record...it might be more interesting.

But I was 2nd by 63 seconds, and a first place finish would have been infinitely better and the report infinitely more interesting. Congrats to Daniel Bretscher, who after a 2nd place finish at IMWI in 2013, crossed the line in first on September 7 at Ironman Wisconsin.