Seems like yesterday I was just a little boy. The year 2008 is coming to an end and what a year it has been. Team Hendryx had some great programs and we look forward to some bigger things in 2009. I would like to thank a few sponsors for their support over the years. Rudy Project sunglasses, Clif Bar and Fleet Feet Sports in Orlando. Also, would like to thank all the Team Hendryx staff and all our participants this year. Wish everyone the best in 2009.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Memories of Huntsville State Park

Huntsville State Park used to be the place that I would do a lot of my long runs when I was in college. I have many memories (1985-1991) about running out in the park and a few stand out in my mind. http://www.stateparks.com/huntsville.html

1. One time we were running and we all saw this ball on the trail so one of our athletes decided to sprint up ahead and kick it. Well before he could stop his kicking motion he ended up kicking a bowling ball. I will have to say it was a funny watching him as he kicked it. It didn't go very far but he did put it in the air. After we all stopped laughing we decided we should make sure he didn't hurt himself. He did limp around for a few days.

2. Another time we decided we would do an extra long run and take a few trails we had never been on before. Well it ended up getting dark and we were having to cut through the brush and we ended up getting chiggers on us.


3. Also, I remember all the hard workouts that we used to do out there. Coach Stanfield (now the coach for UAB) used to make us to these two mile repeats on the hilly section. Coach Francis (no clue where he is now) used to drop us off at 6:00 a.m and make us run 8 miles back to the college. Coach Lumley (owns a running store), well we used to do some biking out on the roads in the park. I remember one time we were all climbing one of the hills coming out of the park and we heard some noise coming from one of the bikes and next thing you know the bike split right in half.

Lots more but I better stop.

Long Run

Well Bill and I just completed our 3 hour run out in Wekiwa Springs State Park. This is the first time I have ever run on the trails in this park and it was fun. I will have to say that running on trails is a lot of work for me because I have to stay focus at all times or I would end up on my face. Trail running is hard but fun. I guess Bill and I will need to do more of this if we plan on taking on the 50 mile run out in Huntsville State Park. I will have to say it will be neat to get a chance to run on the trails that I used to run on when I was in college. It will be a challenge for me because I don't usually eat much when I am racing but I am having to learn how to eat on the run.

Rene' National Board Certified for Teaching

Rene' my lovely wife has just passed her National Boards for Teaching. Congrats to her for all her hard work. Hard work does pay off.

Last long run until Disney race :)

With the Disney Marathon coming up, today was our last long run for our running groups. Everyone did a great job. You can tell that most were glad it was the last long run before the race and that they are looking forward to the shorter run next week and then the taper. Team Hendryx coaching is really looking forward to see everyone run the Disney 1/2 marathon, Marathon and Goofy. Keep up the good work and have a Merry Christmas.

Santa's Helper

Well Rene' is gone is for a few days so I am watching Mabel. I have always wonder what Mabel was up to while we are not home. I have some ideas but Rene' tells me that Mabel is too old to do anything. Now Mabel is 14 years old and enjoying what older animals like to do. Sleep is good in fact as I am typing now she is out like a light.

Rocky Raccoon 50 miler

Looks like I might be headed back to an area that I used to run when I was in college. I won't take on this event by myself because Coach Bill wants to do this race as well. Rene' will be there to help us out with our special needs. I am lucky to have family that doesn't live to far from the race so we will be staying with them. Now I have never run this far. I have run 26.2 miles but need to really work on my nutrition which is one of the most important thing. I would like to get one 50 miler under my belt but I probably won't want to do another one. I would like to get back to Ironman Triathlon Distance races.

Race info: http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html
Location: Huntsville State Park in Texas
Date: 7 February 2009
Event: 50mi starts @ 7:00am

Surprises at OUC 1/2 marathon

One of our own Team Hendryx athlete gets a big surprise at the finish of the OUC 1/2 marathon. Not only did Kaitlin have a great race but she got engaged as well.

OUC 1/2 marathon

Awesome job to all Team Hendryx athletes at this years OUC 1/2 marathon. There were a lot of PR's from our group and we are proud of each and everyone of you. Keep up the good work. We look forward to seeing great results at the Disney 1/2 and Marathon weekend.

1st Place Ultra/Mixed/Master's Team @ Ragnar Relay Florida

Well Team Hendryx/Fleet Feet ended up getting 6th overall out of about 62 teams that started. We were 1st Ultra Team (which consist of only 6 runners), 1st Ultra Mixed and Master Team overall.

The day started out with Bill picking Rene' and myself up at 10:00 in Clermont. Bill drove us over to the start and we waited around until 2:00 to start the race.

Order of our runners:
Lauren
Mike
Rene'
Stacey
Bill
Sean

We were off at 2:00 on our way to head to Daytona. Lauren took off on her first leg and Bill, Rene' and myself ended up stopping off at Subway to get a quick bite to eat which ended up being our last good meal for the rest of the time. The first three legs were in day light and then the fun began in the dark. We had to put on headlights, vest and blinkies. It was a little challenging at times because the shoulder on the road would run out so we ran on the road. The challenge was dodging the cars that were coming right at us. I was lucky after my first leg of 10 miles there were outdoor showers available so I ended up taking a shower. While I was taking a shower Lauren was on what was probably the worst running leg possible. She had to run down dirt roads and in an area that wasn't too safe. There were cops in the area telling teams that they needed to shadow the runner because it wasn't the safest area. We ended up catching up to Lauren and I jumped on the mountain bike to ride beside her. As she was running, I was thinking that I wouldn't want to run this section by myself as we were running down a bike trail in the middle of nowhere. Lauren ran well over a section that was really hilly and on some dirt roads. She tagged Mike and he was off running down Hwy. 50 and then Rene' had to run down 50 as well into Mascotte. Stacey ended up running down 50 to Hwy 19 where she tagged Bill and he was off running down 19 into Howey-in-the Hills. Then it was my turn to run down 19 into Tavares then to Mt. Dora. We were all catching teams that had started several hours before us at this time so that kept us going. After my second run Bill and I ended up driving down the road the next exchange and we took a 15 minute nap on some picnic bench. We woke up when a couple of men were walking past us (we thought they were the forest rangers). I guess 15 minutes is better than none at all. At this time I wasn't feeling the greatest. I was getting sick. My head hurt. I had a fever and didn't feel like eating which isn't a good sign. Bill and I made ourselves drink some chocolate milk and then I ended up eating a banana. We were trying to get ourselves ready for the last section of our run as we new it was going to be hot. Now that Lauren, Mike and Rene' had finished their last run we asked if they could shadow Stacey for her first part of the run and we went up to the last half of her run to help her out. Stacey came through looking really good but you could tell it was getting hot out there. Now it was time for Bill to take on the heat. I knew he would be good because he had run a 50 miler in the heat earlier this year. Bill was running strong but it was getting really hot so I decided that I would go ahead and make up some water bottles and ice bags so when I run they could hand them off to me. As Bill was running at the end of his run I could tell that he was hot and I started thinking that I needed to be smart and not get to crazy on my last run. I took off and was feeling really good but by around mile 10 of my 16 miles I started getting some bad thoughts in my mind. Then when I got near the bridge that I had to run up I starting thinking that I should be coming to the finish had they not added an extra 4 miles to my leg so I started shutting it down. I had to walk a little as I was completely depleted. Well I finally made it to the last mile marker and I put on my Fleet Feet Racing Jersey for the finish line. As I made the last turn to the finish the whole team was there waiting to run in with me. I don't really remember much after that. I do remember eating one piece of pizza, getting a massage and drinking a coke. Rene' drove home as my eyes hurt so bad that I had to keep them closed and put my hands over them. I ended up going to bed without food and falling asleep at 7:00 p.m and didn't wake up until 3:00 a.m which I ended up eating two muffins and drinking a glass of milk before I fell back to sleep. Then I woke up at 7:00 a.m and Rene' and I ended up going out for breakfast.

Overall an awesome experience and really enjoyed the company I was with. Not only did I have my wife with me but some of the best group of people around as well.

This was a learning experience. I had never done anything like this without any sleep and lack of food. Bill and I spoke what we would do differently if we were to do this again. I believe we will become better coaches after this experience.

Don't forget to check out Bill's blog as well.

Team Hendryx @ Miami Man Triathlon

I felt like a proud parent on Sunday watching all our Team Hendryx athletes compete in the Miami Triathlon. We had 17 athletes competing and all of them made the cut off time. Most of our athletes were competing in the 1/2 and this was their first attempt at this distance. As I watch each and every one of the cross the finish line my eyes got misty just thinking about what they had accomplished. We had several place well in their division. You can read more in Coach Bill's blog and along with each athlete's blog as well.

Debbie Sweezey 3rd overall in the Duathlon
Alison Cooper 1st overall in her division
Beth Wenner 5th overall in her division
Michael Radi 3rd overall in his division

http://www.multirace.com/miamiman/

Kevin Johnson goes Big

Congrates to Team Hendryx athlete Kevin Johnson for placing 1st in his age division at the Florida Challenge Triathlon. Kevin improved in all segments of the triathlon and is looking to step it up next year and race the Florida Ironman. Way to go Kevin.

Awesome Job to the Epic Challenge Participants

Congrates to all the Epic Challenge Participants in the Florida Challenge Triathlon. Three out of the four had never done a 1/2 before and two of them placed in their division.

Mandy McLane 4th overall
Darrell Stott 2nd age division

Memory of Grandma

April 18, 1919 to October 24, 2008

A lot of my friends knew my grandma and to them they would call her "Grandma" when they would see her out. You try to think about all the good times and laughs that we had with her. She was one of a kind. Here is what a few of my friends remember about her:

Halstead said, "She was a first class lady. She went out with class and he is truely said to here that she is gone. He really liked her."

Griggs said, "I can remember her getting up at 2:00 a.m and hearing my plastic bags that I kept my snacks in being open." Grandma would call him the ladies man.

Halstead summed it all, Grandma did go out with class. She had her mind and was with it. I remember when Rene' and myself picked her up at the hospital two weeks ago after she fell and hurt her eye. Boy was she with it. She knew more than all the nurses. I plan to write more about her but it is still hard at the moment knowing that she is gone. Grandma wasn't just a grandmother to me but a friend and a second mom. She will always be in my memory. The next race that I do I will be racing in her memory. I know that she will be with me in spirit. Funny thing is even when she was actually at my races she would always miss me finish.

You were the Best "Ozella Freeman" Grandma.

Well I guess I am going to try another marathon. I haven't had much luck since back in 2000 when I placed 12th overall at the Disney Marathon with a time of 2:43. The past couple of marathons that I have attempted didn't go as expected. This time I am approaching it differently so we shall see what happens.

This weekend is the Maitland 5k. Coach Bill will be running as the rest of Team Hendryx helps out with the race. Bill wanted to open it up a little and see what kind of time he can get.

Last weekend the staff from Fleet Feet and the coaches from Team Hendryx meet up and had a night out. We started off meeting at a pizza place for some carbs and then we headed off to Rebounderz in Longwood http://rebounderz.com/ . You have got to check this place out. The Rebounderz' jumper court is over 6,700 square feet of jumping surface. FYI- a couple of us learned our lesson not to hang with the youngsters in there jumping. They were bouncing and running off the walls so I decided to try and well I ended up falling almost everytime. The next day I woke up and felt like I had been run over. I was sore for 3 days from all this fun. Would I do it again. You bet I would but I think I would take a few more breaks than I did. Overall it was a nice night out with a good group of friends.

The Greater Maitland 5K on October 4th, 2008

The 4th Annual Greater Maitland 5K will benefit: New Hope for Kids, Central Florida Helpline and Shepherd's Hope

Go to FleetFeetOrlando.com for more information.

Stop by and visit us at the Team Hendryx tent.

Team Hendryx Athletes training for the Epic Challenge

A couple of Team Hendryx athletes that are training for the Epic Challenge raced well this weekend.

Mandy McLane raced at the USAT Age Group Championships and was 10th female overall and 4th in her age group. She earned a spot to represent in her age group to compete in Worlds next year.

Telethe Wery raced at the Athletes for a Cure Triathlon @ Disney on Sunday after participating in a hard group workout on Saturday.

Great job and we look forward to seeing you race in your big race in October.

No excuses but!

Sorry I have been very busy with a full time teaching job and helping with some of the duties of Team Hendryx.

Team Hendryx programs:

Team Burnham 70 athletes training for Disney
Disney cast members training for Disney
Fleet Feet/Team Hendryx running program 20+ runners
A group of Team Hendryx athletes training for Miami man triathlon
Epic Challenge group training for the Florida Challenge 1/2 triathlon
Plus several individual athletes training for several different 1/2 ironman triathlons.

Oh, I forgot I am starting to coach my middle school cross country team as well.

Stay tune. Bill and myself are working on some really good programs for 2009.

Team Hendryx athletes raced well

Team Hendryx athletes raced well at last weekends Moss Park Triathlon/Duathlon

Sprint Tri:
Beth W – 3rd place AG
Alison C – 3rd place AG

Olympic Tri:
Mandy M- 1st Female OA
Darrell S- 3rd Male OA
Donna K – 1st AG
Matt C – 2nd AG – in his first race ever
Lauren B – 3rd AG
Erin K – 7th AG
Shawndell R – 4th AG – she is a marathon team member
Mike Ru. – 2nd AG
Mike Ra – 2nd AG

Olympic Du (run/bike/run)
Debbie S – 2nd OA
Coach Bill- 1st OA

Olympic Aquabike (swim/bike)
Whitney R – 1st OA


Awesome Job. Keep up the good work.

Yesterday was our first day with students and at the end of the day we found out that we wouldn't have school on Tuesday or Wednesday due to possible bad weather. Well it rained a little this morning and it is a little windy but nothing like the wind we had to ride in at the 2000 Ironman Hawaii. I have actually done Ironman training in worst conditions than this but I guess I should welcome the rest.

On the road again.

Well it is time to head back to Florida. Rene' and I had a great time. We were able to get some good training in and Rene' also did some hiking. We also were able to relax and not think about work or anything else. Our goal is to leave Sunday morning and hopefully make it back to Clermont late Monday night. Then I will fly out on the following Thursday to Colorado for the 5430 which is a 1/2 ironman race. I am leaving my bike and all my stuff for the race so I won't have to bring it back with me. After the race my good friends, Paul and Judy Lawler will pick up my bike and have it shipped back to Clermont for me.

We have really enjoyed ourselves and we are thankful to Rene's mom for letting us stay with her while we were in Boulder.

Stroke and Stride

Pictures above are from a Thursday night race, "The Boulder Stroke and Stride."
I raced in the 1500 meter swim and 5k run. Did it as a workout and boy was I tired during the race. Didn't have the greatest race but I did have fun..

Here is some info about the race from the Racing Underground website:

The Boulder Stroke & Stride enters it's 7th season in 2008, and offers Boulder area athletes a fun 1-lap 750 Meter Swim, or 2-Lap 1500 Meter swim in Boulder Reservoir, followed by a 5k run on the reservoir dam on 10 Thursday evenings throughout the summer. Many participants make their open-water swimming debut in the beginner-friendly Stroke & Stride 750 meter event, while more seasoned athletes get the thrill of starting alongside some of the top athletes in the world in the 1,500 meter swim. 200-300 participants enjoy the Stroke & Stride every week!

I think it is time for a hair cut.

The last time I had a hair cut was back in February. I know a few people that would tell me it is time to get my hair cut. I being my "Mom" and the other "Coach Crawford".

Sunday's Ride

Yesterday I rode with a friend here in Boulder. He took me on a 5 hour bike ride which was hard but fun. My tour guide was the one and only Kevin Konczak ,Founder & Head Coach
www.geminimultisport.com

Here is a little info on Sunday's bike ride:

6,964 feet of total elevation gain (that's about 1000 feet for every 11.5 miles of riding).

Rode up Super James and back down, then up to Ward all the way up to Peak to Peak Highway. What a view.

Picture from yesterdays ride

Yesterday I rode with Rene' and Leslie (Rene's sister). We biked part of the Peak to Peak Highway. On our way back, I rode up to a guy who was real friendly and come to find out Lennard Zinn.

Happy B-Day to our own Coach Steve Griggs

Coach Griggs turned 43 yesterday. Have some cake for all of us.

Mt. Evans Pictures #2

1st Picture: Rene' and myself at the top of Mt. Evans.
2nd Picture: Here is a view from the top with a few animals that came near us.
3rd Picture: Rene' at the top of Mt. Evans
4th Picture: Here is a picture of Halstead and myself on the way down which was the hardest part for me. I am scared of heights.

Recovery day riding up Mt. Evans (Pictures #1)

Above are a few pictures of what Mt. Evans looks like as we rode up. Rene' stopped along the way to take a few pictures of the view. The first picture is a picture of Rene', Halstead and myself before we biked up Mt. Evans. I used this day as a recovery day and decided to ride up Mt. Evans which is 14,000 ft. elevation. Both Rene' and myself used Florida gears (42/21) to climb with.

Boulder Peak 2008 Pictures

Here are a few pictures from Boulder Peak Triathlon.
1. Picture of Rene' and myself after the race.
2. Picture of Judy, Paul, John and myself after the race.
3. Hot air balloons at the start of the race.
4. Picture of myself coming out of the swim.
5. Picture of Kevin, Mike, Amy, Matt (hidden by Mike) and Myself.

Race update: Awesome venue with some really tough competition. I ended up getting 15th place in my age group. I was hoping for a top 10 in my age group but will take the results. Bike was a little tougher this year for me but my run felt really good even though I only ran a 40:50 for the 10k which is not bad in altitude.

On another note, Coach Bill got 1st overall in his duathlon race today. Good Job Bill.

A little update

Well I have been a little lazy doing my blog so here is an update on what is happening.
We ran the Switzerland trail the other day. I haven't run that trail since back in 1997 when a friend Kevin K. took Peter and myself there for a long run. Very nice trail to do a long run. This weekend is Boulder Peak Triathlon. My goal is top ten in my age group. There are some really fast athletes here and well top ten would be a good accomplishment for the weekend. Also, Rene', Halstead and myself are suppose to bike Mt. Evans on Monday morning. The last time Halstead and I biked Mt. Evans was two years ago and we got caught in a bad storm at the top of the mountain and had to get a ride back down. Hopefully we have good weather.

Switzerland trail, Boulder,CO

A well known running trail around here is the Switzerland trail. Leslie and Rene' went out hiking here to scout it out for our run and some mountain biking. It's about a 20 minute drive from downtown Boulder . If you climb one of the trails off of the Switzerland trail up to the top you have 360 degree views !

Team Hendryx athlete's raced well.

The following athletes are being coached by Team Hendryx and performed very well at the Heartland Triathlon on Sunday.

Mandy- 1st Female overall (After doing a hard workout on Saturday)
Steve- 2nd place overall in his age group
Ralph- 4th place overall in his age group
Roman- 3rd place overall in his age group (After doing a hard workout on Saturday)
Mike- 7th place overall in his age group
Kevin- 11th place overall in his age group

Way to go.

Race Report Cabbage Head Duathlon

Rene' on her way to a 2nd place in her age group. Looked like a well run race and they actually did the awards very quick. Which is a plus in my book. I asked Rene' would she do it again and she said "Yes". So this is a must do if you are ever in Wiggins Colorado. The race did sell out even though it was in the middle of no where. They had a breakfast after the race for the participants and they served fresh breakfast burritos.

Pictures on the last blog were taken while we were at the Boulder Resevoir during our training run. We tried to throw in some speed during our run but it was a little tougher than I remembered. I ran with Tony (he just moved here from Orlando, Florida) last night and we ended up going through the CU campus and found a trail that runs along Boulder Creek but it was gradually going up. After 30 minutes of running up we decided to turn around and it was much easier on the way back. I might try and jump into the stroke and stride tonight, but not sure because my knee has been bothering me. I am not sure if I am up for a fast run tonight. I really need to do the race so I can swim in my wetsuit before I do Boulder Peak Triathlon next weekend.

Orlando, Florida look who I found!

Today we ran at Marshall Mesa on the outskirts of Boulder for about an hour. Great views of Boulder from here .

Sunday Ride

Today was a little ride on flat roads. I had an idea of where I wanted to go but had no idea how far. So we took off for our ride this a.m and at mile 10 I decided to take a left hand turn towards the mountains. Even though it looked like we were on flat land we were gradually climbing and after about 10 miles of gradual climbing I told Rene' it would get a lot easier. We found some really good roads to ride on and bumped into some really nice cyclist along the way. We even went through this old town called Niwot and there was a bicycle race going on.

Finally we are in Boulder

Well we made it to Boulder and I must have slept 11 hours last night. Woke up and went for a little run and I can tell that I haven't run much in a week, plus with all the driving and such. Rene's mom took us out for breakfast this morning and we went to the Original Pancake House in Boulder. Good food but I have already know what I will order next time we go. Stay tuned because you will want to see the picture of my next order at the OPH of Boulder. The next few days is trying to get adjusted and Rene' will be doing a duathlon next weekend. Should be fun.

Spring Texas to Amarillo Texas

Well after spending a few days with some of my family members in Spring Texas, we ended up leaving this morning and made it to Amarillo Texas. We are almost to Boulder, one more day of driving. It's a workout unloading a 100 lb dog, 3 bikes, the top carrier and all our bags to bring into the hotel and then the next day we get to load up again. Not complaining but it would be nice if you could trust people these days and leave some of the stuff in your vehicle without having to worry about someone breaking into your car.

Road Trip

Well we are off on our road trip and 950 miles later we made it to Texas to visit with my family. Mabel made it here okay as well, but a little tired from the trip. Just found out that several of Team Hendryx athletes did real well in the Baldwin Park Sprint Triathlon.

Results: Baldwin Park Triathlon

Epic Challenge Participants
Mandy McLane 1st place overall (Awesome job without any transition work)
Ralph Hopkins 3rd place in the 50-54
Telethe Wery 6th place in the 45-49
Roman Gonzalez 5th in the 35-39

Scott Kissling 11th in the 40-44

Way to go. Look for these athletes at Buttar races.

Training groups

Well all our training groups are doing great. This past Saturday we had large group doing an open water swim and bike workout. Afterwards, they stopped by the house for some pancakes. Even the old dog "Mabel" enjoyed herself.

New ride

Well after waiting all this time for my new ride, I will have to wait some more. I took the bike out for a spin on Saturday and noticed a little problem with the headset. Now Eric from Cyfac is sending a new headset to see if that is the problem. It doesn't look like I will be taking the new bike to Colorado for the summer. Hopefully the old Specialized will hold up for the summer.

Congrates to Stacey, Owner of Fleet Feet Sports Orlando

Congratulations to Stacey Bartos with her 4th place overall in the women's 40-44 age group. After taking two years off from doing any marathon training, Stacey was able to complete all her training without any injuries. Stacey and I spoke on Saturday after the race and we have a goal for the Disney Marathon. I told her that we would be there when she achieves her goal.

FAB 5 + Miami man's 1st group practice

Well Saturday will be our first group practice with our triathlon groups.
Place: Clermont Yacht Club
Time: 7:30 a.m for FAB 5 + Roman; 8:00 a.m for the Miami man group
Workout: Swim workout + bike ride.
After the workout we will be hosting a little pancake breakfast.
Coach Bill will handle the run practice from Fleet Feet and then head on over to Clermont to help out with the breakfast.

New Ride

Well after two years of waiting to get a new bike, mine has finally arrived. Now I am waiting on the components to come in to have it put together. Thanks to Epic Cycles USA in Clermont, Florida for helping me. I decided to go with a Cyfac custom bike. Stay tuned for more.

Meeting of the minds

Well the staff of Team Hendryx will meet for a monthly meeting to discuss current projects that we have going on and future projects. Lots of things are happening right now. We have a 5k/10k , 1/2 marathon and marathon running program with Fleet Feet Sports. Also, we have a group training for Miami man triathlon and we are the coaches for the Epic Challenge.