The Team Hendryx Experience

2010-09-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

baby steps and I will take it

2010-05-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

my frustration is turning into minor optimism. the problem of the tight solious (calf) that is leading to my sore Achilles is starting to clear up slightly. I had a great appointment with Dean (Body Basics) and we did some acupuncture, electric stimulation and taping. After that appointment on Weds I was able to run Thursday (25 minutes) and Friday (36 minutes) relatively pain free. It takes me a while to get warmed up but once I do any pain I have had becomes minor discomfort.

I had a massage appointment with Jen (Massage Envy) last night and she worked on my legs, especially the calf and I felt even better coming out of that appointment.

The discomfort is something I can handle for 50 miles (7+ hours) of running as long as it does not get any worse along the way. I am going to run some today (40 minutes) and then ride long tomorrow (90+ miles). I have been trying to workout in the middle of the day to start heat acclimation - it is just tough because I am nervous about putting too many minutes on my sore Achilles and getting another injury.

Next week will be some runs (in 60 minute range) and some swimming. I have 2 appointments with Dean before we leave for the Keys and one more massage. I am hopeful that all this work is going to pay off - I do not have the running mileage I would like but I will be relatively healthy and that is more important.

Keep your fingers crossed - the plans of setting the course record have not changed. I am still going for it and what happens happens but we are going to give it a shot.

Frustration

2010-05-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

well, it has been several weeks since I have been able to run pain free - my last good run workout was the 14 x 800 track workout I did on 4/15 - that is exactly 3 weeks ago today. I was able to get through a 25 minute jog this morning without too much pain.

the good news is - I have been able to ride/lift/swim in the mean time but it is not the same as running. I am not sure how my body is going to react to running 50 miles when I have not run in such a long time. I am hoping I can get a few runs in prior to the race just to get the run feeling back in my legs.

I am not sure how the race will turn out but I am not changing my plan because I have not been running - I am going for it - I am going to go out fast, try to settle into a good 8:30 pace and see how long I can hold it.

I am going to try and reduce the amount of time in pit stops again this year and try to use some pacers to my advantage if possible. I would like to finish the 50 miles in about 7 hours. If I can get through the first 30 in 4:15 or so I think I should be good to go. I am prepared to have the second half be a little slower but I am going to keep pushing.

I may not win this year but I am going to make someone hurt if they are going to beat me. My crew is going to be awesome and they are all set to take this run to the next level - we all just need to keep our fingers crossed that the body feels like running that morning.

healing - hopefullly

2010-04-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

so i went to see my friend and Team Hendryx athlete, Dean. Dean is a acupuncturist and has been working on me for about 6 months now. I was hoping he could assist with my Achilles issues I am having.

we have diagnosed the issue as a calf issue and need to stretch out the calf more and to work out some kinks. Today, we did an acupuncture session (where needles went almost all the way through my ankles, deep tissue massage and kinesio taping.

I am going to run (short and easy) tomorrow and see how it feels. I am hoping this is a step in the right direction and that with a couple more appointments in the next 2 weeks along with another taping session right before the Keys I will be able to get to the start line and put in a solid effort.

Keep your fingers crossed.

oh the humanity

2010-04-26T17:30:00.001-07:00

I wish my feet felt like this but they don't and I am getting to be very aggravated. I had a great week of training that ended with some pain in my achilles - I then selfishly ran a hard 5k that I should have passed on. I couldn't get warmed up and the pain never decreased during warm ups, then I had to sit on the start line for 30 minutes. The pain was bad during the race but I just kept going - dummy me.

I took a week off and only rode the bike and did the elliptical - I tried to run on Friday but the pain was still there. I am back on the shelf again - I am riding, swimming and ellipticaling - guess I will just wait and see if the pain goes down before the race.

Let's keep our fingers crossed

Key West 50

2010-04-20T05:56:00.001-07:00

My entry for the race in Key West went yesterday - I decided that the 100 miler would be too much this year and success would be more probable in the 50 miler. I have had some feet and Achilles issues and thought if I pounded them for 100 miles I would not recover in time to properly train for the IM in Spet. I figure a few days of partying in the keys after the 50 miler and I will be ready to put in the miles necessary for a solid IM in Sept.

I have a great crew heading to the Keys with me and have some great pacers coming along - I am going to see how fast I can run 50 miles. I have finished the race 2 times - winning it once and placing 3rd once. It's now time to throw caution to the wind and see how long and fast we can run from Marathon to KW.

There are some challenges with this race - the heat, the start time, the humidity, and the boredom. We will see how it goes.

I have been swimming, biking and running a lot to get ready. This weekend will be big miles again for me - 30 on Saturday, 20 on Sunday, and 20 on Monday, Wednesday will be a long track workout - 18 x 800 is the goal. After this weekend we will have a pretty good understanding of how the weekend will go.

Stay tuned.

Boston Weekend

2010-04-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

With Boston coming this Monday I need to express an opinion. This opinion might not be a popular one but it's my blog and I get to say what I feel :-).

I vote we keep all non qualifiers out of The Boston Marathon. Boston is for runners, for athletes who can qualify for the race, not for people running for a charity, doctors, or anyone else that's allowed in without a qualifying time.

Don't get me wrong - people that run for charities have done a ton to bring recognition to running and have done a ton to help those in need. They do great things by getting people involved in running that might not otherwise take the first step. I have coached for many charities and I have raised money for those same charities.

However, they have no place in the Boston Marathon. Boston is for the elite runners, those can run a qualifying standard set by the BAA. You shouldn't be able to run Boston by raising enough money, while that is a challenge too it is not close to having the pressure of running a qualifying time.

I know my vote and opinion is going to do nothing to change the policy the BAA has set - after all it is all about the money. However, I will never run Boston unless I have a qualifying time. I will not enter a lottery to get into a qualifying race, I will not raise money to get into a qualifying race, I will not get my PhD to get into a qualifying race.

I felt the same way when I didn't qualify for the Duathlon World Championships in 2009 but was offered a slot to go to the race by USAT. I felt I didn't do enough to qualify I was not going to enter the World Championships just to say I did it - I wanted to EARN it.

All of those running Boston this weekend (qualifiers and non qualifiers) best of luck to you - enjoy the race and have a wonderful weekend in Boston.

track, track, track

2010-04-14T07:14:00.001-07:00

today was my 4th day in a row of long workouts - I have been trying to build some endurance to get ready to head to the Keys to either run the 50 or 100 miler. I have no decided yet which race to run yet. I am having some physical issues that will not hinder me for the 100 miles but might make it hard to recover in time for the IM in Sept. We will see.

Here has been my week to date:

Sunday - 100 miles on the bike
Monday - 20 mile run on the trails
Tuesday - 3300 in the pool (2 miles)
Wednesday - 14 x 800 @ 3:21 with 200 recovery

I love track workouts - you are all alone and it is all your effort. I go to a deserted track that's in pretty bad shape but no one ever goes there - so it is me against the track. It's all mental - track work gets you ready for the last 5k of a marathon where everything hurts - the last 10 miles of a 50 miler - the tough days in the office - the rougher days that life throws at you!

Running in circles can be boring - but trying to hit a time goal time after time makes you keep focus, keeps you on task, makes you think about what you are doing. I enjoy that - I enjoy the solitude, the time to think, and the challenge of being consistent and strong.

Tomorrow will be an easy day - i am running a 5k and Friday will be a weight lifting day only - it has been a fine week!

2010-04-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

I will be running on Thursday in the Corp 5k with Team Stepping Onward - see the link to the right if you want more info on this great organization.

new shoes to try

2010-04-12T16:31:00.001-07:00

these will be the new shoes I will test out shortly - the Glycerin has DNA technology that is supposed to adapt to your weight, pace, gait, and terrain - and the ad is super cool with a running lizard

The Green Silence is a Eco Built for Speed racing flat.

Once I am able to test these I will post some reviews here

Boston Boston Boston

2010-04-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

this years Boston Marathon is going to be bittersweet - I have been fortunate enough to qualify again this year but it was sold out and I did not get a slot - I tried to pull all the strings I could but just no luck.

I really wanted to be there for Team Hendryx athlete Dan "the animal man". He achieved his goal of qualifying this year and now he is getting ready to tear up the course. He has been training with Sean (who will be attending his first Boston) and is fit and ready.

A couple of our other stars - Coach Rene' and Shanna (like banana damn it) will be running (and most likely winning) the 5k the day before. Hey, they get to cross the finish line!

With a little over a week to go I will be sending positive thoughts to the Team Hendryx crew that will be heading to Boston to tear it up. I love when athletes work and train hard and are rewarded by meeting and exceeding their goals.

Good luck everyone!

Great Results

2010-04-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I started coaching was because I liked to see other people succeed and meet their goals. I figured if I was a coach I could help athletes do just that. Over the years we have had many success stories and I hope we continue to have many more. Not only is it awesome to see others succeed it is extremely motivating for me as an athlete. If the people I coach can do their workouts and continue to improve than by golly I can too.

Here is one of those stories. Rich C is a relatively new athlete to the Team Hendryx stable. I had him on a trial run last year and we got him hooked on running and triathlon and he joined out team this year.

Rich is an old neighbor of mine who moved away and we lost touch - but some how became connected again in the last several months. He has some lofty goals to achieve and my biggest worry with Rich has been slowing him down and talking one step at a time.

Rich was able to meet one of his goals today - to set a PR in the half marathon - go under 1:50 for the half marathon and beat his time from last year in the same half marathon.

Today Rich ran a 1:45 - last year in the same race he ran 1:59 - that is a 14 minute improvement, that is 1 minute and 4 seconds faster PER MILE over 13.1 miles - on the exact same race course as last year.

The best part of the result - Rich had a great time, was injury free, paced his race well and had something left in the tank when he was done!

Next up is triathlon season for Rich then we will get him back into running in the fall. I look forward to more exceptional results from him and our other athletes.

Well done - contact me for more info on how to succeed like Rich has!

Amazing Story

2010-04-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

I will begin training a new athlete in May, his name is Steve. Steve will be training for to run the Space Coast Marathon and try to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Steve's story is a little more than that though - he is a resident at the Orlando Rescue Mission - he is working on getting his life back together and we are going to use running to help that mission. I hope that is some small way I will be able to help Steve with his life and in some big way help him with his running goal.

I also hope that Steve will help me get along with my life and help me progress past the trials and tribulations that have been presented to me lately.

He has not been running very long but he has some real potential and after all he has been through he certainly has mental toughness to get through a hot summer of training and accomplish his goals.

Once we start to train and I talk to Steve more I will share our story and let you know his progress - I may be asking some of you to help along the way because it is going to take hope and encouragement to bring Steve to his goals!

Croom Trail 50k

2010-04-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

I ran the Croom Trail 50k on 4/3 - this was a race I had done (or at least suffered through) in the past and decided that i would give it another try. it just so happened that I had the 3rd off so I was able to fit it in my schedule.

I was not trained properly for the race - I had 2 runs of over 2 hours on the trails going into this race but I thought if I could take it easy and try to put it on cruise control I could get through it. I figured if any way it would test me mentally.

This course is a 2 lap run through the woods in Brooksville and is a lot tougher than I remember from a few years ago when I ran it then. I ended up running a 4:26 for the 31 miles (8:35 pace) and was pretty happy. The first lap all I wanted to do was slow down and run conservatively. The first time I ran this race I ran 1:55 for the first lap and we will not talk about the 2nd lap but to say it was slow.

One of the problems with this race is that they have a 15 miler too - and the 15 milers start with the 50k people and you do not know who is who - sometimes you get caught up in early speed and get wiped out.

So Saturday I let all the fast guys go and tried to settle in to a nice steady conservative pace. The first lap went by in 2:07 - a little fast but not to bad - I would have preferred a 2:10-2:15 but I would take it. I came by the start finish and saw some awesome friends that were there cheering me and others on. I stopped and had some of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and switched out water bottles for the second lap.

The second lap went well until I reached about mile 26-27, that is when the course really gets hilly and is tough after running for 3.75 hours or so. I kept pushing alternating running and walking. When I knew I was about 1.5 miles from the finish I decided I should start running again and then it happened, I fell, crashed, bit the dirt. Not hard but enough to cover my sweaty body in dark brown dirt/mud - hello Pigpen!

I ended up finishing in 4:26 (8:35 pace) and about 11 minutes off my target time but not a bad overall result. The last time I ran this race it was about 4:33 so i got faster on less training - go figure.

I was 5th overall and 3rd in my age group - the old dudes ruled in the race - 7 of the top 10 were over 40.

Now it is time to decide what I should run in the Keys - 100 or 50 miles - the next couple days will let me know - and maybe I should be out running instead of writing in my blog.

Hope training is going well for everyone! See you all soon.

Welcome Xterra

2010-04-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome Xterra wetsuits to the TH family - they have proudly signed on the be a Team Hendryx sponsor for our coaches and athletes.

Check them out

Space Coast Marathon

2009-12-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

final results - 3:10 - 33rd OA, 2nd AG

glancing at these results it is nothing to be ashamed of and I should be relatively happy with it. After all it is my second fastest marathon and it does qualify me for Boston again.

However - I am very disappointed in the way I finished. Up until mile 21 I ran the perfect race - I was slowly getting faster the whole way and was well on my way to a 2:50 marathon.

at mile 3.1 my ave pace was 6:38 per mile, at 6.2 it was 6:34, at 13.1 it was 6:26 and at mile 20 and 21 it was 6:28 (I was in 6th place at the time) - then something happened. My legs stopped working and the pain was awful.

I limped, jogged, shuffled, and walked the last 5.2 miles in 55 minutes to finish in 3:10. I almost quit a few times but I still had to find a way to get to the finish line so I decided to make the best of it and shuffle along until I finished.

I stopped to use the bathroom, I stopped to stretch, and I stopped to get stretched out by a PT along the way - nothing seemed to be able to get my butt moving faster than a shuffle. Unfortunately once you start to change your running form and favor one side versus the other you start to hurt in other places too.

As I review the race and think about my performance I am happy I could run the splits I did and very happy miles 11-20 were faster than 1-10 (that was the plan)- just disappointed that the last 5.2 went so poorly.

I have traced the problem to my back/hip/glute and hopefully through some therapy, stretching, foam rolling and massage I can get it worked out. I need to plan my next try at the elusive 2:50 mark - maybe Tampa or Miami. Let's see how the recovery goes and when I can start to run again.

I want to thank Dave from St Augustine for being my running partner for 21 miles, thank the PT for having his table along the course and trying to help, and thank Troy for riding with Dave and I on the back side when it was really boring.

Next marathon will be better as will the Keys 100 in May!

5 days and counting

2009-11-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

we are 5 days away from the Space Coast Marathon and I feel decent going into this race. I wish I had some free time this week to get a couple more runs done or some time to relax, but life is getting in the way of that. I will just have to rely on my training and get my butt moving come race race.

I am hoping for a decent showing on Sunday. The marathon is not very big and does not draw a huge crowd of real fast people. Since it is the Sunday after Thanksgiving I am going to have to watch my food and beer intake over the holiday in order the stay in some what decent shape for the race.

I would like to run a new PR - I would like to run under 2:58:30 - anything other than that will be a bonus. Maybe a top 10 overall finish and a top age group award. We will see.

Keep your fingers crossed

Taper Time

2009-11-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

well, we're are less than two weeks away from the Space Coast Marathon and it is taper time. Between Sunday and Monday I put in 32 miles (16 each day) - Sunday was an easy cruise at 8:00 minute pace and Monday was a little quicker - 7:20 for the first part and 6:20 for the last few miles.

I will put in one more speed workout on Weds and the remainder of the time will all be easy miles just to stay lose until the race. Other than that I will stretch, use the foam roller, and get a massage or two.

Hopefully the 6 weeks I was able to train for the race will be enough to get me to the start line ready to roll though a rather quick marathon - we will see.

Track workout

2009-11-12T04:16:00.001-08:00

Last night was my last track workout before Space Coast Marathon - I set out to do 10 x 800 in 2:50 with 2:50 off. This would give me a good gage of where my speed was and how fast I might be able to run a marathon.

My pacing was a little off at first - my first 800 was 2:38 - then I settled in and ran 11 x 800 with my fastest (besides the 1st one) was 2;45 and slowest was 2;47 - I felt good and pacing was pretty darn consistent.

I am not sure i can run a 2:47 marathon because I do not have the miles in my legs that I would need for that but I might be able to run a 2:55 or so.

After 4 weeks of training I feel pretty good - I will do a long run Sunday and another on Monday and then start my taper for the race - I do not have to taper too much because I have not run a lot.

We will see how it goes in 2.5 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed

Space Coast Marathon

2009-11-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

I found out about 3 weeks ago that I was promised to go to Boston this year if one of our clients qualified - well, he qualified and now I need to qualify to uphold the promise that was made without my knowledge :-)

I have been training for 3 weeks now - my long runs are up to 15 miles and my weekly mileage is up to 45 miles a week.

My plan is quite simple - long run will top out about 16-17 miles and weekly miles will top out about 60 for one week only and will average about 45.

I did a speed workout yesterday and was able to knock out 7 x 800 @ 2:45 so I have a little speed left in me.

When I get to the race I will decide if I am going to try and run a 3:20 (my qualifying time) or if I am going to go for placement in the race which will need about a 2:55 - we will see how I feel.

I had to cancel 2 races leading up to the marathon because of having to qualify - I was going to run a 30k trail race on the 22nd, a 10 mile on the 26th and then the marathon on the 29th in order to get ready for the 100 miler - when I found out I had to run fast I cancelled the other 2 races to focus on the marathon.

Hopefully the plan works.

Health First tri

2009-11-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

well, the triathlon came and went and I moved on to training for the Space Coast Marathon.

here is an overview of the race

swim - 32nd out of the water - I am not the fastest swimmer but I swam well and felt good getting out of the water.

bike - averaged about 21.5 mph for the 27.5 mile bike - I passed a lot of people on the course. The winds were very mild compared to other years so it set up for a pretty decent ride. 16th overall after the bike

run - 39.47 10k - one of faster 10k finishes in a tri. I had the 3rd fastest run of the day and ended up climbing to 6th overall.

I was able to win my age group and improved on my times from the other years I have done this race. I could not have been happier with the results considering my training was average at best.

I raced without a watch or speedometer on my bike - I did the whole race by feel and went as hard as I thought I could go and still run well. The plan worked pretty darn well.

nest up - Boston qualifying at Space Coast then on to training for the 100 miler

can it be...6 days in a row? with a little help

2009-09-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have successfully put in 6 straight days of workouts - not many of the days have been easy to get motivated and get moving but I am getting through it. I actually did something the other day that I NEVER have done before - I took my iPod with me for my bike ride. it actually provided that little extra push to help me with the ride - a semi tough 45 miler with two 5 mile hilly time trails mixed in.

After my open water swim yesterday I took the iPod back out on the run with me - I cruised through 45 minutes at an estimated 7:40 pace. Felt pretty easy!

The weather also helped some this week - yesterday was pretty cool in the morning and on the run it was rather nice - not too hot at all.

I just got done a 75 minute trainer session with two 10 minute Olympic efforts mixed in. Still have 2 gym sessions, 2 run sessions, and a bike session left this week. Tomorrow will be a tough day because it is an early day at work but we will get through it.

At the end of the week (me, my iPod and the nice weather) will have gotten through 4 runs, 3 bikes, 2 swims and 2 gym sessions - not a bad week and it is helping a decent base for some of the upcoming plans!

Hope every one's training is going well.

train, struggle, train, struggle

2009-09-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

that seems to be my life these days - I have 1 or 2 good training days then I struggle to get out the door and do more. I am not overtrained I am just struggling with all kinds of crapicola these days.

I put in back to back days on the bike this weekend -

Sunday was a 45 miler - that included two 5 mile time trials in the rollers in the middle of the ride

Monday was a 45 miler - guess this was a hill day - looked for all the bigger hills in Clermont and tackled them - some multiple times.

By the end of the day Monday my legs felt heavy and tired. But, today i got my butt out of bed and knocked out a decent run.

Going to try for a very efficient week and make the most out of my workouts! Hopefully there will be some consistently (and better moods) coming shortly.

I will then have something to talk about and not just complain all the time :-)

The Flag and how athletes treat it

2009-08-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

so here is something that really bothers me and what better place to talk about it than my blog - that is what it is for right?

So at the track meet I was watching on TV today - when someone won a race they presented the athlete with their countries flag to drape over their shoulders and parade around.

I am not sure the rules in other countries but in the US our flag etiquette states - the flag will not be upside down (except in distress), used for drapery, and it should never touch the ground.

I constantly see athletes draping the flag on their shoulders - using it as a towel - flying it upside down and they never keep it off the ground. Call me old fashion, out of touch, whatever but I find it disrespectful.

It is right up there when someone does not remove their hat during the National Anthem - oh man - I hate that. Or when they are talking during the National Anthem - or walking to their seat or peeing.

I will make a promise - if I am ever winning a race and someone hands me the flag I will not take - I will respectfully decline. I will be happy to take one of those little flags on a stick - hold it the right way and represent my country - just do not ask me to wear it.

AHHHHH - I feel better now. Thanks - and remember, if I ask you to represent the flag the way it should be don;t be mad - just trying to do the right thing.

Cheers

Lucky! ?

2009-08-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

the weeks workouts have been going ok - had a real good day yesterday. Did 2k swim at Luckys and then ran 65 minutes when I got home. I have to admit I was a little tired by the time work ended last night at 10:00p but I will continue to get used to it.

today I knocked out 90 minutes on the trainer and will hit the gym at lunch.

I am looking forward to the 3 hour bike ride this weekend followed by an easy 50 minute run.

things that make me smile

2009-08-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

plans change...

2009-08-25T06:08:00.001-07:00

well, unfortunately I did not make the Moss Park Tri - just was not feeling the urge to race and decided it would be a waste of money. Instead I rode 35 and ran 5 at a decent pace.

I did sign up for the Health First Tri last night - the race is in Oct. This race is always fun. Two years ago we did this race when it was so rough we could not see any buoys - just kept swimming in a direction we thought was right. Hopefully this year it will be a little bit better!

off to the pool before heading to the office - hopefully I can get in decent shape before the race.

Moss park 8/23

2009-08-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

I (think) I am going to race at Moss Park on 8/23 - not sure if I will do the Du or the Tri but I really feel the need to get out and rip off a race. I have been doing some decent training. My coach has been giving me some awesome workouts but my heart and head just have not been in all of them. Maybe a race will jump start to juices and get me moving.

of course not being in decent shape and trying to rip off a good race could lead to me looking like mt Homeless Kat! (he is really not puking, just getting a drink)

another one bites the dust

2009-07-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

another week is in the books - and I am feeling ok. I am a little tired but not too bad. I had a couple good runs and a decent swim or two this week. Still struggling on the bike!

maybe it is the heat, maybe it is outside influences, maybe it is lack of motivation but something needs to change soon so I can start working out on a normal basis and feeling good about it!

all you out there - make sure you stay hydrated and stay motivated in the dog days of summer.

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2009-07-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

yesterday was the first day doing real speed work on the track in a long time (1.5 mile repeats do not count)- here is how it went.

1.5 mile warm up
6 x 800 @ 85% with 200 recovery
1.5 mile cool down

800's
1. 3:02
2. 3:02
3. 2:59 - little faster - arg!!!
4. 3:01
5. 3:05 - getting hot
6. 3:03 - glad to be done

I can live with that 800 speed right now - I could have stretched those to all under 3:00 if the workout was 90% but all is good.

want to get the speed back so when the Boston quest starts it will be a matter of the long miles instead of the speed.

enjoy your training - stay hydrated!

week in review

2009-07-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

well - my third week of base building structure is done and I feel ok. I am still struggling to get in all my workouts but I am hoping things settle down shortly. This week I was able to get in

2 hrs 20 on the bike - combo of mountain and tri bikes
2 hrs 44 running - decent semi speed workout
6700 yards in the pool

all in all not a bad week - this week will be fun again!

Holy hot workouts batman

2009-07-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

yes, yes, yes - I do like the hotness and normally it does not bother me too much. Yesterday was a tough day because of a combo of the hot temps and my lack of fitness.

I had to do a combo workout yesterday and combine a variation of my next two run workouts. This is what I ended up doing

13 minute easy warm up
1.5 miles on the track at 85% - 9:45
13 minute easy paced run
1.5 miles on the track at 85% - 9:55
13 minutes cool down

each 1.5 mile segment was run at a negative split - I went through 3/4 of a mile at 5:00 on each of them - pretty happy with the result and it did not feel like my heart was going to explode - but man did I sweat a lot!

starting to a feel a little better with my workouts and looking forward to more mountain biking this weekend on the trails at Lake Louisa!

Everyone racing this weekend - have a great race!

On the comeback trail

2009-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone - after two weeks of structured training I am still alive and kicking. I am struggling a little with time mgt issues but getting better every day. I have no specific goals in mind right now but I am batting around a few races

outerbanks marathon
space coast marathon
croom trail 50k
health first tri
gasparilla

right now i am working on structure again and getting back into a solid routine. I have been in the pool 4 times (up to 2300 yards), run 6 (ran 9 this weekend), mountain biked 5, and tri biked 2 time. I did get a solid 105 minute ride this past weekend in the hills of clermont.

I also had a real fun run this weekend - ran 4.5 miles out on the trail then ran back 5 minutes faster. It was the first time I treated my body to a hard workout since the Keys race.

I need to get back in the gym and do some lifting and I need to work on some core but it is all about baby steps at this point in time.

One thing I will definitely do before April 2010 is qualify for Boston - that sounds like a good vacation destination in 2010 for me. Just need to pick the right race and knock a good time.

I will begin to keep you updated a couple times a week so you can follow along with the challenges and successes of coming back after life kicks you in the teeth

I shaw return

2009-07-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone - I just wanted to let you know I have not forgotten about you and I have not stopped blogging - I am just on a small break. Unfortunately some other things in life have taken a back seat to blogging, racing and training. However, I promise to be back to blogging next week. I am not quite sure about racing or training - we will have to see :-)

I hope everyone's summer is going well and everyone's race goals are shaping up nicely.

See you soon on the blog.

Keys Race Report

2009-05-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

it has been a long time since my last post and a couple weeks since the race and I have not posted my race report yet - no excuses just lazy. Read and enjoy

The Keys 50 miler, 100 miler and 100 mile relay was held on May 16th and we were back for another shot at the 50 miler. This year was stacking up to be a lot tougher from last year because I was not trained properly and was not overly excited to do the race. However, since I was the defending champion in the 50 miler I felt I needed to go give it a shot.

My training consisted of a 18 mile run, 20 mile run, and 22 mile run on back to back to back days. Other than that I did not run over 10 miles since New Years Day. I did have a lot of short speed work under my belt but not any good long runs.

My plan for the race was to go as long as I could and if I needed to drop out then no biggie - I would just head for the Keys and drink some beer and cheer everyone else on.

My crew consisted of good friends Stephanie and Greg. This would be there first time crewing but I knew they would be awesome. I was going to tackle this years race with no pacers to run with me and keep me company during the rough patches. I do believe it is easier to tackle a race this long the second time around - we learned so much on the first attempt.

The race started in Marathon at 10:00a, at this point the 100 mile relay and individuals had been running for 4 hours - the fast relay guys would catch the 50 milers at some point along the way but hopefully not too soon. At the pre race meeting Bob (the race director) pointed me out as the guy who won last year, nothing like putting a big fat target on my back! But I got many people coming by to chat with us before the race and seek advice - that was kind of fun. At 9:50a 60 of us crossed US 1 to the start line - wow was I nervous at that point.

At 10:00a we were off for our trek to Key West. This is a very easy race because there are no turns - just head south and keep running until you run out of island. The race is totally self supported so you have to have a crew and car with all your supplies - they crew just leapfrogs the runners all the way to the end. The crew is as important as running, if they are not ready with supplies, or not making sure the runner is drinking and eating it will spell doom for the runner.

The forecast for this year was a lot better than last year, 84-87 degrees and a 15mph tail wind all the way to Key West. Last year temps topped 95 and it was absolutely miserable. This year the plan was to slow my butt down in the beginning and to take frequent walk break early. When the gun went off we headed south and I found myself in the lead with 3 other dudes. We had a nice conversation while running along. I knew we were running too fast (about 8:00 miles) but my plan was to stop right before 7 mile bridge to refuel, slow down and get new fluid bottles. So when we hit mile 4 of the race I stopped at my crew car and let the other 3 go ahead (I hoped I would get a chance to see them again). While on the bridge I started my walk breaks - my plan was to run 2 miles and walk 2 minutes. On my first walk break I was passed by another guy so I was in 5th place overall.

After the bridge I had slowed my pace to a very comfortable 8:45 mile and was walked, drinking and eating on plan. I saw the crew after the bridge and we decided that we would meet up every 3 miles. By mile 17 of the race I had repassed everyone and was in first. The guys I went by did not seem like the were handling things too well. It was started to heat up and I do not think they were drinking enough. At mile 17 that was a mandated weigh in, clothes change and solid food eating station. The crew was awesome - when I got to the car they were ready with new clothes, socks and shoes laid out and food all ready to roll. At the pit stop I was was passed my 2 guys - one who had been behind me the whole time and one who I had just passed. I still took my time and made sure everything was still on plan - PLAN YOUR RACE, RACE YOUR PLAN.

3 more pit stops and we would be at the half way point and check in station. When I left the car from mile 17 my shoes were ties too tight and it felt like I had a thorn in my sock. I stopped to loosen my shoes and took off my right shoe and sock to make sure nothing was there - all seemed ok. When I started to run again the pain in my toe came back - I figured it was a blister coming on and decided to keep running. Within a mile I passed one dude and was back in second place, but the guy who was in first was moving on down the road pretty steady.

At mile 25 I was passed by another dude so I was back in 3rd. The two of us ran to the check point together and checked in at the same time. We were 8 minutes down - in 8 miles the guy put 8 minutes on me - holy crap! there was no way I could keep up that pace to try and catch him. Shortly after the check point I decided that I could not stay with the guy that was in second either - he was just running too fast. I was through 25 miles in 3:54 - perfect pace. the goal was to try and run the second half close to the first. Last year my second half was 90 minutes slower. After leaving the check in we were still on 3 mile intervals for pit stops, but I was not feeling great. In a race this long you go through a lot of highs and lows the goal is to have your crew keep you moving and to wait for the high points to come back in order to get moving again.

Somewhere around mile 28 of the race I was contemplating quitting. I did not feel great and was only running about 2-3 minutes and walking 2-3 minutes. But I kept at it hoping things might turn. We moved the pit stops to every 2 miles in hopes that might help some. Steph and Greg started feeding me more solids - pretzels, chips, pb&j - and we started on the coke. I really struggled through the next 6 miles - I think I was down to about 11 minutes a mile - not good. I was also starting to see a lot of crew cars - that means that runners are starting to catch you. It was kind of motivating to see them because all the crews are so nice but it is also a little deflating.

At mile 33-34 it was time for another clothes change. When I got to the car Greg was ready with the change of clothes and Steph had the food. While I sat on the tailgate and soaked my feet in ice water (not paying attention to my ever growing blister) I told them that we might be done. Only 17 miles left and we might have to call it a day. I decided to try some Alka Seltzer at this point too, thought it might calm my stomach, help with some of the lactate acid build up and provide some pain relief.

We probably spent 10 minutes or so in the pit stop and decide to give it a try for 2 miles and we would decide from there. I started walking and then started to feel a little better - I started to run and ran the whole 2 miles. At the next stop we started with oranges and coke which is what got me through the miles last year. Also did a weigh in and was only down 5 lbs. We also decided to try every 2.5 miles for the pit stops and try and take advantage of the new found energy as long as possible. I actually ran for the next 8 miles (about 8:45 pace) stopping to walk through the pit stops but running the rest of the time. I also stopped seeing crew cars so I was starting to put some distance on the folks chasing. I was not gaining on the folks in front but at least I was moving. My only hope would be that they had some troubles and had to start walking a lot.

During that stretch I probably over did it a little - because with about 9-10 miles to go I started to feel bad again. It was getting super hot too. The had just paved parts of the road and you could see the tar melting up through the pavement - that is hot. It had to be 10-15 degrees hotter on the new black top. On my walk breaks I would move off the road to the grass just to cool down some. When you hit single digits in miles left you start to feel pretty darn good. Ran 41 and only 9 more to go. You just continue to play mental games at that point - 8,7,6 miles to go or only 2 miles until I see the crew again. At each check point we started making plans for crossing the finish line together (something I neglected to do last year) and when we were having our first beer! Once you cross into Key West it is pretty much all down hill and you actually get a little shade along the way.

Close to the finish line Greg and Steph met me and we ran the last 100 yards together. It was a pretty stressful run but a lot easier than last year. I wish I was in the shape this year that I was last year and last year it was the temps we had this year - but you take what the race throws at you and deal with it.

I ended up 3rd overall in a time of 8:23:00 - 75 minutes (1.5 minutes per mile) faster than last year. Overall pace was about 10:00 a mile and second half 4:30:00 slower than the first half but not bad.

I had a great time, the crew did a great job and the race was awesome as usual. Bob and his team put on a fantastic race and the Keys is always a great place to end! There is nothing like having a cold beer with your crew after spending 8+ hours together in the heat and them listening to me complain.

We will see what next year brings!

sad or not sad... good news or bad news

2009-05-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

next weekend is the Keys run - last year we had temps in the high 80s to low 90s with the heat index reaching 96+. this year it is shaping up to be much more mild, temps 83-85 with heat index reaching the high 80s.

I am not sure I want to cooler temps

I think I would rather have the hotter temps.

I know I can not run with some of the guys entered, they are just to fast and have had better training than me this year. However, if I can get them to wilt in the heat I might have a chance. Now the weather forecast says 83-85 degrees for the high. Come on man - let's have a challenge.

This years race should be a fast one.

Luck all around

2009-05-08T04:27:00.001-07:00

Good luck to everyone doing

Fargo marathon
Gulf Coast
Muddy Buddy
Danskin

have fun, and if you are in Florida, stay hydrated

Hot, Hot, Hot

2009-05-07T07:46:00.001-07:00

last year in the Keys it was between 89-92 degrees with the heat index topping 97 so I have been doing as much hot weather running this week as possible. The temps in Orlando have topped 90 a few days this week. Yesterday I ran 18+ miles in the heat of the day - I left at 2:45p and return around 5:30p. Temps were in the 90s most of the run.

The crazy part is - the keys have not topped 85 in the last few weeks. If the heat index stays below 90 for this years race it will be a totally different race from last year. Last year was a survival fest, this year could be a race if the temps stay mild.

This weekend going to try for a 25 miler and a 30 miler - then rest until the race.

Stay tuned for race reports!

Happy training out there - everyone that is out in this heat please stay hydrated

2:43:00 for a 10k?

2009-05-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Tom C, a swimmer with Team Hendryx and the YMCA, swam the Nike Swim Miami open water 10k last weekend - his time was 2:43:00 for the swim. That is a terrific time of 26:27 a mile. That is 1:38 for every 100 meters - all 100 of them. He was second in his age group and 26th overall.

The winner was on the Israeli National team and swam 19:00 miles for 6.2 of them. WOW!

Congrats to Tom C on his outstanding accomplishment.

Key West 50 Miler

2009-05-04T04:44:00.001-07:00

Key West 50 miler is in 12 days and a wake up - should be fun this year. Beth will be leading out top notch crew and I will be trying to tackle the distance and the heat - stay tuned for updated info.

Boston and St Anthonys

2009-04-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

good luck to all of you heading to Boston on Monday - have a terrific time - enjoy the Newton Hills

good luck to everyone heading to St Anthony's next weekend - be careful with all the yahoos that think they are pros!

everyone else - good luck in your races or training - catch up with yoou after Nationals

T minus 9

2009-04-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

it is now 9 days and a wake up until Duathlon Nationals. The race has officially reached capacity - 1200 entrants. I have about 130 in my age group. There were only 300 entrants last year and I now I will be racing against almost 50% of that number. I am so glad that the race has become so popular and that people have come out of the woodwork to support the sport of Duathlon.

Of course - having 130 the age group is going to make the goal of qualifying for Worlds that much harder but hey, no one will be able to say that the World Qualifiers this year did not earn it.

Last year 2:03 won my age group and placed in the top 10 overall - my guess is that this year that time will not sniff the top 10 in the age group. We will see!

This weekend I have a tough workout today then an recovery 8 mile run/1 hour bike tomorrow and a killer workout on Sunday - runs, hills, time trials all lumped into one fun session!

On Monday i will be rolling out of here and heading to Chapel Hill to train and relax and then next Saturday we will be off to Richmond to get ready to race.

Keep your fingers crossed - it will be a wild one!

so much for rest

2009-04-14T05:28:00.000-07:00

rest day is over - get your butt out there and work your butt off for 6 more days - come on let's go - do it - do it - do it.

No, those were not the words of my coach - they were the words in my head this morning. Reminded me of being back in the military.

This is my last hard week before the race - 6 days of various efforts then 1 week of taper and it will be race day.

Today is fast 800s with my recovery on the bike - might have to be inside with the nasty weather on the way :(

Rest days - awwwww rest days

2009-04-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

Rest days are one of the most important days any athlete can have - they let your body recover from all the stress you are putting on it while working out. rest days are when you get stronger - if you do not take any days off you are doing more harm than good. You continually tear your body down while working out and rest is what you do to build the muscle back up and make you stronger. Without the proper rest you risk sickness, over training and most importantly injury.

I find rest days to be tough. I do not know what to do with myself. Last week on my rest day I was able to mow the lawn and catch up on a bunch of errands and knock out some laundry. Today, I am sure i will be going stir crazy by the time to day is over but I know that rest is super important right now. I am less than two weeks away from my race and just came off a week of HIGH intensity training. Today will be a day of work and relaxation and some much needed stretching. Then tomorrow I will awake rejuvenated and ready for another HARD week before taper down to the race.

Remember, rest days are essential. Make sure you are getting the proper rest and relaxation - it will make your training that much easier and beneficial.

Another workout bites the dust

2009-04-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

warning to all who read this - do not try this at home without the guidance of a coach and a doctor!

Today's workout was a "Sean Special" - a workout that Sean and I have been doing in various forms for a couple of years and I really enjoy. It is a hard workout that can not be done every week - but as a hard effort and tune up for Nationals, today was a great day to give it a go.

10 mile warm up on the bike, 1 mile run warm up on the track
2 miles run on the track 90%
quick transition
7 miles hilly hard effort bike
quick transition
1 miles run on the track 85%
quick transition
5 miles hilly hard effort bike
quick transition
2 miles run on the track 85%
1 mile run cool down
10 miles bike cool down

we have done this workout where instead of riding you run the cross country course - or do a tempo run off the track - the running ones are easier but the bike was perfect for the training I needed.

Results as follows - 2 mile run 12:02, 1 mile run 5:55, 2 mile run 12:04 (this was over 85% though, but felt good doing it)

The wind was howling today so the bike legs were extra tough but if it is not tough it does not make you stronger (or kill you)!

I was pretty encouraged by this workout - tomorrow is an easier day with a 10 mile run and an open water recovery swim. I hear Sunday is a hill repeat day on the bike - we will see.

Oh my - welcome to my workout world

2009-04-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

A little background first - I have a goal of Duathlon Nationals this year - it is very early in the year for an A race but I figured I would give it a try. My training has been altered greatly because of a minor knee injury I suffered and missed over 8 weeks of training. My training for Nationals started on 3/2 for a race on 4/26 - 8 weeks is not an ideal time to train for a race of this magnitude but Sean and I thought it would be worth a try any way. Since I was pretty far behind in my training we have really tried to step things up and go through Prep, Build, Base, Peak, Taper phases all in 8 weeks - normally we would take 16-18 weeks for something like this.

Right now I am in my last two weeks of hard effort (Peak) before 1 week of easy (Taper) training for the race. I get my workouts from Sean on Sunday night for the following week - however I only look at them one day at a time. I figure one day at a time is all you can control any way so why fret over Thursdays workout when you still have to get Monday's workout done????

Tuesday night when I was logging my results on Tuesdays workouts I looked at Wednesday and here is what I found:

1 mile w.u
4 x 90 sec fast/90 sec. recovery. You should feel like you are going to throw up..
800 easy jog
2 x 800 fast/400 recovery
1 mile c.d

25 mile bike over a rolling course

Yes, the effort is listed as - "You should feel like you are going to throw up".

Wednesday is coming off a race on Sunday, easy weight and run workout Monday, Intervals on the bike and run on Tuesday.

WELL, the workout went well - the 90 second efforts were hard as heck! The first one was ok, 2nd got a little tougher, 3rd was murder and close to throwing up, 4th was a little easier because it was the last one. After the 1/2 mile recovery I did the 1/2 mile speed efforts in 2:47 and 2:46 - so there was still a little left in the tank!

I hear tomorrows workout is worse - we will see tonight when I am prepping for the morning session - at least tomorrow we have a big group working out together - then we can all suffer at the same time!

Congrats to athletes

2009-04-06T05:15:00.001-07:00

Congrats to everyone who completed int eh Great Clermont Tri this weekend - we had many folks finish in the hardware for the sprint tri this weekend

Beth C
Missy
Jason
Laurie

these 4 all took home some hardware - congrats and great job to them tuning up for their races.

One last tune up race

2009-04-06T04:56:00.001-07:00

this weekend was the Great Clermont Triathlon - a race that has been around for over 25 years and used to draw thousands of people for an early season tune up before St Anthony's. Over the years the race has decreased in sized but it still serves as a good tune up for folks looking to find out if they have their racing legs.

I decided to use this race as a tune up for my upcoming Duathlon. Since I have only been in the water 3-4 times this year I decided to enlist the help of fellow Team Hendryx coach Steve Griggs to do the swimming. I would do the bike and run. Sean and I decided that I could go out for a hard effort run while Steve was swimming and then meet him in transition and I would go off on the bike then run. Making it a duathlon training race for me.

The plan was - 5 minutes before Steve's wave went off I went for a run. I decided to run 28 minutes and that would have me back in time to get in to transition and meet Steve. I ran in and around the town of Clermont getting in some good rollers and was able to run pretty hard - I ran about 4.2 miles in 28 minutes.

Once I got back to the transition area I waited for Steve who was there about 2 minutes after I was done running (not bad timing) and off on the bike I went. Steve went off to get his training done for the day. The plan was to make this a hard training day and give a very good effort.

The bike went well. The course consists of mostly rollers the whole way with a couple climbs that a short but steep and you need to get out of the saddle to get to the top. I tried to catch as many people as I could on the bike and see if I could maintain a good steady pace. Over the 25 mile course I averaged about 20-21 mph and was able to keep my HR around 145-150 - so it was all good.

After the bike I transitioned as quickly as possible and went out for the run. Already having over 4 miles on my legs did not seem to be a problem - I went out fast and tried to maintain a HR around 170. The first lap of the run was 19:30, which is not too bad for a 5k. The next lap I seemed to struggle a tad - but still maintain form and tried to keep my HR consistent until the last mile. The second lap was 20:30 - one minute slower is not to encouraging. However, since it was a 2 lap course I could gage how I was running compared to the leads and to the folks chasing me - I seemed to be gaining ground on a lot of them so others were struggling a little too. Final 10k time was 40:00 about a 6:27 pace.

Overall, I was encouraged by the times for the race. I ran well before the bike and well after the bike. I still have some work to do over the next 2 weeks but think I can continue to improve and really be able to rip off a good race in Richmond in 3 weeks.

The race at the end of the month is a 10k, 40k, 5k - I think I can get my first run time to about 39:30 and the last 5k down to 19:00 but we will see.

List Friday - you might be an endurance athlete if ...

2009-04-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I stole these from someone on FB but I thought some of them were great. It was originally title "You know you are a triathlete when.."

1.You have a water bottle when you drive your car
2.In the summer your legs are smoother than your girlfriend's.
3.In the winter your legs are still smoother than your girlfriend’s
4.You take more showers in a locker room than at home
5.6:30 am is sleeping in
6.You clean your bike more often than your car
7.When asked to mow the lawn in 90 degree heat, you say that its too hot to do that (and you mean it) and then an hour later you go on a century ride because its so nice out.
8.you wave at other cyclists, because all triathletes are friendly and if they are not, they are probably purist cyclists trying to get into triathlons and they do not know that triathletes are friendly
9.your 8 year old comes home with the school record for the mile and says, he took it out in a nice pace he could hold.....everyone else died.
10.You've given up trying to go on training runs/rides with your boyfriends because they don't take it too well when you kick their butt.

I find 9 to be hilarious and I find 8 to be oh so true!!!

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend whatever you may be doing.

Speed work

2009-04-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

speed work is something that everyone should do - walker and runners of all ability benefit from speed work and it mixes up the workouts so an athlete is not doing the same thing all the time at the same pace. if you run at the same pace all the time you get to a point where each run gets easier and easier and the benefits start to go away. Add speed work once a week and vary your paces and you will see the advantages in a hurry. We put all of our athletes through track workouts - we just vary the pace based on ability - we have seen great results with this and have seen many PRs set over the years.

I did my own speed session yesterday - after my open water swim. My session was 400 hard/ 200 easy, 200 h, 200 e, 200 h, 400 e - 4 times. With a 1.5 mile warm up and 1.5 mile cool down.

My 400s were 1:24, 1:20, 1:17 and 1:14
My 200s were all between :36 - :38

I felt great doing this workout - it is nice to work on top end speed to see what limits my body has and how fast i will be able to push it in upcoming races.

Good luck with everything - enjoy the track!

Open Water Swimming

2009-04-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

I took the Team In Training athletes to Lucky's this morning for an open water swim and the ones that showed up did well. For some of them it was their first open water swim. Lucky's is always a challenge on week days because you swim before the sun comes up so you are sighting on a light on the other side of the lake and it is tough to see. All of the swimmers did well though and were able to make the 1000 yard swim and sign the Wall of Fame at Lucky's.

One of the problems of being the swim coach is - I have to get in the water and swim too. I do not think I have swam open water in 4-6 months. I took my wet suit today because 72 degree water is still too cold for my butt! It turns out I swam decent - I did the 1000 in about 18 minutes which is about 1:48 every hundred - since I stopped a few times to look out for the team I guess I can live with it. It was actually kind of fun. I still get kind of freaked by swimming in the open water in the dark (feeding time) but i figure there are enough of us out there that the chances of a gator choosing me are slim :-)

I might even head back again in the next 4 months for another swim.

Double, Double, Double

2009-03-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

yow - the last three days have been killer but i feel great!

Tues - weights, 7 mile run with 5 x 1000 hard efforts, 17 mile bike
Weds - 27 mile bike with 2 5.6 mile hill TT, 9 mile run with 10 x 800
Thurs - 5 mile run with 3 mile tempo, bike 18 miles with first 10 hard

3 days = 21 miles running with speed work every day, 62 miles bike with speed on 2 days

This has all been around work so it has been tough be will a huge benefit in 4 weeks in Richmond - no wonder I have been needing some caffeine to get through the day

New exciting opportunity

2009-03-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

we have a new opportunity at Team Hendryx - we will be working with the Lake County Police Athletic League. PAL has a bunch of athletes that participate in tris, or just biking, swimming and/or running. They approached Coach Sean and asked him if we would be willing to volunteer our time to help the athletes have fun and improve.

This will be an awesome chance for us to get to know some great kids and to help them meet their athletic goals - we are honored to be asked to participate. We will be working with the kids a couple times a month and providing them with workouts.

The athletes will be participating in races throughout the summer - look for them on the podium!

Training

2009-03-25T04:18:00.000-07:00

there are 4 training weeks left until Du Nats and it is time to step it up a bit. I still need to develop some more bike speed and power so I can hang with the front guys on the bike and try to pass them at the end on the run.

yesterday I worked on run speed again - with a 5 x 1000 workout. I did this workout on the trail because I could not find a vacant track at 1:00p. I had to estimate 1000 meters because the trail is only marked at quarter miles. I ran all 5 intervals in 3:30 - the 800s were all 2:46-2:50. In all I ran a 5k in 17:30 - which I am pretty happy with.

The workout was made a little tougher because of the wind and the fact that I did a weight sessions in the morning.

Today will be a 30 mile bike in the rollers of Clermont and then off to another track session - this one will be with a client. It is his last 800 session before he attempts to qualify for Boston. We will be running 10 x 800 in 3:15. it will be fun to pace someone through this workout.

Training weekend

2009-03-23T05:12:00.001-07:00

this weekend was a good weekend for training - perfect weather (maybe a tad windy) and solid mileage.

Saturday started with a 8 mile run at a very comfortable 7:30 pace - Sean and ran with Dan to help him through his 18 mile run. We ran miles 7-14 with him. The run felt great - my HR is finally catching up with my legs. The runs are getting easier.

Sunday was a 35 mile bike with 2 x 5/75 mile TT mixed in. The TT were on Wilson Lake Rd which is a nice new paved road with rollers along the way. The greatest obstacle was the wind - head one way, tail the other.

The TTs went great - maybe reaching a 9 on the "i want to throw up" meter but they were good and fast. we averaged about 25-26 mph for the TTs. After the ride was a 4 mile run with 2 at 10k pace and 2 cruising. The first two miles went by in 6:11 pace then we backed it down to about 7:40 pace to cruise in the last two miles.

All in all a good hard weekend of training - the speed is coming around - just have to keep working on my HR and my bike legs!

5 weeks to Nationals and need some improvement to do well there.

Athlete Profile - what a great story

2009-03-19T09:23:00.001-07:00

This is the story of Michelle B

Michelle came to our No Boundaries Training group in January of 08 - Michelle was not a runner but wanted to work up to her first 5k. The No Boundaries group was designed to take someone from couch to 5k in about 12 weeks.

Michelle stuck with the program and got to where she could run 1 mile, then 2 miles, then 3 miles and was able to complete her first 5k in April 2008 in 37 minutes (11:54 pace).

Michelle has been in Team Hendryx running groups ever since then and has continued to improve. Michelle started this season with the goal of running a 10k. She worked hard and was able to run 4 miles, then 5, then 6. Last weekend Michelle competed in the WP 10k and ran the whole 6.2 miles in 1:07 (10:48 pace).

Not only sis Michelle double the distance she was able to run but she was also able to take over 1 minute per mile off her pace.

Way to go Michelle!

Results from this weekend

2009-03-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

the race results from this weekend were pretty darn good when you consider I have had 2 weeks of structure this year.

2009/ 2008
2.75 mile run 15:38 (5:42) / 16:15
T1 1:02 / :50
22.25 mile bike 1:02:07 (21.5 mph)/ 59:17
T2 :30 / :39
5.5 mile run 33:44 (6:08) / 36:46
Total 1:53:03 / 1:53:48

I struggled a little on the bike as you can see - it took me a while to get my legs under me and get pedaling but I had a faster second lap than first so I can not complain about that.

One more tune up race then Du Nationals

Moss Park Race / Duathlon Nationals

2009-03-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

I raced yesterday at the Moss Park Olympic Duathlon and it went fairly well. I seemed to recover well over night and this morning I decided to take the plunge and enter the Duathlon National Championships and take a shot at the World Championships.

The race this weekend was fun - I did the 2.75 m run/ 22.25 mile bike/ 5.5 mile run in 1:53:00 - about 1 minute faster than any of my times last year. I ended up 4th overall and 1st in my age group. I do not have the splits yet but when I do I will post them along with a race report.

Keep your fingers crossed - it is going to be a fast 6 weeks until the event

Need Relay Runners

2009-03-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

anyone want to be a part of the Team Hendryx relay team for a race in from Key Largo to Key West - please let me know. Race info is here www.keys100.com - we are looking for 2-3 runners

Princess Half

2009-03-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

We have over 20 finishers in the Princess Half Marathon this weekend and had 5 Personal Bests set at the race. We also had 5 "princesses" complete their first half marathon!

Congrats to all.

Special shout out to Debbie S - Debbie ran a 1:45:00 at the OUC Half Marathon in December and came to Team Hendryx with a goal of beating her 1:45 time. After chatting with Debbie I set a BIG stretch goal of 1:39 and a secondary stretch at 1:41

Debbie ran a 1:40:53 at the race - bettering her last Half Marathon by almost 5 minutes. She improved by about 21 seconds a mile.

We are looking forward to getting Debbie to kick some butt in the 70.3 race in May.

If you are looking for similar results contact us for details.

Middle School Track

2009-03-11T08:32:00.001-07:00

the Middle School Track team continues to amaze me - Meet 3 was Monday night and the kids did not disappoint again.

Everyone improved on their times and placements - take a look at this improvement:

R.R. - Meet 2 800 meter time = 3:41.53, Meet 3 800 meter time 3:20.85 - almost 21 seconds.

This kids are getting strong - I can not wait to have them on my Cross Country squad next year.

Training week in review

2009-03-09T04:17:00.000-07:00

one week ago today I opened my workout log I saw the comments from Coach Sean - "we will just jump right into it and see how it goes" - so we jumped.

This week I was able to do all of my workouts with no pain or discomfort (except for maybe in my lungs at times). I got through 12 workout sessions - 3 weights, 4 bike, 5 runs - I biked about 110 miles and ran 26 miles. Was able to get a good brick in yesterday - 42/4. I am not running as fast as I would like but after 8 weeks off I am please with my training performance.

Unfortunately, I had a small bike crash on Saturday but luckily there was no real damage to my bike or myself. I do have some of the familiar scrapes and bruises and one on my elbow that makes it difficult to ride in the aero position but that is something that will heal with time.

This week will 8 sessions of training leading up to a race on Sunday. I will use this race as a hard training session and not focus as much on time as on getting stronger and faster.

7 weeks to Nationals - we will make a decision after racing this weekend and next and see what we will do - no sense in going all the way to Richmond unless there is a good shot of doing well.

List Friday - worst teammates

2009-03-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

with the release of TO (again) I was thinking that I would never want him on my team and really would not want him on the team I was cheering for to win.

here is my list of worst teammates (major sports)

1.John Rocker - this dude just could not keep his mouth shut
2.Manny Ramirez - great talent but who can forget him tanking it in Boston just to get traded - watch - it will happen in LA if he does not get his way
3.TO - come on - who needs him? in the long run he has not made any team better (sure, he has had bright spots but he can't maintain) - now that he is old and his talent is declining who would want him
4.Isiah Thomas - maybe this one is not fair - great player but an awful owner - let's see - who ruined the Knicks, Pacers and when he bought the CBA he ran it so poorly it went out of business.
5.Ricky Williams - just could not stay away from the hippy lettuce

Here are some honorable mentions - Barry Sanders, Keyshawn Johnson, Latrell Spreewell, Bill Romanowski

Love the Track

2009-03-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

This week was my first track workout in many moons and I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing track workouts. Before my knee issue I had not done much in the way of track workouts because I was training for long distance stuff and speed is not as important - now that it is a new season and new goals I am back on the track. Wednesday was my first time back on the track and I had a great time - thought my heart might come out of my chest at times, and the times were a little slow, but I still had a great time.

- During my 3 minute hard sessions my 800s were about 2:53 - right on for both sets
- During my 2 minute hard sessions my 400s were about 1:23 - right on for both sets
- During my 1 minute hard sessions my 200s were about :37 - little faster on the last

For some reason I find the track fun and challenging - we have run track sessions of 7-8 miles and I never get bored and always seem to push hard through those sessions. Hopefully over the next several weeks some of my lost speed will come back and I can get those times down to where they used to be.

I have some more speed on the road this weekend then back to the track next week for sessions number 2.

what? - from the biggest loser

2009-03-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

this has been pointed out in many other blogs around the country and I am not trying to skewer the guy by any means - his accomplishments are awesome and I hope his next marathon is 26.2 miles and not 23 miles - but this type of thinking is just wrong.

You got a lot of flak for the marathon you ran. What went through your head when you were approached to get in the car to finish the race?
Building up to the race, I didn’t think I had a time limit so I was planning on taking my time and doing it between seven and eight hours. But when I got there, the producer told me I had to do it in less than six hours, which was sort of a push in itself. I ran for about the first 13 or 14 miles at that pace and then gradually started slowing down. At mile 17, it was discussed that I was not going to make that time. Honestly, I wish I hadn’t [accepted a three-mile ride from a field producer]. I honestly didn’t think anything of it because I was proud that I accomplished what I accomplished. Because it was my plan to run the full marathon, I went back [later that day with cousin and former Ranch teammate Blaine Cotter] and ran those three miles so in my mind I ran the full 26 miles.

So - he thinks if you go back the next day and run the remainder of the miles you did not do you ran a whole marathon? Come on man - say it like it is - I had a great run and because of show times and producers I was not able to run all 26.2 - I was proud of 23 miles and next time I hope the finish 26.2

This is why we coach!!!

2009-03-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to thank both of you for the incredible job you have done with R. over the past several weeks. He is really enjoying running track and was very excited when he came home last night. This has been wonderful for improving his self esteem. Based on our discussion last night, the results you send to Rich/Orangewood should be included in the Athletics Newsletter. R. will really be excited to see his name in the newsletter!

I know that each of you volunteer your time for just a few boys and you should know how much it is appreciated! R. has a great deal of respect for both of you as do Alfredo and I.

Thank you so much for all that you do and know what an incredible impact you have had on very formable 6th grader!

Middle School Track

2009-03-04T05:14:00.000-08:00

My middle school track team is progressing well this year. Unfortunately we only have 3 boys on the team so we do not compete well in the team competition but the boys are getting better every meet and becoming much better runners.

We had our second meet on Monday with only 2 boys because of one being sick,the boys ran the 200, 400, 800. Since they are both 6th graders and and at least a foot shorter than most of the runners they are running against the clock and running to improve every week.

the 400 is their best and favorite event and here are the results from the first meet to the 2nd:

N.N. - 1st meet 1:39.47, 2nd meet 1:32.22 - over 7 seconds improvement
R.R. - 1st meet 1:31.03, 2nd meet 1:26.85 - over 4 seconds improvement

I would take a 1:26 for a 400 these days :-)

We have 3 more meets and I would liek to see the boys continue to improve - hopefully I can keep them working out and have them ready for Cross Country next year.

Training

2009-03-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

training has been going very well - the knee has been responding ok and my capacity for running is improving every day.

Sean and I met this weekend and we are jumping right into Duathlon training - going to step it up and see how the next couple of weeks go. We will then decide on Du Nationals and other races.

Saturday was 40/2
Sunday easy 4
Monday - weights plus 5.5 plus 6 x100 strides
Tuesday - 25 miles

so far so good - the rest of this week and weekend will be a good test to see how everything holds up and how I am feeling after multiple workouts.

Hope to see everyone soon at the race!

Training weekend

2009-02-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

I am going to try and step it up a bit this weekend to see how my body and knee handles everything - here is the projected weekend

Friday - 40 minute run and 45 minute spin class
Saturday - 45 mile bike ride and weight session
Sunday - 30 mile hard bike followed by 2 mile run

it is not anywhere normal mileage for this time of year but will give the knee a good test and see how the lung respond to 3 days of of multiple sessions.

everyone have a great weekend and enjoy the weather.

List Friday - Best Sports Movies

2009-02-27T03:22:00.000-08:00

staying on the movie and Oscar theme (even though the Oscars were last weekend and I have no idea who won) - thought I would talk about the best sports movies. here is my opinion:

1.Caddy Shack - one of the best comedies of all time (I still remember sneaking in to the theater to see this movie). On the other hand - one of the worst sequels ever!
2. Pride - movie about an inner city Philly swim team
3. Remember the Titans - just an awesome movie - I still find it hard to believe the last play of the game really worked but a great movie non the less. The scene at Gettysburg was great
4. 8 Men Out - "Say it ain't so Joe"
5. Slap Shot - an awesome portrayal of minor league hockey.

Honorable mention:
American Fliers - sweet mustache on Kevin Costner - they should bring back the Hell of the West bike race.

here are some good movies (documentaries) to help with your motivation to training:
-Showdown - the story of CC national championships
-What it Takes - world class triathletes prepare for Hawaii
-Spirit of the Marathon - although the guy trying to qualify for Boston is kind of winy
-Running the Sahara - these dudes are crazy
-Running on the Sun - if you have to see any of these see this one - the story of Badwater!

baseball is here

2009-02-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

one of the best things about living in Florida - Spring Training Baseball games. Games start today and I can not wait to see our first game. here is our schedule so far

Phillies v Braves (LBV) - Sunday 3/1
Phillies v Braves (LBV) - Sunday 3/8
Reds v Phillies (Clearwater) - Tuesday 3/17 - st Patrick's day - yes green beer and baseball
Tigers v Braves (LBV) - Thursday 3/19

hopefully we will get to see a game or two in Kissimmee too.

Run update #2

2009-02-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

today was run number 2. I went out and ran 34 minutes (about 10% longer than Monday)and had no troubles or pain. My HR was a little higher today (ave 150) but my resting HR has been a little high. I think I have a little bug that is making my HR a little higher than normal.

My week basically looks like this -

Monday - run, ice, compression, stability work
Tuesday - lift, spin
Wednesday - run, ice, compression, stability work
Thursday - lift, spin
Friday - run, ice, compression, stability work (will try for 37-40 minutes on Friday)
Saturday - long bike, ice, compression
Sunday - run, lift, ice, compression (try for 45 minutes)

After this week is over we will evaluate my status and make a decision on Du Nationals and other events throughout the year.

Stay tuned - will let you know how it is going.

Run update #1

2009-02-23T06:04:00.000-08:00

today was the first day back running since early January. I put in run of 30 minutes averaging a nice easy pace of 8:20 a mile. HR was a little high (average 144) but that is to be expected after no running for many weeks.

off to ice the knee a while. tomorrow will be the test to see how everything feels after today.

man did it feel good to run again!

Time to Run - Born to Run - Hope to Run

2009-02-22T16:29:00.000-08:00

tomorrow is 15 weeks since my injury and 7 weeks of not running - but tomorrow I get to run. The good news is - I have had no pain on the bike and been getting stronger in the gym. After my run tomorrow and seeing how I feel on Tuesday I will make the decision on entering Du Nationals - if it all goes well I will have 8 weeks to build some speed and get my a$# in gear and be ready to roll into Richmond and be ready to race. if tomorrow is bad or Tuesday there is residual pain then Du Nationals will have to wait.

check back for an update

Tour of Cali

2009-02-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Levi for another win in the Tour Of California and to super domestique Lance for really helping and doing his job. Levi was definitely strongest in the the tour and rode some great time trials. It was obvious that Lance did not have the legs in the TT. I assume Levi returns the favor and works for Lance in the next race then they will both work for Alberto in the Tour. Maybe Astana can get 2 men on the podium in the Tour - how awesome to see Levi up there in France.

Dave Z had an awesome race too - 2nd place OA is not bad.

One more reason I should get a weave!

2009-02-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

Woman OK after bullet ends up in her hair weave
AP - Thu Feb 19, 11:37 PM ET
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Other than having a bit of a headache, a Kansas City woman was uninjured after a bullet fired at her ended up tangled in her hair weave. Police said the 20-year-old woman was in a convenience store parking lot late Wednesday when a man flagged her down and told her that her ex-boyfriend still loved her

List Friday - best horror movies

2009-02-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

Since some people will be getting Oscars this weekend I thought I would post about movies - since I have not seen any of the movies up for awards I thought I would talk about Horror Movies - since Friday The 13th (what are we up to - 9 or 10) did not get nominated for an award I will list my favorite horror movies of all time:

1. Psycho - classic, classic, classic.
2. Halloween - see this movie as a kid and you will never go outside again
3. Saw - I think these have gone hill since number 1 - but this first one was pretty terrifying
4. The Shining - "Here's Johnny" Jack N is the man
5. Rosemary's Baby - I saw this movie with my sisters when I was a little kid - it scared the crap out of me.

Honorable mentions

Jaws - my parents would not let me see this because we were water skiers and they were afraid I would not go in the water afterwards - they were right
Exorcist
Grudge
The Ring

What are you all time favorite scary movies??

Diet Change

2009-02-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

I have decided to go Soda Free (or at least Soda Reduced). Just for the record I do not drink a ton of soda compared to some folks I know but I did consume 1 Coke Zeros a day. So I have decided to cut out soda during the week in an effort to reduce my caffeine intake. I have not gone cold turkey on caffeine but I have reduced my caffeine intake a ton - if I feel like I need some caffeine I have a green tea which many will argue is better for you than soda any way.

A 20 oz Coke Zero has about 58 grams of caffeine and green tea has about 10 grams - it has been 2 weeks now and no adverse effects.

here is a chart for you to track your caffeine intake:

Coffees Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
Coffee, generic brewed 8 oz. 133 (range: 102-200) (16 oz. = 266)
Starbucks Brewed Coffee (Grande) 16 oz. 320
Einstein Bros. regular coffee 16 oz. 300
Dunkin' Donuts regular coffee 16 oz. 206
Starbucks Vanilla Latte (Grande) 16 oz. 150
Coffee, generic instant 8 oz. 93 (range: 27-173)
Coffee, generic decaffeinated 8 oz. 5 (range: 3-12)
Starbucks Espresso, doppio 2 oz. 150
Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Coffee Beverages, average 9.5 oz. 115
Starbucks Espresso, solo 1 oz. 75
Einstein Bros. Espresso 1 oz. 75
Espresso, generic 1 oz. 40 (range: 30-90)
Starbucks Espresso decaffeinated 1 oz. 4
Teas Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
Tea, brewed 8 oz. 53 (range: 40-120)
Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Latte (Grande) 16 oz. 100
Snapple, Lemon (and diet version) 16 oz. 42
Snapple, Peach (and diet version) 16 oz. 42
Snapple, Raspberry (and diet version) 16 oz. 42
Arizona Iced Tea, black 16 oz. 32
Nestea 12 oz. 26
Snapple, Just Plain Unsweetened 16 oz. 18
Arizona Iced Tea, green 16 oz. 15
Snapple, Kiwi Teawi 16 oz. 10
Soft Drinks Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
FDA official limit for cola and pepper soft drinks 12 oz. 71
Vault 12 oz. 71 (20 oz. = 118)
Jolt Cola 12 oz. 72
Mountain Dew MDX, regular or diet 12 oz. 71 (20 oz. = 118)
Coke Blak 12 oz. 69 (20 oz. = 115)
Code Red, regular or diet 12 oz. 54 (20 oz. = 90)
Mountain Dew, regular or diet 12 oz. 54 (20 oz. = 90)
Pepsi One 12 oz. 54 (20 oz. = 90)
Mello Yellow 12 oz. 53
Diet Coke 12 oz. 47 (20 oz. = 78)
Diet Coke Lime 12 oz. 47 (20 oz. = 78)
TAB 12 oz. 46.5
Pibb Xtra, Diet Mr. Pibb, Pibb Zero 12 oz. 41 (20 oz. = 68)
Dr. Pepper 12 oz. 42 (20 oz. = 68)
Dr. Pepper diet 12 oz. 44 (20 oz. = 68)
Pepsi 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Pepsi Lime, regular or diet 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Pepsi Vanilla 12 oz. 37
Pepsi Twist 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Pepsi Wild Cherry, regular or diet 12 oz. 38 (20 oz. = 63)
Diet Pepsi 12 oz. 36 (20 oz. = 60)
Pepsi Twist diet 12 oz. 36 (20 oz. = 60)
Coca-Cola Classic 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Black Cherry Vanilla, regular or diet 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke C2 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Cherry, regular or diet 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Lime 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Vanilla 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Coke Zero 12 oz. 35 (20 oz. = 58)
Barq's Diet Root Beer 12 oz. 23 (20 oz. = 38)
Barq's Root Beer 12 oz. 23 (20 oz. = 38)
7-Up, regular or diet 12 oz. 0
Fanta, all flavors 12 oz. 0
Fresca, all flavors 12 oz. 0
Mug Root Beer, regular or diet 12 oz. 0
Sierra Mist, regular or Free 12 oz. 0
Sprite, regular or diet 12 oz. 0
Energy Drinks Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
Spike Shooter 8.4 oz. 300
Cocaine 8.4 oz. 280
Monster Energy 16 oz. 160
Full Throttle 16 oz. 144
Rip It, all varieties 8 oz. 100
Enviga 12 oz. 100
Tab Energy 10.5 oz. 95
SoBe No Fear 8 oz. 83
Red Bull 8.3 oz. 80
Red Bull Sugarfree 8.3 oz. 80
Rockstar Energy Drink 8 oz. 80
SoBe Adrenaline Rush 8.3 oz. 79
Amp 8.4 oz. 74
Glaceau Vitamin Water Energy Citrus 20 oz. 50
SoBe Essential Energy, Berry or Orange 8 oz. 48

First real test of the knee

2009-02-16T04:32:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I went for a bike ride each day to test my knee and see how it was feeling. Saturday was a rather flat, easy effort 45 mile ride. I wanted to keep the ride at a low HR and a high cadence with no standing or mashing the pedals.

Sunday was a little shorter ride but at a little higher HR and a little undulation mixed in. it was a 38 miler with a little bit higher speed involved.

Both rides went well and there was no unusual pain in the knee. I even had a section on the ride that I let the pack ride ahead while I was taking a nature break and had to ride hard to catch up. My lungs were not the best shape but the knee felt decent.

Today there is no pain!

This week I will spin as much as possible and get in the weight room to prepare for running next Sunday :-).

Keep your fingers crossed.

List Friday - most annoying singers

2009-02-13T04:27:00.000-08:00

of course this list is endless and it is up to the listener. here is my list of the 5 most annoying singers:

Scott Stapp
Michael Bolton
Cher
Celine Dion
Mariah Carey

runners up will be most of the American Idol winners!

let me know your thoughts

wow

2009-02-11T09:00:00.001-08:00

man - this is crazy - all the of the bitching we do (ok, I do) when the temps drop below 40 degrees in FL and this is what you get when you live in OK. this is a pile of hail coming form the downspout of this house.

Think of this baseball team

2009-02-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

Miguel Tejada pleaded guilty today to lying to Congress - next up - Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens - maybe we should send them all to the same prison and they can play of baseball team while serving their time and thinking about what they did - it would be a pretty nice foundation to a team.

Race results

2009-02-09T05:17:00.001-08:00

as everyone knows it is race season in FL - seems like there is a race every weekend form now until April/May. Mondays are a fun day for us because all of our athletes send up their race results.

Here was the fist one of the day:

Debbie S - race the Lady Track Shack 5k - 2008 result was 25:04 and she placed 93rd - Debbie told us that she wanted to get out of the 25 minute range for a 5k and to get faster.

We are training Debbie for the Princess Half but she hopped in this race for some speed work - 2009 result was 22:15 and she placed 24th.

She improved by 2:49 over the last year - :55 seconds a mile!

Congrats Debbie

New Training Groups Start

2009-02-09T05:06:00.000-08:00

Team Hendryx started it's new training groups this week -

We have 40+ runners in the Lake Buena Vista area that meet on Tuesday night and every other Saturday

we have 20+ runners that meet in the Orlando area that meet Wednesday night and every other Saturday

we have 15 triathletes for TNT - I am only coaching the swim portion

we have 8 IM clients that have started or will be starting soon - training for IM FL, GFT, or B2B

Also, Middle School and High School track starts this week - I guess it is back to work time!

will Bill run this week?

2009-02-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

that is the question of the week - I head to the doctor at 2:00p today to get the results of my MRI once I have the results I will have to decide on a course of action depending on what the results reveal.

it is 10 weeks until Du Nationals and I have been putting in some time on the bike, lifting and doing core work but no running. Obviously the part of Duathlon is running and if I can not get running again soon then Du nationals will be out of the question. I am not going to go up there and race unprepared.

Once month after Du Nationals is Keys 50 miler - at least I have a solid distance base before the injury (2 runs over 30 miles and 2 runs over 25)so this might be a little more likely - especially since speed is not important - just endurance.

More to follow later today

List Friday Has Returned - Favorite Comics

2009-02-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

it is high time that List Friday returns to this blog - here is my list of favorite comic strip (syndicated): no particular order

1. Frazz - jeff mallett - frazz is musician, athlete, janitor and is helping mold young minds - wish this was in our local paper!

2. Dilbert - scott adams - anyone who has ever held a corporate job has got to love (or hate the accuracy) of this strip. many times I have placed my bosses in the strip and it has all come true - ironic

3. Doonesbury - gary trudeau - love how direct and relevant this strip is.

4. Calvin and Hobbes - bill waterson - unfortunately this strip went away too soon - but calvin and hobbes is just great, anyone with kids should have all these collection books on hand. Besides, the strip was born on my birthday

5. Get Fuzzy - darby conley - Bucky and Satchel are awesome (and would be even if they were not named after baseball players)- while it seems to be about Bucky I like Satchel the best!

Others of interest

Far Side
B.C.
Pearls Before Swine (this one is hit or miss for me - sometimes I love it sometimes I can not finish it)

Enjoy - what are your favorites.

Rocky Raccoon

2009-02-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

I go into this weekend feeling a little down - The Rocky Raccoon 50 miler is this weekend and I am not there to run with Sean. Unfortunately a knee injury (not from running or triathlon) is holding me out of this race and being there to support Sean. I know he is going to tear up the course this weekend and race well. The weather is looking perfect for this run - lows of 55 and high of 75 in TX this weekend.

We have had some positive signs for this race: first trail run - scared a bunch of raccoons; Disney Marathon - spotted a raccoon sleeping in a tree; didn't run over a raccoon the whole training period :-) - See? What could go wrong!

Any way - good luck to Sean this weekend making his first attempt at the 50 mile distance and to all the ladies tackling the Track Shack Lady 5k

Everyone else - have a great weekend of training - it is going to be a tad warmer here in Central FL.

Michael Phelps

2009-02-04T04:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the question - is it ok for a public figure to use the excuse of age as a reason for making a mistake? It was funny hearing Michael Phelp's "apology" after being photographed smoking hippy lettuce.

Yes, he is in his 20's - I know when I was in my 20s I made my fair share of errors in judgement. However, I had not been to two Olympics, won multiple gold medals, had sponsors paying me millions, and relied on my country to help train me and send me to those Olympics so I could make that kind of jack. You know this is his second error of being young - I do believe he was picked up DUI after his first Olympics.

I have said this many times and still stand by my statement - if I was a millionaire you would never catch me: Shooting myself (I would pay people to protect me), get caught drunk driving (I would pay someone to drive me), have pictures of me smoking the hippy lettuce (If I needed to do that I would do it where no one was around), or getting in a fight (I would pay people to fight for me). It is pretty simple - it is not that hard.

I know a politician that has been in office for over 15 years and they have never had a picture taken of them with an alcoholic drink in their hand - this person drinks but remains aware and responsible when in public.

I sure hope that Phelps has learned from this. Do I believe he will quit smoking - probably not. My guess would be - he trains hard and races well - when it is his off season he lets loose! Good for him - he just needs to realize who is around him and the ramifications of his actions - age has nothing to do with it.

I am volunteering to be one of his handlers from now on - you will never see another picture of the Super Swimmer that is not flattering! Call me Michael I will let you know my terms.

The Day the Music Died

2009-02-03T05:53:00.002-08:00

50 years ago today we lost 3 great musicians in a tragic plane crash. Buddy Holly (that'll be the day that I die, Peggy Sue), Richie Valens (donna, come on, let's go) and J.P. Richardson (chantilly lace).

it is too bad neither of these musicians could have stayed around longer and graced the public with their great music. They are certainly 3 people who died way too soon.

it is ironic that Waylon Jennings (who went on the become a big country star) gave up his seat to J.P and a backup musician Thomas Allsup "lost" a coin flip to Richie Valens for the other seat.

one stirring piece of music came out of this tragic event - Don McClean wrote American Pie about 10 years later - which has many references to Buddy Holly and the crash that killed all three of these musicians.

Deal of the Day

2009-02-03T05:53:00.001-08:00

free Grand Slam breakfast at Dennys - 6:00a - 2:00p

Dr updates

2009-02-03T05:41:00.000-08:00

The Doc was a little worried that the pain has not gone away in my knee - there also appears to be a little swelling and a little hitch in the movement of the knee. I get my MRI on Weds - keep your fingers crossed because we are getting close to putting Nationals in jeopardy

Happy SB, New Adventures, Dr Visits ...

2009-02-02T04:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a while on the blog for me - I wanted to give everyone a chance to see our 2009 training programs and make sure everyone had a chance to contact us to sign up and start their training for 2009.

Now it is time to start blogging again:

1. Congrats to the Steelers on their 6th SB championships - wow! That is awesome. Truthfully it was one of the most boring SBs I have ever watched until the last 7 minutes of the game - then it was one of the most exciting.

2. Team Hendryx has signed on to be the preferred coaching company for the FL Relay Series - this is a series of 100 mile relay races - completed with a team of 6 runners. TH will be coaching teams to be prepared for these races. We will also be giving away free coaching and racing advice to one lucky team in a random drawing. Interested in one of these races or coaching let me know (the race links are on my blog)

3. It has been 27 days since I have seen the doctor (who is counting), 27 days with no running, 27 days of missing my running shoes, 27 days of seeing my run fitness levels take a vacation. I am heading to the Doc today for a follow appt and a MRI - the truth is - I have the same pain in my knee I did before I went to the doctor.

4. This weekend is Rocky Raccoon - Sean will be tackling the 50 mile race and tearing up the course. I will not be making this trip because of my knee - but I will be tracking Sean during the race.

5. Team Hendryx run groups start this week - looking forward to helping a new group of runner achieve their goals. I am learning some new core exercises in order to give them a good workout after they are done on the track.

6. Some of our Ironman athletes started training today - they are in the Prep phase and working on base strength. All of their schedules are similar - Olympic Distance in April/May, 1/2 Iron in May/June, IM in Oct/Nov. very excited to see them complete their goals

Hope everyone is well and will start to tune in regularly again - I will be back to blogging and giving more frequent updates.

2009 Coaching Programs

2009-01-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

drop me an e-mail for any additional details

2009 Team Hendryx Coaching Programs

Running Training
Feb. – April 5k/10k/15k running program gearing for various races of all distances – emphasis on speed and efficiency
*Group workouts: Track workout (speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 2 Saturdays a month (distance). Training held at various locations around central Florida

May – Aug. 5k/10k/15k running program gearing for various races of all distances – emphasis on speed and efficiency
*Group workouts: Track workout (speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 2 Saturdays a month (distance). Training held at various locations around central Florida

Sept. – Jan. Winter Marathon and Half Marathon running program (any marathon from December – February; OUC, Palm Beaches, Disney and Gasparilla)
*Group workouts: Track workout (speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 3 Saturdays a month (distance). Training at various location around central Florida

*Also available – Distance Relay Training – There will be 5-6 team relays in FL this year (Crazy Legs, Ragnar, FL Relay Series) all various distances. We will train your relay team and provide coaching during the relay for your team. For more details contact Bill or Sean.

Triathlon/Duathlon
Feb. – April Sprint and Olympic Triathlon/Duathlon programs gearing toward various races (Clermont, Moss Park and Miami) – emphasis on speed and completion (optimize your training and race potential)
*Group plans: Track workout (run speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 2 Saturdays a month (run distance/brick workouts/open water swim/clinics)
*Individualized plans: Customized programs to help optimize your training and race potential.

Feb – May ½ Ironman Distance Triathlon/Duathlon programs gearing toward various races (Gulf Coast, Rock and Rollman, Disney 70.3) – emphasis on speed and completion (optimize your training and race potential)
*Group plans: Track workout (run speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 2 Saturdays a month (run distance/brick workouts/open water swim/clinics)
*Individualized plans: Customized programs to help optimize your training and race potential.

May – Nov. Ironman Distance Triathlon/Duathlon programs gearing toward various races (IM FL, GFT, B2B) – emphasis on speed and completion (optimize your training and race potential)
*Group plans: Track workout (run speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 2 Saturdays a month (run distance/brick workouts/open water swim/clinics)
*Individualized plans: Customized programs to help optimize your training and race potential.

July – Nov. ½ Ironman and Olympic Distance Triathlon/Duathlon programs gearing toward various races (Miamiman, Florida Challenge) – emphasis on speed and completion (optimize your training and race potential)
*Group plans: Track workout (run speed) + core workout 1 night a week, and 2 Saturdays a month (run distance/brick workouts/open water swim/clinics)
*Individualized plans: Customized programs to help optimize your training and race potential.

My ONE resolution

2009-01-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

I am going to learn to ride one of these things this year

Good Luck

2009-01-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

Good luck to all Disney runners - have a great weekend - may all your half and full marathon dreams come true

Team Hendryx places coach on the DL

2009-01-09T04:55:00.000-08:00

It is official - I am on the disable (unable to run) list. After several weeks of bitching about a slight pain in my knee I went to see a doctor and he diagnosed me with a Grade II sprain (probably a partial tear) of my MCL in my left knee. He gave me a brace to wear and told me that I was not allowed to run for 3-4 weeks. The 28th I can strap on the running shoes again and take to the trails.

I told the doctor that I have been running since the injury and that I have done 3 runs over 20 miles, that I am averaging 60-70 miles a week, that I had one of my best runs of the year on Tuesday night, and I had a 50 mile race in February. Some how - while the doctor was amazed I could still run relatively pain free - he held to his guns and is making me rest.

So, Rocky Raccoon is off and focus will be on getting better and then fast paced training for Du nationals. In the mean time I will spin, swim, pool jog, lift and work on core and stretching - in the long run the rest and relaxation might do me some good.

I took 24 hours to feel sorry for myself and now it is back to work. But, I sure do hate wearing this knee brace!

2009 Training Options

2009-01-07T04:14:00.001-08:00

2009 Training options will be posted here by the end of the week - we will have group training plans for everyone - run, tri, du

Team Hendryx looks forward to helping you meet your 2009 goals

Happy Training

Everyone needs a little help from their friends...

2009-01-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

anything Team Hendryx can do to support your goals for 2009 let us know - we will do our best

we can help you reach new heights in 2009...

...if you just need a little boost to get you started toward all your goals

we will be there to cheer you on and support you throughout the year

...we will also make sure you cross the finish line - even with a little assistance

2009 training groups forming now - drop me a line and I will include you on our mailing list for upcoming training.

Can 39.3 miles in days be fun - or ever good for you?

2009-01-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

the answer to both these questions is YES - when you are out on the course supporting runners trying to complete their first half or full marathon it makes the time pass by pretty quickly - and the 39.3 miles will come in handy for Ultra training.

Team Hendryx will be out on the Disney courses this weekend in support of all of our runners.

Team Burnham - many will be tackling their first half and full marathons - others will be going for PRs - there might even be some political VIPs out there on Saturday

Fleet Feet - most of our FF training group will be tackling the full marathon - they will be giving it their all on Sunday - other will be cruising through Miami and Phoenix in the next several weeks

Lake Buena Vista Runners - these guys are ready to roll - many new PRs will be coming from this group - lots of hard training is going to pay off this weekend.

Sean, Rene' and I will be on course Saturday and Sean and I will be on course Sunday - we will be in our Team Burnham gear but look for us and say hi as we cheer you on!

It is official

2009-01-03T09:38:00.001-08:00

add Warren Haynes of the Allmans and Jeff Chimenti of Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog and these guys will rock - there were some awesome shows in 2004 when they played last - it will not be Jerry (but it never will)!

No shows in FL but some great locations none the less - catch it if you can