Adrienne Langelier Racing

...close enough, anyway!

I've been taking PowerBar's new sports supplement, High Intensity for just over eight weeks now and personally recommend it to anyone serious about training and performance.

It contains Beta Alanine, which is a NSF Certified as safe and legal compound that appears to increase muscle carnosine levels-an agent that buffers lactic and other acid buildup in the muscles-i.e less burn for the effort and subsequently more wind over the length of workout or competition. In short, it helps the body use oxygen more efficiently. One effect I noticed is actually a shorter recovery time from my longer runs and bike rides-I'm usually smashed for the rest of the day, but the effect now seems to be lessened-which is nice.

I will select at random a lucky individual who both follows the blog and 'likes' PowerBar on Facebook. For those who are already followers, shoot me a quick email at [email protected] to let me know you're putting your name in. I'll announce the winner next week sometime.

Good luck and train hard!!

"Be where you are".

Yes, yes it's true, one of my biggest issues when it comes to training is that I always seem to want to do a little (or a lot) more. I want to be a high-mileage runner. Many times I have peeked at others' training logs and see some monster miles and thought "wow, this is how its done". This is actually kind of silly now to look at now that it's in writing, but these were my sentiments. My coach was always wanting to dial me back, and I was always trying to sneak in a little more. If you've been a reader within the past year, you know why this logic was a faulty one; as I was always wanting to push the envelope before my legs were ripe to go there.

Flash forward to present day, and I am starting to grow up a little bit. I honestly didn't expect my 30-mile weeks to produce much, but I was proven wrong, at least for one event, last weekend when I ran an identical 5k time on currently 30 MPW that I ran on 60 MPW. My marathon PR was on a base of 50 miles. I am learning that it may be possible for me to perform on a training load I would have previously seen as pitzy. Maybe less can be more? Maybe I don't need to mercilessly beat myself into the ground all the time? I guess each individual really does their different optimal range. It really is all about staying in your current window and progressing...wait for it.... slowly. Who knows how high I can go if I do it at an optimal rate.

It turns out, there are several runners out there who can have much success on low miles (and XT), here's the short list:

1. Lauren Fleshman-one of my heroes with an awesome blog.
2. Amy Begley
3. Andrew Wheating
4. Linda Somers-Smith, top Master's marathoner never goes over 70 MPW
5. Ryan Hall (relatively speaking nowadays)

I'm sure there's a lot more..

Funny how there really is no right way to do things, but there is a right way for each of us. If I can stay healthy and perform, maybe I can live on peaking on moderate mileage.  Anyone else know of some low-mileage aces? Are you one?

Happy Easter and Run Happy!

Nothing like a friendly hometown 5k supporting a great cause to help break down a mental barrier or two (yes, us sports psych people aren't immune)! I participated yesterday in the 1st Annual Run For Hope benefiting TRAClife, an organization supporting teens in the foster care system. The race crew did a great job putting on the race and it started and ended in one of my favorite areas in The Woodlands, Market Street. A jazz band at the finish really classed the event up as well. To top it off, we were blessed with some AWESOME weather conditions as it was just under 60 degrees at the start, not a cloud in the sky with little to no wind. I woke up in a positive state and it continued as I warmed up, greeted friends, strapped on my Green Silences (my current go-to racer) and finally made my way to the start.

What a difference 3 weeks makes...

Besides some minor costumed animal confusion at the start-dogs and chipmunks are cute- but difficult to maneuver around- I got off to a clean start and achieved a position up front before an immediate right turn. I knew right away this one was going to go better than the last 5k I ran. I often tell my clients to use a "power word" during competition, and I found "rejuvinate" to resonate well. I had a lot of positive energy from a lot of sources going into this one and my legs had some decent snap in them.

Making our way out onto a very familiar race course on Lake Woodlands Dr. I steadied my pace in the first mile  and encountered a somewhat unfamiliar feeling in 5k racing: I was relatively comfortable and locked into my stride. It was kind of a cool experience and one to savor. I went through the first mile feeling strong in 6:07 and knew I had plenty of gas to keep on keeping on-SO unlike how I felt at the BMI race a few short weeks ago. I decided to just wear a regular running watch this time just for a little guidance. I was enjoying myself out there and saw lots of friendly faces keeping me smiling. I kept telling myself throughout warmup and during the race a simple little mantra: "you are not weak".

I hit the turnaround somewhere around 9:00 into it, leading the female variety of the race and performed my routine "ponytail check" for chicks behind me. To my surprise I didn't see any for a good ways so I kept my foot evenly on the gas. For the first time in a while I felt as if I could go 'wide open' but didn't see it as necessary since I had a good lead and an even better vibe going on for this one. The last mile I heard the too-long-awaited words from a volunteer: "first female!". This was perfect timing as I dug in a little more as I turned towards the finish line back on Market Street. I felt happily ragged (see pic) as I approached the finish and saw the clock...I smiled and thanked God as I crossed in 19:12-First Female and almost a whole minute faster than my last 5k race. I almost immediately began cooling down and felt as if I could do it all over again!

I may look tired, but overall felt rejuvinated!

Me and the pastor of my church/ former Marathon AR holder Jeff Wells.

The awards ceremony was to say the least a schwag-fest. I made out with a cute basket full of goodness: gift certificates to the 'Street, the local running shop, personal training sessions, and a haircut at Shag to name a few! I feel as if I am finally starting to lean back out a little bit, so the PT sessions may really help fine tune the core:).


I'll attribute this result to a combo of good weather, a positive attitude, and a killer massage on Wednesday from Jarrett Smilie-who made it out to watch the race. On the psychological side of things, I'll admit I battled thoughts a few weeks ago consisting of "you're out of shape and not ready" and "don't expect too much"-probably not the most helpful approach to things! Our performances really do lie often between the ears, for sure. Based on how I felt yesterday, I can realistically see breaking 19:00 in the near future again.

Thanks again to RD Cindy Mericle, WoodsEdge Community Church, and all the volunteers that made this a quality event.

Also best of luck to all my friends and teammates running Boston tomorrow-enjoy the culmination of the journey!

Run Happy!

Wow...

Training:

This week brought some more great running as I put in another substantial week. I have decided to keep the miles at around 30 for the rest of the month to really reinforce the base concept. The effort and quality of these weeks seems to improve considerably week after week: 2-3 easy runs, some (unstructured) speedwork, and the Saturday morning 10-miler. I'm getting excited about next weekend's First Annual Run for Hope here on Market Street. It should be a good time-complete with a jazz quartet after the race! Additionally, I got some cool new Brooks gear to compliment my Spring running!:)


Run for the Eagles:

Here's the most important part of the post, so listen up!!...

This link is also on Facebook, but here is a link for those who can't make the run but still want to chip in for the W.S. Neal Track team: http://www.active.com/donate/WSNeal

Coach Rebecca and the rest of the team greatly appreciate any donations toward the repair of their track and other necessary expenses to keep the team- pun intended-running well:)

Also thanks are in order to Texas Runner and Triathlete and Houston Area Road Runners Association for spreading the word regionally.

Yesterday Coach Bill and I did a walkthrough of the track at McCullough Junior High. We had a template of what we would like to see as far as layout goes and the facility fits in near perfectly!
While there may be lots of sun on 6/4, there will be a nice strip of tents to meet the needs of runners, volunteers, and spectators. The 8-lane track will run milers on the inner four, ultrarunners (or just those out for a jog for a good cause) will be on the outer four. Outside the track I'm threatening to include a couple slip-n-slides (remember those things?) just for funsies to make sure everyone is nice and cool!

We still have a few more details to iron out, but thus far, I'm happy with the progress thus far.

Now for the 'Extreme"....

As a parting shot, Evan was kind enough to lend me one of his fleet of motocross bikes and I tried my hand at some unconventional cross training after my run yesterday:



Needless to say I was smashed-up tired afterward!

Run Happy!

 &So last weekend was the gentle re-introduction to the wonderful world of road racing and an honest assessment of where I was at speed and health-wise. As I mentioned in the post before last, I am relatively satisfied with the status quo and feel good about where things are heading. Each run seems to feel stronger than the last, and I am enjoying every one of them from the easy ones to the light speedwork (mostly fartlek), and to my increasingly long runs (yup, double-digits!).


My gear selection is fairly meticulous nowadays, and I recently have started incorporating a little minimalism into the routine. Of course that means running in none other than the environmental-friendly, light as a feather, 70% recycled Brooks Green Silence.  I have tested these things out on easy days, quicker days, and raced in them last weekend. For each type of run and surface (track or road), I am overall  impressed so far.  Weighing just a smidge over 7 oz. for women, they look and feel a little like slippers-complete with a little cush-just enough, but it doesn't sacrifice any road-feeling effects. They also feel really fast underfoot. One observation I find in these vs. regular trainers is that you do have to focus on the finer points of your stride: posture, knee and hip positioning, as well as midfoot to forefoot striking. Used for the right distances, this will likely do all kinds of good for my form! I went through a 5k race, warm-up and cool-down in these puppies and felt no residual aches and pains afterward! :) Also pretty cool were all the compliments I got wearing them too! As with many other Brooks models, the Green Silence felt comfortable right out of the box.

Given my past history, I was a little apprehensive about doing some minimalist running. After a few runs, I am beginning to get a feel for how long it takes before the arches start to fall and form breaks down. Last week I put in an easy 6 in them and a 7-mile fartlek run, which is the distance I will keep them at for now. I am confident that my efficiency will improve over time and thus, my durability. I recommend theses shoes to the fairly competitive runner looking for a fast and efficient ride.

In other news, running progress continues at a prudent pace. I hit a small milestone yesterday putting in 10.2 miles in the morning and capping off a week of safely increased distances on all runs: from 5-6, and from 6-7 miles. I'm now cruising at around 30 miles per week but doing my best to build it up right. Jarrett S. has also been a big help with massages every other week. This afternoon I may take a break from housework for a little spin on the bike.

Next week I may have some updates for this summer's Run for the Eagles-stay tuned!

It's Springtime here in Texas and I'm loving it!