Adrienne Langelier Racing

It's race week for me again!

Saturday is the Muddy Trails Bash in The Woodlands, a popular trail 5k/10k through a community greenbelt/trail system held in the afternoon. I'm excited for the challenge of running hard on dirt through the twists and turns of Rob Fleming Park and my legs and lungs burn a little already just thinking of it! I also don't know what to expect weather-wise as the race starts at 4 PM; can't control any of that but I can get ready for running uptempo on a surface that is far from technical, but still demands a little control to run it efficiently.

This season I am mixing up road and off-road events both for injury prevention but also for a fun challenge. Like I've mentioned before, 2014 is really all about maximum enjoyment and giving it my current best-whatever that happens to look like.

A fast 5k is challenging enough on pavement, and putting tree roots and turns in there you have to manage your pace and effort accordingly. As I plan ahead for how I should best approach the race (FYI, I have not done a 5k in almost a year!!) I thought I'd throw in some of my best tips for those taking on trail races. Since I haven't done an ultra at this time, I will stick to the shorter stuff that I know.

• First and foremost-do some off road work before attempting something with 'obstacles' (or just simple terrain changes). If nothing else, it's nice to have a familiar feeling while you race. 
• Get used to running more by feel than pace. Especially for races where there are numerous hills, turns, and my "favorite"-tree roots. If you try to maintain a goal pace-you may end up frustrated and disappointed. Go with what the course gives you: accelerate in open spaces or straightaways, adjust and manage effort and energy for the landscape. I tend to go for effort and placing vs. running a PR... That would be really hard.
• Just like in cross-country running or cycling-pick a 'line' in front of you and let it guide you through the course. I like to have my eyes slightly down, to where I can see in front of me but am constantly scanning the ground. 
• Keep your stride underneath you. It's so much easier to adjust to the surface if you're in control of where your legs are going. 
• A little core strength (or even better a LOT) goes a long way and saves energy. There is considerable lateral movement whether you are dodging trees or trying to pass others. Working on lateral strength stabilizes your movement considerably. 
• Shoes. Choose wisely. If the trail is more dirt and dips with minimal rocks and climbing, a racing flat for efficient runners may suffice. I think I am going to go with my Saucony Virratas this weekend because they are light, responsive, and seem to grip the ground well on light trails. Bottom line-wear a familiar pair that you don't mind getting a little scuffed or muddy-or both. 
• Lastly, enjoy running in one of it's purest forms. Get lost out there (ok not really!) and take in a more natural setting. Trail running is challenging but can be one of the funnest race formats around. 

Because "a day in the life" revisited would be boring! 

I am borderline obsessed with managing my time. This does not mean that I am exactly good at it, just very mindful of where it goes and what it means (or doesn't mean). There are calendars posted at my office, my kitchen, and I am never without my planner (okay, I get anxious if I can't find it; and no, I have no real interest in using electronics for something so basic as planning).

This is nothing new and I see this fixation as one of my personal strengths-one that has to irritate my friends and family sometimes-but it has enabled me to do a lot of things relatively proficiently at or near the same time.

The inspiration for this type of post that is rather common in the blog world came from several activities and moments from the previous week. . That and I was the subject of a Kinesiology 101 student's career interview that contained the inevitable "day in the life of_______" question. I honestly needed some time to stop and think about how to answer a fairly straightforward question. Really, no two days are really the same, and a lot of this is by my own design and choosing.

 There are some patterns and constants, however, and I think that creates a nice balance for me without wearing me out-another thing I get asked about a lot and get weird looks by telling them usually 'no'.

Disclaimer: forgive me if this post comes across as 'preachy'-I'm simply processing what currently works for me. 

Besides the interview, this week I did a FaceTime guest lecture at Montana State U.-which was pretty cool, and helped at two coaches clinics in the evenings. Close it out with a long run and then watching some athletes run at a track meet it was a busy week, but a good one in the life of a running sport psychology consultant.

So why was I so stumped to answer the undergrad's question the other day? Let's break it down a bit, this may be good for me to look back on from time to time when I feel like things are just careening randomly around.

First, I've been in a nice rhythm of training hitting miles near 50 per week; balancing high and low intensity. Besides my usual Thursday rest day, I start the day out running or the day runs me. That's the way I see it, at least. My thoughts gravitate towards nothing to races to upcoming projects to random questions about the artists on my iPod. That or telling myself how good I'm getting-perhaps my fave! LOL I have to set aside some time to do my drills and core. Or weights. For me, it's get this stuff in or else; its just as important as actually completing the run.

After the run it's breakfast or part 2 of breakfast ALWAYS within 30-45 mins and an amino acid drink immediately after. Breakfast is typically oatmeal, fruit, greek yogurt (or some combo of). Honey Stinger waffles have entered the rotation too for pre-run and are a-mazing!  Seems to help me focus and recover even faster. Getting ready includes foam rolling to the cook time for oatmeal or coffee brewing and not to sound like too much of a robotic nut I stretch my calves using a rocker apparatus while putting on makeup. Seriously girls, don't knock it until you try it. My calves are rarely sore anymore.

Chances are there are emails to return, presentations to work on, or a client to see mid-morning (thank goodness I have some control over my hours) so it's either off to the 'real' office or to Sbux to get in a groove. Sounds relaxing, but in reality I'm typically banging away at my keyboard oblivious to what's going on! Don't worry though, if you come by and say 'hello' I'm happy to stop and chat or a bit!

I also take this time before the storm of athletes hits to work on the book I'm co-authoring "An Elephant for Dinner" (feel free to check it out on Facebook!).  Seriously, my wrists and forearms seem to have gained some muscle definition from all the writing I do! That or my grip on life is a bit too tight, but whatever!!

The office has been designed to be more like a 'living room' than anything else. Recently I have acquired a microfridge because I typically have to take food and water with me. A lot of therapists tend to sacrifice their nutrition, eating sporadically or not the right things because they're 'too busy' but I disagree with this. Even though it does not pay my bills, operating as a full-time athlete is important to me.  Just like recovering from a run, I have to stay sharp for my athletes; self-compassion in my book equals other-compassion. Especially when I see up to six per day, plus any administration work that is needed.

Being a one-woman show right now, it gets time consuming and my planner is always full of scribbles of 'to do's.I'm learning now to attack one thing at a time and if something does not get accomplished-the world will not stop spinning. I know I nailed the day when I leave knowing I did my part to help somebody move just a little further forward. It doesn't always feel like that, but I have to always review on the drive home what went right that day. For me it's a struggle to not focus on the things I should have said, done, not said, and on and on. Thinking like that does not add any time to my days, or my life. It's hard to break the habit of always trying to go above and beyond with seemingly EVERYthing, but I'm human after all.

Evenings are as random as they get. Sometimes there's a track workout, sometimes a game to go watch; sometimes a class to teach, or a workshop to give. Sometimes there's a drive involved: typically 30 minutes north to Huntsville, or anywhere from 30-60 minutes south into parts of Houston. With the exception of my Monday Sport Psych class, I could be anywhere or just at home, reading with my feet up or trying to keep a somewhat clean living space. Ok, the latter gets lower priority, but no use micromanaging. Despite always having to feel like I'm being productive, embracing rest is important. And it's possible to do if you incorporate a mindset of "recovery" for both training and life.

At the end of the day, I am trying to look at what I was successful on, got done, or made progress on.-I glance at my schedule for the next day, get out all my workout gear and do any needed meal prep, and reset to keep the "rhythm" going. I do a lot of simple 'multitasking' for the little things, such as getting ready and stretching, but some things seem to demand my immediate attention. It's knowing when to compile and when to separate that sets the tone of calm or chaos for me.

Ultimately, the goal is to not be thinking (or at least over-thinking) about tomorrow when it comes time to crash for the day; that or still trying to work through the previous day's questions.

Even in a constantly changing career and schedule, I noticed the small things that I can control seem to set the tone and help me feel ready to take things on. What about you? What are your daily constants? What helps you maximize your days and, well, yourself?

Life is both an art and a science and often feels like a race or a sport; meant to be enjoyed and purposeful. Bottom line, be mindful of what stressed you out, what you're passionate about, and what takes priority for the time being. Sometimes, even if our calendar is maxed, it can be that simple.

Stay the course.

I just finished glancing at my overall stats on RunningAhead for the first time in forever. My fixation with not fixating on numbers typically keeps me from bothering to click on the 'summary' tab. That or I really don't care right now. Or both. But anyhow....The stats confirmed what I already knew, the running's been solid. Not spectacular, but respectable. Good to know because I probably will forget to look at the charts for at least another four weeks or so.*

Let's be honest-1. how many of you are secretly annoyed by that statement, and 2. how many of you struggle with defining what really constitutes an "easy" run? You can raise your hand if you like, nobody can see you.

The inspiration to post on this topic today comes from a number of contiguous sources. First, the written word. During my post workout coffee/training log/email time this morning I came across this little honest little gem from Coach Jay Johnson, who's rapidly becoming one of my favorite go-to's for practical training and injury prevention advice. I also got a nice reminder that I am not considered "elite" by Johnson's standards, so I get to nix the 7ish pace run following a hard track workout the previous day. I am a sports professional, yes, but not a professional athlete.

Scrolling down my newsfeed I see yet another, even more basic post by Austin's John Schrup (who writes a blog simply called "You Know, Running."). Maybe they were collaborating on "foolish non-elite running practices" that particular morning? Perhaps not, but I digress. One thing I personally have to disagree with on Schrup's witty article in Texas Running Post is that the long run isn't as "critical" for physiological purposes unless you are in long-distance training. I guess so, but  the psychological benefits, at least for me, weigh out the negligible benefits if I'm happy and injury free (and not engaging in too many foolish non-elite running practices).What can I say- the therapist needs her own therapy! And it is cheap and reliable going to the "asphalt office" on Saturday mornings.

I carried the belief of the 'simpler the better' (or at least  all through my early years training and racing, and am starting to come back full circle. While we live in a complex, digital world, running remains a simple sport, yet we seem to throw in unnecessary variables; or at least put excessive emphasis on them and running can become stressful. Or as Johnson so eloquently puts it: "Simplicity is difficult". We are conditioned to want to try the newest shoe design, even though it looks nothing like what you're comfortably running in and looks like it may or may not have dropped down from outer space; many of us can't wait til the satellite loads for our morning run on the GPS so we "know what to do". Believe me, I do own two GPS devices, but when I race with them, the same things keeps happening-I use them as tools to judge my performance. Not everyone does this, mind you, but it bothers me. Note to self: maybe you should stop using it so much.

Now, back to the "easy is easy" concept that is sometimes difficult to pin down. How 'easy' is easy enough? I have several approaches that seem to work for me. #1: I turn the GPS off my Garmin 405, choose a route I know the distance on or just run for time. I call these 'idiot proof runs' because I have a guideline to stay under In fact, I just completed one today. Pace? Doesn't matter because I have track on the following day. Average HR? 142-not bad.

Obviously the number 142 is arbitrary only to me, so does this pace feel like? I'll give some examples/ personal rules of thumb. Feel free to try on you own or reject all the same. But if you try them, I bet you'll run a little safer.

If you've hit your appropriate "easy pace" on days prescribed as such, the following may have happened:

• You have been bored out of your mind.
• The words "this pace is beneath me" have passed through your head. 
• You feel insulted or offended by how slow the pace feels. 
• The thought "I can/should/could go faster than this" is something you've ruminated on during the run.
• You have felt like you didn't even run that day.
• You are mad at your coach because you feel like he or she is holding you back. 
• You have created a recipe for a three-course meal, written a presentation (totally did that one more than once), or contemplated some random association while on a run. 
• You have secretly thought: "how I wish I could do this for every run".

And yes, I have experienced almost all of these thoughts and feelings. So, back to the question at hand: what does easy mean? Yes, it's self explanatory. So self-explanatory we (okay I) have often disregarded the simple truth of it all. My best advice to yours truly and to others is just as you embace the suck, embrace the easy. It's as simple as that. You can't run your hardest if you don't set yourself up to do so. You and your body just may like it. Keep it real!

Stay the course.

Let's see...this past weekend was eventful to say the least. 48 hours of speaking gig, expo walking, socializing, running, and because it's Texas and all, throw in some crazy weird weather just for fun!

I'll begin by observing how different it is to go into this event as a participant vs. being a spectator or coordinator; overall I had a good experience all the way through, with the exception of one or two "inevitables" of a young, large event.

The expo? For starters, it was held at one of the nicest hotels in The Woodlands and was very organized and efficient. I was 1/2 of a 2-person relay team so there were some logistical hiccups, but overall packet pickup was a snap and they did do a good job of communicating if something was delayed. Of course I saw and caught up with a lot of peers and listened to two local legends, Coach Dan Green (who also happens to be the winner of the first-ever Houston Marathon) and Jim Braden, who claims to be an "everyman" but I beg to differ-he managed to finish the Western States 100 in the same year he won is AG in Kona. Beast-even at  age 78.

As for my turn in the speaker series, I knew I had some big shoes to fill with those two gentleman ahead of me, but I had some valuable stuff to teach on one of the nicest stages I've ever spoke on. About that stage-good thing I am now able to push through my fears of making a blunder in front of others because it was lined with large speakers and had screen about the size of my living room behind me. Thank God I remembered to proof my slides! 


I had a great time sharing the "5 Basic Mental Skills for Distance Runners" and the audience had some good things to contribute. Again, my thanks goes out to Mr. Walk and the Expo team for having me.

As I closed my talk, I made it a point to tell the audience to "thank a volunteer this weekend". Then I must confess, I dropped the ball somewhere on Branch Crossing Dr.....

Which leads me to one of the best and crappiest feeling workouts I've had in a long time. I really saved my psyche some grief by just using the first half of a fairly challenging marathon course by not having a fast time goal. I simply wanted to run my current steady state-tempo pace on average and pass the chip off to Carrie without much fuss. No big deal, right?

Wellll, race morning arrived and I was feeling relaxed. Like really relaxed. I succeeded in not letting the start line atmosphere trigger any anxiety. It was weird standing in the corral, casually chatting with the other runners and feeling no nerves, besides the "let's get this going already" feeling because I'm admittedly spoiled and am not used to being fenced in at a race start. First time to not race competitively-check. First corral experience-check(and it wasn't so bad!). I knew when I started sweating within the first 5 minutes of my warmup that this was not ideal race-day conditions. But there was nothing myself or anyone else could do about that.

In my singlet and shorts my already sweaty self took off with another 1700 plus runners for the first 13.1. I was looking forward to getting some strength out of this leg and hitting the hills. And I felt surprisingly awesome and powerful in the first 7 miles. I kept thinking to myself I was hitting "ADP" or all-day pace, and how fit and powerful I felt. Until my core temp went up. And this is when the workout became a workout. I'll spare the fine details as they are not important, but I felt pretty uncomfortable about an hour in. I don't think it was as much a fitness or hydration thing as that I was lacking the acclimation to 100% humidity and temps that would rise to 82 that day. Those poor marathoners! The challenging stretch on Branch Crossing drive resembled May's Ironman Texas-many very fit looking individuals walking during a marathon. The difference is that nobody got off a bike and ran and they were expecting tough conditions. Confession #1 (and Rebecca B, do skip this part over!): I made a quick stop to take off my socks to lighten the load on my legs. I'm sure people thought I was nuts, but no, I did not get blisters, and yes, I felt considerably more comfortable and faster after doing so!

Eventually, I hit the chip mat and stopped my watch-only to not see Carrie. Turns out, the relay exchange zone was at 13.4, not 13.1. So I quickly recovered and on tiring legs and approaching dehydration, I finally found Carrie-passed the chip, and told her to run conservatively. She is from Toronto, after all and this is hard on us natives! I may owe some of my training group mates an apology as I was flustered upon finishing the relay leg and kept asking for water. I was not my usual friendly self and just wanted to be left alone with a big glass of something. But there was none at the exchange. And my tired and thirsty self was not happy. While jogging to pick up my bike from my friend's house near the zone, I asked the chip mat guy if he had water and that was another negative. Confession #2-I snapped at a volunteer, telling him it was "terrible" that there was no water there. Sorry, chip mat guy-but I do suggest at least a few jugs of water at exchanges, or at least noting that that participants will need to provide their own in the race guide.

This is something I know I shouldn't do and even went as far to tell participants just the day before to do so. We all have our limits I suppose. Then comes confession #3, upon reaching Ray's house and retrieving my mountain bike to ride back to the race site, I noticed his garden hose on the side of the house. And yes, the water went down smooth, even though it tasted like plastic; but I was desperate!

I did get a mental boost, believe it or not, for how good my form felt before overheating and a reaffirmation that just because the day throws stuff at you, you keep going. I also do like  the idea of using an event as a training run sometimes. I needed a 13-miler that day, running hills always helps with strength (and speed!) and let's face it, I need to run in 'real' TX temps.  It was good practice having to run in a crowd and manage myself. There are several learning experiences I will take from this one. Gear and nutrition-wise, this was the first time I raced in Oiselle distance shorts and they were perfect housing a new gel brand-Honey Stinger. Both get two thumbs up.

In the end, Carrie had a nice comeback run and we called it a day! Despite this not being the prettiest of days, I ultimately had fun and got tougher and possibly fitter from doing so. Bring on the warm weather racing-just for shorter distances!

Congrats to all this weekend's finishers and thanks to those who gave me some love in the crowd at my lecture. I know some of y'all even managed to PR. Serious props!

Stay the course.