Adrienne Langelier Racing

Let's go backwards...

Obviously, today is Halloween, and for the first time in forever, I am actually looking forward to sporting a costume and enjoying time with friends this evening. I am usually not the Halloween-type, but anyway.

I partook in a rare mid-day 6-miler after I finished up doing therapy with my practice clients. It is fun to reflect back to the first time I did a session to where I am heading now. As for the run, I averaged a sub-8 pace with five 45-90 second surges. Tomorrow I will rest before getting a longish run in just prior to tapering for HMSA.

Yesterday I was a bit tired, so I maintained an easy pace for just over 9 miles opposed to my regular 10 on Thursday. Listening to my body is still a challenge, but I am improving. I am such a creature of habit with my daily distances! I actually read an article yesterday about Constantina Tomescu-Dita sticking to a certain plan as well. Hey if it works for the Olympic champ....

Wednesday's workout felt like a breeze, likely because I used the indoor track! I'm slowly acclamating to the colder weather-call me a wuss! I knocked out 18 repeats of 30/30 with no problem with a 1.5 mile warmup and 1.5 mile cooldown.

Anyhow, off to my next task for the day. Happy Friday/Halloween!

As all of you may have noticed, it's getting colder outside! I have been thinking of lightweight ways to keep warm running in the winter, and one solution I came up with was the purchase of some nifty arm warmers. The pair I found has an added (and perhaps obnoxious) bonus: they're bright yellow! Cars, family, and others will be able pick me out more easily, I guess. Hey, I'm cool with running around with yellow arms! Whatever works to be more comfortable out there.

Run today was an easy 9-miler. Tomorrow, I will likely partake in 18-20 30/30 fartleks along with some shorter mileage. Should be fun!

Sounds like a lot of people were racing this weekend, but me, I stuck to training. As I have mapped out until Houston and have included in previous posts, I am slowly ramping up my long runs. Saturday morning, I completed 17 miles total. Most of these were on county roads and such that I have never run before (I did go prepared with spray just in case!). I was able to hold my pace steady throughout the 2+ hour run and finish with a harder pace for the last mile or so....giving the quads a nice little shock before cooldown!

Recovery run today. I put in 4.5 miles amidst a mild soreness in my quads, I still had to be conscious of going easy. The rest of the weekend I spent in Sugar Land-I love hanging out in the Town Square there and seeing family. The Houston Half did cross my mind at some point during the weekend-perhaps I will take it on next year!

Total miles this week equaled just under 57. Tempo run likely tomorrow.

There is something about running 1200 repeats that a lot of runners, myself included, find daunting. This morning, however, I took on some, with a med-high intensity on each. I found, after the first, that they are not too bad, you get through them just like any other speed workout. I felt relatively strong on these. To get going, I enticed myself with my changing into my racing flats after my 2-mi. warmup.

Workout Breakdown:

2 mi. warmup
3 x 1200 (slowest: 4:24, fastest 4:10)
1 x 400 (just for fun!)
1.5 mi. cooldown

90 sec recovery intervals

6.5 mi total (approx.)

Strength training (upper body)
BOSU Core workout

Bright (more like dark) and early this morning I took off on my 50-minute tempo run. It was rather cool at 6:30, and I recall actually seeing my breath as the sun came up and I could see; haven't been able to do that in a while!

I took on a relatively hilly route nicknamed the "Huntsville Figure-8, which is basically a 10k distance. After a 10-minute warm-up, the I took it up to threshold pace. Maybe it's just to cooler weather, but it felt a tad faster this morning as I headed down the streets nursing my Cytomax bottle (I still think that stuff is awesome!). Based on my earlier training runs of this type, I was able to cover a little more ground before shutting it down to a jog. Hopefully this indicates a more improvement, for I am more than positive that I will have to work it more as I take on the bigger races in HARRA's Fall Series.

Based on rough estimate, I covered about 9 miles total in about 68 minutes. Maybe eventually I'll break down and get that Garmin! If nothing else, I started my week with a good, solid run.

First trail run in about three weeks = complete. I put in a good 2 and a quarter hours, which, if I were to gauge, equaled about 16-17 miles. I'll say 16.5! I took off from the usual trails I run and snaked around to wherever I felt like this morning. I felt like my strength and stride have fully returned now. Aahh, freedom!

As of right now, the taper is now reversed and I am sitting at about 47 miles on the week-back to my usual routine. I will slowly rachet up the long runs as the weeks progress. I did heed the advice from the many experienced runners last weekend: I took an ice bath after this one. Tomorrow morning I will "read the results" on how it worked.

I thought about a lot this run, recapping on the week, etc. This one was a doozie. My 'A on my midterm Monday was dampened by finding out that my cousin was diagnosed with cancer-I thought about him a lot on this run; maybe I can run for him this season. It is scary how fragile our lives really are, for he is healthy overall and in his early thirties.

Of course, my hectic semester marched on this week, as I completed some late-night testing sessions and went to bed dog-tired every night.
Yesterday brought the perfect ending to my workweek: I was able to catch the tail end of Field Day where I intern (complete with snow cone!) and "Spirit of the Marathon" came in from Amazon-great film! I liked that they featured a grad student in it-nice to see a point of relation. After that it was lights out before 11:00, I had had enough!

Good luck to all those racing over the weekend!

By the way...anyone doing the Livestrong Challenge next week?

As suggested by Bill, this week I am experimenting with reversing last week's taper for the half marathon. Since the distance is shorter than some of my long runs I've done lately, the distance gradient was not too steep.

Sunday equaled no running, which I reveled in, resting my legs that felt rather heavy after pounding hilly pavement at one-plus minute faster than my usual training pace. Erring on the side of caution, yesterday I put in 5 miles on the treadmill, versus Thursday's "Tour de Huntsville" loop, followed by some light weight lifting. I thought an extra day with lower impact would be beneficial, because I'll admit, I wimped out on taking an ice bath after the race! I'll get up the guts eventually!

This morning I headed out at 6:45 for 7.5 total miles around Huntsville. I warmed up fifteen versus the usual ten minutes this time and put in 6 x 30 second strides. My speed felt about right, however, I still felt a tad more fatigued than I usually do-perhaps I was a little too ambitious on this one.

Tomorrow morning is TBA, I will leave the mileage open-ended depending on how the body feels. I was not tired overall today after the run, so I take that as a sign of recovery for now. (?)

I am super-excited that peak racing season is upon us! only a few more weeks until HMSA!

Ok, now I have a moment to sit at the computer for more than 5 minutes at a time...
What a day yesterday-I'm still decompressing from it! It started with (in my opinion) my best race performance to date, and ended with a fun belated birthday party hosted by my friends-I love them! It was also nice to catch up with some of my runner friends and teammates, etc. at the race.

Regarding the race, I stuck to my same mindset: go out to do my best, and to compete with myself first. While last year's time and performance was more than satisfying, I wanted to lower my PR and test the training tweaks I have made over the last few months. I also wanted to represent Seven Hills RC and the Battling Bloggers well in this one. One thing I find tend to helpful in my racing is to start strong - which can be a daunting task with Bowers Blvd. staring you in the face at the starting line.

At the start, I had the lead running up Bowers. After climbing the hill, the lead did not last, nor did I really want it to, so I worked on leveling my pace, setting my hands and stride, and going at it. I wanted 1:30 or less, so I monitored my splits pretty carefully. I went through the first 5k in 20ish and was feeling it; I could run a strong race. I made my first loop in :42ish, three minutes faster than last year. At Mile 10, after numerous position changes with Cinco Ranch XC runner Jordan McGowen, I checked the watch again-1:06; exceeding my expectations at that point. I knew if I could maintain the pace, I could break 90 minutes.

From there on out, I held onto my pace and worked on taking it in. The last 5k was my favorite part. I passed Hans as he directed me towards the Walls Unit, where Karen and her too-cute daughter Lem were flagging; for two poor women having to be stationed outside the Unit, they were all smiles each time I passed! Good job girls!! After climbing University and rounding out to Bobby Marks, I was in the third spot with a little energy left...time to close! Winner JuanCarlos met me there and gave me some encouragement in the last stretch, as he had already crossed the line. I was able to gain some ground and change places with the gentleman a couple times before moving into the second spot overall (to my shock and surprise) in the last quarter.

Running on my excitement, I checked my watch: 1:26, it was time to push it. With the last surge left in my legs, I headed toward the finish, hearing Jon announcing and the crowd cheering. I managed to cross the mat in 1:27:58! Needless to say, I was pleased with my performance-First female, second overall!

Some of my favorite moments in this race included, in no particular order: Karen Thibidoux, the photog.'s comments as I passed: "It's about time a woman leads up this hill", and "kick those boy's a%#'s honey!"-made me smile. Bill's cheering as I made my loops was another, as well as seeing my former personal training client, Bren, as I climbed Bowers for a second time. Seeing my fellow members (Hans, Karen, and coworker Nicole) happily flagging away and cheering as I went by on the course was another thing that kept me going. It was also really neat to see Lavonne experience her first long race. And how about fabulous MC Jon?! And I cannot wrap my head around how Evan can drop a crazy 1:47 with no training!

With the exception of TIR, I have never smiled so my much at a race before. My beloved club, Ken, and Niki and everybody else did a great job!!

Great, fun, race this AM. Report later...Congrats and thanks to all involved!!! :)

Reflecting...It has been about a year since I began my little racing gig. It has turned into something beyond what I have expected. I did not expect to like it this much, enjoy other runner's company this much. Funny how things work out! Where it all basically got rolling was at the Huntsville Half. This race will always be somewhat "special" to me-my first long race. I remember crossing the mat at the finish thinking "what the heck just happened". My main objective was to just complete the thing.

Flash forward to now, two days before this race. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same. If I were to evaluate my fitness now, I would say it is considerably better, I recently have been logging in a regular 50 + miles per week, I am about 10 pounds lighter, give or take. I know more about what to expect now and how it should feel. Also, after interacting with many a fellow runner, I now have a better understanding of this thing we do called distance running.

I do have a goal for this second go-round to lower my PR (aka my only recorded half-marathon time), and stretching it a little farther, flirt with the sub-90 minute mark. Winning for the women again would be nice, but not required. From what I understand, the field is bigger this year, so it will be a new race; whatever happens, I know I will enjoy this race.

Good luck to all y'all running this weekend!

I spent a great birthday weekend with my family these past two days. There were a few firsts included, such as: going downtown to a local festival, the Fair on the Square-it was hard not to stock up on faux designer handbags from the vendors!, stuffing multiple people in my tiny apartment overnight, and actually walking-or hiking through the state park trails. This felt relatively foreign, but at least I had a Ken sighting on the road to make it a little more familiar!

I may be 26 now, but I still feel spoiled; I got treated to dinner, a new Blackberry (super-excited about it!), and even some checks in the mail. My best guess is that people still feel kinda sorry for a "poor student"! :)

After Saturday's 12-miler, I put in an easy 4.5 after Sunday's hike, a relatively easy/progressive 6.4 this morning, and will likely rest tomorrow with the exception of yoga class. School and work will be busy, so I want to be wise in my prep. and make sure I am well-rested for Saturday's race after testing the mileage limits of my legs! Hopefully this plan will pay off.

Given my little mileage spree last month, I went through my latest pair of Mizuno's faster than usual, racking up 500 from late July to late Sept. I noticed that compared to the Wave Rider 11 model, the Wave Rider 10's seem to let you know they're "dead" earlier and more persistently.

This time around, I ventured online and found some Wave Precision 8's for less than $70-so I snatched them up. They were christened this morning on the streets of Huntsvegas, completing a relatively comfortable 12-miler. These weigh about an ounce lighter than my previous pair, and I took notice of that as I climbed hill after hill (I wish there was just one route that was flat around here!).

I did pass the Fair on the Square downtown twice, and will probably take the parents with me this afternoon to check it out. I have as little as 10 months left living in this town, so I should take in a little bit of the local culture-at least the culture that does not include races! In other news, one week until the half, and I am looking forward to my "mini-taper" this week. I'm trying to decide if I want to race in either the new shoes or my T5 racing flats, which supposedly are intended for a half-marathon maximum.

What a long and busy week it's been! I made an observation this morning on my run:

Huntsville streets at 7 am...dead quiet, a few cars on the road...

Huntsville streets at 8 am...people and cars everywhere-I better watch my back!

Quite a difference an hour makes on my becoming-routine Thursday morning 10-miler. The morning rush comes fast, going from peaceful to "the grind" in little time flat. I do 10 on Thursdays since I have the luxury of reporting to work a little later. I am spoiled in that way, being allowed an extra hour in the AM (after my boss putting my Huntsville Item article up on the fridge it is no secret what I do most mornings!). Some thing I am finding strange is that my energy level actually seems to increase as the week goes on. My best explanation is the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the weekend-yay!

This weekend in particur should be a fun one. My family is coming to visit me for my birthday (26, getting ever closer to 30!). While my tiny apartment may barely survive, we have a full itenerary lined up. Saturday, spend the day shopping and such in Conroe/The Woodlands with a low key dinner, Sunday: a hike and a picnic in the State Park. To give them the full "Huntsville experience" we may even drop by the Fair on the Square-who knows?