Adrienne Langelier Racing

Wow- where do I begin??

It's been quite the weekend as I finally have touched down and returned home to Spring this evening. I write this report with mixed emotions after completing my third marathon. In many ways, this experience was one of many firsts: racing out of state, racing without my family and coach in the audience, and meeting some awesome people I have connected with over the internet through Brooks ID for the first time-including awesome fourth-place finisher Rebecca Jordan. It was also my first time to wear the Brooks Nightlife green through the Seattle streets.

My training spanned little over 10 weeks of quality work coming off my paroneal injury, with a single 21-miler in the mix. I feel as if I am getting stronger and my speed had really turned the corner as of late. This being said, this was a definite "wild card" race.

Of course, when you race for fun and work for a living, things may or may not fall in your favor. I had a busy week in my sports psychology practice, a presentation for PowerBar, and several other tasks to both keep me distracted and busy as I prepped for a quick late-evening flight on Thursday night. I was instructed to sleep as much as I can on Wednesday and Thursday nights leading up to the race, however, I encountered a minor setback in my A/C going out on Wednesday night and could not get it repaired until Thursday morning-ugh! I didn't let it rattle me too much in the grand scheme of things.

After a smooth flight and getting to the hotel relatively early (.4 miles from the start-yea!), I was able to rest up some before hitting the expo on Friday for a bit. Friday turned out to be enjoyable as I met up with Rebecca and other teammates for a Duck Tour of the city, including a fellow Aggie and surprise guest Brian Sell. Seattle is definitely a cool place! I picked up my bib and gratefully hitched a ride with Mike and Tony from The Woodlands (this was Tony's 38th state and 92nd marathon, I believe) and played homebody for the rest of the evening at the hotel-I even cooked my pasta in the microwave that I brought-I thought that was pretty clever;)!

After an oddly good night's sleep, I awoke calm and ready to take on the 26.2. I headed to the start line, found my corral, made sure everything felt ok as I stretched, warmed up and gathered my thoughts going over the course in my head. 7:00 came quickly and the gun went off-it was my plan to start out at about a 6:45 pace and adjust accordingly depending on elevation changes, etc. With the exception of a few steep downhills, I held up to that plan great for the first half and then some. The miles are chunked below for semi-brevity. Let the learning experience begin.

Some of the highlights of the day included miles 6 through approximately 10 (it's all a blur now), where we ran along Lake Union. I felt awesome and in control here, really hitting my stride and splits. I was enjoying myself and the scenery I don't see at home. I was also in second place at the time and felt really strong and in rhythm.

Miles 11-16: The course took us to an out and back on a bridge over the lake-great scenery again, but a bit windy. A nice gentleman offered for me to get behind him and I took him up on it. I was really feeling the race and was controlling my pace nicely. The halfway point of the race emerged out of a tunnel and we began a loop around the city, passing Quest and Safeco Fields for the first time. The crowd was great as we went through Pioneer square and off to the Alaskan Way Viaduct. This is where I got bumped down to third, but didn't mind. I knew some tough miles were ahead...

Mile 17-22: I was still in rhythm as I made some of my first assents on hills that turned out to be quite taxing given my lack of hill training (of just my abbreviated training for this race at all). I began to feel some fatigue as I approached the 30k mark, and my pace had risen above 7:00 for a few miles, but it was nothing I couldn't talk myself through...at this point, anyway....

At the 30k turnaround I accelerated and got back on pace for a short flat portion before climbing again. Approaching mile 20 the highest part of the course was complete, but I then began to feel distressed. I quenched it with gel and some affirmation at first, although my average pace was then about 7:45, give or take. Perhaps I had taken too much Cytomax in combination with my gelpack (I try to alternate hydration aid stations), and an unfamiliar feeling of nausea set in-then I felt downright sick. I made my way through the tunnel, but unfortunately a hill awaited me of which was to be part of the undoing of my sub-3 campaign for the time being.

Miles 23-finish were some of the hardest miles I have ever experienced, to be honest. I climbed the hill and then the gas tank started knocking, only then to come to an almost complete halt. Yup, I bonked, hit the wall, "my s#$& no longer worked", whatever you call it, but what was exciting at first now felt demoralizing for the next 3 miles to the finish. While my breathing remained steady, my legs had little strength left. I won't get into pacing at this point too much, but it was paces much slower than I imagined I'd ever see on my Garmin. As I watched other women pass me, I began to tell myself all kinds of things I wouldn't tell my enemy; for example: "choke artist", "you failed, let's just sit on the curb and sulk", "this is a disaster", and "hey Langelier, you could run faster if your head wasn't so (blank) big". You get the idea, I was embarrassed as I kept talking about breaking 3:00 and I was having trouble just keeping going.

Luckily, I did not give in to the negative chatter and my outlook became a little brighter, even amidst the pain. I figured, just because I couldn't accelerate anymore didn't mean I couldn't jog in and finish still with a respective time. The last mile was really difficult as I was out of glycogen and it was uphill. I managed to pick up some momentum as I made my ascent off the viaduct, feeling really blah and crossed the finish line in 3:14, still good for 9th place female. My good work in the first 4/5ths or so of the course had provided me with a decent cushion.

It took me a few minutes to gather my strength after crossing the line and I felt a rush of emotion. I was happy to be finished, run a pretty time, learned that I had become an aunt that morning, but I admittedly was feeling sorry for myself (forgive me if this report has a slightly negative tone thus far). I received a pick-me-up after talking to my family, my coach, and then going and meeting my new friends for the Brooks VIP party at a nearby hotel.

Now for the good stuff: after hanging around town for lunch, I took one of the girls up on a spur of the moment invite to attend a barbecue at their house a few minutes outside of town. Out there we talked running, guys (a little bit;)), and took in an awesome view of Mount Ranier from the back patio. Washington is awesome! My teammates are awesome-not only are they fast, but great people! I even randomly had the pleasure of being seated on the plane ride home by none other than fellow Houston runner Sarah Husbands-talk about random!

The weekend nonetheless flew by. In conclusion, I was, and probably remain, a little hard on myself regarding this performance. My training post-injury was considerably limited, as I only hit 50 miles for about two weeks and went over 20 just once. This was my first out-of-state race, and I did not get all the quality sleep I needed. Also, the course was harder than I thought, and everybody I spoke to about it agreed. Even though I felt fit and fast, I was not necessarily marathon fit and fast, and that can come later.

I learned that there are times that your physiology flies in the face of you will and psyche, and you must obey it in order to move forward at all. I know I have a sub-3 in me sometime. I left this race feeling no pain but in areas that should hurt, which is encouraging. This is how the marathon works: you can have the ability, the drive, the nutrition, etc., however, certain elements hang in balance of which we only have limited or no control. It is, perhaps one of the best metaphors for life that I can find . I can not change the result: sure I could have gone out more conservative, fueled differently, etc, but use it as a learning experience. This is one that will not soon be forgotten for many reasons.

My special thanks go out to Steve DeKoker and everybody at Brooks for making this race happen for me.

As I completed my last "long run" yesterday, it hit me that my long-awaited marathon is merely seven days away (at the time of this post, now 6). I had some time to reflect while putting in my easy 10 miles yesterday on how far I have come in the past few months and how fortunate I am to have this awesome opportunity to race in and explore the Pacific Northwest.

Training-wise, I have put in as much time as I can to safely train, and my main goal on Saturday is to have a positive experience. Yesterday I averaged easily a 7:22-7:42 on my 10-miler and feel that my technique and fitness are getting to where they need to be for this race and beyond. I had a great mile repeat session on Wednesday night, feeling good running "pacework" in 4 x 1600 in 6:11-6:19. Obviously, this week will be merely keeping the legs loose, sleeping, and maintaining my proper carbohydrate intake, roughly a 3:1 or 4:1 carb-protein ratio.

Over the usual coffee social, I discussed with my coach and friends the plan and timeline leading up to my event-and it is definitely a full one! Before departing Thursday evening (a little later than I would like to fly out, but I will make do), I will have plenty of things to keep me plenty busy and pass the time, and I think this will be a good thing for me mentally. I read the other day that Steve Prefontaine and other great runners would keep themselves busy with their normal routines and not think too much about the upcoming race. Supposedly, Pre was big on washing and waxing his car before races, however, I will mostly be in the office and community (it's what us mortals do:)), and hopefully it will help take the edge of any "taper madness". Besides, my current vehicle is merely for function-lol!

Today involves beginning taking my list of clothing, gear, and food/beverage items and starting packing whatever I can so I don't have to worry about it too much during the week-who knew I would need so many items??! Luckily, my hotel room will have a fridge and microwave so I can have my usual oatmeal and may experiment with cooking my pasta in there. My hope is that it all fits in 2 bags!

Other items of business this week include spreading the word about sport psychology via a series of presentations, business lunches, and a Wednesday night appearance for PowerBar at Girls Night Out at Market Street. In between it all, I will be resting as much as I can and running a tiny bit. I am hoping for a smooth week that passes quickly.

For those interested in Ladies Night (obviously just us girls;)), I will be there Wednesday at 7:00 talking about summer hydration and may give away a prize or two.

All in all, I am hoping to have a productive, yet restful week. The excitement is building!

...that is stepping down for a marathon taper! The longer (but not necessarily harder) weeks are behind me as I am two weeks out from Seattle. This week came out to be relatively tough. I had maybe one or two really "easy" runs where I was not traversing a "treadmill hill" at 8% or running mile repeats in the heat.

Today I put in just over 14 easy and spent almost as much time at Starbuck's than I did on the roads! I love our little community we have. Conversation ranged from psychology to college football-I personally think A&M is a better fit in the SEC, btw-to travel and race plans. After a cup of joe, a banana, and the usual PowerBar Recovery, I hit the gym for a good foam-roller and stretch session. Good-feeling legs and prevention are a definite priority at this point in time, as is dealing with the heat (trying not to beat a dead horse here).

Probably the biggest challenge of the week was a steamy track session on Wednesday where I put in 4 x 1600. I managed to get them all in under or within predicted pace, which is about 15 seconds faster than my current marathon goal pace. Repeats registered from 6:19-6:27; I even got around some Garmin trouble and had to go old fashioned with just the stopwatch. I only had about a half-mile withdrawl before coming around! LOL

This week begins the taper process, with this week still being pretty solid intensity-wise. The task for me is to not go nuts week after next....

Run Happy and go USA Soccer!

Running is hard work. We ask our bodies to do a lot in varying conditions at various speeds and distances. While the human body is capable of doing highly impressive feats, it's important to remember to treat it right-almost "thank it" for what it can do (the "thank you" line I stole from Kay Porter).

Only until recently have I fully been able to comprehend that I do not live like you average 27-year old woman. Sure- I work full time, go to church, like to hang out with family and friends, read, and on rare occasions, do nothing, however, there is the other dimension in my life that has not always been there. I still hesitate to call myself an elite athlete, because I still maintain the former. There are many, many women faster and stronger than me, but I guess I hold my own okay.

This brings me to the point that my current lifestyle is highly enjoyable yet demanding, I need additional supports to keep me going. First, my legs take a regular pounding. Even with my new multisurface training regimen, I still require regular muscular therapy sessions (ouch!) and self treatments (cue the pink ball). After that, I generally slather a coat of Arnica Gel on to dilate my blood vessels and flush away the excess lactic acid. According to Jarrett S., the straighter and more pliable the muscle fibers, the better they fire together and with less pain. This is also accomplished with more and more diverse stretching techniques.

I am a reforming under-fueler as well. This has been difficult for me since I still think of myself at times as just a "recreational exerciser", as just over three years ago I was about 20 pounds heavier, but still relatively fit when I started this thing. My schedule and training requires more intake of carbs and calories, especially before, during, and after my hard workouts. I am so fortunate to be well-stocked compliments of PowerBar for the long haul. Instead of my former coffee (which I still enjoy after) right after a run with water, I make a bee line for the PowerBar Recovery. As I have mentioned in previous posts that it makes a huge difference in how I feel the next day. Today's 21-miler I took in about 3 gels and felt as if I could do another 5 more miles. After my long runs and track workouts I make it a point to get more carbohydrates and protein in, about two hours afterward.

While I do a lot in addition to my 9-5 (or whatever my hours turn out to be), I am always learning better ways to support both my performance as an athlete and overall well-being. As demanding as my schedule is, I am blessed with a great support system (shoe/apparel/nutrition/massage) , coach, and friends that make this adventure all worthwhile.

Today's stats: 21 miles total, easy effort at 7:45-7:50 pace. PowerBar Recovery afterward, plus a Starbuck's freebie!

As I hit the road (or in today's case, the track) today, I thank God for the ability to participate and have some success in this great sport. Wishing everyone a running salutation today and as always, be safe!

Today's Training: I already put in a quick, early 2.75 easy this AM and for tonight's track session, it's 6 x 800 with 1.5 mile warmup/1 mile cooldown. I will be sporting the Brooks neon in a dress rehearsal for the race a few weeks away.