Larreiu-Smith Running Less, Enjoying It More

Francie Larrieu-Smith, a world-class runner for 20 years, is shortening her race schedule but increasing her distances.

“I used to be a little vagabond, racing all over the country,” she said. “During the indoor season, I often would race twice on weekends--once on the East Coast and once on the West Coast.

“Now I pick and choose my races,”

The next major race for the 33-year-old runner is the May 31 L’eggs Mini Marathon in Central Park, a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) event she won last year in 32 minutes, 23 seconds--three seconds ahead of favored Grete Waitz of Norway.

Larrieu-Smith’s last big race was in January, when she was the second women’s finisher in the Houston Marathon in 2 hours, 33 minutes, 36 seconds--the fastest marathon by an American woman on a loop-to-loop course. England’s Veronique Moret was the No. 1 woman’s finisher.

After the mini marathon, Larrieu-Smith plans to compete in the USA Outdoor Championships at Indianapolis. But instead of defending the 10,000-meter title she won last year, she will run the 5,000, which she thinks will be the best preparation for her next marathon--either Chicago on Oct. 26 or New York on Nov. 2.

“I want to concentrate on my leg speed,” she said. “When you’re training for a marathon, leg speed sometimes gets pushed into the background. I’m strong, but I’m not fast.”

Larrieu-Smith, winner of 18 national titles and a two-time Olympian, has run indoors, outdoors, on the roads and cross country. She said she approached her first marathon conservatively.

“Instead of going for it, my first thought was to try and finish,” she said. “I just wanted to run through the entire (26-mile, 385-yard) course. But about 10 miles into the race, I was only some 30 seconds behind the leader. That’s not much in a race like that. But I realized there still were some 15 to 16 miles to go, so, I decided to maintain my pace.”

Completing the race gave Larrieu-Smith “an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.”

“I feel at this point in my career that I want to get the best performance out of a race that I can,” she said. “I want to race extremely well. I look forward to having super great performances rather than mediocre ones.

“My coach, Robert Vaughn, is big on peaking for performances. I don’t race as much now, so I select a goal, then take a certain amount of time to prepare for that race. My goal last year was the L’eggs.