Leg 5 of the K-100 relay is tough, but fun. I was hoping I could run it in 1:14 this year. I have run it in 1:17 before, and I figured I was in better shape. I developed a cold this week and felt quite tired and crappy overall, so I didn’t expect too much.
45 minutes before the race, I chugged a Red Bull to wake me up. I felt so tired. The drink made me feel better, and I started out at a steady but not fast pace. I did not feel like I could go any faster even if I wanted to. Turned out I was on my projected pace; actually even a little bit ahead of it. I drank Gatorade every 2 km, the whole way, and even though I felt tired from the start, it wasn’t getting much worse.
The last few kilometres are the hardest on this leg, and I expected I would fade a bit, but I didn’t really. I knew I was a bit ahead of schedule, and I worked hard and steady at the end, and even though the hill was hard, it felt easier than in any previous years I’ve run this race.
As I worked as hard as I could coming in to the exchange zone, I was pleased to see my time was just a little bit of 1:13 – a big PR on this leg for me.
Our team did great! We placed 2nd in the Open Category, and everyone ran fantastic! Not a single hickup, and our finish time was much faster than I had expected – 10:29:44. Well done, laddies!
Have a look at our video of our team’s effort at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTemWdL9YNA
