Okay... so it all happened yesterday - thought I'd do the honours and let y'all know how it got on... not a big race report, but a bit of a summary.
Met at the running club @ 12 midday, sorted out who was going in which car and set off for Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield. after going round in a few small circles, I managed to navigate our driver to the park entrance. we parked up and the team was assembled.
The race comprised of teams of 6 runners, each runner covering the same lap which was an undulating (a few energy sapping hills/steady climbs/drops) traffic free course lasting 5.847km (very exact eh? :lol
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I was set to run the second leg, and after 15mins I headed over to the holding pen... I waited in a crowd of runners for my 1st leg counter-part to return, I was expecting him in around the 21mins mark, but couldn't see the timer from the holding pen - how annoying! They shouted the numbers over a wireless tannoy system which kept breaking up, the only thing I could do was keep my eyes peeled.
I saw our runner approach and managed to make my way out the pen to the start line, officials were ready to signal me off when our 1st leg runner crossed the finish line. "GO"... and I was away.
I've never ran a race as short as this, and set off at quite a pace... though no distance markers on the course made it a little difficult to guage time, or distance remaining. First climb approached and I tackled it, dropping pace slightly but raising heart rate quite a bit, onwards I trundled.
I always thought 5k distance would suit me down to the ground, but after the first 5mins I was struggling - my legs wanted to go faster but my heart & lungs just couldn't keep up - I passed a few people and started to wonder how much further there was to go. At this precise moment we were taken downa long path, with runners coming in teh opposite direction... it was an 'out and back' part of the course, where you ran so far, turned around a cone and came back. I hated that!
Chest tightening, my lungs felt like they were going to explode (or possibly implode?) - the intense sunshine and complete lack or and wind/breeze made it feel like there was a lack of oxygen to be inhaled :lol: for the last mile I kep coming round bends thinking "ooh, this looks like it's the last corner coming up"... and each time I was dissappointed to find it wasn't... though I'd managed to break away from a guy who'd been on my shoulder for a fair while.
Eventually when the last corner came, I almost didn't believe it! I picked up the pace for the final climb up to the finish line - I was lifted by the crowd cheering for me - but little did I know they were also cheering for the guy right behind who I'd thought I'd got away from! he came flynig past me in a sprint, I put my sprinting shoes on and set off after him - the whole finishing straight was a blur as I tried to regain my position against this bloke, and probably would've if it was for teh stupid woman leaning over the spectator barrier thing... I clipped her with my arm, though had I could just as easily have taken her head off! The best I could manage was being shoulder to shoulder with him... I was a fraction of a second behind.
Finishing time, 21:04... 2nd fastest for our team (by 1 second) which I was extremely chuffed with.
Our team finished 45th out of 80 teams, with some absolutely outstanding (potential team GB) runners competing. I think approximately the top 30teams made it to the nationals. So we weren't that far off!
EDIT: Blimey... that was a bit longer than I'd originally planned! :embarrassed:
