Running race 1:46:39 [4] 6.76 mi (15:47 / mi) +1003m 10:48 / mi
FRA relays, nav leg with Jenny. The weather was a repeat of Luss two years ago, perfect for me at the moment, hopefully it would slow people down! After Hannah started us off well, in touch with the lead, I was fairly confident we would be going out in 1st by leg 3. This actually made me nervous, serious impostor syndrome hitting, how was I going to run fast enough to live up to a team 5/6 of whom were running well enough to win atm!
Sharon and Kelli delivered and off we went, first tactic was to run like the wind until out of sight, then steadied off, got the map and away into the clag. Did some planning en route to 1 which went by without incident, made Jenny put her map away en route to 2 as mine was drenched and I was worried it wouldn't take much to rip. Here we took a less than ideal RC, though with the path on the ground not on the map, I can't really beat myself up about that. 6 minutes slower than our mixed team pair on this split and we were faster on every other one.... by 2 I had settled in and had regained some confidence of my nav in the clag. The rest of the route went without incident, going up the hill from 3, we heard female voices and thought Ambleside were gaining. Couldn't see them and they never materialised. I think it was Ambleside having taken the path and gained some time, which we then strung back out over the remainder of the course. Just before we went over the final ridge to 4, Black Combe were starting to climb to the ridge. I didn't think we'd hold off Anna and Hollie with a good couple of km left and my chest well and truly burnt out by this point (40minutes is probably it's true limit atm), but somehow we did, job done, out in first, back in first. Then an anxious wait to see if Hannah from Keswick would catch Cat on leg 4. She didn't, Helm completing the relay set :-)
Not my finest run ever, but good enough! Can't quite comprehend that given 2 months ago I struggled to run more than once or twice a week at super slow pace and minimal hills without being battered by running. Now for a bit of a rest from anything too hard, it's been super difficult getting enough in to actually make a half decent go at the relays, definitely not fully shaken the after effects of pneumonia just yet but what a way to celebrate the anniversary of catching it.