The Wanganui Girls' College students who had been running alongside her at Cooks Gardens could just about see the smile on their teacher's face as she approached them.
What they were about to find out is their efforts in helping Kristina Sue run the track every week had been rewarded with her selection in the New Zealand Women's team bound for the third leg of the IRB Women's Sevens World Series in China at the end of the month.
Sue actually missed the initial good news phone call from the New Zealand team manager because she was working on her personal development programme with the Year 13 students who she has known since Year 9 when she first joined the college as a PE teacher.
``Now they are there to share the good news, I'm blown away,'' the 26-year-old said. ``My students have been there right throughout.
``I provide the chocolate milk and bananas since they support me and run alongside me during the conditioning sessions I have to complete.''
Part of the Feilding Old Boys Oroua club's women's team and a member of the Manawatu side which won the women's national sevens title in Queenstown this year, Sue had been working towards her goal of a Black jersey with her name on it since switching her commitments from touch rugby in 2012.
Those same students who volunteered to help her were the first to knock on her office door and offer condolences when she missed the travelling New Zealand squad that went to Dubai in November for the first leg on the World Series. She had been so hopeful after making the wider training squad out of 1000 candidates. ``I found out I was sort of a stand-by and thought `that's fine, I'm new to the game'.
``I've been on stand-by on two [tournaments], I know I was getting close.''
Looking at her personal performance chart that each squad member completes, there are a few ``reds and extras'' in the boxes, which Sue wanted to turn ``all green''. It had been a massive step up as a workload even compared with 2011, when she was in the New Zealand touch rugby World Cup squad. ``This is totally different, another scale. All the camps we go to, it's all about the 2016 Olympics. I've never lived like I'm an athlete like I am now.''
Sue was in another High Performance squad of 26 which was put through boot-camp style training Waiouru Military Camp in February and did all she could to press her chances.
Playing halfback when on offence and a defender at the line for her Manawatu sevens team, she was hoping her ability to vary would find favour. Then came that phone call a fortnight ago.
``I was jumping up and down, I was ecstatic. ``I had a few hints like Adidas calling for my boot size. I just kept it under wraps.''
It is appropriate for Sue to make her New Zealand debut in China as the host city of Guangzhou is the birthplace of her grandfather. ``I don't know if it was meant to be, but it feels like it is.''
Sue joins Canterbury's Olivia Bird as the new caps in an otherwise experienced line-up chosen by coach Sean Horan.
``This is a fantastic opportunity for Olivia and Kristina and I know it will be a proud moment for them and their families when they run out for the first time,'' Horan said.
After Round 3 on March 30-31, the World Series wraps up in the Netherlands on May 17-18.-->