Today, I ran in the Aldershot, Farnham and District race. It was a 1000 metre race held on an athletics track. I was really excited because 1000 metres is a rare distance to race. It’s two and a half laps around the track, and not many places offer it, especially for runners under 11 like me. I’ve run 800 metres and 1500 metres before, but never 1000, so this was something new and interesting. I was looking forward to seeing how I would do.
My goal was to run the race in 3 minutes and 40 seconds. I was put in the second heat, so I watched the first group carefully before my turn. There was a girl in my year in that heat who ran it in 3 minutes and 33 seconds, and that really motivated me. I wanted to get a time close to hers and hoped I could push myself to do something similar. I felt nervous but excited as I got ready for the race.
As soon as the race started, I felt pain in my heel. It hurt right away, and I knew that meant I wouldn’t be able to push as hard as I usually do. I found myself stuck near the back of the group. Normally I’m able to move through the pack, but this time my heel pain made it really hard. I tried to keep going and give it my best, but I knew I wasn’t moving as fast as I should have been.
I finished with a time of 3 minutes and 51 seconds, which felt very slow for me. Just a few weeks ago, I ran a 1500 metre race in 5 minutes and 40 seconds. If I had run the same pace for 1000 metres, I would have finished in about 3 minutes and 46 seconds. That made me realise I was much slower this time, and I felt disappointed. But I also knew the heel pain was a big reason, so I tried to remind myself that I did the best I could on the day.
Another problem I faced was my spikes. The ones I wore are sprinting spikes, which aren’t great for middle-distance running. They don’t give the right support or comfort for longer races. I’ll be changing them soon and getting proper middle-distance spikes before my next race. I think having better shoes will make a big difference to how I run and how my feet feel.
Even though today’s result wasn’t great, I’ve learnt a lot from it. I now have a clear time to beat in the 1000 metres – 3 minutes and 51 seconds – and I believe I can easily run faster than that next time. In fact, I think I should be running under 3 minutes and 40 seconds, maybe even around 3 minutes and 35. This race didn’t go to plan, but it’s a good learning experience, and I’m determined to do much better next time.
