Today I ran in the Middlesex County cross country championships, and I was really excited to be there. This was the first time I had ever done this race because it is usually held in January, when I am away on holiday. Because of that, I normally miss it completely, so it felt special just to be able to take part this year. The race was meant to be 2 kilometres, which sounded tough but also fun. I couldn’t wait to see how I would do against lots of strong runners. I felt nervous but also proud to be on the start line.

When I arrived, I went for a walk around the course to see what it was like. I honestly could not believe how steep one of the hills was. There was a huge climb that looked absolutely massive, and straight away I knew it was going to be a very tricky run. The hill made me feel a bit worried, but I also felt determined. I told myself that everyone had to run up it, not just me. I decided that no matter how hard it felt, I would try my best all the way.

Today I ran in the Metropolitan League cross-country race at Wormwood Scrubs. The course was meant to be 1.85 kilometres long, and that is exactly what I recorded on my watch. Before racing, I walked the course to see what it was like. It was one lap and mostly quite dry, but there was a large muddy section about halfway round, which I knew would make the race harder.

At the start, I tried to get away quickly and have a strong first few seconds. However, I settled into about fifth place, which wasn’t really where I wanted to be. I could immediately feel the strong wind pushing against me, making it harder to move forward. I struggled to get past the girls in front of me, even though I was trying to push on.

Today I ran in the North West London League race at Trent Park in Cockfosters. The race was meant to be 2 kilometres, but I knew it would be longer because I ran the same course last year and it ended up being about 2.4 km. Going into the race, I prepared myself for a tough run, knowing the distance and terrain would make it challenging.

When the race started, I tried to get into a good position early on. The course was quite unpleasant, with a mix of muddy sections and very hard ground. It was difficult to find a smooth rhythm, and I had to be careful not to slip in the mud while still pushing myself forward.

Today I ran in the Metropolitan League race at Horsenden Hill. It was a 2 km cross country race on grass, and because it had rained the night before, the ground was a little soft and slippery in some places. This was my first time racing here in the Met League because you can only run in it when you are in Year 5 or Year 6. I felt excited but also nervous because I wanted to do well and see how I compared to the other runners on a brand new course.

In my previous school Metropolitan League race, I finished in third place, so today my goal was to improve on that and try to come either first or second. When the race started, I didn’t get the best start and found myself around fifth or sixth place after the first few seconds. I knew that wasn’t good enough if I wanted to fight for the top positions, so I told myself to stay calm, keep pushing, and slowly work my way forward. The start was tough because everyone was sprinting hard, and the soft ground made it harder to get good speed.