Today I took part in an MYAL athletics event in Harrow, and it was a proud moment for me. I was chosen to run as the leading scorer for my running club, which made me feel really special. I was running the 600 metres, and I knew it would be a hard race. I’m only in Year 4, and most of the other girls who are also scorers are probably in Year 5. That made me a little nervous, but I was also excited to give it my best.

My season’s best time before the race was 2 minutes and 4 seconds, and my goal was to try and beat that. I wanted to run faster and set a new personal best. But when I was warming up, I kept falling over — not just once, but four times! I didn’t know why at first, but then I realised my running spikes were a bit too big for me. That made me feel even more nervous, because I didn’t want to fall over during the race.

Today, I ran the Welwyn Fun Run for the second time, and it turned out to be a very hot day. We normally do ParkRun on Saturday mornings, but this time my dad suggested we do the fun run again instead. I remembered how much I enjoyed it last year, even though it rained a lot back then. This time the weather was the complete opposite. The sun was shining brightly when I woke up, and I could already feel the heat. I knew running in the sun would be harder, but I was still really excited to take part and see if I could beat my time from last year.

The Welwyn Fun Run is a 2K race for children aged between 4 and 14. Last year the course was on grass and had a steep hill, but this year it was mostly on tarmac, which made it feel different. Running on tarmac is smoother and easier in some ways, but the heat bouncing off the ground made it extra tough. When we arrived, I collected my race number and got ready. There were lots of other children lining up, and I felt both nervous and excited. I had a quick warm-up and told myself to stay focused and do my best.

Today, I took part in a junior parkrun at King George Park in Bushey. This park was actually the first parkrun I ever went to. To be honest, I never really liked it much before because there’s a big hill, and running up it is really tough. Usually, we go to Pitshanger parkrun in Ealing instead. I like Pitshanger a lot because it’s very flat, and I’ve done really well there. My best time at Pitshanger is 7 minutes and 48 seconds, which I’m really proud of.

Even though I find hills hard, I know that practising on them will make me a stronger runner. That’s why I decided to run at King George Park again. I wasn’t expecting to beat my 2K personal best, but I wanted to try and beat my best time on this course. My last best time at King George Park was 9 minutes and 21 seconds, which I ran a long time ago. This time, I set myself a target of 8 minutes and 15 seconds. I also knew there was a really fast boy running who would probably come first, so my goal was to finish second and beat everyone else.

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.