Today was sports day at school, and I was super excited. I love running, and I had been waiting for this day for ages. The sun was out, the grass was freshly cut, and everyone was in their sports kits, ready for their races. I was especially looking forward to the 300-metre race. There were only two other girls in the race with me, but I still felt nervous. I wanted to give it my best and try to come first.

As I walked over to the starting line, I suddenly realised something—I had forgotten to put on my running spikes. I was wearing my normal trainers instead. My heart dropped. Spikes help me grip the grass better and run faster, and without them, I knew the race would be harder. I quickly turned to one of the helpers near the track. He was a parent volunteer, and I asked him, “Please, can I go and quickly change into my spikes?” He looked at me and said, “Sorry, it’s too late. You need to stay at the start line.”

Today I went back to Pitshanger Junior Parkrun, and I was really excited. I hadn’t run there for a few weeks because I had been trying other parkruns instead. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been running at King George Parkrun and Bushey. Bushey has a really steep hill, so it was a bit tougher. But today I returned to Pitshanger Park, which I’ve always liked because it feels more familiar and a bit easier.

My best time ever at Pitshanger is 7 minutes and 48 seconds. This time, my goal was to try and finish under 7 minutes and 55 seconds. I know it usually takes me a couple of runs to get close to my best again, especially after some time off. Still, I was ready to give it my best shot and see how well I could do today.

Today I ran in the Moulton Summer Open in the 800 metre race on the athletics track. It was my second time running 800 metres this season, and I really wanted to beat my personal best. I had worked hard in training, and I felt ready. The day before had been boiling hot, with the temperature reaching 34°C, so I was hoping it would be cooler today for the race. That kind of heat makes running even harder!

After school, I quickly got changed at home, and then we left soon after. My dad drove us to Moulton, and we arrived there at around 7 o’clock in the evening. As soon as we got there, I started my warm-up to get my legs moving and ready for the race. I also put on my running spikes, which help me run faster on the track. I was feeling a bit nervous but also excited to race again.

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.