Today, I took part in a cross-country race for my school team in the Under 11 District League at Wheatfields Junior School. I was thrilled to be selected to represent my school and was determined to give my best effort to try and win. At the start of the race, I sprinted forward to take the lead, but some of the other girls were quicker off the mark. Although the race was supposed to be 1.3 kilometres, it actually measured only 0.91 kilometres. My pace was 4:00 per kilometre, and I finished with a time of 3:35.

In the end, I came fourth out of around 60 girls, which I felt was a strong result. I was especially pleased to be the first finisher from my school, as I wanted to make them proud. However, I know there are areas where I could improve to perform even better in the future. Reflecting on the race, I realised that I need to work on my sprinting skills to get a stronger start, which could help me stay ahead right from the beginning.

Today, I took part in a Mini Mo Run event in Richmond. The race was supposed to be 1.5 kilometres, but it ended up being just a little shorter at 1.4 kilometres. My pace was 4 minutes and 9 seconds per kilometre, which I was pleased with. I finished with a time of 5 minutes and 50 seconds, which made me proud, especially because I had already run a 2-kilometre Parkrun just two hours before. I was feeling a bit low on energy after that, so I had to push myself a bit harder in this race.

One of the best parts of the day was that I came first among all the girls, so I got a special, large medal. The medal was shaped like a moustache with little figures of people around it, and it had “champion” written on it because I finished in first place. It felt great to earn that medal, especially because I had worked hard to finish strong despite feeling tired.

Today, I went to Pitshanger Park in Ealing to do my usual parkrun. This is the one I normally go to if we don’t have anything else planned. The course is supposed to be 2k, but today it was just a bit shorter, about 1.92k. While I was running, I noticed there was a girl in front of me, and I decided to try and overtake her. When I moved onto the grass to pass, she did the same, trying to block me. It felt a bit frustrating, but I kept pushing forward.

In the end, I managed to finish ahead of her by 8 seconds. My final time was 8:01, which is the same as my personal best (PB). I think if she hadn’t tried to block me, I might have beaten my PB today, or at least come closer to my goal. My target was to finish under 8 minutes, and I was just 2 seconds away. My pace was 4 minutes and 10 seconds per kilometre, which I’m happy with, but I know I could have done even better.

Today, I competed in the North West London League at Fryent Park. I gave it my all and managed to finish in 15th place out of 51 girls, which I’m proud of, especially since I was one of the youngest participants. Most of the girls racing were in Year 5 or Year 6, while I’m still in Year 4. This made me feel even more accomplished, knowing I was keeping up with older, more experienced runners.

The race was supposed to be 2 kilometers, but my watch recorded a distance of 1.74 kilometers. The course was entirely on grass, which made it more challenging, as I had to stay steady on the uneven terrain. I completed the race in 7 minutes and 18 seconds, with a pace of 4:12 per kilometer. I felt strong, and I knew I was pushing myself to do my best.