Today I ran at Sutcliffe Park for a Track and Field Night event. This was my second time running at this event, after first taking part on the 16th of July. I was really looking forward to returning because I enjoy running on the track, and I had a goal in mind. I was going to run the 1500 metres again, and I was hoping to beat my personal best. My previous best was 5 minutes and 40 seconds, and when I ran here last time, I finished with a time of 5 minutes and 43 seconds — just three seconds slower than my best. This time, I was determined to run faster and get a new personal best.
Even though I had just recently come back from my holiday, and I didn’t feel like I was at full fitness yet, I was still really motivated to do well. I knew it might be a challenge, but I wanted to test myself and see what I could achieve. I was placed in the last heat of the event, and my aim was simple: run the best I could and try not to finish in last place. This event is mixed, so boys and girls of all ages take part, but most of the runners in the 1500m are usually 13 years old or older. That meant I was by far the youngest in the race, which made it even more important to focus and stay strong.
When the race began, I got off to a decent start, staying towards the back of the field. I didn’t let that bother me because I knew I had to run my own race and not try to chase anyone too early. I kept a steady pace and focused on pushing myself all the way around the track. I reminded myself to stay strong and not give up, even when my legs started to feel tired. Each lap felt hard, but I stayed determined and gave it everything I had right to the finish line.
In the end, I was really happy with my effort and the final result. I crossed the line in a time of 5 minutes and 38 seconds, which is a brand-new personal best for me! I beat my previous best by two whole seconds, which felt amazing. Even better, I didn’t finish last, which had been one of my biggest worries before the race. I also found out that I got an impressive age grading of 87.68%, which made me feel really proud. That’s a great score, especially considering I’m only in Year 4 and most of the people I raced against were at least three, four, or even five years older than me.
Overall, I really enjoyed the race and the whole event. I’ve discovered that I really like running the 1500m distance, and it feels great when I manage to improve my time. It was a fun and exciting experience, and I’m already looking forward to doing it again in the future. Now that I know I can beat my PB, I feel more confident, and I hope to get an even better time next time I race. Running with older and faster athletes pushes me to try harder, and I like seeing how much I can improve. I can’t wait to go back to Sutcliffe Park and race again soon.
