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Today I ran at St John School cross-country event. The race was meant to be 2.7 km, and I knew it would be tough because the course included many hills. It was 2½ laps in total, and my teacher had warned me that there was a lot of uphill running, so I knew it would be a challenging course.

Since Christmas, I haven’t been running at my best because I was severely ill. Although I’ve been training hard, my races in January were disappointing as I was still far from peak fitness. However, I’ve been feeling stronger recently and was excited to see what level I could perform at today.

Today I ran in the HSAA (Herts Schools) Cross Country Championships at St Margaret’s School in Bushey. I won this race last year in Year 5, so I know what it takes — but this time felt very different.

I wasn’t looking forward to the race because I’m still not back to full fitness after being severely ill over Christmas. Although I feel stronger each week, I know I’m still at least two or three weeks away from peak condition. I really wish this race had been later in February to give me a better chance, but since it was at the end of January, my goal was simple: try my best and aim for a top 12 finish to qualify for Nationals.

Today I ran at the Beechwood School cross-country event. The race was meant to be 1.8 km around the school grounds. I’ve been struggling recently, and after a disappointing run at York House last week, I really wanted to perform better today.

My training times are still much slower than they were before Christmas, so I know I’m still several weeks away from my best fitness. Even so, I was determined to push myself as hard as I could.