Today I ran in the North West London League at Kingsbury, in Fryent Park. I was running in the boys’ under 11 race, which was a cross country race about two kilometres long. The course was two laps around the park, and it had a few little hills and lots of twisty paths. The grass was quite firm and dry, which made it fast but a bit harder to grip. I like Fryent Park because it’s open and you can see the runners ahead, but you still need to think carefully about when to speed up or slow down.
Before the race started, I did all my warm-ups properly — a light jog, some drills, and a few short sprints to get my legs ready. I always make sure to focus before the race because I know that the start is really important. There are some tight, narrow parts on the course where only one person can run at a time, so I knew that getting to the front early would make a big difference. My coach and I had talked about getting a quick start, so that was my main goal when the whistle blew.
As soon as the race started, I sprinted hard for the first few seconds and managed to get into the lead right away. I could hear the footsteps of the other runners close behind me, but I told myself I wasn’t going to let anyone past. Once I was in front, I felt confident and focused. I tried to keep a strong rhythm and not waste too much energy early on. I knew if I stayed calm and ran smart, I could stay ahead all the way to the finish line.
During the second lap, I started to build a small gap between me and the rest of the runners. I kept checking over my shoulder at some corners and could see I was still leading by a few seconds. My legs felt strong, and my breathing was under control. I tried to run smoothly up the hills and then relax a bit on the downhills. The course wasn’t too muddy, but I still had to watch my footing in some parts. I was enjoying the run and felt like everything was going to plan.
When I came down the final straight, I could see the finish line ahead. I pushed as hard as I could and made sure no one could catch me. Crossing the line in first place felt amazing! I won by about five seconds or maybe more, and my time was 6 minutes and 48 seconds. My watch said the course was 1.88 km, which means I ran at a pace of about 3 minutes and 37 seconds per kilometre, with an age grading of 83.23%. I was really proud of that.
This was my first North West London League victory of the season, and it felt so good to start with a win. I felt strong and happy throughout the race, and it made me even more excited for the next ones coming up. I’m aiming to win all the North West London League fixtures this year if I can. The only thing I would have liked is for it to be a bit wetter and muddier — I actually prefer running when it’s muddy because my spikes dig into the ground better and I feel like my strong legs give me an advantage. I can’t wait for the next race!
