Today was my chance to bounce back after a tough 1500m race earlier in the week. I competed at Woodside Stadium in the Watford Harriers Minor Open Challenge, running the 600m event. This distance is one and a half laps around the track, and I felt comfortable racing here because it's where I used to train with Watford Harriers.

Before this race, my personal best stood at 1:52.65 seconds. My big goal was to break 1 minute 50, though I knew that would be challenging. I had an extra bit of excitement - and nerves - because I was wearing brand new spikes I'd only bought the day before. I hadn't even had a chance to train in them, so I wasn't sure how they would feel during the race.

Today was a big day for me - I ran in the East Area Prep Schools Athletics Championship in Bedford. I was really excited because I was representing my school in the 1500 metre race. What made it even more special was that I was the only Year Five boy selected - all the others were Year Six! I felt so proud to be chosen and was determined to do my very best. My goal was to win the race, not just for my school but for myself too.

Before this race, I had run in two other 1500 metre races. The first was at Woodside Stadium on the 18th of May, where I finished in 5 minutes and 9 seconds. The second was in Leamington on the 3rd of June, and my time was 5 minutes and 14 seconds. I knew I was strong and ready to push myself hard in Bedford. The top two runners would qualify for the National Finals in Birmingham in July, and I really wanted to be one of them.

Today I went to Leamington Spa to race. I was feeling excited but a little tired as the race was in the evening. When the race started, I got off to a very fast start. I managed to take the lead right at the beginning. For the first 300 metres, I was running at the front, which felt great at the time. But I think I went too fast too early, and it started to catch up with me very quickly.

After that fast start, I began to feel tired. My legs started to feel heavy, and I could feel my energy dropping. I knew I had pushed too hard at the start, and it was difficult to keep up my speed. Even though I tried to stay close to my target pace, it was getting harder and harder with every step.

Today, I competed in the Eastern Young Athletics League at Woodside Stadium in Watford. It felt quite strange being back there, as it used to be my home track when I was part of Watford Harriers. I’ve trained on that track so many times in the past, and I have lots of memories there. But now, I'm with a new club, and I’ve improved so much since I moved. Coming back to that stadium made me feel a mix of excitement and determination. I wanted to show how far I’ve come and prove what I can do now.

Technically, I wasn’t even meant to be running in this event. I’m only 9 years old and still in Year 5, but this was an Under 13 race, mainly for children in Years 6 and 7. I was really happy when I found out I would be allowed to run, especially in the 1,500 metre race. Last year, my best time for that distance was 5 minutes and 34 seconds, but I know I’m a much better runner now. I had a big goal in mind – I wanted to run the race in under 5 minutes. It was a tough target, but I believed I could do it. When I got to the stadium, the races were running behind schedule, but I stayed focused and warmed up properly, ready to race.