Today I ran at the Watford Harriers Junior Challenge 2025, and it was an exciting and tough race. I knew it wouldn’t be easy because last year I only won by two seconds. That made me feel a bit nervous, but also really motivated to do my best and try to beat my old time. The weather was good, and there were lots of other runners ready to go. I was ready too and couldn’t wait to start.

At the beginning of the race, I was in 3rd place. I felt strong and tried to stay close to the front. After a short while, another boy overtook me, which put me in 4th. I stayed calm and focused on my own pace. The first kilometre went really well and I kept pushing hard. For most of the race, the positions didn’t change, and I stayed in 4th place all the way to the end.

Today, at school, I took part in the Habs Dash. It’s a race we do that’s two full laps around the school grounds, and it’s supposed to be about 3.5 kilometres long. I was really looking forward to it because I had a brand-new pair of Nike Vaporfly 3 trainers. These are special running shoes with a carbon plate inside, and people say they help you run faster. I was excited to see if they would make a difference for me.

Lately, my times in the Habs Dash haven’t been as fast as usual because I’ve had a bit of a cough. I haven’t been feeling 100%, but I’m finally starting to get better. Even though I wasn’t fully back to normal, I was feeling strong and really wanted to do my best. I told myself I would push hard and see what I could do in these new trainers.

Today I took part in the National Primary and Year Seven Cross Country Finals in Coventry. I was really excited because I was running in the Year Five race, and the distance was 2.4 km. It felt special to be there, knowing I was running with the best Year Five boys from all across the country. Even though I hadn’t been feeling well recently, I was still looking forward to the race. I had a bad cough, hadn’t been sleeping well, but I told myself I would give it my all.

When the race started, I managed to get a decent start and was in around fifth place. The beginning was tough as it went straight uphill, which made it even more difficult. About 100 metres into the race, there was a really sharp turn, and I knew this could be a problem. With around 200 boys running, the narrow turning point meant only a few could get through at a time. Sadly, I got pushed over in the crowd, and by the time I got back up, I was near the back of the pack. I knew I had a lot of places to make up.

Today, I ran at Rickmansworth Parkrun on 8th March 2025, and it was an amazing experience. Right from the start, I felt strong and set off at a great pace. The weather was good, and the course was fast, which helped me feel confident. I had my eyes on a big goal – I wanted to finish in under 19 minutes. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was determined to give it my best shot.

For the first and second laps, I was right on track. My pace was steady, and I felt in control. I was aiming for an 18:45 finish, which would have been a huge achievement. Everything was going well, and I was feeling strong. But as I got further into the run, I realised I had been pushing myself very hard. My legs started to feel heavy, and my breathing got harder. I knew I had to keep going, but my energy was running low.