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.

Today was a really special day because I received the Donkin Cup trophy. This trophy is awarded to the Year 6 winner of the Donkin Cup, and it felt amazing to finally hold it. Seeing my name on the trophy made me feel really proud and happy. It was one of those moments where I stopped and thought about how far I have come. This trophy means a lot to me, not just because I won it, but because of everything that led up to it.

I still remember running the Donkin Cup race back in Year 3. At that time, I had done no running at all and did not even know I was any good at it. I finished fourth overall in the race and came first for my house, Patrick’s. I remember feeling incredibly proud of myself and surprised at the same time. That race was the first moment I realised that running might be something special for me, and I started to wonder what the future could hold.