Today, I ran at Rickmansworth Parkrun, and it was an amazing experience. I had heard that this course is much faster than other Parkruns, with some runners saying it can be 30 to 45 seconds quicker. Knowing this, I was both excited and a little nervous. Could I really beat my personal best here? As I stood at the start line, I told myself to stay focused and give it my all. The plan was simple—stick with the runners in front of me and push hard all the way.
As the run started, I settled into my pace and made sure to stay close to the runner ahead of me. It felt good to be running on such a fast course. The path was smooth, and I kept overtaking people one by one. Each time I passed someone, it gave me more confidence. Before I knew it, I was moving up the ranks and running much faster than I had expected. I had no idea what my exact time was, but I could feel that I was on track for something special.
With one kilometre left, I found myself in 15th place. This was an amazing feeling, but I knew I had to keep pushing. However, as I started the final lap, I ran into a problem—there were so many runners in front of me! The path was packed with people, and there was barely any space to move. I had to weave through the crowd, looking for small gaps to squeeze past. It was frustrating at times, but I didn’t let it slow me down. I kept pushing, knowing that I was so close to the finish.
As I got closer to the end, I knew it was time to give everything I had left. I sprinted as fast as I could, not thinking about anything else but crossing that finish line. My legs were burning, my heart was racing, but I kept going. I felt like I was flying in those last few metres. When I finally crossed the line, I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe it—I had smashed my personal best by 12 seconds!
I had run at an average pace of 3:50 per kilometre and finished with a time of 19:11. It was an incredible feeling. I had worked so hard for this, and all the training had paid off. Rickmansworth really is a fast course, just like everyone said. Even with the heavy traffic at the end, I had managed to run my best time ever. It made me wonder—what could I do if I came back and had a clearer path in the final lap?
Now, I can’t wait to return to Rickmansworth Parkrun and try to beat my time again. I know that if I keep training and work on my speed, I can go even faster. This run has given me a huge boost in confidence, and I’m excited to see what I can achieve next. Maybe next time, I’ll break the 19-minute barrier!
