Facing my fears and taking up space on the start line
Running a track 5k race with speedy runners.
On Friday night, I stood on the start line of The London 5000, a 5k track race at Parliament Hill Athletics Track. The atmosphere was electric: a mix of nervous energy, excitement, and the unmistakable buzz of fast runners ready to test themselves.
Parliament Hill Track is a special place for me. I started my running groups on Hampstead Heath in 2013 and my beginners and improvers would run on a path outside the track. One evening I stood out in the rain in the dark while one very determined beginner named Margaret who was the only one to turn up that week (because the weather was so bad) ran her first 5k on the track.
When nobody else showed up I asked her what she wanted to do. She’s asked how many laps of the track it would take to do 5k (12.5) and then asked if I would stay with her while she did it and of course I agreed.
Facing my fears
The London 5000 had a qualifying benchmark of 21:30 just to enter the event, so I knew I would be lining up alongside some very speedy people. I had earned my place with a time comfortably under that cut-off, but that didn’t stop the nerves from bubbling up.
Despite being qualified by more than a minute, imposter syndrome crept in. Was I going to be the slowest one out there? Would I stick out like a sore thumb? But deep down, I knew I deserved to be on that start line just as much as anyone else. I had put in the training. I had met the standard. This was my race too.
As the race began, the nerves faded, replaced by focus. One foot in front of the other - that’s all I needed to do. The support from the crowd was brilliant, with cheers that lifted my spirits on every lap. Even the pacer, who lapped me during the race, gave me a few encouraging words as he went past - a small gesture that meant a lot.