I’m comfortable admitting that I’m a runner largely motivated by getting faster and, well… winning (albeit a solo race). As I started to rack up the mileage, it became vital for me to figure out what kind of runner I wanted to be. In the end, I’ve decided that I’m mostly competing against myself in the hope of becoming stronger, and that realisation has made my running journey a happier experience.

Sports psychologists consider people like me to be “task-orientated” athletes. “Task-oriented athletes set goals about doing their best and making some improvement,” explains Dr Eva V. Monsma, from the University of South Carolina. They “experience success more frequently, persist at tasks for longer and are more confident,” than those athletes who are driven by the desire to beat other competitors.

At a time when we’re constantly being told to “smash goals” and hit targets, it seems entirely alien to go into a sport like running with no ambitions to compete and beat. For me, however, hitting my PB did wonders for my self-confidence during a period when all my other life goals had been put on ice. As the world slowed down, I was speeding up and the gradual improvements in my overall fitness were, at times, my only wins during the pandemic.

How to run a faster 5K: 10 tips for running your Parkrun PB (no sprints necessary)