HARPENDEN runner Hannah Walker says she s loving running after an encouraging debut at the World Cross Country Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland, at the weekend. Hannah finished 32nd out of the 95 runners who started the Junior Women s race and was the

HARPENDEN runner Hannah Walker says she's "loving running" after an encouraging debut at the World Cross Country Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland, at the weekend.

Hannah finished 32nd out of the 95 runners who started the Junior Women's race and was the third member of the Team GB contingent across the line helping the team to a fifth placed finish overall.

"It was my first World Cross, and my first run for GB and I was really happy with the result," the former Sir John Lawes School pupil told the Herts Advertiser.

"It was a really amazing experience and has really inspired me to keep working hard. The team coaches and managers felt it was one of our best results."

Hannah, who is currently on a gap year, has spent time in Ethiopia recently working in an orphanage and also taking advantage of some altitude training, something she believes will stand her in good stead.

"You can see in Ethiopia how hard they (the athletes) work and the altitude is so different," she said.

"I was there for two months, because I'm on a gap year, and I did the Great Ethiopian Run and met Haile Gebrselassie and Eunice Barber.

"It was really good to train with the Ethiopian athletes and see how hard they work.

"Ahead of the Worlds I had a training camp with UKA (UK Athletics) and they were saying how important it was to train at altitude and I already knew about it because I've done it."

Hannah is taking a well earned rest from running now but her Polish adventure has encouraged her to come back and keep up the hard work after recharging her batteries.

"I'm taking some time off now to go travelling for a month but then I'll be back training hard. My aim is to go to the World Juniors in the summer which is in Canada. The selection criteria are tough but I loved this trip so much and it's inspired me."

With London 2012 on the horizon Hannah is aiming high and says that would be the ultimate goal.

"I'd like to hope so (being at the London Olympics). The thing is it's very competitive in this country, we've got some good distance runners but I'm loving running at the moment and I'm aiming high, that's the goal.