“By the time I reached the run-up to my second London Marathon in 2022, I was running about four times a week, but I made sure never to push myself so hard that I was too tired to run the next day. Enjoying myself was still my number one focus, so I wasn’t too fussed about clocking up lots of mileage; I’ve had times throughout my journey where I’ve had a high weekly mileage total, and it doesn’t always equate to a better marathon time.

“Even now, I take a very holistic approach to training. I’ve never been one to religiously stick to a PDF training plan because I think that’s how people get injured, which is why I find my Google Pixel Watch so useful – it combines data from my recovery, cardio load and even what phase of my menstrual cycle I’m in to tell me when my body is ready to perform. My workouts will also vary in length and intensity depending on whether or not I’m in a marathon training block, but I’ll typically do one track session a week, one long run a week and then a tempo session a week. Sometimes I’ll incorporate parts of the long run at marathon pace and skip the tempo session altogether, and then I do a bit of strength training and mobility work around all that.

“Mindset training has also been a big part of my development as a runner. It’s normal to have a moment of self-doubt right before a race, which is why I always take time to journal about how I’m feeling a couple of weeks beforehand. I’ll write a message to myself outlining all my training and how prepared and confident I feel, so when my mind goes haywire just before the race, I can look over it and remind myself how past, rational me actually felt.

“It’s been a whirlwind”: Anya Culling on how she went from first-time marathoner to an elite athlete in just 3 years