Emma Mitchell competed on the track at both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2018
Banbridge athlete Emma Mitchell took time out of a busy Monday training schedule to be one of the guests on BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time.
Mitchell had an eight-mile morning run and was planning a similar evening exertion after joining Antrim hurler Neil McManus on the show's panel.
An Irish champion on the track, Mitchell, 26, is now concentrating her energies on the marathon.
She clocked two hours and 36 minutes on her marathon debut in December.
The Stranmillis College graduate had planned to make her marathon bow in London last April only for a calf injury to force her out of the event.
Mitchell hits marathon wall in Valencia
Mitchell looked on course to run in the region in 2:32 or 2:33 for much of the Valencia race in December only for her to hit the infamous wall in the closing miles.
"When you are training for the marathon you are doing long runs but you are probably only doing a maximum of maybe 22, 23 or 24 miles so 26.2 miles is a long way," the Clonliffe club athlete told Sportsound Extra Time.
"Everything was 100% until the last 10km but then the legs and the body started to take a beating.
"But all in all, it was a great (debut) performance and it set me in good stead for the future."
After a dominant recent win at the Northern Ireland Cross Country Championship, Mitchell will next be in action at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon on 21 March and she, or perhaps more accurately, coach Eamonn Christie will then make a decision on where and when her next marathon should be.
"He plans everything out. He gets the date in the diary and he kind of works backwards from that. You'll plan a half marathon in the middle of that as well," said the Northern Ireland 5,000m and 10,000m record holder.
"He works off an 18-week marathon programme. I trust Eamonn totally because I know he has my best interests at heart.
"Within that, I have to up my gym work because the legs do take a beating because running on the road is completely different to 10,000m track racing."
Running helping snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan 'create my own happiness'
O'Sullivan among Mitchell's training companions
Mitchell's training companions over the last number of years have included snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan who is a close friend of coach Christie.
"It was a few years ago now when Ronnie started coming over here to play in the Northern Ireland Open," adds Mitchell.
"He was into running and just wanted somebody to run with in the mornings. Eamonn's name came up and that was that.
"Ronnie's been so supportive of my running and it's been nice. He's a very down-to-earth guy and when you are having a cup of coffee and a conversation with him, he's takes everything in his stride.
"When you take a step back and think what he's achieved in his sport, it's incredible and it's a nice contact to have."
