The British distance-runner went seventh on the UK marathon all-time list with her run in the German city.

Abbie Donnelly is just getting started in the marathon and has now plans of stopping anytime soon.

The 29-year-old made her 26.2 mile debut in Rotterdam last year, where she clocked 2:26:21. She followed that up with an incredibly impressive 2:24:11 at last Sunday's Frankfurt Marathon, which put the Brit seventh on the UK all-time list.

Donnelly, who trains at Lincoln Wellington AC, still believes she has a lot to learn in the marathon and is now targeting both London and potentially Berlin/Valencia next season. Her ultimate aim is to qualify for the marathon at the LA 2028 Olympics.

AW caught up with Donnelly after her run in Frankfurt to chat through her reflections and future ambitions in road running:

When you saw 2:24:11 on the clock, how did you feel when you crossed the line?

It was an amazing feeling crossing the line and seeing the time. As it was my second marathon, it could have gone either way. You sort of remember the pain of the first one and the weather was also quite windy on the day in Frankfurt. So I thought a time like that might just not happen. But I've been putting in a few extra miles in this block than before, so I was quite excited to see what impact that could have on my performance.

I was so relieved when I got to the finish. I was like, 'I've done it!' It was a really good moment to cross that line and you're just a bit scrambled. You're just so tired but also so happy. There's a video clip of me just looking a bit lost and wandering around the finish area!

Are you able to break down the race and how you felt through 5km/10km/half-way etc...?

I was quite lucky in that the organisers asked us our target times and I had put down 2:25. So I got introduced to a couple of pacemakers at the start of the race. They were a little bit quick going into a headwind.

I remember thinking at 10km that I didn't feel that good. People tell you the first six miles is the easiest part but I definitely felt I was going at the pace that I was running. So I did get a bit stressed and wondered how the last six miles would go.

But after that my discomfort was the same throughout the race and I didn't hit the wall like I did in Rotterdam. It didn't get any easier but I was locked in at the pace from thereon in.

Due to the headwind, it was just about getting to half-way and then enjoying a tailwind on the way back into the city.

What was the feeling like at half-way? You went through in 72:17 before picking off ten runners in the second half!

I didn't look at the half-way split as I actually got a bit scared. I thought we had 30 seconds leeway to go sub-2:25 so it was just about ticking off the miles. When I looked at the mile splits in the second half I thought 'no that can't be right'. As I got into the city, my parents and partner were there and they told me that I was on for a 2:24 mark. I was just so locked in.

It's really good for my motivation that I was able to catch up with girls in that race. The marathon is such a hard distance because if you do overcook it, you never quite know when your legs are going to go. I'm quite excited to think that if I could've gone quicker and I'm eager to find out.

Are you able to talk about your training block? 

On a Monday I just did an hour to ten miles, so that was probably my easier day. Then I did a gym session at night. Tuesday I got up to about eight miles in the morning and then a Lincoln Wellington club session in the evening. They varied quite a lot in the build-up and that really helped with hills/track work. Wednesday was 12 miles. Thursday the same as Tuesday and then a rest day on Friday.

I'd been trying to hit 100 miles in this block and I did have to get rid of the Friday rest day in the block, as it was quite hard to do off six days. Saturday was tempo and an easy run in the evening. Sunday was then 20 miles most weeks.

As I'd not done 100 miles in a week – I did three miles of that and the rest were 80 miles – it did catch up with me a bit. So the sessions were slower but I was doing longer efforts. That also became a bit of a worry as I really did have to trust the taper. I did say to a few people that I had absolutely no idea what time I was going to run because I've never really been able to train at my race pace. I only just did a tempo at 5:30 and I was like 'oh no'.

How much did you learn generally learn from Rotterdam, with it being your first marathon?

I learnt so much from Rotterdam. The big thing was being able to relax about the time. I got into a little group and I was only a few seconds off my target pace. I stressed out about that but you have time in the marathon so don't panic. This time round I tried to not look at my watch too much as it can be won or lost in the first six miles.

Even little things matter like sorting my bottles the night before. I sellotaped my gels to the bottles but I couldn't get them off at first so I used a rubber band instead this time round. I was even thinking about the types of bottles I was using.

As I have 5km splits on my bottles, I break down the race like that. It's quite a nice thing to focus on throughout the run. Then it's probably the half-way point and counting down the miles in single digits.

 

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How important have Lincoln Wellington AC been for you? 

They've been massive and have always been a huge part of my life. Rob Lewis, my coach, went through every step of the marathon plan with me. When you've got a really long session to do, having that club atmosphere helps so much. You've got people running around with you and that's so nice.

After I'd completed the Frankfurt Marathon, a lot people said they were tracking me as well. Throughout the race, as some of the 5km splits were up and down, I thought 'they're going to be a bit stressed!'

What does the future hold now? Will you do the cross-country in Liverpool and maybe next year's London Marathon?

If I get the recovery right from Frankfurt then I'll compete in Liverpool at the end of November. I came back a little quick from Rotterdam so I'm making sure that I have a proper break this time around. I want to make the team for the European Cross Country Championships.

In the new year I'm going to focus on road races like the Valencia 10km and either the Seville or Barcelona Half. Then the London Marathon becomes the big goal. I want to improve my road times next season.

My big goal in the long-term is to get the Olympic qualifying time [2:23.30] for LA 2028. I'd just love to get as low as I can in the 2:20s before Los Angeles.