EILIDH DOYLE might be 31-years-old and a decade-long stalwart of the British athletics team who has experienced almost everything. But 2018 has seen her have to cope with something that she has never before in her career have to deal with: serious injury.

The 400m hurdler has been forced to endure a relatively lengthy lay-off of three months due to a serious calf injury that first occurred at the World Indoor Championships in March and which only got worse as she fought to run through it to ensure she could compete at the Commonwealth Games the following month, where she picked up a third consecutive silver medal.

“I felt my calf go at the World Indoors but you get caught up in the race and so I just kept running,” she recalls.

“When I crossed the line though, I was thinking oh no – I knew something wasn’t right. But because we were going straight to Australia for the Commonwealth Games, I just rehabbed it and did what I could.

“I was constantly getting treatment but it was hard to get it back to normal. I got back into training after the Commonwealth Games but because I’d been compensating for my injury, the other calf ended up going. I still didn’t think it was too bad but actually, it had gone into the tendon, which is much worse.”

The medical advice was a prolonged period of rehab, as well as missing the British trials a few weeks ago, the first time the Perthshire athlete has been forced into such a decision. Her previous injury lay-offs had lasted only a few days at a time but those experiences had taught her that she was far from a perfect patient. She did though, cope slightly better with the rehab process this time around.

“It was a really new experience for me to be injured because although I’ve had niggles in the past, I’ve only ever been out for a week-or-so,” she said.

“I’ve never been very good in those situations because I can’t do anything so I get frustrated. But this time, I was doing a lot of rehab so my days were full. I’m fine as long as I feel like I’m doing everything in my power to be okay so mentally I was actually fine because I wasn’t just sitting about waiting for it to get better.

“I think having had the Commonwealth Games helped because I at least felt like I’d raced.

“But I went to the British Trials to watch and that was quite tough, especially because I wasn’t getting much pain in the injury so I really felt like I could go out there and run, although I know that was daft. But the good thing about feeling like that is that it shows I still want to be out there.”

Doyle’s patience has been rewarded and she is now ready to get back into the competitive environment. She will be on the start line for today’s 400m hurdles at the Anniversary Games in London and she admits she cannot wait to get back to doing what she does best: racing.

“I’m so excited about getting out there but I’m also thinking oh no, why have I chosen one of the toughest races of the season to come back?!,” she laughed.

“In terms of fitness, I’m feeling good so it’s just a case of getting race sharp. Because I’ve not had races, I’m not entirely sure how it’s going to go this weekend but it’s a good starting point for me.

“The encouraging thing is I went to the Commonwealth Games having not raced over the hurdles and I ran well so I’m thinking to myself that I ran well in Gold Coast so there’s no reason why I can’t run well now.”

It is likely to be a big few weeks for Doyle, with her selection for the European Championships in Berlin at the start of August expected to be confirmed next week.

She will be donning a GB vest alongside her compatriot Steph Twell, who has also been at the top of British athletics for a decade. And Doyle’s injury, as well as some reminiscing about her first meeting with Twell, means she has that bit more appreciation for her longevity in the sport.

“I think I appreciate things more now and how I’ve managed to maintain my consistency,” she said.

“At the start of your career, you take things for granted and you think you’ve got so many years to do well. But now, because I’m injured, it makes me wonder if certain events might be my last one. I’ve always taken for granted that I’d be at the British Champs and do well but missing one made me realise the importance of it.

“When I was thinking back, I realised that my first major championships were in Berlin, it was the World Championships in 2009. Those Champs were the first time I’d ever met Steph – we shared a room so it’s funny to think we’re both still going and we’ll both hopefully be back in Berlin for another major championships nine years on.

“It’s funny to think how much the team has changed since then – there’s only a handful of us that are still around. And in terms of the Scottish contingent, it’s only Steph and I. Someone like Laura Muir was only a kid back in 2009.”

Doyle’s lack of race practice may be unusual for her but this is where her experience counts in her favour, with a wealth of past championship runs behind her to tap into.

She is never one to make any grand predictions about gold medals but as a former European champion, Doyle knows exactly what it takes to come out on top when it really matters and her injury lay-off does not mean she has lowered her expectations in the slightest.

“I’ve not thought too much about the Europeans because the injury has taken up so much of my focus,” she said.

“But it’s hard not to think about it at all because I’m still ranked second in Europe with the time I ran in Australia.

“I’ll know more after this weekend. If I run well in London, that’ll really ramp up my excitement because I’ll be confident about the shape I’m in. On the other hand, if I don’t run well, I’ll know I’ve got a bit more work to do.

“It’s good to know that I’ve got a good few Europeans under my belt and also to have won the title and be able to look back on that – I’ve experienced everything there is to experience in this championship so nothing should faze me too much.

“The big thing for me is that I want to be healthy but I want to go there and be able to perform well, that’s the most important thing for me to focus on. I don’t want to be there just to make up the numbers.”