THE clock has ticked down below the 300 days to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The alarm has already gone off in the ears of Stephen Maguire, scottishathletics director of coaching.

The first 23 athletes were named in the team on Tuesday but Maguire insists the hard work has just started for them.

"We have a number of athletes in track, field and marathon who have reached the required standards and that's good for them and for the sport," he said yesterday. "But I want to make it clear while being named at this stage is a good acknowledgement of achievements over the past few months and performances from the 2013 season, I actually don't see it as any huge cause for celebration.

"In fact, I view it all as more important in the planning process for Hampden next summer rather than anything else."

He added: "There is an advantage to be had in giving athletes and, very importantly, coaches a 'heads-up' that they will be on the team all being well in terms of fitness and competitive edge into 2014. There should be an advantage both physically in terms of getting down to hard work over the vital winter training period and also mentally with a view to getting minds on the job for Glasgow 2014."

Maguire, who was appointed last year, previously worked as Athletics Ireland's director of coaching before taking on a full-time role guiding the career of Jason Smyth, an Irish Paralympic sprinter. The Strabane coach has also worked as an assistant to the US coach Lance Brauman in Florida.

He is committed to a work ethic that he hopes will maximise the potential of the athletics branch of Team Scotland. The nation took a 19-strong track team to Delhi in 2010 so already the squad is bigger with more athletes having made the qualifying times and distances in recent months.

Team Scotland could consist of 270 competitors when the selection process across all sports ends and there are strong hopes that the home nation could surpass the 26 medals won in Delhi.

This expectation brings pressure, however, and Maguire is keen for his athletes to continue to prepare with an undiminished determination despite selection being assured.

One of the athletes already chosen - Laura Muir, the 20-year-old 1500m runner - has an extraordinary year ahead of her as she studies for her degree in veterinary science but insists she will not stint on her training.

The athlete, from Milnathort, has made extraordinary strides since going to Glasgow University. If next year now holds the promise of a Commonwealth Games, 2013 underlined the progress she has made. She reached the final of the European Indoors, won bronze at the European Under-23s at the same distance in Finland and was then selected for Great Britain at 800m where she reached the semi-finals in Moscow.

"That was really beneficial," she said of competing against the best at the Luzhniki Stadium. "I know what to expect next year with that sort of level."

The stadium has a capacity of more than 78,000 but Muir ran in an almost empty arena during the heats. However, her semi-final was a different matter when she had a Russian as an opponent and the stadium was almost full. She will race next year at a packed Hampden Park so how does a reserved character believe she will react?

"I am shy but I do enjoy having that support," she said. " I was lucky to compete in the London anniversary games that was in a packed stadium and I loved that."

Muir now enters a period when she has to balance her studying with her training. Her programme is demanding but she is grateful for the university in allowing her to do veterinary surgery section of her course over two years rather than one.

This, of course, still entails dedicated studying but she points out that it will be most regularly two or three hours a day rather than full-time. She will also schedule track time for the night after she has taken exams rather than the night before. These seemingly small alterations are vital to keep an equilibrium during an intense period.

She hopes training can be a "stress reliever" during exam times and she talks of how her studies and her athletic programme complement each other.

Indeed, she points out that her dramatic surge in her athletics career coincided with arriving at Glasgow University where she changed both her training regime and her nutrition. She seems in no need for any reminders of the demands of the next year.

"2014 is on my doorstep," she said. "It means everything. I cannot remember what age I was when I found out it was coming to Glasgow but I never really thought I would compete there."

There will be no distractions. "I will concentrate on my training, I will concentrate on my race plan," she said. This will draw a nod of approval from Maguire.