THE repetitive laps of the playing fields at Kinross High School, which Laura Muir regularly undertook on cold wintry days, were largely solitary pursuits, the soundtrack provided by echoes from the playground or the gusts blowing inland and westwards from the North Sea.

It would have required quite a leap of imagination to believe that, 10 years on, this unassuming pupil would be running to an accompaniment of a din of enthusiasm and a global television audience now primed to watch her excel.

Having set British and European bests already during the current indoor season, the 23-year-old sought further garlands with an assault on the world record over 1000 metres at yesterday’s Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham.

Bidding to become the first Scot since Liz McColgan 25 years ago to enter the ultimate historical pantheon, the route map drawn up by her coach Andy Young was simple: three laps of exactly 29.5 seconds and then unleash until her lungs could offer no more.

As anticipated, and with her foes left in a race of their own, it became Muir versus the clock, with Maria Mutola’s time of 2:30.94 – set in Stockholm in 1999 – imprinted on her mind. Pushing her lungs to the limit, she was just short but surpassed Kelly Holmes’ existing British record and the European mark with a time of 2:31.95, the second-fastest in history.

“It was painful,” she admitted. “Oh man, that was painful. I got to 800 and saw the clock as I went by so it was a matter of digging deep on that last lap. I went for it. World records are always going to be tough – I was about a second off. But at a distance event, I’ll take that.”

Now it is less about stopwatches as success with the European Indoors less than two weeks away and the hunt for an elusive championship medal. Two attempts in Belgrade, in the 1500m and 3000m, will surely bring a breakthrough.

“Medals are what any athlete wants to have at the end of their career. I’d love to get a couple of medals in Belgrade, preferably as close to gold as possible.”

Sir Mo Farah signed off the indoor circuit by breaking his own UK indoor 5000m record – running 13:09.43 after holding off Burundi’s Albert Rop. The four-time Olympic gold medallist decamped for Ethiopia after his atypically poor performance in January’s Edinburgh cross-country but found himself challenged again.

“I didn’t know he was in that kind of shape,” he said. “He was sitting right behind me. I didn’t know whether to stick with him or go.”

He went, to glorious effect. Now it is back to Africa for more graft as the months count down to his track farewell in London.

“I’m happy with the performance,” he added. “I got emotional at the end, saying goodbye. I tried my best in Edinburgh but it wasn’t good enough.”

Allan Smith’s quest to qualify for next month’s European Indoors high jump failed with the Scot’s best of 2.20m well short of the qualifying standard.

Eilish McColgan, bedevilled by illness this week, was fifth in the 3000m in 8:43.03 – sixth on the UK all-time list – with Steph Twell lowering her lifetime best in 10th.

“I wasn’t going to run,” McColgan admitted. “But I woke up on Friday and felt a bit better and then today, I thought ‘I’m going to the Europeans and I’ve got nothing to lose’. But I felt sluggish.

“I know I won the trials but I wasn’t feeling well. So to run like that after the week I’ve had puts a smile on my face.”

Although Guy Learmonth set a lifetime best of 1:47.00 in the 800m, the European medal hopeful was only fifth as the USA’s Casmir Laxsom surged clear to head the world rankings.

Eilidh Doyle’s unbeaten start to 2017 ended as the UK champion came fourth in the 400m, won by hurdles rival Zuzana Hejnova. “I wanted a fast time but I got broken at the start,” said the Olympic medallist, who turns 30 tomorrow. “Tactically I got it all wrong.”

Andy Pozzi won the 60m hurdles in a world-leading time of 7.43 seconds, while Jamaica’s double Rio gold medallist Elaine Thompson took the 60m in 6.98 secs.