Alex Bell's only regret is that change did not come sooner. Less than two years have passed since she stepped away from the 800m, taking time to figure out what life would look like after losing the love for an event that brought her to an Olympics final and a personal best of 1:57.
Now Bell's new life on the road, born entirely out of curiosity, has rekindled an excitement that disappeared long ago and leaves her questioning why the leap took so long.
On Sunday she will join Samantha Harrison as a two-pronged British attack on the start line in Copenhagen for the women's half marathon at the World Road Running Championships, occupying that sweet spot where improvements feel inevitable because it is all so new.
The thrill is that no one yet knows just how fast she can run over 13.1 miles - or longer, with a marathon debut expected later this year - and that had long evaporated in her former event. "It's definitely been a surprise how quickly the times have been knocking off but that's the exciting thing for me now," she says of "this new sport of mine."
A half PB of 69:35, set in Dubai seven months ago, and a blistering 30:57 for 10km from Valencia in January have surprised her and...