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Raise Your Game: When you're running in a long distance race and your body's telling you to stop, how do you push through the pain barrier?

Non Stanford: I think an element of madness comes into it! If you stop then you're cheating yourself, you're not cheating anybody else. I just keep driving for the line. I remind myself that I've done all the hard work so 'Don't quit now!' The hope of fulfilling my dreams keeps me going most of the time.

RYG: How do you motivate yourself to go out training when it's cold and raining?

NS: Quite often you are really tired and asking yourself 'Do I really want to go for this half an hour run?' When I don't feel like going out, I try to remind myself that when I am out I really enjoy it. I also tell myself that 'My fellow competitors are probably out training, not sitting at home.' That really helps to motivate you.

RYG: If you don't train well, or you have a bad result in a race, how do you pick yourself up and bounce back?

NS: I constantly tell myself that 'You can't have a good race or a good training session every day.' There are athletes out there who have had plenty of disappointments and they still come back. Kelly Holmes was injured for years and years. She came back and won double gold. Be positive, get on with it and go to the next race or training session even more motivated to do well.

RYG: What does Dame Kelly say to you to get you going if you're having a bad training session?

NS: It depends what route she takes. Sometimes she takes the brutal path and tells us to just get on with it. If I'm having a moan, her favourite line is 'Deal with it.' That's become a bit of a joke between us! You've just got to deal with it and get on with it. You can't feel sorry for yourself.

RYG: What skills have you gained from athletics?

NS: Discipline, commitment and motivation are all key to any sport - not just athletics. It's taught me what type of person I am and what I can achieve if I put my mind to it. I've learnt how to communicate with people and how to work as part of a team. Being involved in sport has definitely made me a better person.

RYG: What sort of sacrifices have you had to make to get you this far?

NS: If you're really passionate about your sport you don't really think of them as sacrifices. A lot of pressures on you as a teenager come from your peers but I don't feel the need to do what everybody else is doing.

A lot of my friends go out every weekend and stay out all night but I can't do that because I have to get up the next morning and train. If you've got a bad hangover then you can't go training for the next couple of days. I enjoy going out for a run. That's what makes me happy so that's what I do every week.