AS THE 2014 Edinburgh Marathon began, Freya Ross remained rooted to the start line as a wave of hopefuls, from the elite to exotically-attired, swung past until the throng had completely left her behind. Life as a spectator, even with a VIP guest pass attached, was no match for the thrill of setting the pace or chasing a time. For almost two years, the first British woman to complete London’s Olympic marathon has been relegated to the sidings, hopeful but rarely certain of when she might next hit the open road.

It has been a long journey back, the 32-year-old acknowledges, filled with bumps and unexpected diversions. A hip problem that forced her late withdrawal from the 2013 London Marathon seemed an aberration. 12 month onwards, a stress fracture initially brought only minor concern. Yet one adverse reaction followed another and Ross was left kicking her heels. One tentative step forward, then a brutal two in reverse. “It’s felt like each time I’ve almost got back to normality, something else has gone wrong. But I feel like I’ve drawn a line under it now. All the underlying issues have been ironed hopefully and I won’t have any others going forward.”

A trained engineer, Ross is no longer on the list of Lottery-funded athletes and will be the most unlikely inclusion when the refreshed list is revealed on Monday. Now working for the company which administers Edinburgh’s road running festival, she will continue a gradual re-acquaintance with her sporting trade on a cross-country circuit within Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park today where the Scottish short course championships will be decided.

These, she forewarns, are still early days. Laura Muir, the world championship 1500 metres finalist, should not expect Ross for company at the head of the field. She will be content to contribute precious points in the team standings for Edinburgh AC to supplement promising duo Maddie Murray and Rachael Dunn.

“I’m still a long way off my normal programme with my normal mileage,” the one-time prodigy affirms. “I’ve always liked competing and although it’s tough going into a race when you’re not quite where you’d like to be, it’s good training and I’m enjoying it. And as long as I keep at it, I feel I’ll make progress.”

She had hoped, of course, to pass through these parts last year, a quick scoot across the M8 from her family’s base in the capital. The Commonwealth Games had long been marked in the diary as an infrequent opportunity to participate in a storied event close to home. “It was hard watching it and feeling so removed from it,” she admits, “Because at that point, I wasn’t running at all. But now I feel like I’m closing in on what I was doing, it all feels a lot more achievable again.”

Rarely during her hiatus, however, has the former Scottish cross-country champion sat idle. There have been race appearances, club tours and advisory sessions, expertise on road, track and mud liberally shared. Out of the ambassadorial assignments has come a new project into which she has injected her savoir-faire.

“I’ve been writing a recipe book which helped to fill the time,” she reveals. “When I do talks, that’s one of the things people always ask me about: what my diet is, what I do. It’s an area people are interested in. And I like cooking and eating, so why not put together all my favourite things into a book? I’m self-publishing it so it’s all being finished off now. Hopefully, it will be available for Christmas.”

Amid her culinary gambits, the appetite never floundered. She remains hungry. We are just 55 days away from the start of an Olympic year and Rio is uppermost on Ross’ mind. Times are of the essence and margins for additional setbacks slim. To make it to the start inside the Sambodrome, epicentre of the city’s colourful carnival, she will need to break the UK Athletics qualifying mark of two hours and 31 minutes by early April.

On her current trajectory, a springtime attempt would afford the chance to conclude her comeback with a second Games appearance. It is a monumental carrot to keep pushing for more, with the London Marathon the most likely avenue.

“That’s the plan,” she affirms. “I feel it’s realistic. I’d have loved to have got a marathon in this year but it was never going to happen. So it’s all about getting one in the spring and putting everything into it. I feel the qualifying time is achievable. But if I don’t get it, I don’t feel like it will be a disaster.”

Elsewhere in Bellahouston Park, Great Britain internationalist Andy Butchart starts as favourite in the men’s race with a number of hopefuls, Muir included, gearing up for the Euro Cross trials in Liverpool later this month.