Jess Coulson credits a coaching switch to Mick Woods for her recent run of good form, which included a 52:53 10-mile debut to go to eighth on the UK all-time list two weekends ago.

The Stockport Harrier’s time at the Twickenham Cabbage Patch 10 was the fastest ever by a British under-23 athlete. It came the day after she ran the third quickest time of the day at the ERRA National Road Relays in Sutton Park.

Having been sidelined with injuries since November 2009 and never having run further than 5km on the roads before, the former Great Britain and Northern Ireland junior international admits she had no specific time in mind prior to her breakthrough 10-miles.

“This wasn’t a particular target. Mick just told me to enjoy it and have a good run,” she said. “I started steadily and felt good, so started to wind it up in the second half. I knew the Kenyan athlete (Edith Chelimo) was strong, so focussed on her. Once I overtook her there was a group of male runners just in front, so I tried to hang on to the back of them.”

Having been part of the winning junior women’s team at the European Cross in 2006, followed by finishing 26th in the World Cross and seventh over 3000m at the European Juniors in 2007, the former English Schools and England Athletics champion was one of Britain’s most exciting distance prospects.

However, shortly after a third place in the UK Cross Challenge race at Liverpool at the end of 2009, Coulson developed a stress response in her navicular bone. She began triathlon to keep fit, but crashed her bike while training in 2010 and fractured her inferior pubic ramus, which took eight months to heal.

Frustrated with injuries and aware of Woods’ reputation as a meticulous planner and one of the country’s top endurance coaches, the pair linked up in January 2011. Coulson says they have progressed things slowly and carefully in an attempt to regain her fitness without succumbing to injuries. She says: “Mick has been amazing and got me fitter than I have ever been before. I haven’t been doing massive mileage, but concentrating on good-quality sessions and staying healthy.”

Coulson rarely trains with Woods, but feels the relationship works well due to her own self-motivation combined with good communication. She explains: “I give Mick detailed feedback most days. I have access to the facilities at St Mary’s, so go down there when I can to train with Mick. My family supports me and Mick believes in me, so I don’t need to change anything.”

In her final year studying anatomical sciences at Manchester University, Coulson intends to run at the ERRA National Cross Country Relays at Mansfield next weekend, before targeting the UK Cross Challenge and European Trials at Liverpool next month, where she hopes to make the team for the European Cross in Slovenia in December.

Coulson’s Cabbage Patch time equates to sub-71 for the half-marathon and suggests a great future in the marathon could be in store one day.

However, Coulson does not plan to focus solely on the roads just yet. She says: “I enjoy track and road so will probably do a bit of both next year. I want to improve my times on the track before I move up in distance. I have loads of time ahead of me to run the longer distances.”