Hi Dina! What have you been up to since Prague? [Asher-Smith won the silver medal in the 60m at the European Indoor Championships] Did you have a bit of time off? Oh yes definitely. I went to Alton Towers yesterday! I’m at the tail end now of my time off. I had a week off really, then back into strength and conditioning, building me from that short 60m work and trying to get me up to 300m – which I really hate! A bit of a transitional week and now into full, hard training.

Where’s your favourite place to run? It has to be the Olympic stadium. Compared to some athletes I’ve hardly been in there but I was there for the Anniversary Games and the atmosphere was absolutely amazing. Words can’t do it justice. It’s just amazing. The Olympic track is really quick – all the athletes say that – and it’s like a home stadium too.

Do you remember your first ever race? Oh yes! My first ever race would have been cross country. I ran for my primary school – I did Bromley Schools cross country which was maybe 300 people and I think I was fifth, so I was very happy. Before that I had no idea that I could run. I just went to the running club, and by being there, because it was a small primary school, you were automatically entered. So my friend had dragged me to the running club.

She’s got a lot to answer for, that girl! Yeah! I just remember – you know when you do longer distances and you get the taste of metal in your mouth? I was just like: “Why is my mouth bleeding, what’s wrong with me?” And then: “Oh well, it’s over now.” And I remember thinking cross country is so long … I’m not a big fan. It’s long, you get the taste of the metal, you get tired, there’s too much mud … I’ll stick to the sprinting thanks! My first sprint race I remember, I was in trainers. I didn’t see the problem.

When people ask you for a training tip what do you tell them? Pace yourself. It seems so basic, but it is really, really important. If you blow up in the first run you ever do, so that by 200m you are completely dead and you think “but I’ve still got 1,800m to go” it’s going to completely turn you off the sport as a whole. So just pace yourself and try and enjoy it. It might be quite naive, but I think if you aren’t having fun, I don’t see the point of doing it.

Do you listen to music? I really, really don’t. I might listen to a bit to control my mood, going into champs. So like if I was a bit nervous, some calming music, if not nervous enough, too chilled, then ones that are going to wake me up a bit. But generally, no. I’m a bit boring!

So same thing probably applies to gadgets? No … not really much point! A stopwatch for my coach but not for me!.

What’s the worst thing about running? Oh, you know I’ve never really thought about the worst thing… Cold, probably. I train on an outdoor track all year around so it does get really, really cold. Thank goodness we’re over those winter days for now, but in the depths of January they are horrible.

And the best thing? The best thing is competing in big competitions, representing your country and being with your friends. Because we always have fun. Transitioning from junior to senior ranks with the same people – like Jasmine Sawyers, CJ Ujah – we’ve been in teams since 2011 together and it’s great to see we are still in teams together in 2015.

What’s your post race indulgence? Cake! Cake. Cake.

What kind of cake? Chocolate cake that melts in the middle. I really like that. Sometimes cheesecakes. I’ve got such a big thing about pizza and cake.

So what’s the best pizza? Domino’s BBQ roast pepperoni. It’s a bit weird, you’ve got to create your own. Weird, but I like it.

Slightly more healthily, what do you eat on the morning of a race or a hard training session? I’ll eat a bowl of porridge. Always, that sets the foundation. Then like, fruit and veg later, and maybe some protein – meat, maybe. Ham, fresh tomoatoes, grapefruit, orange juice.

Have you ever run barefoot? I’ve warmed up barefoot before, but not actual racing. I do all my warm-downs in Nike Frees. And conditioning circuits for my feet, too.

Mo Farah or Usain Bolt are on at the same time, who do you watch? Ooo no! Sprinter … British … Sprinter. … British … It’s a really hard question. I’d probably chose Usain because I’m a sprinter. And anyway Mo will still be going – as long as they start the same time I can watch both.

Who is the greatest ever runner? I’d probably say Kelly Holmes. I’m not necessarily saying it’s the greatest ever performance in history, but for me – I remember watching her in Athens in 2004 and seeing her do the 800m and thinking that’s really, really cool. And then the 1,500m, remember when she was clear at the end and she had about 10 metres to go and you knew she was going to win, and get her second gold. That moment was really, really important to me. That was my earliest Olympic memory, her winning the two golds in Athens. So probably Kelly.

Dina Asher-Smith was speaking at the Nike Free: Force of Nature showcase, launching the Nike Free 2015 collection. For more information visit nike.com.

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