Jo Pavey will e-mail Liz McColgan for advice as she prepares to try to match the Scot's achievement in winning a 10,000 metres World Championship medal in Japan.

McColgan won gold in Tokyo in 1991 and Pavey is stepping up from a successful 5,000m career to concentrate on the longer distance in Osaka, although she hopes to be chosen for both events.

The Commonwealth silver medallist - as she has done in the past - will ask McColgan how she steeled herself for racing in what will be very hot and humid weather conditions.

"She's someone I've always admired - I'm inspired by what she has achieved," said Pavey.

Pavey - winner of the 5000m at the World Championship trials in Manchester on Sunday - said: "I'm going to e-mail her and ask how she prepared in the last few weeks before Tokyo."

Pavey needs no reminding of how tough it will be slogging out 25 laps at a venue described by her Great Britain team-mate, Japan-based Mara Yamauchi, as "heat island".

Yamauchi, who will run the marathon at the worlds, recently revealed: "Osaka is in a valley, so it's hotter than other Japanese cities.

"Even at seven in the morning, the sun has been up for three hours and is high in the sky.

"And all of the air-conditioning units in the shops, offices, factories and homes blow more hot air out into the atmosphere."

That has prompted Pavey to ask McColgan how she spent her last three-and-a-half weeks before winning her gold medal.

McColgan's victory in Tokyo is still rated as one of the greatest distance runs by a British athlete.

In a temperature of 27 degrees and 78% humidity, she destroyed her highly-rated opponents.

The Scot led throughout the race, scoring a 21 seconds success ahead of the much-better acclimatised Chinese star Huandi Zhong, just nine months after giving birth to her first child Eilish.

"Those were the days and it was very tough," said McColgan from her Carnoustie home.

"Of course I will give Jo as much assistance as possible on what she should now be doing.

"I actually exchanged e-mails with her last year when she decided to step up in distance and I'm looking to hear from her."

Pavey was in a race against the clock in Sunday's trial. She led from start to finish and won by almost 57 seconds in a time of 15 minutes, 17.77 seconds.

The UK champion, whose final race before Osaka will be over 3000m at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix on Friday, said: "I could have run a lot faster but the wind was too strong.

"It was a bit strange as I did not ease down for these championships. I needed to keep the mileage high for the 10km in Osaka," she said.

"I will start to ease off a little for Crystal Palace."