Axford is used to the camaraderie of team sport, but thinks there is a misconception that athletics is always a lonely, individual pursuit.
“We have a team of six women who are going out to compete [at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya],” she said.
“There is a team result at the end of it as well, that is something that I really enjoy about the sport and something I wasn’t expecting.
“Everyone is very supportive, everyone wants to see you succeed.”
Yet women’s middle-distance running is experiencing a golden era in the UK, with Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson joined by Jemma Reekie and Bell in a rare British one-two-three at the top of the distance’s world performance lists.
Further international selections for Axford will not come easy, but for now the pressure is off as she dips her toe in the muddy fields of cross country.
“It is definitely going to be a bit of learning as well as enjoying the moment,” she acknowledged.
“It is just a real opportunity for me to see how I line up against some of the best in Europe.”
Axford will then chase qualifying times for the European Indoor Championships in March, with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles a long-term hope, just as it was in her previous sport.
“I was lucky to have been coached by [2016 Olympic hockey champion and former GB captain] Alex Danson when I played hockey,” she revealed.
“She is an incredible person and someone I look up to a lot. Her values and integrity, you can take into any sport.”