I had no idea what it took to be a mom ... Seeing her at the Olympics, Dara Torres is now one of my role models. Paula Radcliffe, too. I had no idea what it took mentally to have a child and come back out and train and compete.
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This next year won't be any different - even if people hate to hear that. I'm going to be focusing on every aspect of the bike, the team, the strategy, the training, the hard work, the sacrifice. There are no secrets. To the critics, I would say, believe it or not, there are exceptional athletes out there. Michael Phelps ... Paula Radcliffe.
All runners are welcome, from elite athletes to fun runners, young and old. Whether you are an aspiring Paula Radcliffe or are simply looking to set yourself a challenge, Run Balmoral is the ideal event for runners of all levels.
You can never say you've had the best field ever unless Paula Radcliffe is there
I must be able to run faster than 2hr 23min ... I think it’s weird that I manage to hit it within one second both times and run it totally different. Having run it before helps and the fact that the field is so strong makes a difference. It’s not as fast as London. My goal is to win the race; my secondary goal is to break the course record. I think it can go under 2:20.
We were taking Isla to the beach every day for about two weeks, but after about five days after the race I started going out for a little run in the morning, just 30 minutes, then 30 minutes at night. But the focus was really on having a mental break and just running, because that was what I felt my body needed to do and not pushing it which I was having to do pre-Beijing.
In 2004, I probably didn’t realise what a big step everyone else thought I was taking until I got here and did the press conference and read some of the stuff afterwards
I’ve been lucky with the successes I’ve had ... I certainly wouldn’t swap the world records for it [Olympic gold]. I would probably trade one of the New York wins, but not both, because New York was important to me too. All the time I’m still running, I feel I have another shot at the Olympics, so I wouldn’t trade too much of what I’ve got.