Paula eyes Beijing
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ByEurosport
Published 04/11/2005 at 12:31 GMT
"It's important to me after what happened in Athens to go to Beijing and run well," Paula Radcliffe told Eurosport from her French training camp in Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees. The British marathon world champion speaks with David Dybman about her q
ATHLETICS 2006 Radcliffe
Image credit: Imago
Paula Radcliffe trains at altitude in Fort Romeu in the Pyrenees for the summer months of every year, having discovered the location while studying Modern Languages at university.
Eurosport caught up with her to find a talkative Paula keen to push on for the Commonwealth games, European championships and ultimately Beijing and possibly even London...
Paula came back from her Athens heartbreak - where physical problems saw her come 9th in the 10,000m and fail to finish the marathon - to triumph in the longest race at World Championships in Helsinki.
The press and public weren't always as confident as her though, especially when she slipped back to ninth in the 10k...
"My main goal going into the world championships was to win the marathon.
"I would have liked to have run a good performance 10k, but unfortunately it didn't work out without compromising the marathon preparation."
"I didn't read any of the press (after slipping away in the 10k)... I just went away and carried on preparing."
"I just focus on doing what's going to get the best out of me in a compeition.
"The pressure was really just from myself because I knew I was in really good shape and capable of winning the race."
"It was important for me to win a world title, because I'd never won a major world title at a summer competition."
Eurosport: And what about doing two distance events in the same summer games, does it not just take too much out of you?
"Five weeks is enough between events (to do a marathon and a 10k), with more than enough time to prepare for the London marathon afterwards."
EYE ON BEIJING
Paula will be looking to truly redeem herself in forthcoming Olympic games:
"Beijing is a major goal... it's important to me after what happened in Athens to go to Beijing and run well."
Q: And what about your famous home crowd in London?
"I would love to be able to still be competing well and to make the Great Britain team for the 2012 Olympics in London.
"I think it will be great for sport in Britain and I think we'll put on a good show."
Q: Is there a great deal of difference between preparing for the 10k and the Marathon?
"It's not hugely different...
"I think it's a little bit harder for the marathon but once I'd stepped up to the marathon and increased my training in terms of duration and intensity, I think it actually helped me to run faster over the shorter distances."
Q: How many marathons can you run in a year?
"I think two to three maximum, but it depends on how hard you run them and how much break you take afterwards.
"Every marathon is different... you just have to learn to listen to your body and the warning signs."
Q: What's been your best marathon experience (other than London...)?
"All of my marathons have been special in some way... Helsinki will be special because it was my first world title.
"New York was very special too, coming back after Athens and getting the chance just to go out and enjoy myself and the way the atmosphere changes as you run through the five boroughs..."
"But London I'm in front of my home crowd and especially the crowd support and the atmosphere, it's very difficult to beat that."
"I have a long list of marathons I'd like to run but sadly you can only run a couple of marathons in a year!"
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