Paula Radcliffe Quotes

I have always loved running on the roads, ever since I used to take part in relays for my club when I was 12 and 13. I felt really at home on the surface.

I was thinking back to all the time in the gym, working hard, and that spurred me on [winning New York marathon just ten months after giving birth

I've been to three Olympics and I don't feel I've ever quite achieved my best at any of them.

In my Olympic history I don't think I have achieved my potential as an athlete. That's what I want when I look back at my career. I want to be able to say I gave it my best shot.

I think your body is just a little bit stronger after pregnancy.

For an athlete, the biggest pressure comes from within. You know what you want to do and what you're capable of.

You see, with me, when I'm nervous, I smile and laugh.

I'm confident of what I have to achieve in the buildup to London 2012.

Running gives me a lot of pleasure. It's something I'll always do, as long as I can.

I am not driven by any bitterness by what happened in Athens. I learnt a lot of lessons from it and probably came through it a stronger person in the end. There have been a lot of near misses, and that's taught me to keep persevering and that there is a chance it can come right.

An Olympic medal won't define my whole life, although it might look like it to onlookers. When I look back, I should have been able to get an Olympic medal.

Doing the long endurance stuff seems to have given me the strength to sustain the speed. I think my body is just a lot stronger (thanks to the marathon) ... By increasing the long runs, I found that does not take anything away from the speed but increases the strength on the track.

You can't magic yourself back 10 years.

From my training I can get a good idea of what I'm capable of.

Actually I don't choose to expose myself in public. I choose to compete; the other side just comes with the package.

I've always been good at putting things behind me - I fall apart, do my crying bit and then put it away and move it.

If I start planning then that's dangerous because then I have a target that I'm blinkered towards and I won't listen to the warning signs quite so much. I'd rather be in shape and then look around and say there's a race next week and jump into that than have it planned.

I never plan to run at a certain pace. All my career my motto has been 'no limits.' I don't try to run with a set time in mind, sticking to set splits, because what happens if you're ahead of your splits - are you going to slow down?

I have been doing 120 miles a week, when normally I would do about 140.

I took a lot of bad things after Athens. I just learnt to deal with it. The problem was beforehand I had this feeling where I was trying to please everybody - I wanted everybody to like me.

Yeah, ideally, I'd probably wish to be more anonymous. But scrutiny and success go together. And I want to be successful.

I've had a lot of success over the years racing in New York, but the main point is that I feel the marathon is a different event, a lot more my event.

A half marathon is a good way to have a bit of fun and race against those girls and learn a bit more about them. The world half marathon is a world championship at the end of the day and it's important. I've win it twice and it's a quality event.

I can swim I'm not bad, but not great.

I can't imagine living and not running.

Plenty of people who are 38 have run really well in the marathon.

I actually got a nice surprise about being a mother because I expected it to be harder and to have to make more adaptations.

The biggest danger is trying to put too much pressure on yourself, trying to get in too good shape.

I felt totally myself, nothing like the emptiness and horrible feeling I had then [pulling out the Olympics] - no dizziness.

Today was not about times, it was about getting in there, enjoying the race, and enjoying the atmosphere

The Olympics is not a race I want to watch on television and think 'I wonder what I could have done if I was there?

I prefer just a women's race. It's a totally different game mentally.

To represent your country at a home Olympics is something special and I'm over the moon to be selected for Team GB. I was pleased to get the qualifying time in Berlin earlier this year and my sole focus is getting in the right shape for London.

Never set limits, go after your dreams, don't be afraid to push the boundaries. And laugh a lot - it's good for you!

If you look back at my marathons and ask whether I would swap one of them for my one balls-up, of course I would. But you can't choose. You have to make the best of it on the day.

People are lying when they say that their record being broken is good for the development of the event. I would like mine to remain as long as possible, please.

When you get close to race day, there's that anticipation and excitement - it's the same whatever level you're running at because the marathon is like a festival.

At big championships it's not the fastest person, it's the person who gets it right on the day.

I apologise to people when I need to.

It's important that athletes can compete on a level playing field. And youngsters coming into the sport can know that if they are working hard and training hard, they'll see a true reflection of where they stand and what they can achieve worldwide and not be swayed by people who are cheating.

I set myself some specific goals, but the key one is just getting myself into as good a shape as possible for one day this year: the Olympic marathon.

I have not had the chance to go out there and do myself justice in an Olympic marathon yet. I have not been able to get to an Olympic marathon injury-free yet.

You can't become a winner overnight, or even in a couple of years-it takes time ... You will lose races and you will have to accept that, learn from it and believe that you'll win the next one, knowing that you'll probably lose that as well. All the time you have to keep believing that one day you will win.

I prefer to be in tune with my surroundings and to be aware of things. I like listening to my foot strike and my breathing. It can be quite soothing.

You can be strong and true to yourself without being rude or loud.

I just want to be in the best shape I can be. Not to stand on that start line and say: 'Oh my God, I have this injury and that injury.' I just want to be able to go out and race.