Paula Radcliffe Quotes

Go in any direction..seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.

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

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.

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

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.

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

I am not going to let Athens affect the rest of my life.

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.

As an athlete, there are advantages being with a team and getting regular physio...

I deliberately returned slowly to training after Raphael was born and everything, apart from being bitten by a dog while out training in Monaco at the beginning of the year, has gone pretty well.

Every time I go out and race it's a goal to go out and run faster than I've done before.

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 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.

In the marathon anything can happen.

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

There's always going to be somebody who takes a dislike to you and you can't waste time worrying about it.

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.

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

No one remembers who came fourth.

In the week before a race, I try to stay away from germ areas. I keep disinfectant wipes in my bag for when I have to use a supermarket trolley or something like that.

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

I can't imagine living and not running.

I would be happy with an Olympic bronze. What I don't have is an Olympic medal.

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

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

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

You can't magic yourself back 10 years.

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.

You can wish as hard as you like but all that really matters is the shape you're in on the day of the race. I've always felt these really big races aren't necessarily won by whoever is the fastest. They're won by the athlete who is the smartest and in the best shape on the day.

It's good to be back, feeling like myself and enjoying it.

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

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.

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

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

I was glad I did a year abroad, because it helped me as an athlete and as a person. That took me out of my comfort zone. Watching the French athletes train in the Pyrenees made me realise what I had to do to become a top athlete.

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.

The cheats always have a way of justifying their behaviour - everyone else is getting away with it, so why shouldn't I? But because they're so reliant on the drugs - and the drugs are not always perfect, you're not guaranteed to peak at a big event - they don't have the confidence to look in the mirror and know that they can go out and give their best. If you're clean and you've prepared well for a race, that's where you have an edge.

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 don't like going away from my children.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

I have achieved a lot and I'm grateful for that - I'm just a bit greedy because I want to add the Olympics. It's once every four years - everyone wants it and very few people get it.

It's totally different from last year because I came in with good shape with no health worries so it was about going out there and running well and enjoying it.

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