Buckle your seatbelts Britain - it's time for another ride on the Radcliffe rollercoaster.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4440209.stm By Scarlett Elworthy That's Paula Radcliffe, the 31-year-old Bedford lass who has won a special place in the nation's heart in recent years. Let's begin with despair. Remember when she just missed out on a 10,000m medal in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and again in the 2001 World Championships where she was overhauled by three Africans on the final lap? But Radcliffe has also made us proud - 2002 was a brilliant year with a winning debut in the London Marathon, 10,000m success at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, and a world record in the Chicago Marathon. Then she had us in awe when she smashed the marathon record again in London in 2003. Radcliffe, with her nodding head and flaying arms, seemed invincible. But then came the heartache as the dream of 2004 Olympic marathon glory melted in the heat of Athens. Her decision to run the 10,000m a few days later met a mixed reaction and few were surprised when that also ended in tears. But fast forward eight months and Radcliffe is a different animal to the one we saw defeated and distraught in Greece. Having bounced back with victory in November's New York Marathon, a resurgent Radcliffe is now determined to silence talk that she is on the brink of burnout. "What happened in Athens has made me tougher and more determined," she told BBC Sport ahead of her third London Marathon. "Now I care less about criticism and what other people think. "I'm never going to eradicate the experience entirely - and I know I am going to be reminded of it at every press conference I do - but I am not going to let it affect the rest of my career. "It is in the past and I will not allow myself to become bitter and dwell on it." Olympic 10,000m silver medallist and former London Marathon winner Liz McColgan is reported to be one of those who fears Radcliffe has been pushing herself too hard and is now past her best. But Radcliffe is defiant when talking about her winter schedule, which began with that victory in New York, took in 10 weeks altitude training in New Mexico and finished with a second place behind Kenya's Isabella Ochichi in the New Orleans Crescent City Classic 10km in March. And she insists the stomach problem she suffered in Greece because of the anti-inflammatory drugs she was taking to treat a leg injury is now under control. "Some people may say I was wrong to run New York so soon after the Olympics, but I felt I could win and I did," she said. "The people around me were happy I ran the race, and they are the ones I listen to. "Athens taught me that you can't please everyone but you can please yourself. I now know the importance of doing what is right for me. Radcliffe celebrates her marathon record in London in 2003 "You cannot wrap yourself in cotton wool. When you are a marathon runner, sooner or later, you have to get out there and put the miles in. "Naturally, I didn't enjoy being beaten in New Orleans. I should have run faster given the training that I had done, but perhaps I carried too many miles into that race. "But it wasn't a disaster. I don't feel I am past it. I am fully focused on London and feel the Paula Radcliffe star is still shining brightly. "I may be getting older but I'm stronger and have more endurance than I used to, and my speed is no different. "I've had to make adjustments to my diet to help increase my energy absorption rates. I'm off things like wheat, gluten and dairy, but it just means I eat more rice and potatoes. "They say people only have a certain number of marathon wins in them - but that number is different for everyone and you can't put a limit on how many races you do." And after London? Well things are never dull in Paula world, and whatever happens this weekend three big questions will remain. What will she run at the World Championships in Helsinki in August - the marathon or 10,000m? Will she ever skip London to run Boston and so complete the "big city marathon grand slam"? And will she make the Beijing Games in 2008? On Tuesday, at a pre-London press gathering, she gave some hints. "What I run at the Worlds is going to be a tough decision and I've got to think about it," Radcliffe said. As for Boston, she added: "It is difficult because at some point I do want to run that race. "I want to run all of the 'big city' marathons that I can fit in, but it's going to clash with London every year and it will be hard to turn away from that." But on the Olympic question she is clear. "Even before Athens I always said I wanted another Games and if London wins 2012 then I'd hope to make the team for that too." So brace yourself and stock up on the hankies for Sunday, because record-breaking triumph or demoralising defeat, Radcliffe's compelling career appears to have quite a way to go. ENDS
