Paula Radcliffe Quotes

I can't imagine living and not running.

We, as athletes, have our suspicions about who's cheating, but I'm not convinced that the testing has yet caught up with what people are using or what they are using to disguise it.

I don't feel guilty in having pleasure!

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

You can't magic yourself back 10 years.

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.

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

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

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

I have always run as hard as I can. You are not going to run any harder with or without men. You are running on your own two feet.

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

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

No one remembers who came fourth.

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.

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.

I used to say that the newspapers were tomorrow's fish and chip paper, but I didn't really mean it; I could still be hurt by what they said. After Athens, I just didn't care.

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

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

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

In the marathon anything can happen.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

I apologise to people when I need to.

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 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.

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

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 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.

I don't like going away from my children.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.