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

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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