Paula Radcliffe

I know that sounds like I had company on my week's "long run" in London's Hyde Park, but actually the company was in my head thanks to reading the Sunday papers just before setting out.

I'm not a huge fan of Runner's World, but I will buy any running magazine that has marathon superstar Paula Radcliffe on the cover. Well, I'm a Bit, and she's our best runner, male or female.

So the March RW cover story reveals that the 2:15 world record-holder Paula was "down to" 70 miles a week by month 7 of her pregnancy. Her earlier concession had been to slow from 5:30 to 6:30 per mile. And there's a picture of her in full stride, smile on her face, running that 42-minute 10k race in London's Hyde Park 14 weeks before giving birth.

It's not just that she's the best British woman runner, she's the best British runner, man or woman. So I' relieved that after two years out to have a baby, a bit nerve-wrackingly longer than we all expected due to an injury when she started serious training, then an uncharacteristic second place in her first race back (the Great North Run)... Paula Radcliffe is well and truly back.

Kara, I apologise on behalf of British runners everywhere.

Unfortunately, most of the crowds lining the route of the biggest half-marathon in the world are a) not runners and b) in the grip of the wild enthusiasm for the only British runner they've heard of -- ie "our Paula".

So, I'm sorry you had to run most of the race out in front, enduring "Go Paula!" over and over again.

The British newspaper the Daily Mail has what apparently is the first public photo of Paula Radcliffe's baby, Isla.

An accompanying story also talks about Paula's ill-fated decision to get back to training too quickly, and the injury to the base of her spine that resulted.

What do you think? Was Paula ill-advised to try to get back to training so quickly?

So now I'm getting it in the neck from all quarters with the outrageous suggestion that I shouldn't be doing deadlifts "at my age". Ha!

Browsing the news sites what do I find but a mini-epidemic of back injuries among British athletes training in the US:

1. "World Junior 100m champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey has returned to London after suffering a back injury during training in the United States. The 18-year-old is now having to rethink his plans for the summer..." (BBC news)

2. "Paula Radcliffe has pulled out of the Tesco Race for Life in London on Wednesday after another minor setback following her training camp in the United States. Radcliffe, who gave birth to a baby daughter in mid-January, suffered a back injury during her stay in Colorado..." (Sporting Life).

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Paula Radcliffe has started running again just twelve days after delivering her baby girl. Her daughter, Ilsa, was born after 27 long hours of labor on January 17, 2007.
The world record holder runner gave an exclusive interview with “Hello!” magazine, a popular publication in the UK. “After five days I was doing [...]

"Newborn child of Paula Radcliffe and Gary Lough is given 100-1 chance of winning the London Marathon in the future"....

reports Athletics Weekly. Full story here.

Congratulations to Paula Radcliffe, who has given birth to a baby girl -- and the clock is ticking on her return to racing.

The 33-year-old marathon world record holder delivered a healthy baby at Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco. "We are both over the moon to announce the arrival of our daughter, Isla. The birth certainly wasn’t easy but she is well worth it", she said.

BBC news reported: "The three-time London Marathon winner is targeting a return to action in time for this year's World Athletics Championships in Japan in August, where she will contest the 10,000m or the marathon."