Oh look, Paula's moaning again...

[Enid]

\link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/4781418.stm\bet she's OK for the London Marathon though (you get paid for winning that)}

really truly couldnt give two shits about her or her husband

but nailpolish obviously you do

"she is up her own arse i think - very 'me me me' "

That's what I'm saying - the media does a good job of making her look that way - but she's not!

yes maybe you are right

drugs

the classic moment for me was when her coach was on Radio 4 saying something like "people forget what an achievement it was for her to run that far"... er actually no, her job was to run 26 point whatever miles, had she run more then THAT would be an achievement. Bit like my boss saying "well Meowmix didn't finish the press release but people forget what an achievement it was for her to write 3 paragraphs..."

(now if I ran 26 millimetres that would be a REAL achievement)

where were all you lot during that classic post Olympics thread?

look its enough of an achievement that I'm here now....

(ahem)

Read recently that Liz McGolgan had her 5th child a wee while ago at the age of 40. Always really like her and was even more sdmiring when I read that.

yes liz mccolgan is really nice

there was a joke circulating (fondly, its a local thing) about her

she was on Wogan

Wogan said "comfy?" when she sat down

liz said "Dundee"

im wiht enid
you missed a corker
mind you i bumped that thread abotu that woan who loved her dh mroe than her kdis and no one posted

naily

cod which thread

Just wondered...have any of you lot having a go at Paula actually ever run a marathon?

the "htat woman shdoul parp herself"
no but we like to criticse adn can do thta for a very long way

have bumoped

I agree Lapsedrunner.

And sprint training (which to her is waht a 5 or 10,000m run is) is very different from the slog of marathon training.

There's also a big difference between being ready for something next week and something that is 5 or 6 weeks away.

but its her job! its like me not being ready for a pitch or something - i don't have a choice, its my job I have to be ready or lose the business. its not like it was sprung on her at last minute is it!

....no replies so I guess none of you have run a marathon. In that case you may not appreciate the fine line between fitness and injury.

Give the woman a break, she's a human not a machine, she gets injured, it's one of the hazards of her job.

That's a good way of putting it Lapsedrunner - it is a hazard of the job.

Her body is her asset. If she has an injury, she has to judge how best to make the most of that asset and maximise its return - to consiute meowmix's business analogy.

...one of the things that I really hate about our country is how we are always sooooooo keen to knock down so quickly somebody who has achieved something special. Let's paint a scenario. You're at your place of work and you're having a bad day or going through a bit of a rough time which has an impact on your performance... you might even have to take a few days off sick....... immediately that happens your colleagues, friends and peers who have previously been highly supportive and are also happy to bask in your incredible success dig the knife in your back and start saying "well she's crap at her job anyway, or she's obviously not really up to it anyway". Would feel really nice wouldn't it ????? I'm not a particular fan of Paula Radcliffe but I do admire any sportsman or woman that achieves great success and gets to be one of the best rated in the world.... For any one person that makes it the top there are probably hundreds that have the ability but don't get there and thousands that don't have the ability but would love to.....there's years and years of work, dedication (and enjoyment !!!) that any top athlete puts in before they actually make it....and then the money kicks in from the sponsors that pay because that person is marketable and will earn them money.... and for a very short time only (commodities are always short term) I'll get off my soap box now and say I'll happily support ALL of our athletes that make it - good luck to them ! (waits for barrage of abuse and rocks to fly )

Ian Thorpe ("thorpedo" of many swimming gold medals" )has also today pulled out of the commonwealth games because of injury....wonder if his country members are knocking him or whether he's being supported so that he can get back into winning shape as quickly as possible....... just a thought

LR I agree with you to an extent. However as she gets older isn't it going to become increasingly difficult for her to be at a physical peak to do all 3 distances in such a short space of time and just maybe she should be thinking that one or the other is the way to go forward and take some of the pressure and expectation off. Is it already too late for another athlete to replace her so close to the event or is there noone else who has qualified ?

my work here is done

...come back Enid, we're up for a healthy debate !!!