My ‘Say it, Do it’ schedule has been somewhat sidelined this week due to a swollen ankle unfortunately, and I am seriously looking forward to a weekend full of rest, food, drink and friends out of London!!

My Friday treats this week have been; a lie in, writing up the Paula interview, and I’m being taken out for lunch today by my lovely boyfriend. What more could I ask for!

I’d just like to make it clear that this was not my interview with Paula Radcliffe, I was just lucky enough to be there to watch and listent to it! That means that these are not the exact answers, but answers based on the notes and videos that I took!

Q: There must be days when you don’t want to go out and train, how do you keep yourself motivated?
A: I do mostly love running, I think when you get time out through injury it reinforces how much you love it and how much you want to get back out there and run. I also think about that on days when it’s hard to get out there and run. New kit is a motivating factor for me, new shoes, make me feel good. New songs, different routes, just mixing things up.

Q: What are your food weaknesses?
A: I don’t see them as weaknesses, they are my treats! I love dark chocolate and red wine.

Fun fact- Paula’s dad used to run marathons, and she couldn’t wait to join a track club when she was 9!

Q: Where are your three favourite places to run?
A: New York, anywhere by the seaside and Hyde Park in London.

Q: What do you think are the factors holding a lot of women back from running?
A: Confidence, safety- are they safe out there running, being seen by cars, are they running alone or in a group.

Fun fact: Paula is the women’s marathon world record holder in 2hrs 15min and 25 seconds, set in 2004 at the London Marathon!

Q: What advice would you give someone training for their first 10K race?
A:The first step is the most important step. Make sure you have the right shoes and the right kit in order to have a comfortable enjoyable experience Either join a run club or follow a plan to train for the race so that you have the best chance of achieving your goals in the race.

Q: What do you think are some of the benefits of running for your body?
A: It helps you respect your body, keeps you more in tune with it and know whats happening within your body. I knew I was pregnant much sooner than most people do because I was so in touch with my body.

Fun fact- did you know that whilst Paula is running, she counts to 100 over and over again, to keep her in the moment and to keep her thinking about what’s happening next and to allow herself to stay calm.

Unfortunately the interviewer didn’t take any questions from the floor, but if they had I would have asked whether it’s better to stick to a specific distance and train focusing on that, or to mix it up with different distances. What would you have asked her?

Have a great weekend!