NO PAIN NO GAIN` - THE SECRET OF PAULA`S SUCCESS

EXCUSES are constantly being made as to why Britain's leading distance runners are no longer able to make an impact on the world stage. Sociological and physiological factors are usually recognised as being key reasons why athletes from African nations seem to hold all the aces. Is this true? For Paula Radcliffe never seems to have a problem challenging the best!

Radcliffe will never win prizes for grace, but when it comes to sheer guts and determination the Bedford athlete would top the podium every time - maybe Britain's leading men could do a lot worse than take a leaf out of her book.

I would attribute her growing success to three factors.

The first is her total single-minded approach on what she wants to achieve in the sport. Secondly, she, and her coaching team, are not set in their ways (unlike a lot of British coaches) and are constantly looking for the right formula in her training. Finally, and possibly the most important, she is not afraid of hard work and will gladly run herself to collapse if it brings the desired result.

It is easy to sit down and talk to Paula for five minutes and heartily believe whatever she achieves in the sport is richly deserved.

The World 10,000m silver medallist was agonisingly pushed out of the medals in Sydney, but, true to her character, she has swept all before her since her return from Down Under - including a massive victory in the BUPA Great North Run and a World half marathon gold medal in Mexico.

Prior to the Great North Cross Country, she let onrunning in on some of her training secrets.

It is not surprising to hear that she regularly runs in excess of 115 miles-a-week, but this is just the background to some of the 'quality' sessions that she has to endure in the space of seven days, the eighth day being her regular, well-deserved, day off.

Most athletes will tell you that being in a good group is massively important and Radcliffe, 27 just before last Christmas, is lucky to be able to pull on the tail of her husband, former international 1500m runner Gary Lough.

She explained: "It's a big help because he provides quality in a session which is less of a strain for me. He certainly has no problems keeping up with me."

Unlike most international runners, the former Loughborough student endures a tough hill session three times each week at the hardest part of her winter schedule. This is always done in the evening following a brisk 30 minute run in the morning.

Paula is often criticised for lacking a finishing kick, but this is something she is well aware of and working at overcoming in the summer when she plans to tackle more races over 1500m. She even runs 150m reps as almost a third session on Monday evenings.

She always trains twice each day, the base being steady-state runs, but attributes a lot of her success to gruelling six and a half minute reps, usually done on a Friday evening.

Interestingly, when Paula is training at her base in Font Romeu, France, she backs-up her training with 45 minute cross country skiing sessions which she is sure acts as a good aerobic and conditioning session.

"Cross country skiing is a perfect cardiovascular workout, it's great for your back and stomach muscles," she said.

Her coach, Alex Stanton, is also planning to introduce a plyometrics session before the summer campaign. She intended to incorporate this workout last year but was unable to do so because of injury.

Her whole life is based around her training and preparation for the big races and she will continue to reap the rewards with such a philosophy.

She will compete next in Seville, followed by Belfast and Tourcoing, France, before heading off to Albuquerque, New Mexico at the beginning of February for five weeks of solid preparation for the World Cross Country Championships.

"This is where the really hard training begins," added Radcliffe.

Can it get any harder?

Jonny Wootton.