• Motivator Newsletter

    Need a focus or motivation for the week? Sign up to receive a weekly newsletter and a Free First Year Journal to begin your healthy lifelong journey .
    First Name
    * Email
    * = Required Field
    Your email will not be sold or used inappropriately. You may unsubscribe at any time.
  • Featured Sites

    Tutor.com Special Promotion
    50 minutes of online tutoring for $1.00 with this code: CPISR50M

    Your Ad Here!
  • Search


  • Topics

  • Blogroll

  • « Friday Faves: Candle Scent | Main | Everlast Energy Studio Pants Review »

    Paula Radcliffe Needs No One’s Approval

    By Cindy | November 9, 2007

    After 2 hours and 23 minutes, Paula Radcliffe crossed the finish line to win the New York City Marathon for women. 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 23 minutes–that’s a little over 5 minute miles! Rather than focus on her victory, judgments are made about her training so soon after pregnancy. She gave birth 9 months prior to the marathon, New Mom’s NYC Marathon Win Stirs Debate. What she did is amazing. The average person is not going to get up and go run a marathon so soon after pregnancy, but for an exceptional athlete, why not? We use pregnancy as an excuse to avoid fitness. We convince ourselves that we are not as fit as we were prior to pregnancy. We are the keepers of our own bodies. We choose to listen or not. Paula Radcliffe had a desire to immediately return to top competitive ranks. She made the sacrifices and suffered the consequences of her training.  For both the challenges she faced by over-training early and for returning to peak condition, she made those decisions for herself. I respect any person that makes that commitment regardless of media and all of our crazy opinions posted on the internet. 2 hours and 23 minutes!!!  Wow! Now, I know that I can’t use my children as the excuse for not completing a half-marathon, especially when it is scheduled 2 and 1/2 years after my last baby was born. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation, Paula!!!

    Don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed and join in the Journey. Thanks for visiting!

    Topics: Current Events |

    Related Posts

  • The Starting Line: Medical and Body Composition Assessments
  • 5 Responses to “Paula Radcliffe Needs No One’s Approval”

    1. workoutmommy Says:
      November 10th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

      I agree…she should be applauded, not criticized! Being an elite runner is her job! She simply went back to work, like many mothers do after having their children. I’m glad to read that she gave some credit to her husband too. :)

    2. Nap Warden Says:
      November 10th, 2007 at 3:41 pm

      Amen! It’s taking me a lot longer to get back into marathon shape;)

    3. Blaine Moore (Run to Win) Says:
      November 11th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

      Yeah, it’s her job, why shouldn’t she go back to work?

      Exercise is one of the best things for your body both before the baby is born and afterwards. Perhaps not at the level that she trained at, but I am sure that she was better off than taking two years out of competition.

      I was happy to see her win. Not as happy as if an American had won, but…

    4. Cindy Says:
      November 14th, 2007 at 7:39 am

      Great points! It’s been neat to see the positive comments and view points about Paula’s Marathon victory. BlogHer put together a great post titled, Marathon Mom Paula Radcliffe Raises Contraversy (Supposedly).

    5. Fit and Healthy Links | workoutmommy.com Says:
      November 16th, 2007 at 9:26 pm

      […] Workout Mom writes in support of Paula Radcliffe’s NYC Marathon victory. I agree with her that Paula is a source of inspiration and […]

    Comments