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Yelling
The progress she made since beginning to train full time two years ago was halted
2003-09-26
Liz Yelling appreciates its a backhand compliment, but she just wishes that shed be identified for herself sometimes rather than her lifetime friend, club colleague and occasional training partner, Paula Radcliffe. But a slender fair-haired woman charging round the streets of Loughborough is inevitably going to be taken for the marathon world record holder. Yelling is going to confuse the issue even more when she makes her own marathon debut in Berlin on Sunday morning."It happened a lot when I was younger," recalls Yelling. "And now Ive moved back to Loughborough, we live just a mile apart, and when Im out training, I get people shouting, Come on Paula. But if they mistake me in races, they must wonder why shes running so badly".
Yelling doesn do herself justice. She has run inside 32 minutes for 10,000 metres, when she represented England at last years Commonwealth Games, can run close to 70min in the half-marathon, and if she goes well in this debut marathon, shell be in line for selection to join her est friend on the start line of the Olympic race in Athens next year.
The progress she made since beginning to train full time two years ago was halted by a winter virus followed by an Achilles tendon injury, forcing her to miss the track season. But acqua-jogging - "dead-boring" - has kept her in cardiovascular shape, and she feels the 2hr 32min Athens qualifying time should be well within her capabilities. "Its taken me a while to build up my training, you can just jump from 75 to 140 miles a week, Im doing 105 now compared to Paulas 145. Ill err on the side of caution on Sunday, and go for 2.30/2.31 pace, get to 20 miles and see whats left. If I get the qualifying time, Ill just focus on Athens".
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