Paula struggles on comeback but don't write her off

PAULA RADCLIFFE returned to competition at the Bupa London 10,000 today but her comeback didn't go quite to plan.

The world marathon record-holder didn't seem to have particularly high expectations and she admitted on Twitter she felt race-rusty but even so, her time of 33:17 didn't really invite much optimism and Radcliffe admitted the race was 'a bit of a disaster.'

While it would have been imprudent to expect Paula to return to optimum form, her time, which only sufficed for third, was almost three minutes adrift of her eight-year-old world record of 30:21.

But perhaps this is telling, as this performance was set when Paula was at the height of her powers in 2003 and while she's achieved some superlative performances since, none more so than the world marathon record of 2:15:25, the miles on the clock seem to be starting to show.

Indeed, the most worrying aspect of her comeback race was she admitted she's been coping with a tear in a disc in her back and while the injury hasn't affected Paula's training to a large extent, it is the latest in a succession of injuries and illnesses which have plagued the 37-year-old, who first represented Britain as a senior in 1993.

The injury means Paula's been forced to rule out a return to international duty on the track at the World Championships but she's still able to do high mileage the roads which means an autumn marathon could still be on the cards, even if Daegu is out of the question.

However, missing the World Championships could play to her advantage as it will allow her to focus solely on an autumn marathon and while Paula was hoping for a faster time, the alarm bells won't be ringing just yet. Her comeback marathon is most likely to be Chicago on October 9, meaning Paula still has the best part of five months to rediscover competitive form.

Paula's body has become increasingly susceptible to the high demands of world-class marathon training but the application, dedication and mental fortitude are still there, even though she's been at the summit of world long-distance running for the past twenty years. How many athletes could still maintain Paula's desire, hunger and optimism given she's endured more than her fair share of setbacks?

All of these traits have made Paula one of the greatest and most respected marathon runners of all-time and even though her performance in London today wasn't one of her best, it would still be churlish to write her off for London 2012.