BEIJING 2008

“Running in the Olympic Games in the green and gold is the greatest honour that can ever be bestowed upon you. I am very lucky that I’ve been to two Olympics, and I hope that Beijing will be my best Olympic performance. I would love to be in the top ten. In Sydney, I was injured and finished 66th; I went into Athens so vented up on frustration to prove that I was better than that, and I ended up cooking myself and coming 28th. So this year, I want to keep everything simple, and do everything right.

“If I finish in the top ten, I would love to continue on to the London Olympics in 2012. But a lot of it will be determined on how I perform in Beijing. If I don’t finish in the top 20, I will definitely be retiring.”

MONDAY
“We call it Mondayitis, because you’re so tired from Saturday and Sunday, so Monday is a bit of a writeoff. A 16km run in the morning, then back out at 5pm for the second run of the day. I also get a massage to help with recovery.”

TUESDAY
“Session day. It could be reps or fartlek (continuous intervals). And then the second run in the arvo.”

WEDNESDAY
“Long run day, and also rehab day. I do my long run in the morning, and then an hour of Pilates during the day. And the second run.”

THURSDAY
“Track session. Anything from 1km reps to 200m reps. And then out the door again in the afternoon.”

FRIDAY
“Like Monday, recovering from the hard last few days; 16km in the morning, then during the day I see the deep tissue masseuse, and get my body smashed around to try and keep it all in one piece. Of course, then the second run in the arvo.”

SATURDAY
“Session day or race day. Either a race I’ve entered, or a 16km hill session. Then back out at 5pm again.”

SUNDAY
“I’m up at 7am and out the door for two and a half hours of running over a range of terrains and hills. Most of the day is a write-off, because you come home so tired. Then back out the door in the afternoon for the second run.”

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