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PAULA RADCLIFFE RECORD-BREAKING marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, 38, is training for the London Olympics. She lives in Monaco with husband Gary Lough and children Isla, five, and
Raphael, one. KEEPSAKE I HAVE just been in Kenya training for a couple of months. The toughest thing was being away from my family, so I’ve used Skype to keep in touch with my children. I took lots of photos of the family with me. The children grow up so fast, it’s wonderful to capture those memories. DESIGNER ADDICTION MY HUSBAND Gary knows I have a severe weakness for bags — he tends to buy them for me to mark special occasions. After a big race there’s lots to be done, like routine drug testing and press conferences, so when I won the New York Marathon in 2007 it was about 5pm before I got back to the hotel. Gary had more than enough time to buy me a beautiful black denim Louis Vuitton bag (pictured) to say well done and surprise me. He also bought me a Prada bag to celebrate Isla’s birth, and another Louis Vuitton to celebrate Raphael’s. It’s fair to say they are my Achilles heel. INDULGENCE MY BIGGEST weakness is dark French Côte d’or chocolate. I eat about four squares in the morning and four or five in the afternoon. I don’t think it’s particularly bad, especially when you’re on the go as much as I am, so I don’t feel guilty about it; it’s just always there in the fridge.
Anyway, i t’s high in magnesium, iron and flavonoids. Red wine has similar properties and I love that, too. A glass a couple of times a week is no problem, at all. SPORTING PIN-UP I REALLY like tennis. We went to Wimbledon both times I was pregnant, and I’ve been several times to watch the tennis in Monaco. My favourites are Roger Federer (right) and Rafael Nadal. I used to play when I was younger, but it was more just knocking a ball around. I wouldn’t say I naturally excelled in it. MAKING A SPLASH WE LIVE in an apartment in Monaco overlooking Larvotto Beach. Luckily, both my children love the sea. One of my favourite ways of spending time with them is to pick Isla up from school and take her swimming there. Both children are so relaxed about water. Isla was in the water at two-and-a-half weeks old and taught herself to swim at three-and-a-half years. BIG APPLE HANGOUT WITH the New York marathon, I spend a lot of time in America and I love the buzz and the energy of the city. But my favourite place of all is Central Park (left). I love to run around the two-and-a-half mile reservoir. It’s so beautiful — a huge lake with swans, trees and birds — so you feel like you’re in the middle of nature, but then you look up and you’ve got the New York skyline. It sums up everything I love about the place. BEAUTY MUST I’M NEVER without Crème de la Mer eye and lip balm, which is a total luxury, but I’m running outside so much it’s important to look after my skin as it can get quite chapped.
I love to smell wonderful and Gary bought me Creed’s Love In Black, which is a real favourite. GLAM FROCK I CAN’T dress up for my day job, so whenever I get the chance I love to wear something really glamorous, like this Phillip Lim dress (left) I wore for the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year a few years back. Another favourite is a little black dress from Alexander Mcqueen which I wear again and again. It makes me look and feel fantastic. Some clothes, especially evening dresses, end up at the back of the wardrobe and ten years later I find I want to wear them again. KITCHEN OBSESSION GARY and I love cooking at home. One of the things I enjoy most after I’ve finished going on a run is to go home and bake cakes, pies and scones — I find it really relaxing.
I might take Isla out to collect blackberries or raspberries and then make a blackberry pie or put them in a cake. Isla loves that, because it’s something she’s picked and made herself.