Paula Radcliffe has confirmed she will defend her New York Marathon title next week after overcoming recent injuries.The former world marathon champion, 35, missed the Berlin World Championships with injury and withdrew from the world half marathon due to tonsilitis.
Adding that the 2012 London Olympics remained her top priority, she told Sportsweek: "I'm looking forward to running really well in New York.
"After the races I've missed I'm going to be really grateful to be there."
It has been a difficult 15 months for Radcliffe who celebrates her 36th birthday in December.
My intention is totally to be there in 2012, to be on that team competing in an amazing opportunity at the Olympics
Paula Radcliffe
She has been beset by fitness problems, including a stress fracture of the femur which wrecked preparations for the Beijing Olympics and withdrew from the World Championships due to a foot operation.
After telling BBC Sport three weeks ago she was devastated to pull out of the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham, Radcliffe said she was "very close" to her best form.
"I'm pleased with how the training has gone," she told the BBC Five live programme. "I wouldn't be putting myself on the line if I didn't think that I could go to New York and win it.
"I really enjoy racing. It is something I love doing. Getting the chance to do that and to prolong my career for as long as possible is what I really want to do.
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"The hard thing I'm finding now is that my body is nearly 36 but my mind still feels like it did when I was 18 and probably will still always feel like that, so I just have to be more sensible about how I do the training and the recovery."
Radcliffe, who finished 23rd in the marathon in Beijing after failing to finish in Athens 2004, revealed she was still dreaming of Olympic success in front of her home crowd in three years.
"My intention is totally to be there in 2012, to be on that team competing in an amazing opportunity at the Olympics," she added.
"That is definitely written in there and hopefully the family will be there supporting me and cheering me on."
The world marathon record-holder has won in New York in the last two years to add to her victory in 2004. This year's event takes place on 1 November.
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