Liliya, how did you start the day?
I got up at 5.30 in the morning, because at 7.10 I had to leave the hotel. (the race started at 9.00am local time). I had porridge for breakfast, ate some toast and drank tea with lemon.
What race tactics did you have?
We had a pacemaker (Hungary's Anita Kalovics), who was supposed to get to the half way point in 71 minutes, that's perfect for 2 hours 22 minutes and that's how it happened (Kalovics did her job and ran 70:56 before dropping out). I felt great, the weather was good for a Marathon, somewhere between11-15 degrees Celsius. In the early part of the race there was a little rain, but it did not interfere, although in some places the asphalt was slippery. Who were your most feared opponents?
Irina Mikitenko, Inga Abitova and the Ethiopians. I was running in full control but at one of the water stations I looked around and saw Mikitenko was not there in the leading group. I was very surprised. (Mikitenko dropped out just before the halfway point with shin problems.) Ноwever, I noticed that Inga Abitova was in our leading group, which made me very happy.
When the Ethiopian woman Mergia made a break, were you ready for it?
I was expecting that someone would attempt to break away so I was alert but she waited until it was too late and by the 40km mark I started my run to the finish. However, at the finish line, I was a little bit confused, fortunately there was a man who indicated where to run, but I had to ask the way.
Did the collision with Mergia affect you?
I had some breath knocked out of me but I quickly recovered and it is something that happens in road running. My general feeling was so good that at any moment I could have increased the pace.
This is your third Marathon, which has been the hardest?
The first two were a little easier but this result is much better. Now I know how to run 2:22.
What are your plans now for the season?
I'm going to prepare to run the 10,000m at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona. In the autumn, I want to run another Marathon. It's likely to be in America but we have not decided yet. I'll talk it over with Igor (her coach and husband Igor Shobukhov). We'll think about it.
Shobukova also said at the official post race press conference that she was looking forward to returning to London for the Olympic Games in 2012.
"The Russian coaches won't decide until the actual year of the Games who is going but I really hope I get picked because I think I can win there. At the Olympics, I will know the course and I think that will help me having won on it now," said Shobukhova.
One interesting statistic emerged after her victory, she ran the last 2.195km (i.e. from 40km to the finish line) in 6:53 which was faster than Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe ran on the same course in 2003 when she set the current world record of 2:15:25.
Shobukhova also vaulted into first place on the World Marathon Majors Series women's leader board with 60 points after her back-to-back victories in London and at the Chicago Marathon last October.
The Series men's and women's champions will each collect $500,000, with the rankings decided by a runner's best four results over a two year period at the five annual Marathons in Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York, along with the Olympic Marathon and IAAF World Championships Marathon.
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