Pavey returns for half marathon

The last time Jo Pavey was in competitive action, in the adidas women's 5km challenge in Hyde Park last September, it was an acutely painful experience. "I knew I had a problem with my big toe but I didn't realise it was fractured," the 2006 Commonwealth 5,000m silver medallist recalled. "I didn't run very well."

Six months on, Pavey is getting ready to not so much dip her healed toe back into competitive waters but plunge into the deep end. Her comeback last year (following the birth of her son, Jacob) having been curtailed by injury, the 37-year-old is preparing for a marathon debut in London next month and she returns to racing tomorrow in the New York City Half Marathon.

"I'm looking for something around my personal best time but the main thing is I want to be competitive," Pavey said.

Pavey has her sights on Olympic selection at the full marathon distance – unlike Mo Farah, who will be aiming for 5,000m and 10,000m on the track in London next year. Still, Farah tests himself for the first time in a half marathon tomorrow.