Jones said: "In a way, you're in two minds. One part of you says maybe it's a step too far for her while the other says it's an opportunity for her to pull off something extraordinary.
"I think the marathon took a lot out of her physically and mentally and, in truth, she won't know herself how she is going to react until she tries to put on the gas out there on the track."
Jones said Radcliffe had taken plenty of advice from her parents, husband Gary Lough, physio Ger Hartmann and UK Athletics endurance running staff, before making her decision today.
"I respect her and she's such a great athlete that my fingers are crossed for her," he said.
Team doctor English insisted there would have been no chance of the 30-year-old lining up tonight if she had tried to battle on to the finish last Sunday, as some of her critics had suggested.
"For people to suggest that she should have ploughed on until the end of the race is quite ridiculous. People can kill themselves when they drastically overheat in marathons, so you have to listen to your body. Paula did exactly the right thing," said English. "If she'd carried on something terrible could have happened."
English revealed that there was now no "actual medical reason why she couldn't run".
