I'm a firm believer in slowing down to improve my state of mind when I'm training, and yoga and meditation have been paramount to my success in this way.

My training centered on aerobic development, meaning I'd swim longer with less intensity during the majority of my practices. As I got older, I began more weight training, and my workouts went from long at a lower intensity to shorter and more intense.

The swimming community is really conservative. I don't know why, because we're in no clothing whatsoever.

I concentrate on preparing to swim my race and let the other swimmers think about me, not me about them.

My performance has improved dramatically from yoga and meditation. No athlete ever dominated by sticking to one sport all the time.

People wanted to be friends with me for not the right reasons. They'd introduce me to somebody else as the Olympian or the swimmer. I didn't want to stand out. I wanted to blend in.

Obviously, the competitor in you, you want to be in the top three every time in the pool.