I grew up in northern California, where it was consistently in the hundreds in the summertime. My dad didn't think he should have to turn on the air conditioning when we had a swimming pool in our backyard; it was our built-in air conditioner.

The first mile is mental. The rest are all heart.

Protein is important and hard for me to get in a hurry. We're busy. I don't always remember to thaw the chicken for dinner. I always have eggs, and they're light and satisfying. I never feel stuffed at the end of it.

I've been barefoot most of my life: either flip flops or barefoot on the pool deck. Although you'd think that would make me a good candidate for barefoot running, that doesn't work with me.

At 4, I joined a summer rec team called the Sugar Bears.

For as long as I wanted to swim, I also wanted to do something on TV. My best friend in high school, we used to pretend like we had a TV show, and we had this dream of being the next 'Kate Allie.' Having that kind of a shtick.

When I was training for the Olympics, I didn't eat the way I should have. I missed out on much-needed protein and opted for every easy carb.