Michael wasn’t on the pool deck, which was hard for me. None of my old Coral Springs teammates were around. Still, that old plane of cement felt like home. I folded my clothes and put them on the bench. I placed my water bottle under my starting block, and I dove in. Once again, I felt that ultimate state of transition, my feet no longer on the ground, my hands not yet in the water.

I’m thinking that I shouldn’t have filed my nails last night.

I really believe in setting goals, no matter what it is: whether it’s losing five pounds or making the world championship team.

Most people who see me in pictures know what I look like. I’m going to continue to try to workout to maintain, but I’m not going to continue looking like that – that’s a result of training, and that would probably drain me out. I’d be exhausted.

I’ve always kept my body in shape and I will continue to always keep my body in shape.

There are days when I don’t feel motivated and I don’t want to get up to go to practice. I’m a very goal-oriented person, so I set short-term goals and try to reach those goals. And when I have those days, I think about those goals, and it gets me motivated.

When I feel like my body is exhausted, I focus on making my fifth Olympic team so I can push through it.

I’d proven to the world that maturity, experience, dedication, and ingenuity can make up for a little senescence. Muscle tightening is not the only thing that happens to our bodies over time. We gain knowledge, focus, and understanding, and those things can help us win.

I think if you can be a goal-setting person, it makes it easier to stay motivated.

People will get into the habit of doing the same thing over and over again, and you’ll stop seeing changes in your body. If you add variety and spice things up, I think it’ll help you to stay motivated.