I was bribed into starting swimming with the promise of sweets and by being told that you can win medals. My mum had given me a bag of medals which she had won when she was young, so the idea of winning medals was very exciting.
My first event was in Nottingham, aged 11, and the prize was a bike. I thought, 'Wow.' I had no idea what to wear. I think I did it in swimming trunks, then just put on a T-shirt and shoes for the bike part. Triathlons felt exotic. There was a technical and tactical aspect to it as well as the endurance challenge. I was hooked.
To look good in the water you have to pick the right swimsuit. I own close to 500.
I always tell people, I'm a better swimmer because I'm a mom and a better mom because I'm swimmer.
In swimming, everyone calls me grandma, because I'm the oldest there. Then with my friends, I'm the youngest and I'm the baby. It's definitely bizarre.
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.
The swimming community is really conservative. I don't know why, because we're in no clothing whatsoever.
If you want me to swim fast, you have to let me enjoy my life.
I'd go to swim practice, put my face in the water, and I didn't have to talk to anybody. Swimming was like my escape, but it was also like this huge prison because I felt like I had to swim up to people's standards.
I concentrate on preparing to swim my race and let the other swimmers think about me, not me about them.
