Summer Sanders Quotes

I enjoyed every bit of my swimming career. I think that's the most important advice - to enjoy what you do

To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It's not about winning and losing; it's about every day hard work and about thriving on a challenge. It's about embracing the pain that you'll experience at the end of a race and not being afraid. I think people think too hard and get afraid of a certain challenge.

The things you learn from sports - setting goals, being part of a team, confidence - that's invaluable. It's not about trophies and ribbons. It's about being on time for practice, accepting challenges and being fearful of the elements.

I love KIND bars. My favorites are coconut and almond and the dark chocolate and sea salt because staying fueled helps keep me from getting sick or injured. Bananas have also made a great comeback in my life. My kids eat them all the time on the go, which has inspired my go-to pre-run morning meal of peanut butter and banana on toast.

I love to swim. When I jump in the water, I feel like I'm 12 years old again. It's really funny how it does that to me.

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

When people say, 'Hey, wanna come to our house for dinner?' I say, 'Yeah, what should I bring?' They say, 'How about the dessert?' I just don't skimp on the dessert. I make it the yummy way it should be made, and then I just don't eat the whole pan.

I was a die-hard, obsessed fan of Michael Jordan. I'd take his posters with me to away meets, I'd walk out on the deck in my Air Jordans before I swam, I'd write 23 on my cap. I'm just a huge Jordan fan.

I love to run, but training can be hard, especially with a family and a crazy travel schedule. I often do sprints with my kids, where they bike and I run along side them so we can 'race' each other for a quarter-mile or shorter repeats.

For me, music makes my smile brighter during my workouts. It adds that extra something that motivates me to go further or work harder!

It's not really about the competition. Your biggest challenge in a race is yourself. You're often racing against time. You're frequently running everything through your mind. You're always competing against preconceived ideas. It's not really the person next to you that you worry about.

I'm really conscious of the amount of food I eat, but I don't deny myself anything. For example, I have a really big sweet tooth. At the end of the night, if I'm craving ice cream, I might not have the bowl that I would have when I was a kid, but I'll put a couple of scoops in a coffee mug, and I'll eat it slowly, and I enjoy every moment of it.

It's the one thing that's mine. My runs everyday aremy thing. It's my therapy, my hour to myself. Nobody can really take it away from me... It's such a huge part of me. I love to say that I'm a runner.

Swimming is great because there are levels of goals. First, when I was four, it was making it to the other end and overcoming the fear of standing up in front of everybody at a swim meet because I was such a shy kid.

Daily repetition matters when a kid is learning to swim. It can be 20 minutes in a lesson or an hour practicing for a couple of weeks.

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.

Here's what I've learned about eating healthy when you're busy: It's all about preparation. Make your snacks on Sunday, and you will be good to go until Thursday or so.

Boston is the cream of the crop of the marathon world. It has such history that you feel such honor just being a part of it. All the other races have pacers to get you to a Boston qualifying time.

There is nothing in this world that I love more than my family. To be able to share the joy of running with them at the Runner's World Half Marathon and Running Festival where we can all participate together is as close as you can get to a perfect weekend.

It really was my brother who got me involved in swimming. I wanted to be just like him and do everything he was doing.

You can't go wrong with some nuts. The key word is 'some.' Eat them one at a time, not by the handful.

Don't just tell your kids to be active and to get outside and play. Lead by example.

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.

A great way to get all the right nutrients is to make a colorful plate - mix of good vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein. If you notice all your vegetables are green, change it up and add another color for a variety of benefits in one meal.

It's hard to go out and practice every single day, and you get really tired. But you have to believe in yourself.

I started swimming when I was four because my brother wanted to join a swim team, and I wanted to do what he did. They said I had to be six, but if I could swim a lap, then I could participate. So I swam a lap, and the rest is history.

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.

Quite simply, my diet has and will always be everything in moderation. People look at Olympic athletes and think they must cut out all those things everyone else indulges in, and speaking for myself, I never did.

Thinking about your training should put a smile on your face. As cliche as it sounds, you are worth all the time and energy you've put in. Unleash your emotions with a cheer, or even a signature roar, after a tough workout.

I lead by example. My kids know what sweat is. They've seen me come home from so many runs and asked, 'What's on your skin? How did you get it?' And I tell them, 'It's from exercise!' So now my son will come home from a bike ride, take off his helmet and say, 'Look, Mom. I'm sweating! I just worked out!'

When I was younger, I would eat everything.

The kids know what I'm doing when I exercise, and that's powerful. So don't just tell your kids to go play outside. Take a moment off your computer, put on your tennis shoes, hop outside and help them start their game and run off some energy.

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.

I don't care how much you're working out; when you go to put on that bikini, you're like, 'Oh no!'

At the end of a marathon, it's going to hurt whether you're speeding up or slowing down. You may as well push.

Running is how I clear my head and find my center again.

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

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.

If you're not mentally tough, If nerves undo you instead of focus you, If you don't have the inner arrogance That you absolutely have what it takes to win, If you don't see, in your mind's eye, A picture of yourself winning - then you won't win; And not because you can't.

Preparing mentally takes more out of you than the physical aspect of it.

I slice up a ton of cucumbers, celery, carrots and red and yellow peppers. Keep them in your fridge so you always have something handy to curb your snack attack.

Indoor pools just don't seem as inviting to me.

The more sleep you get in before the clock turns midnight, the more rested you feel no matter what time your alarm goes off.

Honestly, if I can plan out a few meals ahead of time, I feel much more organized.

I worked at this place called Water World; it was a waterslide park. My brother and my dad framed my first paycheck from this place - which was for $0.00 dollars - because I didn't even make enough to cover the cost of my uniform!

As a woman, you need to take control of your health. There's no harm in going in and getting checked out. Eventually, you have to ask yourself: 'Do I want to live at 100% or 80%?'

Tennis is interesting because the women are almost more popular than the men. In the U.S. Open, women even get exactly the same money as the men.

I think some parents fall into a trap, teaching their kids that everything is always perfect and everyone is always a winner.

I have so much to learn when it comes to running. I just don't ever want it to feel like a chore. When I choose to sign up for a race or go out for a run, it's to make myself feel good, and I almost always do.

That's what I love about running - I feel like we all celebrate each other. Even if you're racing somebody at the finish, it's like you're in it together.