My morning workout with Olympian Dara Torres

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Imgp0690
At the gym... Andi Emerson, Dara, me and coach Robert, about to work out!

I had the most unbelievable morning, and workout, with none other than Olympian Dara Torres. Turns out she is in NYC with Toyota to promote the "Engines of Change" program in which the car company supports athletes and their favorite charities--in her case helping college-aged women eat healthy and avoid disordered eating. They choose swimmers and triathletes, because they have the attitude that best matches the forward thinking of the company itself, plus commitment and great stamina.

All of which pretty much describes Dara, who of course won two silver medals in Beijing and proved that at 42 years old, she is still the fastest American woman swimmer in the pool. Amazing! And she is getting faster. Dara explained that her times, which were just 1/100th of a second behind the winner, were faster than she had swum at the trials the month before, and faster than every other year she's competed. And only 1/10th of a second off the world record. Imagine that.(And imagine you getting faster and fitter with this with this refreshing water workout!)

Walking through a gym (Equinox, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan) with Dara is like trying to walk through a sports bar with Derek Jeter. Only worse because men and women, young and old, are all so inspired by her that you can only get about 2 feet before another fan tells her how much she means to her, her family, children, husband, etc. And every time, Dara stopped what she was doing (lifting weights or walking over to the towels) to offer a smile and a gracious word of thanks.

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Dscn0216
At the SELF office with Olympic triathlete Sarah Haskins

Dara is literally a phenomenon, and sitting next to her on a Spin bike was the best thing to happen to my lackluster motivation since I did the Malibu triathlon two weeks ago (when Jennifer Lopez competed and was successful in her quest to raise charity money).

Read all about Lucy and Jennifer's dramatic triathlon experience here.

I had the WORST workout yesterday. My legs just would not move around the crank and I had to stop in the middle, something I never ever do. But today, with Dara to my left and my usual buddy Andi to her left and the coach egging us all on, it was a magical, motivating morning. She sweats like the rest of us, and refuels, too (Vitamin Water, a Detour bar and her favorite meal replacement that she wants me to try, called LivingFuel.com). And she is so upbeat and nice and cheerful and open to saying hello to everyone who stops her that I think: What a great PERSON! Not just a great swimmer.

So my takeaway is this: Some days are better than others, and some sweat sessions work out better than others, and we all have our ups and downs. (Dara is coming back from shoulder surgery and only swimming three days a week right now!)

If we take it slow and listen to our bodies and don't expect it all to happen in one day, we will last longer and get faster and stay cheerful in the process.(We've got 24-karat advice from American Olympians to help you do just that!)

My prediction is that she will blow away that little tenth of a second standing between her and the world record this winter. And that the rest of us will keep being inspired by her, not only for her graceful, age-defying physique but her great outlook and giving approach to life. Thanks, Dara. For keeping on going!

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