The fast pace of life doesn't give you much scope for wasting your time or wallowing in the past or regrets.

When someone does something special for me, I always cherish it.

I am not very brand conscious.

I wear anything I am comfortable and confident in.

It's a team game, and you need to be flexible.

My mom's whole side of the family, they're all Packers fans. My mom's a Bears fan. My stepdad is a Vikings guy. So that gets ugly. My mom sits upstairs watching the Bears game; he sits in the basement. They can't watch it together. Football's a violent anger in our family dynamic.

All my life, I have been surrounded by the track. The week I was born, Dad took me to training. I do recall at some stage being pushed around in a pram on a track. I have a lot of inspiration from him. To see him carrying the Sydney Olympic torch really ignited my dream. As a coach, he knows the in and outs of race walking and technique.

I've been an athlete and competitor my whole life, and there's nothing more that I get off on than competition.