Five-time Olympian Dara Torres, 41, just can’t get out of her Speedo!

During her last Olympics in Beijing, where she picked up her 10th, 11th and 12th medals, she said there would be no way she’d be back competing again. “Are you crazy?” she said in August. Well, guess what? Inquiring minds weren’t that crazy, because Torres has just announced that she is making yet another comeback and she plans to swim at the World Championships in Rome come July. We recently sat down with Torres to chat about how she stays fit, why she doesn’t think about age and her forthcoming book, Age Is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life.

wOw: Gee Dara, why not take off your competitive swimsuit and just lay back on a water raft sipping a piña colada?

Dara: Because I’m still improving with age. I’ve surrounded myself with the best people in the field so that I can do the best. I have the best stretchers, coach, doctors and of course there’s my daughter and family. Also, I don’t drink.

wOw: How do you keep doing it? We had a problem swimming one Olympic-sized lap!

Dara: I’ve taken care of my body. I’ve stayed in great shape and I think I know what the limits are to my body.

wOw: If wOw were to be like you, what would we have to do with our workout?

Dara: I usually get up at 6:45 AM and play with my daughter and then I head to the pool at 7:30 AM. Once there, I swim from eight to ten and then do dry-land stretch-cord training for about 20 minutes. Then I hit the gym for an hour and a half of weight training, and then I go stretch for two hours. And some days I get a massage.

wOw: So what’s your training going to be like for Rome?

Dara: Well, first I’m going to go to the trials in Indianapolis and then hopefully the world championship in Rome. It’s like the way the Olympics work. You have to be your best at both and go your fastest. You can never just slack off when you’re competing in the pool, not that I slack off when I’m training, either! I’m too competitive for that. I always feel like I have to beat the person in the lane next to me.

wOw: You underwent surgery on your thumb last week, because you injured it during your last Olympic race when you pounded it against the wall in Beijing. What happened? That was back in August and it’s now November …

Dara: The injury turned out to be more serious than initially thought; the ligament had come off the bone. I’m getting a new cast Friday that will allow me to train.

wOw: What other injuries have you had over your five-time Olympic career?

Dara: I’ve had elbow surgery, four hand surgeries and one pinky surgery. I’ve had three shoulder surgeries and about six knee surgeries. I’m like the Bionic Woman! I keep coming back and I’m getting faster. I just move on!

wOw: Does getting back in the water get harder over time?

Dara: Getting in the water is always possible. As for age, will 42 be harder than 41? Well, I don’t know what 41 feels like. It’s just a number. So is 42 … 43 … I mean, look, it’s definitely harder to recover when I’m swimming but, again, it’s just a number. Get past that in your mind. They’re all good ages!