SI: You have been in some very high-profile relationships with athletes including NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. What's the best thing and the worse thing about dating a fellow professional athlete?

Beard: It's always nice when someone realizes that kind of stress put onto you being an athlete and the kind of sacrifices you have to make. But the one thing is it is really hard to date another professional athlete because we bump heads. We are both too insanely competitive people who absolutely love our sport and don't want to budge. We are very stubborn people.

SI: Are you in a relationship today?

Beard: I am.

SI: Is it a pro athlete?

Beard: No, I've gotten out of that. He's a photographer.

SI: How is your boyfriend going to deal with people coming out of the woodwork to ask you out?

Beard: I don't think he'll be cool with it. But he will be understanding. He's good with that stuff. I think he's flattered that guys find his girlfriend attractive. I'm the exact opposite. I am jealous if girls to do that to him. I found a good boyfriend. He's not too overprotective or overbearing. He fits in perfectly. He was on set for the whole shoot. It made me comfortable having him on set.

SI: You can be one other athlete for one day, who are you?

Beard: I am Tito Ortiz. I could kick everybody's butt and I'd be considered a lethal weapon.

SI: Who is the most famous person in your cell phone?

Beard: It's a Blackberry (laughs). Frankie Muniz. Me, my boyfriend and Frankie go on motorcycle rides together all the time.

SI: Who is the person you most want to meet?

Beard: I have never met Michael Jordan. That would be cool. I kind of get more awestruck by athletes than actors.

SI: The person in sports and outside of sports you admire most?

Beard: I absolutely love Karl Malone and then outside of sports would be my father, Dan.

SI: You are 25. Realistically, how much longer can you compete?

Beard: I can probably make it to 2012, but whether or not I want to do that is more of the question. I definitely want to try for 2008. I always say it is my last Olympics but then I reevaluate at the end. I will be 30 years old in 2012.

SI: What events are your targeting for Beijing?

Beard: Personally, I would just like to make the team. If I had it my way, I would be doing the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, and the 200 IM, and then be put on a relay.

SI: When is the last time you swam competitively?

Beard: It's been like three years. Crazy, right?

SI: Are you concerned about being out of the competitive arena for so long?

Beard: Not really because if you knew me, on a daily basis I am being extremely competitive in everything I do. I have that drive and feeling in me. I just have not jumped on the blocks.