Phelps fortæller at han ser de amerikanske udtagelsesmesterskaber, kaldet US Trials, som mere end mental udfordring end en fysisk:

I don't think I've ever felt this bad in my freestyle stroke. I just feel like I can't swim it. I don't know what it is. A lot of little technical things that hopefully we can fix between now and nationals. ... I think just overall there's a lot of conditioning things that I think I can change between now and London.

Han fortsætter og fortæller om de mange træningspas han har misset på grund af hans lange pause efter de olympiske lege i Beijing 2008, hvor han som bekendt vandt otte guldmedaljer og blev den mest vindende atlet ved et enkelt OL nogensinde.

It's all on me and the inconsistency of workouts. Not really putting in the yardage that I need to do to be able to compete at the level that I want to compete at. I think the six months off after Beijing, and then the however many months, days, weeks off I decided to take this year, everything is stacking up. If you look at it before that, I didn't really miss any time at all. It was pretty much just eight to 10 years straight.

Phelps ser meget alvorligt på US Trials, som kommer til at blive meget afgørende for ikke bare Pan Pacs, men også han kvalifikation til VM i Shanghai i 2011, som er stedet hvor han vil teste sit OL 2012 program af.

I think this summer is important for me both for next year, but also leading into London. To be able to set up an event program that we can try a couple times before we go to London, and see what works, and see what event program works, I think this is going to see where we stand.

I can already say there are going to be a lot of things we're going to have to fix in order for me to be as prepared as I want to be not only for next summer but also going to London. I think it's going to be exciting for me to be able to rest and compete against the guys who are competing for spots on the world championship team next year and also the Olympics.

Michael Phelps slutter af med at gentage at hans mål om London 2012 er et meget svært mål, og at han stadigvæk regner med at hans karriere er slut efter OL, hvor han mener at have opnået hans kriterie for at stoppe:

If I can get to a day in my life, in my career where I can say, 'I've done everything that I've ever set my mind to,' then I think I can look at that and say that's a good career.

Det bliver spændende at se hvad Phelps har i posen til næste uges Trials, som afvikles i Irvine fra tirsdag til lørdag.