Comments on: The Distance

By: Darryl is Loving the Bike

Darryl is Loving the Bike — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:04:00 +0000

An ironman is definitely a lofty goal. If it becomes something you want to shoot for, I wish you all the luck and encouragement to go after it.

By: Darryl is Loving the Bike

Darryl is Loving the Bike — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Hi Heather,

I wanted to thank you for sharing your personal story with us. This is incredible and beautiful. Sorry you weren’t one of our winners for the book giveaway, but I hope you’ll consider getting a copy for yourself anyway. Please be sure to keep us updated on everything and let us know if we can help out in any way.

Darryl

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Heather, that’s an awesome story.

By: Darryl is Loving the Bike

Darryl is Loving the Bike — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Congratulations…you’ve won a copy of the book. Send me your contact details and we’ll get it out to you soon.

Darryl

By: Darryl is Loving the Bike

Darryl is Loving the Bike — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Congratulations @yahoo-AY5X4I2AYVSDOI24EWCWMCFQPM:disqus you are one of the winners in our “The Distance” contest. Please send your contact information to darryl@lovingthebike.com and we’ll get it out to you.

By: David Mills

David Mills — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:08:00 +0000

I have no doubt that Rebecca and Heather will become Ironmen (Ironwomen?) if they decide to go for it. You’re absolutely right about it being all about a “strong mental outlook”. Like Yogi Berra said, “90% of it is half mental”. I hope you will keep me posted (on Twitter or FB) so I can follow you on your Ironman journey!

By: Rebecca Gerdon

Rebecca Gerdon — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:07:00 +0000

I have thought about competing in an ironman before. I tend to vacillate between positive, confident thoughts and negative, doubtful thoughts when it comes to my endurance and fitness. A lot of the ability to do endurance events comes from having a strong mental outlook. Sometimes I have this strong mental outlook and sometimes I don’t. I won’t discount myself from the possibility of an ironman finish. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll have the urge to go the 140.6 miles

By: Heather Hughes

Heather Hughes — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 06:39:00 +0000

Three years ago I weighed 200 lbs. As a 5′ 1” woman, that doesn’t allow you to hide the weight well. I was mocked, bullied, and made fun of throughout high school. I joined the softball team my junior year to try to loose weight and just fit in. My softball locker posters were defiled though out the season, as unknown students wrote “fat a**” and “big mama” all over them. When I went to college it was the same type of atmosphere and my self-esteem was at an all-time low. That was, until my sophomore year when I met a soldier who was a runner and cyclist just like David Mills. He was the first person to see me as I was inside. He invited me to the gym, taught me workout techniques, and before I knew it, I had lost 20 lbs. I fell in love with this man and we became a couple. As we dated, he bought me a road bike and trained me. Three months later I did an 88-mile ride with his cycling group. I was losing weight consistently and I was finally able to like myself. I began competing in 5Ks and seeing true results in my athletic performance. When he proposed, I weighed 135 lbs and was able to buy AND wear the dress of my dreams! Now, we run, bike, and swim together constantly. My husband helped to literally transform my life. Now, I can’t live without fitness. It is everything! We are currently training for our first half-marathon. We plan to train for our first triathlons in the next few years and we both have serious goals of doing an Ironman. I am interested in David’s story because he is an inspiration! I would like a copy so I could not only learn how to reach my dreams from David’s experiences, but so I could share this story with my husband so I can inspire him the same way he inspired me these past three years. Thank you!

By: PinkChick

PinkChick — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:49:00 +0000

Heh, I’m just an ordinary gal. I got back into running in my 40s and was inspired to try triathlons in my 50s. I finally did my first one at 55, last year. Got hooked and did 4 in 2010. I did 2 this year and plan to keep doing them. Call me crazy but I do think about IronMan. Will I get there, only time will tell. In the meantime I keep training and trying. I’m not getting older I’m getting better. I’d love to read this book.

By: Clive Chapman

Clive Chapman — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Ordinary guy doing a Tri, top stuff, and a military feller too! I have a sneaking desire to do a tri when I finally finish my weight loss program. I was a half decent swimmer back in the day and as a Soldier (again back in the day) I had to run. So along with my biking I feel I would be equipped to do a short tri when I’m back at my fighting weight.

Obviously I’d just be looking to finish not compete!

Good luck with the book, if I don’t win then I’ll certainly grab a copy!