![\"Certified](\"https:\/\/www.iamwithoutlimits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/without-limits-certified-cycling-coach-matthew-wistoff.jpg\")
<\/a>All of the races in this series are ITU elite style draft legal format, which I had experience in over the years, so I was excited, but also quite nervous. I had never been to Europe before, and now I was going to spend just shy of two months training and racing with some of the best guys in the sport, not to mention I couldn’t speak German at all. Prior to making my final decision, I must have gone back and forth 100 times. The money that the team was providing was contingent upon results. So, poor results=poor payout, which could leave me hurting. In the end though, I figured I would regret not taking this opportunity for the rest of my life. I hopped on a plane, and the rest is history. Looking back, I’m glad I seized the opportunity. The technical nature of the courses and the high level of competition made me a better athlete. It wasn’t always fun (I got lost on a run for almost 3 hours one time), but overcoming those stressful times only made me stronger. ~Matt Wisthoff<\/p>\nKristen Jeno<\/h2>\n
Many challenges come to mind, but one really sticks out in my mind as a valuable and life changing.\u00a0 When I was in college I When I think about a time in my life when I embraced a challenge, July 17th, 2004 comes to mind. Preparing for my first Half Iron Man at Lake Logan last year I had several preconceived notions about the amount of swimming, biking, and running that I would have to complete to finish the race. A little comprehensive I kept piling the workload on top of itself and before I could take a breath I was drowning in my own fears! Each week went by as I trained for the race and I kept asking myself, “How am I ever going to complete 70 miles of work?”<\/a>had the\u00a0opportunity\u00a0to go to South Africa for my internship.\u00a0 I was one of the first students in my department to go to this country.\u00a0 I had never left the US before and I was going alone.\u00a0 I knew no one where I was going and really didn’t know what I was going to do as my ‘internship’ because again no one had done this before from ECU.\u00a0 Once the school semester was done I was able to backpack across all of Southern Africa which enhanced my\u00a0journey\u00a0even more.\u00a0 So to answer the question without going to into\u00a0my thousands of stories, memories, and experiences…. \u00a0taking on this internship (and backpacking) in a country thousands of miles away from everything I had known made me realize that adapting and accepting were key qualities that I really embraced.\u00a0 I had to adapt to life being different and accept that it was ok.\u00a0 I had to adapt that life needed to be simple and accept that simple was actually better.\u00a0 I had to adapt when things didn’t go as planned and accept that the new outcome as actually better than\u00a0anticipated.\u00a0 I could go on… \u00a0but what I learned from this journey were skills and valuable mindsets on how to handle ‘life’ whether I’m walking my dog or training for a race. \u00a0~Kristen\u00a0Jeno
<\/span><\/p>\nBrian Bohrer<\/h2>\n
\nDuring my early teens and all through my 20’s, I had become riddled with addiction.\u00a0 It started out fun, but by the end it had <\/a>consumed me and ruined my life.
\nOn that day in July, I was given a chance to embrace the challenge of giving up my addictions.\u00a0 It was scary.\u00a0 Based on past attempts to face my addictions, I knew it would not be easy.\u00a0 However, on\u00a0July 17th<\/span><\/span>, I knew I was done with my old life of addiction.\u00a0 My life was about to change. I gave up the fight that day and asked for help. The change was slow and hard.\u00a0 I did not always want to accept what was happening or that sometimes I didn’t know what to do.
\nToday I have an amazing life.\u00a0 Sometimes it feels as though I have been given a gift to have lived both of the lives that I have lived.\u00a0 I keep working and striving and asking for help everyday!
\nTo me, the above journey parallels my journey through endurance sports.\u00a0 When I first started becoming involved in endurance sports, I was scared and was full of self doubt.
\nHowever, I asked for help (a coach) and I worked hard and learned more with each workout and each race.
\nAt times, I have taken steps backwards and lost focus in my training.\u00a0 Sometimes I forget to have fun.\u00a0 More importantly, sometimes I forget where I came from.
\nWhen I started this endurance journey I was a addict, heavy smoker, way over weight and\u00a0 I could barely walk a lap at the track without feeling like I was going to pass out.
\nThrough facing these challenges, I have learned some important life lessons that have impacted me in a very positive way.
\nI have learned that sometimes, the goals that feel unreachable, goals that seem like they are for someone else to reach, are the goals that are most worth going after.\u00a0 Embracing the challenge may hurt and be painful at times, but I promise crossing the finish line or reaching what seemed unreachable is so worth it! ~ Coach Brian<\/p>\nSami Winter<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/div>\nFaye Fay<\/h2>\n
<\/a>committed. \u00a0Not just for me, but I wanted to be a good example to my children growing up in a world where childhood doesn’t include the physical activity they need. \u00a0But, it would mean\u00a0keeping a solid base during the hottest months of the year, watching my diet through Thanksgiving and Christmas,\u00a0running through an ice storm, running in the freezing wind, getting up before the sun to complete 20 milers before my son’s soccer game, the flu, long runs in the drenching rain, pushing a jogging stroller for 50% of my miles, etc etc etc… all of this sounds so trivial after the fact, but in the moment they were reasons enough to skip numerous workouts. \u00a0The problem is, excuses build on themselves. \u00a0If I allowed one, then the next excuse would come easier and then the next much easier. \u00a0So, I couldn’t allow them. \u00a0The training paid off, and the race was amazing. \u00a0But, that is not what I remember the most. What stands out the most were the hours I spent running the familiar routes that winter, the opportunity to run with my children and build up their running base, meeting my friend for a 2 hour run (instead of a drink!), and the tough workouts that became manageable because of the consistency. \u00a0Prioritizing a healthy, active lifestyle isn’t selfish at all, it is necessary for all of us. \u00a0Plus, it is FUN and rewarding- especially with a great community of friends and family to help keep you accountable! \u00a0~Faye Fay<\/div>\nChris Bailey<\/h2>\n
<\/a> to avoid situations involving running altogether. I wouldn’t go to practices or races and would try to forget about running until I healed. Eventually I learned that, even if couldn’t run, it was best to surround myself with the support of coaches, teammates, and athletes that I coach. It is possible to get as much, if not more, enjoyment from encouraging and supporting teammates as you do from your own training and competition. Teammates outlast injuries.<\/div>\nMatt Hammersmith<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
Tom Clifford<\/h2>\n