Flying Over the Finish Line:  Women Triathletes' Stories of Life  is at the book printer!  It is currently listed at www.barnesandnoble.com and should be available through www.amazon.com next week.  Also, watch this site, www.couragetotri.com to order Flying directly in another week or two. 

I am really excited to finally be able to share the stories of over fifty women triathletes in Flying Over the Finish Line.  If you are a contributor to Flying, I you will receive a complimentary copy over the next few weeks.  Please help spread the word about the availability of Flying and pass on a bit of inspiration to a friend.

The Acknowledgements section of Flying Over the Finish Line identifies many to whom I am grateful for their help--too many to include a complete list here.  However, I especially thank Sally Edwards, Robin Quinn (my editor), Leila Joiner (my publisher and book designer), and Mark, my supportive husband.  I would not have made it to this point without the encouragement and help of each of them. 

Next stop:  Austin, Texas, June 7th and 8th for the Austin Danskin Women's Triathlon.  Be sure to stop by and say hello if you're at the June 7th Expo!

Every word has been written and edited for Flying Over the Finish Line:  Women Triathletes' Stories of Life!  The manuscript is now in production, being transformed into a book to head off to the printer by May 1st.  I expect to have Flying Over the Finish Line available for purchase on or about June 1st.  Yeah!!!  After many starts and stops, the finish line is in sight!

I'm so grateful to everyone who has helped along the way with words of encouragement and sharing of stories.  Watch for future changes to www.couragetotri.com that will provide instructions on how to preorder Flying Over the Finish Line.

With the writing behind, it's time to gear up for training for the Danskin Women's Triathlon to be held at Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin on July 13th.  If you're interested in participating in Team Danskin WTS Training by Heart Zones, Inc., the official training program of the Danskin Women's Triathlon for the Chicago NW Suburbs, (I'm the Head Coach), more information and registration are available at www.heartzones.com.  Click through to "Team Danskin WTS Training" and then "Chicago NW Suburbs".  Or I'll be happy to answer your questions.  Send me an email (skane0329@aol.com) or leave me a phone message (847-823-9690).  I'll get back to you.   

The Book:  Flying Over the Finish Line

Using a collection of women’s personal stories of completing a triathlon, Flying Over the Finish Line (the tentative title) provides inspiration to accomplish goals and dreams that previously seemed unattainable.  Women of all ages, shapes and interests—often unlikely athletes—share their delight in accomplishing the seemingly insurmountable:  completing a triathlon.  Of even greater importance are the life lessons learned in the process.  These women have shared their stories and lessons in hopes of touching someone else’s life with a thought or idea that may be what someone needs to hear to empower their life.

To date, I have collected nearly 100 stories for possible use in Flying Over the Finish Line and created a preliminary draft by the Spring of 2006.  I am working on extensive revisions during Winter 2007 to incorporate the many new stories I received.  Details on publication plans for mid-2007 will follow and be highlighted here on the blog. 


(Story contributor Pamela Kropf)

Susan L. Kane

You’ll want to get this book, Flying Over the Finish Line.

Get into the lives of women who have crossed the finish line of their first or their umpteenth triathlon. Get the motivation from the outside (reading) to grow your intrinsic internal drive to do something outside of your comfort zones, a triathlon. Start by reading about others’ successes and accomplishments and be inspired to make yours happen. Get Flying Over the Finish Line so that you can sail under the banner that reads, “I Get It. I am a Triathlete”.

Get smart. Get fit. Get going. Get strong. Get healthy. Get a training program. Get a new friend. Get a bike. Get running shoes. Get moving. Get a new suit. Get a club membership. Get a coach. Get a new life. Get empowered.  Get a relationship going with the most important person in your life--you. This time, it is all about you. Get it.

Get an entry form and I’ll see you at the starting line of the Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series.  And, remember, Get this book!

Sally Edwards

National Spokeswoman, Danskin Women's Triathlon Series

CEO, The Sally Edwards Company

The Head Heart, Heart Zones USA

 

Susan, you're doing awesome work.  We are all in this together and the more energy we can gather around cheering for each other, supporting each other and loving ourselves, the better.  I want to use my life as a professional triathlete and mother to inspire people to notice their thinking and change their lives.  I want everyone to see their own innate health and well-being and follow their dreams.  Your book provides another way to spread this message."
--
Susanne Achtenhagen
Professional Triathlete

www.triathletemom.com
Live, Laugh and Play Hard!

I completed my first Danskin sprint triathlon* in 2000, at the age of 42. Crossing the finish line was one of the most emotional and empowering moments of my life. Suffering from an autoimmune disease that affected my kidneys, completing the triathlon was my way of demonstrating—to myself and others—that I would not be a victim of my kidney disease.

On a sunny afternoon in 2005, having completed my sixth "Danskin" earlier that day, I was hit by a lightening bolt (figuratively only, thankfully) that said, "Every woman has a story about why they take on the challenge of a triathlon that is so much more than the physical aspects of swimming, biking and running. You need to collect those stories and write a book."

And so, with encouragement from friend and mentor Sally Edwards, founder and president of Heart Zones, Inc. and National Spokeswoman for the Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series, fueled by the inspiration and passion of the stories I had heard, I proceeded along the path of creating the book, tentatively titled, Flying Over the Finish Line.

Flying Over the Finish Line refers to the feeling of empowerment that so many triathletes experience after completing a triathlon. As newfound triathlete Ruth Kaminski put it, "I did fly across the finish line, but it was by the soaring and dancing of my spirit, rather than the fleetness of my feet."