A Letter To Lance Armstrong & Elizabeth Kreutz – COMEBACK 2.0

Dear Lance Armstrong and Elizabeth Kreutz,

First I want to say a simple thank you. Thanks for chronicling your life through the photos laid out in COMEBACK 2.0.

Liz, you have a real gift for capturing the moment so well through a lens. You are simply great at what you do and congratulations to you and your husband on becoming proud parents. You deserve a yellow jersey for traveling the world during your pregnancy.

Lance, I’ve been a following your career long before I even thought about learning how to clip into pedals. I was sad to see you retire, but so glad you did it to be with your kids and to take some time for yourself and to promote the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

About three years ago I got into triathlons. The short version is this. Around the same time I started a blog, got knee deep into social networking, joined twitter in 2007, started following you on twitter in October of 2008, got really excited to see you announce your comeback, and did my first Ironman (Ironman Louisville) on August 30, 2009. It was quite possibly the most impossible thing I ever done…but I finished.

I work for a non-profit helping artists partner with our cause so I get what you are doing with LAF and I absolutely love the vision, passion, and growth.

But here’s the deal… Reading through COMEBACK 2.0 I was overwhelmed with emotion. I know… I need to man up. But as I went through the book I saw so many pictures of what you had twitpic’d out during the year. I was also following Liz (@LizKreutz-for those of you reading along) and saw the photos she would twitpic out of you in your mobile office of sorts.  As I read through your year it brought up memories for me from this past year and the long, determined hours of training I went through to get to Ironman Louisville. I was felt inspired again… and almost ready to commit to my 2^nd Ironman in 2010 instead of my plan for 2011.

This paragraph sums up the whole book for me as well as the tone in which you live your life.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m very proud of winning seven consecutive Tours de France. But there’s no way I’m going to let that “legacy” stop me from putting myself on the line again. For one thing, my legacy-whatever it is-can’t be worth much if a lesser result would somehow tarnish it. Second, I can’t let myself become paralyzed for fear of jeopardizing what I’ve achieved so far. For me, living life to the fullest is a lot about testing myself: accepting challenges, training hard, and then going for it. No way I’m spending the rest of my days avoiding goals. As far as I’m concerned, that would wreck my legacy. – COMEBACK 2.0

As I read your twitter messages about long training rides with your training buddies, I would get fired up to jump on my bike for another 100 mile ride. I was determined and quitting just wasn’t an option. It was grueling, but worth it and somehow, I felt encouraged because you were out there doing it as well, spurring us all on to make a difference and go just a little further.

So thanks for living your life through twitter and your blog and for dragging Liz around the world to give us a small glimpse of your comeback year. It’s always great to see you with your family and to hear how much they all mean to you as you tackle everything else in life.

You know, every cause needs a champion and you have become a great example for those of us who dream big. My grand father passed away from cancer as well as one of my closest friends and mentors. I hate cancer and want nothing more than to see LAF make a huge difference in the fight against cancer. You are helping people know the value of living a healthy life.

As a side note… In my spare time, my friend and I teach people how to use blogging, social networking and twitter to build a fan base. You’re one of my best examples. Especially when I’m talking to artists who think someone else on their team should do it for them. I ask them to follow you and ask them if they think they are busier than you…. Well… they’re not.

So… again. Thank you.

Congrats to you and Anna on the birth of Max.

I wish you the very best as you raise your family, go after your goals, lead the charge for LAF and train with your new team Team RadioShack. You are surrounded by the best once again.

And finally…

Thank you for the impact you have made on my life…

Spence.

Related posts:

1. Lance Armstrong Returns To Professional Cycling