Darlene Ballard has absolutely captured the heart of triathlon with You Go Girl!  The best is yet to come ....  Her book grabs the reader by the collar and says, "Get off the sofa, lace on a pair of running shoes, and hit the road."  Darlene smacks fear and intimidation squarely in the face.  She encourages and entices the most dedicated couch potato to try something that may seem impossible-a triathlon!  "If I can do it, you can too!"  Darlene shouts out loud for all to hear.  She leaves the reader with no excuses.  She faced her fears and feelings of inadequacy and conquered them.  She chose to "do it afraid."  "Life is too short to sit on the sidelines," she says.  What Darlene discovered with the sport of triathlon is a world of positive and like-minded people; people who encouraged her; people who knew how to laugh-sometimes at themselves.

Darlene learned to "live out loud."  She entered a world previously unknown to her-a world of triathlon-and emerged with a bucket full of positive memories, self-confidence and a truckload of friends to boot. Her co-workers also share their triathlon experiences in this book. Each entered the 2008 Aflac Iron Girl experience with a motive and a mission.  Some wanted to lose weight; some wanted to fight complacency; and some were seeking more energy in their lives.  What everyone discovered in completing a triathlon is that an Aflac Iron Girl can accomplish her goal while having fun and meeting wonderful people. Along the road to finishing a triathlon, Darlene experienced a full range of emotions:  procrastination, intimidation, fear, pain, and
fatigue followed by encouragement, inspiration, joy, fulfillment, and thankfulness.  Darlene should place a warning label on the cover of her book that says, "WARNING-read only if you are prepared to start training for a triathlon!" - Cecil Cheves/Ironman Triathlete