That was Brian then. Skip forward 3 years.

The pavement is hot and unyielding underneath his calloused feet; his body is already spent from the 112 miles cycling in the humid Hawaiian air and 26 miles of torture lie before him. He looks back to the hospital bed that had once been his home, his grave. He recalls this father’s twisted face as he pleaded with his son to not give up. He looks at the road ahead, he has seen greater challenges.

This is Brian Boyle, the true story of  twisted metal, torn flesh, unbending will and miraculous recovery. Regarding Brian, the Washington Post stated, “Not since Lance Armstrong has an American athlete been so celebrated for dodging death and competing again.”

I had the privilege of speaking with Brian recently. His youthful enthusiasm pierced the air and I knew instantly that I was speaking with someone who was living in the moment, taking nothing for granted, and grateful for the experience. He spoke of an attempted smile from his hospital bed to signify to his father that he was still there, that he was going to be alright. It required effort, something so simple as a smile was now an unbridgeable gulf and his body physically convulsed under the strain. He described this event as the single most difficult thing that he had ever done.

In one of my earlier articles I wrote about how to train around injuries, about subtle variations in a workout to accommodate minor injuries. Over the course of my physical career I have suffered my share of injuries and naively thought that I knew of such things. While speaking with Brian my own set backs seemed trivial and I was embarrassed to even discuss them with him. Pain is real and set backs are difficult, and yet we all have an internal drive which defines who we are, what we are capable of, and how far we are willing to go in pursuit of a goal. Some of us accept this at face value believing that we are only capable of so much, but no more. We listen to the voice of "reason" which defines our boundaries, restricts our accomplishments and bridles our spirit. We go though life accomplishing little, content with mediocrity and living vicariously in our world of comfortable recliners, fast food and remote control. Others such as Brian accept no such limitations believing that they are capable of more than meets the eye, more than the dictates of society, to whom obstacles are are simply challenges to be overcome.

It only takes one positive exception such as Brian Boyle to show what we are all truly capable of if we will only believe and challenge ourselves. Who ever you are, whatever your challenges may be, you need only ask yourself the following questions.

1. Do I want more out of life?

2. Do I truly believe that I am capable of achieving it?

3. Am I willing to do the hard work necessary to make it happen

For those who want to know more about Brian Boyle, his book "Iron Heart, the true story of how I came back from the dead" is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. I've already ordered my copy!

“Not since Lance Armstrong has an American athlete been so celebrated for dodging death and competing again.”—Washington Post It was a horrific car crash. On the way home from swim practice, eighteen-year old Brian Boyle’s future changed in an instant when a dump truck plowed into his Camaro. He was airlifted to a shock-trauma hospital. He had lost sixty percent of his blood, his heart had moved across his chest, and his organs and pelvis were pulverized. He was placed in a medically-induced coma. When Brian finally emerged from the coma two months later, he had no memory of the accident. He could see and hear, but not move or talk. Unable to communicate to his doctors, nurses, or frantic parents, he heard words like “vegetable” and “nursing home.” If he lived, doctors predicted he might not be able to walk again, and certainly not swim. Then, miraculously, Brian clawed his way back to the living. First blinking his eyelids, then squeezing a hand, then smiling, he gradually emerged from his locked-in state. The former swimmer and bodybuilder had lost one hundred pounds.

Iron Heart is the first-person account of his ordeal and his miraculous comeback. With enormous fortitude he learned to walk, then run, and eventually, to swim. With his dream of competing in the Ironman Triathlon spurring him on, Brian defied all odds, and three-and-a-half years after his accident, crossed the finish line in Kona, Hawaii. Brian’s inspiring journey from coma to Kona is brought to life in this memoir.

For more information check out Brian's blog

Contact Brian Boyle

Also, Brian Boyle - Lift for Life Athlete of the Year