Book Review: In a Single Bound:Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life by Sarah Reinertsen

There is so much more to Sarah’s story than I could possibly cover here so I recommend her book highly for those who really want the true detailed back story of her life. She gives you her story with its highs and lows, and an unsparing look at the adversity she went through. She had the family support to push her into athletics rather than keep her on the sidelines, and they were there to support her rigorous athletic schedule with lots of travel. But her family life was not an easy one and the upheaval at home compounded the other stresses she went through in her teen years. She had set-backs, dealt with insecurities about her body and made some youthful mistakes. In spite of that, she was an achiever.

I teasingly told Sarah that I thought she had a lot in common with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She’s a petite, very feminine blonde who might look misleadingly vulnerable. But Sarah is surprisingly strong, physically fit, mentally tough and has that undying willpower to do whatever it takes. Like Buffy Summers, she also has had a good team of people around her to give her the support she needed to accomplish her goals. She is the girl that no one might have expected to become so extraordinary.

If you’ve done so much as a 5K or sprint triathlon yourself, you’ll be fascinated with her descriptions of her training and her particular take on athletic endeavors coming at it with a disability. If you need inspiration to do your very first triathlon, century ride or road race, Sarah will be your muse. For those who have had a life-changing experience that has resulted in some type of disability, I think you’ll find some encouragement with Sarah’s book.