Kerri On Down The Road

I was on a walk with a friend the other day discussing cycling training programs, when he mentioned a piece of advice another rider had been given by their coach.  When looking at a training plan or program "don't awfulize it" just follow it.   Just in case you were wondering, awfulize IS a word (I just googled it) and here is the definition: verb  INFORMAL imagine (a situation) to be as bad as it can possibly be. "I awfulized the upcoming confrontation I was planning to have with my boss" What struck me about that advice was how applicable it was to just about everything in life.  How many times have we looked at our calendar to upcoming work meetings, or projects and imagined our worst case scenario around how they were going to go?  Needed to have a tough conversation, and our internal dialogue and storytelling just makes the forecast even worse?  Or are starting on our path towards a goal or we have set and while feeling energized and excited we ar...

In cycling there are two circumstances where I really notice my energy and ability being challenged.  One is called a False Flat - the road you are riding on does not appear to have an incline, no noticeable lift to the naked eye, but boy oh boy do your legs notice it.  It is often the most minor increase in pitch, say .5 to 1% and although it does not sound like much on paper, believe me when I say it adds up.  Suddenly you go from sailing along to starting to grind and yet when you look ahead, you cannot see a valid reason for this growing sensation of discomfort.  The second one is more obvious, the dreaded Head Wind.  It is much more obvious because it literally involves riding into winds that are pushing back at you, often unrelentingly.  You can see it in the bend of tall grasses and flapping flags as you slowly ride past and meanwhile all that is running through your head is "please let there be a turn up ahead that will change this from a head wind ...

Over the years of participating in spin classes at the gym and then riding as part of a cycling club, the one aspect of fitness that I have worked hard at developing was active recovery.   This is basically the ability  to recover and regroup while still putting forth an effort, with the intention of being able to sustain further work efforts as you go.  Crucial on long bike rides, I have been thinking more and more about how this skill or ability also serves us in many other aspects of our lives. Thinking back to the past year, we were all working hard to carry heavy loads, for unpredictable amounts of time and uncertain as to whether or not it was safe or even available to us to ease off a bit.  For many the year felt like a long series of unrelenting intervals of heavy work and small breaks and even during those "breaks" the work and weight of what was happening did not seem to back off.  The ability during those small breaks to take a breath, reset and ...

As I sit here on January 1, 2021 I think about the 365 days that stretch out in front of us.  (Technically 364 seeing as we are on Day 1 already)  So much possibility and so many unknowns...and I feel excited and ready to be open to what lies ahead. I am not one who likes to make new year's resolutions, instead I prefer to set an intention for the year, more of a guiding idea or principle to help me stay focused and on track for what I hope to achieve in the days and week ahead.   On Wednesday night I attended my weekly Women's Coming Out Group zoom call, which I have been a part of since July 2020.  During the call we were reflecting on our successes and challenges of 2020 and what we were looking to achieve in the new year.  I didn't contribute much to the conversation this week, instead I sat quietly and listened.  And what struck me as I listened to these brave, vulnerable and courageous women was just how much wisdom is gained by listening to the ...