Kerri On Down The Road

This past week I experienced a fantastic reminder of the power of a pause.  The recycling container that I keep under my sink was full and I had pulled it out and left it at the top of my apartment stairs as a reminder to empty it at some point in the day.  The container remained in place while I passed it by, sometimes stopping to add more items and other times looking at it and thinking "Next time I go outside I'll take it with me".  Gravity soon stepped in to nudge me along.   I placed one last item in the bin and managed to displace a couple of other empty containers, sending them crashing down the short flight of steps to my landing.  Various curse words were spoken as I went to collect the errant items.  I gingerly replaced all the empty containers, only to send more plastics on an escape mission down the full flight of steps to my downstairs apartment door.  This is where things got interesting. For the briefest of moments, I pictured mysel...

From the outside, it may look like I enjoy taking risks and trying new things.  This is somewhat true.  While I enjoy trying new things and expanding my life through new experiences, I feel like many of the risks I take are quite calculated.  I often spend time (over) analyzing possible outcomes and attempting to mitigate as much downside as possible.  Of course, these exercises in risk prevention are done quietly and happen without me even needing to put much thought into the matter.  Fear of failure or disappointment grabs the steering wheel and keeps me within my comfort zone.  While I appreciate the fact that this is done out of care or concern and in an attempt to protect me from feeling pain or discomfort, it also is self-limiting and causes a different type of dis-ease.  It leads to a sense of unfulfilled potential and questions of "what if?" So yesterday I decided to push those edges of comfort a bit.  As I prepared to run the TCS Half Mar...

This weekend marks one year since I completed the Chicago Marathon.  It was a huge milestone for me and something I had never anticipated participating in. As I reflected on memories from last year, I couldn't help but compare how I was feeling then to how I am feeling now, as I prepare to run the TCS Waterfront Half-Marathon next weekend.  Having my name drawn to run Chicago was a surprise and delight.  The elation buoyed me through the rigors of marathon training, helping me face some daunting training sessions that I would have much rather skipped.  The entire year focused on that one race and I did everything I could to work through injuries, stress, and overall fatigue so I could show up at the start line ready to go.   In comparison, running the TCS Half has been much more adaptable to my daily schedule.  I have managed to fit in my runs without making too many adjustments to other activities and have not worried as much about injuries through ov...

 Earlier this week, a friend and I met for a pre-sunrise dip.  Neither of us could attend the larger group gathering planned for sunrise, so we set our alarms and met while the stars were still glowing in the skies.  I consider myself a morning person, being that once I am awake I tend to be energized for early morning tasks.  This coincides nicely with my enjoyment of cold water dipping as it allows me to be present to witness the glorious start of the day.  It also means that I often arrive at the lake cloaked with frenetic energy, as I tend to cut it close with my arrival time.  This is not done on purpose and is often a side-effect of thinking that I have more time on my hands than I do and underestimating how long the short drive to the water will take.   On this particular morning, I arrived slightly buzzing as I was once again "just" on time.  My friend had been sitting enjoying the skies before I arrived and greeted me with calm and g...