English teacher Kay Meyer isn’t content with being a spectator.

That’s why she responded so fervently when her nephew asked her about her recent activity, deciding to plan an adventure for every month.  That decision has resulted in her running a night race in Michigan, placing first in a race in North Carolina, and fighting through storms in a race in Cincinnati.  And her adventures will continue.

For Meyer, life isn’t defined by waiting and wondering; it’s defined by doing, by making the most out of every experience.  When she sees 80-year-olds exercising, she feels inspired and hopes to be able to do the same later in life.

Meyer tries to make the most out of every one of her races.  She does everything there is to do because she never knows if she will ever have that opportunity again.

“All of [my races] are really cool for me,” said Meyer.  “We try to pack so much into a weekend that we’re basically going nonstop.”

During her time at Huntley High School, Meyer has made countless attempts to get her students involved in exercise and adventure.  Starting the Adventure Club, attempting to offer extra credit for running before school, and trying to organize a field trip to California to run a half-marathon: all failures.  But Meyer keeps trying because she knows it’s what she should do.

“There’s so much fun out there,” said Meyer.  “When I see kids who don’t want to do anything, I just think they haven’t found it yet.”

Meyer’s latest endeavor is to participate in triathlons.  That means having to swim, something Meyer hates to do.  But she continues to practice because she wants to make herself better and doesn’t want to look back at her life and wonder what she could have done.

That drive is why Meyer lives the adventure she calls life.