In October 2009, I stepped off the plane in Hawai’i, on the big island.
I was going to race in an Ironman triathlon there 10 days later, and I had gotten there early to try and get “used” to the weather differences.
The shift in heat and humidity from Sydney was startling. Back in those days, I was into all the metrics to try and help my training… When I went for my first little jog, my heart rate was about 12 beats higher for the same pace.
Not only that, but my feet had swollen a whole size from the change, I ended up needing to get different shoes.
So I spent the week adjusting, getting ready for the race, both physically and mentally.
Did it help?
It’s hard to know… It was a tough race.
But if I had of jumped straight into the race with oversized feet and no idea how much fluid I would need to stay hydrated, things almost certainly would’ve gone really pear shaped.
Sometimes we need to just “be” in the environment before we “do.” In a new job, a new gym, a new relationship… We need time to notice it.
To feel it out.
Sometimes if we land with the wheels already in motion, it can feel great for a time, but without getting our bearings, often we just zoom off in the wrong direction.
