Acclimatising

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.

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