Hawaii is full of uniqueness from the landscape, people and animals that inhabit the vast openness of the Big Island.
An amazing opportunity came my way to live and train in Hawaii for 7 weeks leading up to my first race of the 2017 season. Thanks to fellow pro triathlete Carrie McCoy and her Ohana (family) here in Hawaii for the invite and hospitality! They truly have shared their Aloha Spirit as I have settled into life here in Waimea. The weeks have been simple and peaceful yet physically and mentally challenging as I ramp up for Ironman Texas. My days here typically begin with breakfast, coffee (Kona Coffee of course) and work on the deck while taking in the views of snow capped Mana Kai in one direction and the Pacific Ocean in the other. Then the sightseeing aka workouts begin for the day! All of my sightseeing has come from the saddle, pounding out the running miles on gravel roads and gliding through the ocean! During all of my workouts I have a huge cheering section of cows, chickens, roosters, goats, sheep and horses. Sorry if I’m forgetting someone! Beyond training, I frequent the farmers markets every week, volunteer with Carrie’s Kona Kids Foundation and take advantage of recovery time!
Your lesson in Aloha; Yes Aloha is more than Hello and Goodbye.
So what does Aloha actually mean? Aloha in it’s simplest form means hello and good bye. However, the “Aloha Spirit” is the respect of treating people around you with love peace and compassion. Living a life of Aloha is described as a heart so full it is overflowing with the ability to influence others around you with your spirit. In three weeks, each day I have experienced others Aloha and I am thankful for the overwhelming welcome! Cheers to my new friend that serves up some Aloha and homemade passion fruit snow cones on one of my favorite bike routes!
Lesson 1: To understand and appreciate the communities we live, train and work in we must become involved outside of our small circle of life and give back. Volunteering with my roommate, Carrie McCoy, and her Kona Kids Foundation has afforded me the opportunity to take a step back from work and experience the Marshallese and Micronesian cultures of Hawaii. Our sessions involve teaching the kids, ages ranging from a couple years to teenagers, the importance of exercise, healthy eating and of course PLAY TIME! Kona Kids has two branches, one in Kona at a transitional housing unit and one in Waimea at a low income housing unit. A valuable lesson and reminder that we only get out of life what we are willing to give back. Every week the kids share their unique Aloha Spirit and it is CONTAGIOUS! They are so grateful for such simple pleasures in life and I am so grateful for the lessons they are teaching me.
Lesson 2: 21st century alarm clocks aren’t necessary in Hawaii….Trust me, see video below. Instead of covering my ears with my pillow and getting irritated we have named my new alarm clock (aka the neighborhood rooster) Zach. He seems to be on west coast time or main island time. Yes we actually had an in depth couple days of discussion about his name, that’s what you do when you are too tired to have intellectual conversations over dinner. Carrie thinks he is from CA and thought Zach had a surfer ring to it? I just think of Zach in Saved By the Bell turned saved by the Cockadoodledoo. Thanks to Zach I’m up early every day and haven’t missed a workout yet or woken to the annoying buzz of my phone!
Lesson 3: This one is simple, grocery shop while you workout! A successful workout is one in which you come home with an avocado the size of your palm. If it is smaller or you come home empty handed the workout just isn’t a success. Yes I have my go to routes that might just be lined with avocado trees and I time my intervals so my rest break is searching for food! I need to find a pineapple & strawberry route now!
Lesson 4: Hawaii time is casual…give or take a few minutes here or there and you are on time….It’s rather nice, you truly can't ever be late! Yes Carrie and I were late to her friends wedding and they waited on us, true story we were running down the aisle! In all seriousness the laid back approach to life is a breath of fresh air and the hustle and bustle around here is definitely minimized!
Mahalo (thanks) to everyone on the mainland for following along. My three weeks of island life thus far have been a great journey full of Aloha!