In March 2017 Amy and I completed a relay-bike-ride through all 22 Local Authorities of Wales. The year before that (May 2016) I cycled from our home in South Wales to Chamonix.
Past adventures
We’ve had lots of overland and water based mini adventures in the past. But for every single one, I can honestly say that we weren’t completely ready. I definitely wasn’t physically fit to cycle to Chamonix! I struggled to stick to a training plan, so I did as much as I could which definitely wasn’t enough. I also didn’t have any of the ‘best’ equipment and kit. I made do with what I had (a 24-year-old mountain bike) and what I could borrow. Mental preparation was good and the logistics were planned well in advance. So these offset my fears of not being physically up to the task ahead.
Psychological strategies
One thing that we’ve found really useful before and during our challenges is ‘proactive coping’. This involves figuring out the answers to most of the ‘what if’ questions before they happen. By having the answers to ‘what ifs’ in advance, we’re more equipped to deal with them if / when they arise.
Looking back on our adventures, we don’t think we were ever going to be ‘ready’. But that’s okay, as a bit of uncertainty adds to it being an exciting adventure. Our physical fitness has never let us down, and on the longer distance adventures our fitness improved as we went along. The human body shouldn’t be underestimated as an amazing machine which adapts very well to different situations.
“A bit of uncertainty adds to the ingredients of an exciting adventure” – The MahoJos
What we’ve both learned in the past few years of planning adventures is to ‘Just flipping do it’. There will always be reasons not to do it, so focus on all the brilliant reasons why you should #JFDI.