Adventure Categories
Everyone is a geek. I absolutely believe that. We just all geek out on different things.
And me.....surprise, surprise, I geek out on adventures.
Researching potential adventures, planning adventures, testing adventure gear, and of course, going on adventures – I love it all!
But since I enjoy different types of adventures, I now categorize them to help me keep track of my “adventure resume”:
Every day adventures
Adventures I “try out” or have to do on a tour/tandem
Race adventures
Wildlife encounters
Every day adventures are ones I do all the time. That list includes hiking, trail running, standup paddleboarding (SUP), and SUP surfing. Since I am blessed to live on a beautiful island even these every day outings usually garner me some amazing views.
Give me the west side of Oʻahu any day of the week.
The second category (the “try out” category) is a bit more adventure sexy like parasailing, ziplining, paragliding, powered hang gliding, skydiving, and bungee jumping.
Paragliding tandem with my instructor over Makapuʻu Point on Oʻahu. I even got to fly for a bit!
Race adventures is the category that I unknowingly kicked off in 2017 when I ran my first ultra, the Tarawera Ultramarathon (TUM) in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Hurting and very tired at the end of the 2017 Tarawera Ultramarathon in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Since then I have added Spartan obstacle course racing (OCR) to the list. I also was registered for a big marathon in June across a wildlife preserve in South Africa, but unfortunately that got cancelled due to COVID. Don’t worry, I will still do that one. Just another day.
The last adventure category is wildlife encounters. Living in Hawaiʻi has spoiled me with opportunities to swim or SUP with dolphins, sharks, rays, honu (turtles), and fish. I have even sneaked back to the US mainland for some epic animal adventures, but I will save those tales for their own blog post.
Like your car side mirror message, “objects are closer than they appear.”
If you’re unimpressed after reading my adventure list - I get it. I’m definitely not Red Bull athlete level, nor am I racking up any podium finishes. Heck, I’m not even naturally athletic.
In fact, I’m a slow runner. I’m scared of heights. I hate mud. I even failed my freediving certification class.
All of that is true, but there is also another side to it all.
I’m a slow runner (for now), but I love to run. So, I enter races.
2019 XTerra Trail World Championships. Nowhere near a podium finish, but had a lot of fun.
I’m scared of heights, but I love to challenge myself. So, I went skydiving.
I hate mud, but I love those summit views. So, I hike.
I failed my freediving certification class the first time, but I passed it the second time! So, I swim with dolphins now.
I learned that if I loved the experience or outcome, then I should never let anything hold me back.
This is what I hope to share with people the most. If you find an outside athletic activity that brings you joy, then keep doing it. Don’t let yourself feel self-conscious because you are a beginner. Heck, we were all beginners once.
Remember, it doesn’t matter if you are trying something for the first time or are a pro adding another skill to your adventure resume, she (or he) who is having the most fun always wins!
Til next time,
Nicole