Saturday surf and a post-surf coffee with a pal

I almost always surf on Friday and Sunday. However, since Friday was the day after Thanksgiving, which is enjoyable family time for me, I was unable to make it down to surf. I received a surf report from my surf dude Brian. He said the waves were small, but very consistent and clean; something that only happens every once in a while in Galveston. And, usually, it happens when I'm at work or have some other place to go. After examining the forecast, I decided that I might need to change my schedule this week. A strong front was scheduled to cross the coast some time on Saturday. With it would come a small window of opportunity for some fabulous waves. However, a Saturday morning arrival for the front quickly turned into a late afternoon arrival, which meant I was going to miss the good stuff. But, I also knew that if I was going to surf at all this weekend, it would have to be Saturday because once the front blew through it would be FLAT! I started my Saturday as usual: a 5 a.m.  8-mile run with some running folks (we actually usually start at 5:30, which I prefer), but when I made it back home, instead of heading to Bike Barn for a Saturday morning bike ride, I loaded my 9' Softop and headed to G-town. Conditions were not fabulous, but I was not the only one there who had a now-or-never attitude. I ran into five of the usual guys including surf dude Brian. I even ran into an out-of-town non-surfing buddy who was visiting Galveston, happened to be driving down the seawall and stopped to say hello. It was so good seeing him!

Neil, who had already been out, warned me that it was difficult getting out because the sets were not consistent. And, he was right. I struggled in the rip beside the jetty. When I made it to the end of the jetty, I was pummeled by wave after wave. I'm sure it looked like a Three Stooges (minus two) episode from the seawall. I immediately got swept to the west side of the jetty, pushed to the inside and surfed a white water wave in. However, I could tell that the best waves were definitely on the outside. That's where all the experienced surfers were. I made my way back out, and although it was a struggle, I made it. All in all, I paddled quite a bit during my surf session. The wind and the tides kept pushing me west, but I struggled and made it back to where the guys were surfing on the east side of the jetty. Bryan (with a "y") was in town and he gave me some tips, which are always great to hear. He tried to help me catch one by yelling out moves, but I got shoved under once again. Eventually, though, I caught some re-formed waves on the outside and rode three or four of them. They weren't long rides, though, because I lacked the skills to ride a wave, catch a re-form and catch a third re-form to get a nice, sweet ride like the other guys. (In particular, the T-man was surfing like a pro and walking the board while catching wave after wave.) All in all, I had a great time, but I need soooooo much practice on my surfing. I worked hard, but got very little reward. And, just about all four or five of the waves/re-forms I caught in the three hours I was there were in their whitewater stage. I got a great workout for my arms though since I had to paddle so far out and continue paddling when the current pushed me to the inside.  And, despite the fact that I struggled so much, I can't help but love doing it. While surfing the Internet for some surfing tips/quotes, I came across this one:


"Surfing expresses ... a pure yearning for visceral, physical contact with the natural world." Matt Warshaw, "Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing"


I definitely experienced physical contact with the natural world on Saturday!

After surfing, I offered to take a couple of the guys for coffee. However, Neil and T-man had other places to go, so only surf dude Brian took me up on my offer. It was a nice post-surf experience. He told me a little about his younger life -- his life before Galveston. He told me about some of the gals he had fallen in love with along the way, and about some of the unusual jobs he had along the way. He told me about an old friend who is now deceased, and about finding out he had died. He missed his friend. It was a great way to end a morning of surfing. I will definitely have to do it again!

* Brian gave me a couple of t-shirts and a sweatshirt (pictured) to wear around town and promote his surf school. Texas surfer for sure!

Sloppy cool waves and some warm-up moves

I was hoping for more today. Despite an early report from Surf Dude Brian via Robin that said sets were small but clean, the beach surrounding the 43rd street jetty was a washing machine. A surf friend who has been working on his yoga certification offered to lead a pre-surf yoga session on the beach. So, several of us (including some who weren't planning to surf today) made our way to the beach early to "get our moves on." Since the instructor wasn't there when I first arrived, I decided to surf a few minutes before the yoga session. Some of the guys were out already (Neil and Bob), but from the shore, I wasn't impressed with the waves I was seeing. I watched a few minutes from the seawall before putting on my wetsuit and heading out. (The air temp was warm, but with the water temp at 67 degrees, I felt certain that the water would be too cool for me without my 3-2 wetsuit; therefore, I opted out of the long-sleeved 2m top and/or springsuit for the full suit. I'm glad I did. Although Brian and Robin were in shorties, the water was too chilly for me.) It was an incredibly choppy day, which meant rough paddle-outs and difficulty reading waves. AARGH!

I'm feeling quite discouraged about my surfing lately. I say "lately," but I think if I looked back on my posts, I would find a discouraging note about surfing at least one out of ever five or six of my posts. I guess I should just chalk it up to inexperience, but I SOOOOO want to be a better surfer. Is it possible I'm spreading myself to thin on not focusing enough on one sport? Since taking up running a little less than a year ago, which was added to an already full cycling schedule, I've started to wonder if I'm trying to do too much. (Not to mention, that my house is a mess, which means that maybe I'm spending too much time on frivolous things. MY INNER VOICE SAYS "NO WAY," LIFE WAS MEANT TO BE LIVED, BUT THAT OTHER VOICE SAYS, "WELL, MAYBE...") However, maybe I'm just expecting too much. I've only been surfing about 2 1/2 years, so maybe I'm at the skill level I'm supposed to be at for someone my age. I wish I could turn off the little competitive voice that always nags at me to want more or to do better or to expect perfection. For one thing, I can't be the best at everything and maybe, just maybe, it's okay to be just pretty good. Or, in the case of surfing, maybe it's okay that I will never be real good. In the book, "Born to Run," the author writes about a tribe in Mexico who are outstanding ultra marathoners. And, one of the things he notes (and I'm paraphrasing) is that they run like children...they run just because they can, and they almost always smile while doing it.

Is okay to just do something 'cause you like doing it? The author of the book suggests that is why this tribe is so good at running, because they like doing it so much. But, I know that is an oversimplification. I can like cycling, running and surfing a lot, but that alone won't make me better. However, maybe if I relax and just enjoy the sport, I'll eventually get stronger. And, actually, that happened with cycling. I got much stronger in my fourth and fifth year of participating in group rides, so, perhaps, in four years, I'll be an even better surfer. I just need to enjoy where I'm at right now and know that the skills will develop with a lot more practice!

**The photo is from my recent trip to Costa Rica. I wanted to take a photo of the sun rising this morning, but it was a little overcast early on, with sun eventually peaking through; however, it was too bright to capture the ambiance of early morning yoga.