Oh how I miss surfing! It seems lately that my regular surf days are either plagued by bad surf or filled with other responsibilities. My surf updates this weekend were filled with bad news. When the King Surf Dude calls and says he is canceling lessons 'cause the weather and waves are crappy, then I know it's pretty bad down at the 43rd Street jetty. I probably should use the time to take the summer wax off of my Senator board (Petal), my McTavish (Rainbow) and my JLS (Lil' Sis), and replace it with cold water wax. Not sure what the differences are between the two types of wax, but I guess they wouldn't sell it unless it was necessary. Either that, or I'm just a sucker. I don't think so though because the King Surf Dude Brian mentions to me occasionally when the seasons change that I need to do it. I noticed on g-townsurf.com that the water temp yesterday was 57 degrees. Brrrrrr! While I've been using my 3-2 wetsuit during the last few sessions, I haven't been extremely cold; possibly because the air temperature was in the 60s and 70s. However, with the last passing of a cold front earlier this week, not only had the water temps dropped a few degrees, but so has the air temp. When the air temp drops, the worst part of surfing is standing on the Seawall and pulling off the wetsuit after a surf session. I can NEVER get the wetsuit pulled off and my sweatshirt and sweatpants put on fast enough! But, I digress. This should be a time of maintenance; a time to get things ready for my winter surf...even if the temps are supposed to be back in the 70s by next weekend.
Although I didn't get to surf this weekend, I made the best of it. I participated in my first adventure race. A cycling/running friend does them often. Both of the people he usually partners with in the team category were busy. I had expressed interest in his adventure races. So, when neither of them could make it to this latest race, he contacted me. I was thrilled. It would be something completely different for me! Adventure races are set up in several different ways. Many of them have a running leg, a mountain-bicycling leg and a kayaking leg. Some offer mystery sports, and some require participants to use a GPS to locate the stamps for their race "passport." My friend said that this particular race would be a good one for me since I was a first-timer. I asked him to explain, and he said that he always thinks of this particular race -- the Dave Boyd Adventure Race -- as a great one for beginners. What a great time I had! Although I've had a mountain bike for a long time, I don't use it much. I'm not a very aggressive mountain biker, and to be a good mountain biker, you have to be aggressive. I like to say that a person has to have the mentality of a 10-year-old boy to be a good mountain biker. 10-year-old boys do NOT think they can die, which is why they take the risks that they do. A mountain biker can't be thinking about getting hurt, he/she has to be thinking only about how to get around the bump in the path. Because the river in Lake Houston Park is low, the kayaking leg for this race was canceled. Instead, this race included a 2.65 trail run, a 14.11-mile mountain bike ride through easy to moderate (for me) trails finishing with a 2.65 trail run on the same course as the first run. We also waded across a low river to get to one of the punch-card stations. The air temp was cool Saturday, but I'm glad because then I was forced to wear long sleeves and leggings. This extra layer of clothing protected my skin from the tree limbs, vines and brush that I had to maneuver through to get to my check points. This particular race included two categories -- a 12-hour course for the diehard adventurers and a 2- to 3-hour sprint course for people like us. We finished almost an hour after the first place team in our category, and probably placed last or next to last in our category. But, I had so much fun! After all, it was my first adventure race AND the first time I've ever run on trails. We finished in 3:19. I've decided that this won't be my last adventure race. Even if I don't get to partner with my friend again, I might try to do it alone. Of course, if some of the courses require a GPS, I might have to re-think it. After all, I'd hate to get lost on a trail in a race. Ummm...like surfing, I definitely need more practice.
Oh how I miss surfing! It seems lately that my regular surf days are either plagued by bad surf or filled with other responsibilities. My surf updates this weekend were filled with bad news. When the King Surf Dude calls and says he is canceling lessons 'cause the weather and waves are crappy, then I know it's pretty bad down at the 43rd Street jetty. I probably should use the time to take the summer wax off of my Senator board (Petal), my McTavish (Rainbow) and my JLS (Lil' Sis), and replace it with cold water wax. Not sure what the differences are between the two types of wax, but I guess they wouldn't sell it unless it was necessary. Either that, or I'm just a sucker. I don't think so though because the King Surf Dude Brian mentions to me occasionally when the seasons change that I need to do it. I noticed on g-townsurf.com that the water temp yesterday was 57 degrees. Brrrrrr! While I've been using my 3-2 wetsuit during the last few sessions, I haven't been extremely cold; possibly because the air temperature was in the 60s and 70s. However, with the last passing of a cold front earlier this week, not only had the water temps dropped a few degrees, but so has the air temp. When the air temp drops, the worst part of surfing is standing on the Seawall and pulling off the wetsuit after a surf session. I can NEVER get the wetsuit pulled off and my sweatshirt and sweatpants put on fast enough! But, I digress. This should be a time of maintenance; a time to get things ready for my winter surf...even if the temps are supposed to be back in the 70s by next weekend.
Although I didn't get to surf this weekend, I made the best of it. I participated in my first adventure race. A cycling/running friend does them often. Both of the people he usually partners with in the team category were busy. I had expressed interest in his adventure races. So, when neither of them could make it to this latest race, he contacted me. I was thrilled. It would be something completely different for me! Adventure races are set up in several different ways. Many of them have a running leg, a mountain-bicycling leg and a kayaking leg. Some offer mystery sports, and some require participants to use a GPS to locate the stamps for their race "passport." My friend said that this particular race would be a good one for me since I was a first-timer. I asked him to explain, and he said that he always thinks of this particular race -- the Dave Boyd Adventure Race -- as a great one for beginners. What a great time I had! Although I've had a mountain bike for a long time, I don't use it much. I'm not a very aggressive mountain biker, and to be a good mountain biker, you have to be aggressive. I like to say that a person has to have the mentality of a 10-year-old boy to be a good mountain biker. 10-year-old boys do NOT think they can die, which is why they take the risks that they do. A mountain biker can't be thinking about getting hurt, he/she has to be thinking only about how to get around the bump in the path. Because the river in Lake Houston Park is low, the kayaking leg for this race was canceled. Instead, this race included a 2.65 trail run, a 14.11-mile mountain bike ride through easy to moderate (for me) trails finishing with a 2.65 trail run on the same course as the first run. We also waded across a low river to get to one of the punch-card stations. The air temp was cool Saturday, but I'm glad because then I was forced to wear long sleeves and leggings. This extra layer of clothing protected my skin from the tree limbs, vines and brush that I had to maneuver through to get to my check points. This particular race included two categories -- a 12-hour course for the diehard adventurers and a 2- to 3-hour sprint course for people like us. We finished almost an hour after the first place team in our category, and probably placed last or next to last in our category. But, I had so much fun! After all, it was my first adventure race AND the first time I've ever run on trails. We finished in 3:19. I've decided that this won't be my last adventure race. Even if I don't get to partner with my friend again, I might try to do it alone. Of course, if some of the courses require a GPS, I might have to re-think it. After all, I'd hate to get lost on a trail in a race. Ummm...like surfing, I definitely need more practice.
