One Thursday night in February...

Thank goodness for this past Thursday and a strange weather pattern that allowed for waves to form and last most of the day. I sent a couple of emails to my G-town contacts and found out that, yes, the waves were hanging on. One of the most fortunate attributes of my job is fitness release time. As a state employee, I'm allowed to take three hours a week to stay fit; but only if I can get my work completed. It's an innovative program offered by the state of Texas with those in power believing that if someone is fit, they are less likely to call in sick, which costs the state money. I rarely use all three hours simply because I often feel like I have MORE than 40 hours worth of work to do and I don't want to have to stay late or work over just to complete what I could have finished if I had only stayed at the office. However, many times I will take an hour or two during the work day to either run, cycle and/or surf. Thursday was one of those days. 

At about 3:30 that afternoon, I ran home (as fast I could passing through school zones during the after-school hour), loaded my 9' Softop "Iris," put on my bikini, grabbed a wetsuit and headed down. (Speaking of wetsuits, I really wanted to take just my 3-2, but got worried that I would be cold and took, and ultimately used, my 5-4.) I met one of my G-town surfing buds and went out in the rip on the east side of the jetty. Only two other surfers were out, although I heard that quite a few were taking advantage of the mid-week waves earlier in the day. I struggled catching the waves. I felt like they didn't quite have the force that I need. One of the guys already in the water caught a couple with little effort, but I paddled and paddled and the waves I chose would either diminish or close out. I'm sure a good deal had to do with my lack of skill, but some of it also had to do with timing and not being in the right place. I eventually, with the guidance of my surf buddy, decided to go to the west side of the jetty where the waves looked more consistent. I think, all in all, I caught four waves, which was okay for me. (At the end of the evening, I caught a couple of more in the whitewater only because my feet were getting cold, it was getting dark, and I was desperate to play a little more with my positioning.)  I really wanted to practice my pop-up since I only recently discovered that I might be putting my hands too close to my shoulder rather than a little above my waist, closer to my center of gravity. My Thursday night session gave me the opportunity to try different positions for my hands. I've been thinking a lot about where my hands go lately. In fact, the other day at the gym, I got into a demonstration/conversation with one of my spin class buddies who also surfs. He's a stronger cyclist than me and, I'm sure, a better surfer. I asked him to show me his pop-up and then showed him mine, which was a good one at that particular moment. We talked a little about where my hands should go, and I left feeling a little more positive about the pop-up. I've since practiced more at home, and I can't wait to get back out in the water whenever that shall be. While some choppy waves might return as early as Tuesday, strong, clean waves may not be back until sometime on Friday when a cold front passes through.

On another note, I'm already thinking about ways to get back to the California waves. I registered for The OC (half) Marathon in May. Not sure if I will actually go or not, but I like having the possibility of going luring me through some busy months leading up to May. It's not that I won't have some good surf sessions before that since I will be going to Nicaragua again soon, but I like the hint of California for pre-summer fun hanging in my future. I won't know for sure until April, but for now, I will be "California dreamin'."