Marathon Completed and a Little CR Action

A week ago Saturday (1/18) was a very crazy day for me.  Because I was running the marathon the next day, I had opted not to run on that Saturday, although many runners like to do a warm-up 5K. I needed a little bit of a workout and chose a 15-mile bike ride to loosen the legs instead. The weather was perfect, so I rolled out early and snuck it in to my busy day. I went to the expo later, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and then spent the afternoon with Mom in the hospital because of her emergency hip surgery the day before. I got a little packing done later that night because my plane for Costa Rica was leaving early Monday. Pshewww... it was a very busy Saturday.

My Sunday run began strong. I ran the first half in 2:01, which isn't a record for me, but probably was a little too fast considering I had another half still to run. I felt it in my thighs at about mile 15, and by mile 17, I was also experiencing some pain in the bottom of my foot. I finished at 4:36, but had trained to finish by 4:15. So, despite my proclamation that Houston would be my last full, I will have to find another marathon to run just so I can better my time. Yikes! An article I read stated that is what always happens to runners. They always think they can do better no matter how much they train. Another friend of mine wants me to do some adventure triathlons with her that include mountain biking, trail running and swimming, but I'm just not crazy about having to squeeze swimming into my workout. I know it will be getting warm soon, but I still do not have the time to add another sport, especially with another marathon in my future. I could just make swimming in the Gulf part of my surfing ritual, but I don't always feel like swimming when I'm finished surfing. What's a gal to do???

Sun and surf provided the perfect
marathon recovery.

When I first realized that the day after my marathon was going to be a holiday, I decided to take a quick trip to Costa Rica to recover. I knew I wanted to go to a place that was warm and since my surf buddy Robin had moved there almost seven months ago, Costa Rica seemed like the most natural place to go. I also thought that surfing would be a good way to recover my aching legs and strengthen my skills. I was right AND wrong. The warm weather in CR definitely helped lift my spirits right away and rejuvenate my tired legs, but the surfing just reminded me of how much more practice I needed. Santa Teresa, CR, offers wave action just about all year. I had received a report the week before I headed down that the waves this winter were small. Although once I got there, I realized that the "small" waves were still much bigger than the ones I was used to surfing. Waves in Galveston can get big, but they just don't seem as forceful as the ones in CR. I watched my friend/hotel manager Don easily catch everything that came his way, but I, on the other hand, would back out of every wave on the outside I paddled to catch. I surfed a lot of a white water, which is pretty powerful stuff in CR and I even caught one true wave with a drop, but I need so much more practice. I know I don't surf often enough to be the greatest of surfers, but just as I am about to feel a little confident, I go to a place like CR and realize I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN.  Well, I guess it's back to the practice field, also known as the 43rd street jetty...just as soon as it warms up a little.