California Surfin' Once Again

I had another wonderful opportunity to surf this weekend in California when I flew to Los Angeles to compete in the Long Beach (half) Marathon. It's the third, and final, run in a series called the Beach Cities Marathons. Last January, I ran in Huntington Beach, while in May, I ran in the OC (half) Marathon. I decided that I had to complete the series in Long Beach. Naturally, I knew I had to surf while I was here so I contacted my favorite Surf School out in California and arranged another surf session with Phil, my California surf guru. I had exchanged emails with Jaz and another person at the school and found out that Jaz and Phil and a few others had been surfing in Baja and wouldn't return until late the night before I arrived. They would need to assess the waves early the next morning to let me know where to go. Sure enough, I received a call from Phil saying to meet him at a Jack-in-the-Box on a corner in Huntington. We met up, discussed the wave options at various beaches and opted for the head high, rather than the double overhead at the Brookhurst Beach we had met at before. 

I was a little intimidated at first, but quickly overcame my fears by watching the other surfers in the water. They all made it look so easy. Phil had an 8' and a 9' board. I opted for the 9' because I wanted to keep using the same size board as Roxanne, which is the board I use regularly these days. The differences, though, we're that it was Softop and, therefore, a little wider and thicker than mine. Since the waves were formed by a beach break, it was a little tricky getting out. I counted sets, but Phil warned that the waves had  minds of their own and would form and come into shore as they wanted and not in any prescribed manner. I tried to follow his lead, but sometimes got caught on the inside. He gave me some tips for getting out, one of them being to keep heading into the wave and to not stop paddling if I saw a rather large wave heading my way. Of course, at least three times, I got scolded for doing just that...stopping and occasionally turning when a wave headed my way. I paddled a lot, but then again, paddling has never been an issue  for me.  I caught three rather large waves with Phil beside me, but I also missed some I should have been able to catch. 

I participated in my run today (Sunday) and didn't really have an opportunity to surf again. I had a fun run that included a few miles on a paved path actually on the beach. However, with the sun beating down on the sand, running on the path was really warm...warm for California. I was hoping to finish in 1:55, but finished in 2:02 instead. Oh well, there's always next time to set the record. Who can complain about a running and, SURFING in California? I certainly can't!  

The Beauty of California Surf...

...is that they always have waves! Well, maybe they don't always have waves, but at least they always have waves when I visit. I also follow a couple of surfers on Twitter (people I don't really know, but people who started following me) who post about their great surfing sessions. And from what I've seen, they definitely have some sort of waves most of the time. I headed to southern California this weekend for a quick trip. Now, that I've started running, I like to find interesting places to run. This weekend, Orange County hosted their OC Marathon, with a half marathon option available to us newbie runners. I chose this run for a number of silly reasons. First, I ran the Huntington beach half in February and found out that if I signed up for the OC and Long Beach also, I would receive a medal shaped like a surfboard. I know it's silly, but I like the bling. Secondly, I think southern California is beautiful; a little chilly, but beautiful. Finally, if I travel to California, I can surf! 

I contacted the school I used when I was out there in February and asked if the instructor I had then would be available and he was. I really liked Phil 'cause he's a little older and really wants his students to understand the waves, which is very similar to the "dude" I learned from, and still surf with, in Galveston. I received my instructions about where to meet him through a text message, so, on Saturday morning, I headed down to the beach entrance on Huntington Beach to meet Phil.  The first thing we did was examine the waves. After a few moments and a thorough discussion with Phil, he decided we needed to drive down the beach a little way. There were waves where we were,but he thought the waves on the outside were closing out a little too fast for me and, on top of  that, it was quite crowded with local surfers. We drove down the beach and after another thorough investigation and explanation by Phil, we found the perfect location. He explained that I would have to paddle quickly to get past the rough stuff to the outside. I said "No problem." Of course, the first time I tried, it was a problem. I got pounded on the inside. On my second try, I paddled quickly enough to push to the outside. Once out, it was wonderful. With Phil by my side, I was able to decide which waves to attempt to catch. Of course, it helps when he's right beside me and is telling me. There were a couple of waves I would have attempted to catch if he hadn't been there to wisely guide me. However, even with him there, I managed to blow it most of the time. I caught two or three...kind of. By that I mean, that I had a couple of waves that didn't pummel me, but I waited a little late to get up, so I missed the drop. My drops were small in comparison to his, 'cause I delayed my pop-up. However, the two or so waves I caught were wonderful and fast. Phil assessed me and basically said the same thing that my "dude" in Galveston said. I need to stop thinking so much about and surf. It needs to become second-nature. I definitely want it. I think it's a fair assessment.  

On another note, my run today was fun, but not a PR for m. I probably needed to run more miles while training. Also, I probably needed more repeats on the Kemah Bridge. Today's course was very hilly for a flatlander like me, but the scenery was beautiful. I finished the 13.11 miles in 2:02 rather than  1:55.  But, I've already signed up for the Long Beach Half in October to see if I can better my time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Flying solo

I recently noticed that all of the sports I'm involved in are solo sports -- running, cycling and surfing. Solo may not be the accurate way to describe cycling since I prefer riding with my club, but, it is actually up to me how fast or how far I go on my bike and I don't rely on a "team," so I consider it a solo sport. Surfing is definitely a solo sport, although, again, I prefer it when a few other surfers are out. But, in reality, I'm on my own. I'll be traveling alone to run in the Surf City (half)Marathon in Huntington Beach, Calif. next month. I won't necessarily be running alone since a couple of surfing buddies who live in California are coming to Huntington Beach to run, as well as a couple of guys I know from either cycling or the gym who are also planning to be in California for the run.  I think I've mentioned the run before and Huntington Beach as one of my top surfing destinations on my "wish" list. Well, I decided my upcoming trip was the best time to cross that destination off my surfing list. So, this week after I finished making my important travel plans including purchasing the airplane ticket and making the hotel reservation, I made some even more important travel plans: I booked surf lessons/board rental. I had no way of knowing who offers the best lessons, so, basically, I just selected a surfing school from a list that popped up when I googled "surf lessons Huntington Beach." The Banzai Surf School, based on the physical address, isn't far from my hotel and just might be a good place to meet up and learn from a local surfer. I sent an email requesting information and got an immediate response...I think it came into my email address at 1:40 a.m. Based on the quick response and the subsequent email exchanges, I'm feeling like I made the right decision in booking a lesson with them. I'm excited to meet my surfing instructor in person (either Jaz or Phil). The waves look amazing in the pictures and video clips I've seen. I don't want the waves to be large 'cause I actually prefer 3- to 4-foot waves, but I do look forward to possibly having consistent and clean waves in which to surf.

Surfing in Galveston this week has been impossible. It's FLAT, FLAT, FLAT! This time of year, surfers wait for a norther to come through or for the wind to return to the south. Neither has happened this week. Actually, a cold front came through during the week, but it barreled in too strong, which flattens rather than allows for waves to form. Since this weekend is a three-day weekend for me (the state recognizes MLK Day), I still have tomorrow for waves. Surfline is predicting 4- to 5-foot waves, but I'm not really holding my breath. I'm not sure the wind has picked up enough yet. But, we'll see. Unfortunately, rain has also been forecasted. I don't mind surfing in the rain, but I definitely worry about possible lightning.

Finally, my week ended with a very exciting revelation for me. I found out on Friday that my entry to a six-word memoir contest was selected for publication in O Magazine. It's my Oprah debut. They didn't include a picture, but they did include a short bio I submitted. I used surfing to describe my life, and I guess the editors liked it. ummm... Surfing life's ripples, wishing for waves.