April Already?!?

I can't believe that it's April already. I haven't published a post since February. I started one in March, but for some unknown reason, I never finished it. My March post began with a description of my February marathon. I ran my sixth marathon at the end of February in New Orleans; my third in five months. I didn't have a record-breaking finish time, but anytime you can finish a marathon, you should feel good about yourself. I've signed up for the Houston Marathon in January 2017, but other than that, I don't have any other full marathons taking place. I'm still running, but it feels good not to have to run a 12-, 15- or 18-mile training run. Last week, my run group opted for bridge repeats on the Kemah Bridge. I'm proud to say I completed 4 1/2 complete up-and-overs for a total of 8 miles. With an upcoming half marathon later this month, I probably need at least a 10-miler this weekend. Alas, I digress. This is a blog about surfing.

Once again, waves have been sporadic with the best ones coming during the middle of the week in the middle of the day while I'm at work. The weekends have been flat. The good thing about mid-week waves this time of year is that the sun is out long enough to allow for an after-work surf session. Last Thursday (3/31), everyone with a surfboard went surfing. The wind shifted from the north/northeast and the waves were nice. The problem was that the winds were incredibly strong as was the current. I made it down to Gtown before 6. Because of crowds, I ended up at Flagship, which wasn't nearly as crowded because of the current. I paddled out near the pier, which had a strong rip current to pull me along. However, the current was rough -- very rough -- and I got pulled out. I could see the surfable waves midway between the Pleasure Pier and the jetty. However, trying to swim to the waves was nearly impossible. I kept getting pushed back to the pier, which was tiring and disturbing. Finally, I decided I needed to be a little bit more on the inside. Once I paddled in a little, I caught a few waves. I paddled out once or twice more, but used the rip near the jetty rather than the pier. I always ended up back on the inside. However, I caught a few waves there, so it was the better place for me. All in all, I had a great time. I can't wait to get back out.

The forecast for waves has been dismal, although I noticed that sloppy knee- to waist-high waves are forecasted for tomorrow (Sunday, 4/10), which may be good enough to get me back out in the water. I completed a brick workout today (Saturday, 4/9), so I got in a good weekend cardio workout. And the paddling will help me too. A good little surf session will help round out the weekend.

Here and There and 3-2 Wetsuits

We're in the season…not just the holiday season…the season that includes cold fronts blowing through, beautiful, "California"-like waves pushing to shore and wetsuits. I've surfed three or four times since my last post, but not on my usual surf days. When the cold fronts come through, the SSE wind-generated waves get cleaned up by the north wind. If I'm lucky and I've planned everything correctly, I'm surfing when it happens.

The first Thursday surf session (a couple of weeks ago) took place after work, right before we set the clocks back for the return of fall. I made it to G-town around 5:30 and surfed until after 7, well after dark. I was the last one out of the water, but I was having so much fun that I didn't want the sun to go down. I originally went out on the east side of the jetty with most of the other surfers, but, because of the crowd, I decided to join the one other surfer located on the west side. He seemed to be catching quite a few and once I located the sweet spot, I started catching a couple too. I stayed on the west side of the jetty for the rest of the night. The guy surfing also gave me tips. The waves were a little hard to read, but he offered advice about which ones would make it all the way to me.

Although it rarely happens,
I love when the cold
fronts come through
on the weekend.

I surfed on the wests side of the 43rd street jetty on Friday also. By then, everyone was out -- east side and west side. The waves were definitely clean and fun. One of the most fascinating things about that afternoon, was the family that was out surfing near me. Three little blond children, probably under the age of 10, on boards that were possibly 4 ft or shorter were surfing the waves next to me. And, they were doing quite well. Their father was out on a stand-up paddleboard and was also doing quite well catching waves. I had a ball watching them surf. What fun to see their entire family surfing one waver after another. The waves were definitely smaller than the night before, but they were also fun. I surfed for about three hours and loved every minute of it.

A front moved through again this past Thursday. A local weather forecaster had predicted it would come in early Thursday. I woke up with a severe headache, went back to sleep for about a half an hour,  woke up and was fine. I looked at the webcam to see the surf cleaning up nicely. I loaded a board and headed to G-town, and I'm so glad I did. I got a couple of hours of surfing in before I had to paddle in and drive back to the mainland for work. I surfed at 43rd, although when I first arrived, the best waves were at the Pleasure Pier. However, it was so crowded there, I knew I needed to surf elsewhere. By the time I was loading up to leave, approximately 6-8 surfers were out at 43rd with me. Caught a couple of marvelous waves, and felt wonderful about taking a couple of vacation hours to get in some surf time. The only unhappy part of this morning surf session was that I had to wear my 3-2 wetsuit for the first time since last spring. It seems early for me to have to wear a wetsuit because for the past couple of years, I haven't needed a full suit until December. But, I guess this year, I'll be wearing one from now until spring. Oh well, it's a small price to pay for having so much fun!

A Windy Weekend, but a Well-formed Wavy Weeknight

I was just sure that I would be able to surf last weekend. However, that didn't work out like I had hoped.. It was incredibly windy. I went down on Sunday just to take a look. When I got out of the car, I knew I wouldn't be paddling out. The wind was howling and the sand was blowing. Everyone was

Last Sunday was a windy, messy
day on the beach.

covered in sand and those not wearing sunglasses were definitely rubbing their eyes. I ran into B. and another friend, Susan. She warned me about the waves. They were quite unruly because of the wind. Several surfers were out, but they weren't having a lot of fun. They would catch a wave every now and then, but they weren't catching them consistently. My guess is that they were like me, a person who could only surf on the weekend and was willing to do anything to get in the water. Of course, I guess I wasn't that desperate last weekend because I wasn't willing to fight the tide or wind. Just standing on the Seawall was hard enough. I'm glad I didn't go out.

By Tuesday, surfers in the Galveston area were heading to the beach. A late spring cold front brought north winds that would turn the windy mush into well-formed waves.  The best waves started appearing at about 11 a.m. I just kept my fingers crossed that they would last until I got off that afternoon.

I left work a little early and, even though the wind had started howling, I could see some potential fun. Two other guys from work met me at the beach, as did the surf "dude." Quite a few people were still out despite the fact that the best waves were earlier in the day. It didn't matter to me because these were the BEST waves I'd seen in awhile. I paddled out and caught a wave right away. I caught a few more after that and had a spectacular session. My friends from work seemed to have fun too. However, I have to say, once again, if I had been a better surfer, I'm sure that I might have had even more fun. Actually, I'm not even really sure I would have. I had a ball anyway. I surfed until the sun started setting. I look forward to some evening surf sessions for the rest of the summer. I'm just so glad I went out this week.

March Winds...But it's Only February

I hate it when the weekend comes and the waves go flat. I should be used to it. It seems lately that is always the case. I'm a day late with my weekly journal entry because some other commitments that captured my Sunday. However, I woke early ready and willing to go surfing despite the cold, but received a call from Brian that despite the small, but building surf, conditions were not very good for surfing. Too bad.

It's hard to tell from this photo, which was taken while
sitting at a red light when I was leaving, but the waves
weren't bad for a mid-week surfing session.

Fortunately, I did make it out last Tuesday afternoon. I used some of my fitness release time to leave work a little early and chase to Gtown for a late afternoon surf session. I made it to the 43rd street jetty about 4:20, which gave me only an hour-and-a-half before it would be too dark to surf.  The rip current didn't look like it was easy to navigate so I decided to paddle straight out a little away from the jetty. I struggled getting out. I was pushed back to shore, knocked off my board and moved around so much, that I didn't think I would ever get to the outside. Perseverance paid off and I eventually made it out. I was a little tired, but sat on my board for a little while to regain my strength and confidence. When I looked up again, I had moved from the east side of the jetty to the west and, in fact, was being pushed by the current and wind toward the 45th street jetty. Once I realized it, I paddled against the current and, eventually, decided that I would need to catch a wave in and walk back to jetty 43. For the next hour, I paddled and fought the current. I caught a few waves and had one really good, long ride where I even turned. However, I need to work on my pop up again. I feel like I'm fumbling with it. Fortunately, I can practice my pop-up on my living room floor just like I did when I was just learning four years ago. I really need the practice.

According to all the surf forecasts, the north wind that blew in today (Monday) will cause it to be flat for the rest of the week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Friday, but it's not looking good. I sure hope that the forecasts are wrong.