Spring Excellence…Well Kind Of

Waves were a little mushy,
 but still surfable. It felt good
to be out surfing again.

Three weeks have flown by since I've been surfing. Rain, no wind, no waves and cold have been keeping me and everyone else who wanted to surf away from the beach. I've missed it. I've stayed busy  with my other sports. I've continued to run and cycle, and when that wasn't possible, I attended spin class. I definitely kept active, but was dreaming about being back out in the water. The forecast for this weekend did not look promising on Surfline early last week, but, by Friday, Sunday looked like it would be the best day of the two. I was beyond happy. I wanted to surf.

Sure enough, when Sunday arrived, I looked at the webcam and could see some ripples. Surf reports indicated that it was, in fact, surfable on a longboard. I couldn't wait to get out. I had some early morning conflicts so I couldn't make it down to the island until later…until mid-morning, around 11 a.m. I drove to 43rd, but it looked crowded already by the time I got there. So, I kept driving. I made it to 37th Street jetty, and, while the surf didn't look quite as big/strong, there was only one other person out in that spot. I was sure it was the best place for me.

I went out on the east side of the jetty because of the direction of the wind. However, I didn't feel like the rip current was very helpful getting out. It was better just to watch the sets and choose the right time to get out. I paddled out to the end of the jetty and was quickly swept toward the west by the current. The waves were mushy and not very powerful, but everyone once in awhile, the right wave would pick me up and I was able to surf it. I felt wonderful out in the water. And, the air was warm and the water was warmer than it had been. For the first time this season, I was able to wear my 3-2 again rather than my 5-4. That's always a good thing. I can move better. Surf has been "okay" so far since Sunday. I'm hoping I can make it out this weekend, but I'm not sure I will have the time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I want to get back in the pattern of surfing twice or three times a week. And, when there are waves, I need make the most of it. Happy Easter!

Inconsistent Waves and Lots to Do

As usual, winter proves to be a difficult time to guess about the waves. If the north wind comes through strong enough, nice, clean waves are available. But, the weather has been so bizarre that the north winds are either too strong or too weak to create waves of any worth. It's also seemed so unusually cold this year. Case in point: last week, I looked at various webcams and saw some waves. They weren't the prettiest waves, but they were surfable, and I needed to get wet. Well, I think the water temperature has been hovering around 55 degrees, so I was definitely out in my 5-4. I hate having to surf in a 5-4.  My movements are hindered, and it is a pain in the behind putting on and taking off. Ran into a few people that I met through Facebook, and they seemed to be having a good time. But, they too, complained about how cold it was, the good and bad about wearing booties, and the uncertainty of the waves.  I went out at 36th Street, and because the waves were fairly weak and because I'm not the best surfer, I only caught a couple of waves. Many were having trouble, so I didn't feel so bad. But, I sure miss catching nice waves.

Waves are calling…somewhere.

I'm dreaming of travel again. I've looked up some warm places to travel that might be inexpensive and easy to travel to, and that might have surf. I could fly back to Ixtapa, Mexico, and go to Troncones, but I think I would be nervous going alone or with just a friend. So, then I thought about Cancun. I would feel pretty safe traveling there, but I'm not sure the waves are great. I found a couple of surf schools, which I think I mentioned in a previous post, but I'm just not convinced the surf would be very good. What to do, what to do…

One thing I can do during these winter months is build stamina and upper body strength. I've started a 28-day challenge for doing planks. I'm on day 8, and I've already skipped a couple because I've forgotten, but I'm now back on track and must stay in plank for a minute, building to three minutes by the end of the month. I certainly see how doing plank can help with surfing, as well as my other sports of running and cycling. Most sports require a strong core, and the planks are one of the best ways of getting that core. From the plank position, I can practice the pop-up. I certainly could use more practice with the pop-up. I think I'll be practicing that forever.

Please send some waves my way!

Disappointing Weekend and Weeknight Surf Reports

So tonight was going to be the night for me. After finding out there were no waves on Friday and that the Saturday and Sunday surf was a small mess, I was just sure that I would go surfing one night this week. I had hoped for tonight. I looked at the surf report early this morning and it mentioned that, perhaps, the wind would lighten up this evening and even change to be a little more from the north. If that happened, the mushy, small waves would clean up a bit for the afternoon. I looked at the webcam periodically throughout the day, but it didn't look like things were going as predicted unfortunately. At 4:30, I spoke with my Galveston contact who said the wind was howling, the tide was out, the current was strong and the waves were mush. I was sure sad to hear it and even contemplated heading down to the 43rd Street jetty anyway.  I thought, "It can't be any worse than it was last Sunday...or could it?" I looked at the webcam over and over, walked outside to look at the approaching weather and, ultimately, decided that it just wasn't in the cards for me to surf tonight. Too bad! The forecast for this weekend doesn't look all that good either. I'm antsy to get back out; not sure why.

When I can't go surfing I usually
can find something else to keep
me busy: either running or cycling!

Because I didn't go surf, I decided that I had to do something to fill the time. I was a little late for spin class and the wet roads from earlier rain as well as the dark clouds made cycling unsafe. I opted for a run. I'm still recovering from my marathon a couple of weeks ago, but need to keep on my two-days-a-week plan since I have been accepted to run in the Houston Marathon coming up in January. Also, with the cloud cover, I realized it would be a little cooler tonight. And, I was right. I decided I would run six miles. I made it three miles before the clouds that had been building shook loose. I got drenched, but the rain made it a much cooler run than I have had since May. I also only had a couple of steps of knee clicking, which is good since I've been worried about that. It went away early in the run and didn't return. Thank goodness. While I had a good evening, I still would have rather been surfing!