Balance, balance, balance

I have been whining during the past six or seven posts about how the waves always come during the middle of the week when I can't surf. I am thinking that I might need to find a beach to travel to again real soon. Until then, all I can do is read the surf reports, watch the webcams and wish for better waves. I can also practice. I have read about the proper form and follow numerous surfing sites on social media so that I can constantly see photos of the world-class surfers catching the big waves. I also continue to cross-train by running and cycling. I've got several half marathons coming up in the next few months. I briefly considered running another full marathon last weekend, but decided against it. I digress. The cycling and the running keep my cardio strong, which is always a good thing, especially for paddling out and setting up for waves.

My pop-up always could use a little help, so I've been practicing on my living room floor. I lie prone and then jump up as if I'm about to catch a big wave.  I've also

Me on a balance ball at the gym.
It's the closest thing I've had to
surfing since returning from
Costa Rica in January.

been practicing my balance on the balance ball at gym. The hardest part of that workout is actually getting on the ball without falling. I try to maneuver and mimic surfing. It definitely requires being close to the wall…having something to lean on for support. Hmmm…finding support? How often we all need support for all the things we do. I'm fortunate that I have it most of the time from those who love me. I feel sorry for those who don't have it.

I was hoping to get out in the water this past weekend. Friday (3/7) was flat so I pinned my hopes on Sunday. A few waves kicked up on Saturday afternoon, but they were too weak to surf. They hadn't built much strength by Sunday morning; however, after visiting some of the webcams, I noticed a few of the diehard G-town surfers went out and now I regret not going out to give it a try. The waves were incredibly weak and the water is very cold, but I still wish I had ventured out. This is the beginning of spring break for area colleges and even I will get this Friday off. I have a few surfing buddies coming to town, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather and the waves will be good on Friday, even if it means pulling out my 5-4 wetsuit for the 50-something degree water. I'm ready for spring!

Practicing the pop-up...again

Saw this painted on the side of a
VW beetle parked on the Strand 

I might already have a post title similar to this one about popping up. Despite this, it is the only title that will work this week. Practicing and perfecting the pop-up continues to be an ongoing goal of mine. I practice it on an imaginary line in front of my TV at least four nights a week, and I draw a line in the sand at the beach and practice it on shore at least every other time I surf. Nevertheless, I still manage to screw it up when I'm actually surfing. During Friday's surf session, Dude B caught me going to my knees at least twice. Once he pointed out though, I made sure not to do it again. Instead, I modified the pop-up yet again. I brought my left foot (my base foot since I'm goofy-footed) up partially before bringing my right foot up in front of it. The Dude, who was watching my pop-up closely because I had asked him to, graciously said that some instructors teach that. My instructor in Costa Rica did, but only because I think he saw me do it that way. However, I don't think it's the quickest way to catch a wave. It might help me because my legs are so long, but because of the extra step, I lose some time...time that I have in the weak and mushy Galveston waves, but not in other more well-formed waves at other places in the world (i.e. California, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Florida).

It may sound like I didn't have fun on Friday, but I did! In fact, I had a blast. The waves were small, but provided great, long rides. The rides gave me time to practice my turning and positioning on the board, once I had popped up. I even had a special compliment from a guy who happened to be surfing near us. He was on a short board and I could tell he was having trouble catching waves. I was surfing with the Dude and T and they were catching 50 waves to my one, but I was still catching them. When I noticed the other guy, I happened to spot a wave heading his way. I shouted, "Paddle, paddle, paddle..." and he listened. He caught the wave, and I was so happy for him. When I was done surfing, I saw him sitting on the shore and invited him to take my longboard out. He did while I was talking with the Dude and T, and while I was changing into dry clothes. When he saw that I was getting ready to leave, he surfed a wave in. I chatted with him on the beach. I mentioned that the Dude and T were catching many more waves than me, but he smiled and said, "I don't know about that...you looked like you were catching quite a few." I smiled. That made my day!!!

Today, on the other hand, was pretty bad. The waves were very choppy. The Dude tried to dissuade me from coming down, but, since my surf time is so limited, I went down anyway. It was a mess! I thought we should be surfing on the west side of the jetty, but the dude didn't want to, so I listened to him. I caught a couple of small waves, but after that, I couldn't even catch whitewater. I had a hard time guessing the right waves to catch and paddle for. The dude caught a few, but even he missed some, which is evidence that they were sloppy. I noticed that some on the other side were catching waves, and I wish I had gone over there. But, I listened to the Dude. I'm sure he saw something that I didn't. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be waves at least one day this week...a day when I can go down to G-town and practice, practice, practice.

Out with the old, in with the new

Time flies! Seems like only yesterday, I was writing about a new year of surfing and, yet, here I am again looking forward to future waves. I was trying to tweet some resolutions last night, but struggled. It's not that I don't think I need changing, it's that I realize I have sooooo much to change. That goes for surfing too. After my trip to Costa Rica in November, I wrote about a change I needed to make in my pop-up. I'm still working on incorporating that change into my surfing sessions in Galveston. And, because the waves are so "iffy" this time of year, it's hard to surf enough to make major changes to form and to incorporate them into my surfing. The major move has to do with me bringing my hands nearer to my center of gravity to assist me in pushing up instead of leaving them on the rails lined up with my shoulders. I'm sure this small difference will help tremendously once I practice it enough.

I thought I would have time to practice it this past week, but I was wrong. Since I get the week off between Christmas and New Year's, I try to do as much as I can. Last year, I took a short trip to Louisiana and still managed to make it back in time to surf a couple of times. We had small, but surf-able waves last year. This year was a different story. I didn't take a trip and, although I had big plans for myself that included organizing part of my house, cycling and surfing, I ended up spending time in bed with a stomach virus. I was only sick for a about two-and-a-half days, but it was smack-dab in the middle of the week, which sort of ruined my plans. I didn't really miss much surfing since it was so flat, but I also didn't feel like cleaning or cycling. By Friday, I was much better and managed to get in a 9.3-mile run, and, thankfully, a little surfing. My first surfing report early that morning was that the waves were building, but not quite surf-able. By the time I finished my run at 10:15, my messages included two from different people who said to get to G-town fast 'cause they weren't sure how long the waves would last. I made it down by about 11:15 a.m. They were weak and mushy, but still ride-able. Of course, the joke always is that if only I had been there 30 minutes earlier... Only this time, it was no joke. Apparently the waves had been a little better before I got there. I still managed to get in an hour of surf time, which included about four short rides. The problem with the waves were that they were hard to read. They were closing out fast so that when I finally could catch one, the ride was only about three seconds. Toward the end of the hour, I was definitely having to catch them on the inside close to the jetty and to the shore. And, on top of everything else, the water was cold!! Fortunately the air temperature was not. It doesn't help much, though, when I have to struggle into and out of the 5-4, which is so thick that it makes movement difficult. Sometimes, I even have to ask for help to get out of it when I wear it. On my first paddle out, I got caught trying to move out past the end of the jetty and tumbled over, bumping my chin on the board and hitting my upper thigh on the fin as I tumbled off. I didn't realize it until later that my chin was actually cut and bleeding. It's probably a good thing I didn't know, though, since I would have wanted to stop to doctor it. This way, I just kept surfing until the waves didn't want me in them any longer, which was about an hour and 20 minutes later.

All in all, Friday was a great day even though I wished the waves would have held out a little longer. I ran and I surfed! The gang was out on the beach also including Surf Dude Brian, N, R and my friend S who happened to be in town. (I texted her on my way to Galveston to see if she was around. She was visiting her family.) I even got an afternoon giggle. As I was leaving the beach, I happened to see a person dressed as a panda bear walking on the Seawall. I had my camera and while I was sitting at a red light, I was able to snap a picture. Who couldn't smile if they saw a panda bear walking down the street?

Pop ups, sore muscles, etc.

I rode a wave all the way in today! It may not have been pretty and it definitely wore me out, but I made it all the way to shore where I jumped off instead of being pushed off. Although this is a major accomplishment, I still need work on my pop up. I stood on Tuesday, but only for a short while before falling very ungracefully into the ocean. I can’t really figure out how I’m doing in relation to the others since everyone seems to be doing well. The camp is amazing. Our instructors cheer us on all the time. I’ve fallen in love with San Juan del Sur. Tonight was the first time I found other Americans. We were taken to a happy hour at a local hotel. The hotel is apparently a favorite among Americans, Europeans and Canadians. They were everywhere. Of course, we had to climb stairs to get in, and many of us were complaining of sore muscles. Despite the fact that I spin four nights a week, ride 100 miles a week (during the off-season) on a bicycle, do yoga twice a week and swim laps twice a week, surfing has definitely taken its toll on me. I’m sore in places I didn’t know could be sore. I might have the cardiovascular strength, but my muscles definitely need work. Crystal, our amazing yoga instructor, is coming back tomorrow to give us another session and, then, on Friday, will be back to give us massages. She says she is clairvoyant and can read our auras. ummm... I can’t wait!