a surfing legend

Even though my surfing instructor and friend Brian called last night and said he thought the waves would be good today, by this morning he was calling to say that they hadn't picked up. The waves were flat just as they had been for most of the week. I questioned him about this and found out that every summer at some point, the waves in Galveston are nonexistent (not that they're ever real big). I asked him how long it could last, and he said that this flat "session" has been known to last two months. TWO MONTHS????? He said he didn't think it would last that long this year. I told him that I was planning to come down anyway because I need the practice swimming on my board (in particular, arching my back) and spinning the board for when a wave was coming. Before I went down, I went to my favorite surfcam page and saw just how flat it really was. While on the page -- my favorite surfcam page (www.g-townsurf.com) --, I texted my friend Robin. She wrote back and asked if I had noticed that Robert August (the '60s surfing star from "The Endless Summer") was going to be in Galveston today. I hadn't read that far down. Once I read the portion of the page that talked about how flat the waves were, I stopped reading. But, sure enough, when I revisited the page I noticed the posting. So, Robin and I made Ohana Surf and Skate our first stop. When we arrived, we found him standing in the middle of the store signing autographs. We immediately made our way to him and introduced ourselves. He graciously agreed to a photo with us. He even asked if we minded if he groped us a little. "Absolutely not...he could grab us all he wanted." He laughed and grabbed our butts all in good fun! We met his young daughter (she was nine) who had been out surfing with one of the Ohana employees. She was adorable. Robin explained we were really old surfers and the little one just smiled. When we left the store, we went to the 43rd street pier and swam around on the boards. Every little bit will help, I'm sure. We may not ever be as good as Robert August, but we're determined to have just as much fun!

Recuperating muscles -- not for long

Although some of the bruises are still visible and the aching in some of the muscles continue, I still look forward to trying to surf in Galveston. I've researched several surf sites through Google, and I have a few names to call. Until then, I'm continuing my pre-trip training except for the 5 a.m. swim. I put it off another week because of a cold I seem to be fighting. My workout routine will include cycling, yoga, spinning and weights. I got back on the bike for the first time in two weeks today. The air temperature was very nice... in the 70s. The wind was low, and the sky was very clear. It felt like spring. I'm glad I waited until the afternoon. The morning was quite cool and a ride then wouldn't have been as pleasant. Hopefully, I'll get to ride sometime during the week; maybe even with the bike group on the Tuesday night 20-mile loop.

I am also continuing my pop-up practice, as well as push-ups several nights a week. But most of all, I'm continuing my "study" of the art of surfing by reading and watching others in the sport.

Spinning and cell phones

Spinning became one of my favorite winter cycling activities many years ago shortly after I took up riding. Because of the cold and the early sunsets, riding outside on the usual roads and paths is not always possible during the winter months. My first spinning experience took place in a local bicycle warehouse. A group of us gathered twice a week, bringing our own bikes and the trainers we had purchased. Our leader was a cyclist who rode with my cycling group; actually, he started with our group but rode with the racers. The classes provided exercise and the camaraderie that we experienced when we actually rode our bikes outside on the street. We had fun and worked out at the same time. Through the years since that first spin class, I've continued to spin, but not always with a group since I sometimes have to rely on tapes or DVDs alone in my living room. This year, though, I've been taking spin classes at my gym. The gym offers a variety of classes including a spin class four nights a week. On Mondays, the classes are at 5:30 p.m., which are always tricky for me since I leave work at 5 p.m. I get there a little late on Mondays and tonight was no exception. I was forced to take one of the only spin bikes left, which was located at the back of the room. It was a good class until...a phone rang. That's right, a fellow spinner got a call and then proceeded to take the call. She never left the room and held a 3- to 5-minute conversation with her friend. Although a few of us looked back at her, she never stopped talking. I hope it was important. It must have been. (A similar incident happened at the movie theater on Saturday.) I'm not sure why we all need the communication gear that we have, myself included. I don't plan to take my cell phone on my surf trip; I'm going to survive the week without it. I will have my computer though. I can't go cold turkey for a whole week; I must at least be able to send e-mails. At least I can make it through a one-hour spin class though!