Wednesday Night Wonderful

After looking at the surf forecast on Surfline last Monday as well as watching weather forecasts, it seemed pretty obvious that I wouldn't have surf for this past weekend. A cold front was scheduled to cross the coast on Thursday, which means that it would be flat on Thursday and Friday. When a second was scheduled to cross the coast again on Sunday, I decided that if I was going to surf, I would need to do it before Thursday. When surf dude contacted me on Wednesday and said that it that the waves were surfable, I knew it was my last chance for a little while. So, I rode my bike home from work, loaded my car and headed to the island. The air temp was warm, but the water temp is still in the 70s, so I know I would probably need more than a rash guard. I brought my new Roxy springsuit, and it was perfect.

I paddled out at 36th Street since the 43rd Street jetty had quite a few surfers already near it. Approximately seven or eight surfers were already out between 35th and 39th.  When I'm at 43rd and seven and eight surfers are out, it seems crowded; however, when I'm at 36th, it seems a little roomier. While standing on the Seawall, I found the waves to be nice and consistent.  When I was out in the water though, I found them very difficult to read. Timing had to be perfect in getting out because of the lack of rip current next to a jetty. Going out at 36th requires counting sets and waiting for a lull. I made it out, but then I had a hard time judging the timing of the waves. All in all, I caught a few, but I also misjudged a few. The ones I caught were spectacular, but I really prefer catching most, not just some. The surf dude told me that the waves had been much nicer earlier in the day, but since I couldn't make it there before 6 p.m., it made no difference to me. I can only go when I can go, and it does no good thinking about the waves I missed. I need to work with what I have. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this weekend, but the weather is looking incredibly "if-fy." Maybe if I click my heels together and say three times:

Wishing for waves...

Wishing for waves...

Wishing for waves...

It can't hurt!

Marathon Training and Surf Time

I'm pretty sure I mentioned my marathon training. In fact, I know I have. Because of the extra mileage required for training, I'm having to adapt my workout schedule a little. It shouldn't affect my surfing, but it has the last couple of weekends. Because of weather and moving and cycling, I've been forced to give up my surfing on Sunday mornings for the past two weeks. I miss my Sunday morning surfing, but it can't be helped. Last week, I was able to go out on Sunday afternoon, but this week, I didn't have the time to wait until the afternoon. I just had to skip it altogether. Fortunately, I went out on Friday.

I received a text from the surf dude Brian on Friday morning who said that the waves were not that great. I had the day off and was really counting on some decent surf so that I could get down early, surf a few hours and make it back to continue my moving. It would be quiet at the other home, and I would peacefully be able to get some of my stuff out. Of course, I would be a lot stronger mentally if I was

"The Endless Summer" movie still
reminds me how much I miss
summer sometimes.

able to surf before I went to pack. Even though the wave report was bad, I loaded up Roxanne and headed to G-town. The waves did not look great, but every once in awhile a sweet little wave would roll in. I had a couple of wonderful rides, which made it a great day. A slight wind made me a little cool so I opted for my 3-2 wetsuit instead of my springsuit. Brian and his "lessons" were wearing springsuits, but I'm so glad I had my full wetsuit. I was chilly in the water. A man on the beach made a

snide remark about my wetsuit, but I would not have changed a thing. I would definitely prefer to be comfortable rather than be even just a little cool. I was hoping that by next Friday, I could wear my springsuit (I have a new one for this season), but with a cold front scheduled to come through on Thursday, I'm sure that by Friday, the air temp will be be too cool to allow me to do so. I'm sure the water temp will dip a tad too. Can't believe in May I will still be wearing a 3-2. Maybe I'll be able to wear before the season is over!

Mentioning the marathon training was how I began this post, so I feel it might be fitting to end this post with more marathon talk. I'm trying to run my long runs during the week, but I don't always have the time. I'm just going to have to figure this all out so I don't have to miss any surfing. I think I need longer days: Surf, run, run, surf, cycle, run!!

Friday floating

Light north winds have flattened the Gulf again making my Friday surfing day a bust. Well...I should say it was almost a bust. Robin and I still went down to Galveston with our surfboards to have some fun. Although I'm sure we looked quite foolish, we took them out and swam out past the end of the pier. We floated and swam. We practiced our knee paddling, which will help us a little. However, how we swim out when we have real waves will be a different matter. I'm sure we will be a little less certain of ourselves the first time we confront a 4- to 6-foot wave as we're swimming out past the breaks. We got a pretty good workout today though, swimming from pier to pier. Because the wind was out of the north, we also got pushed out quite a way from the shore line. Brian joined us eventually and talked to us about catching waves, which seems to be a problem these days for both of us. Once we catch the wave, we know what we are supposed to do, but actually timing everything just right and catching the wave is the hard part. That's something that will just have to come with practice I think.

Tonight, I went shopping for a springsuit, which Brian says we will need probably by October. I had been given a $50 gift certificate by my fabulous office mates for my birthday in August. Although I went by Sun & Ski last week and couldn't find a springsuit or wetsuit, I decided to give it another try. This time I found a very small selection. I'm guessing the store drug them out of their storage area hoping that they would sell them during their bike sale. I questioned their small selection of springsuits only to be met with a very rude, "We're not a surf store," to which I wished I would have answered, "No, you're a SPORTING GOODS store," hoping that the sarcasm would tell him that as a sporting goods store they should be able to cover a variety of sports. But, alas, I said nothing. I just picked up a couple of springsuits and took them to the dressing room. A young female clerk from Germany came to help me. She was delightful. Of the two springsuits, one was a little loose, but comfortable, while the second was like...well...a second skin. I was assured that the second one was how it should fit. With it being on sale for $75 and me having a $50 gift card, I was able to buy it for $25. The price was right. I decided I could make it work. It was a men's small. ummm...Hope I can get it on when I need it! It certainly fits like a glove; a little tighter than my 3-2 wetsuit. Note to self: DON'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT BETWEEN NOW AND OCTOBER!