Great sets and Saturday surfing

Another weekend skids halfway by. It's been a busy one so far, and I'm sure that Sunday will wear me out too. Friday's waves were wonderful. The sets were well-defined and kept that definition all the way to shore. Needless to say, by the time I made it down to the 43rd street pier, many other surfers had decided to surf their afternoon away. Surfing buddy Brian had a lesson, and although I had brought my Softop (still waiting to hear on my new board) because I hadn't had much time on it lately, he insisted I use his 10' Robert August board with the beautiful blue paint job. He had actually brought it for my surfing pal Robin who has been away for a month visiting lands far away. (She did manage to work in a surf lesson in Cornwall, England.) However, a lingering toe injury from before her trip is forcing her to keep her foot up. So, she decided not to go to Galveston with me, which left me as the person Brian wanted to use the board. I used mine for a short while and found that I really noticed the missing six inches from the board I have been using (who says size doesn't matter?). I got pretty beat up on my 9' and struggled the whole time. I must have been having an off day 'cause I also struggled with the 10' Robert August, which seemed way too long to me. I couldn't catch a wave even if it had been handed to me on a platter -- they practically were. I was a little nervous being out with so many other surfers and constantly felt like we were in each other's way. And the time change made it seem like 6 p.m. when I finished rather than only 4 p.m. even if the time change was only one hour! I guess some days are like that. I definitely have "off" days with cycling so why should surfing be different?

Today (Saturday) was a little better, but I still struggled. So, it must just be an "off" weekend for me. I chose to surf instead of cycle, hoping for some redemption from Friday. Because there was a short board surf contest taking place at the 43rd street pier, Brian suggested that we go to the 21st street pier across from The Galvez. The waves were still pretty good, but not as well-defined as Friday's waves. I swam out and Bryan (different from Brian and another surfing pal) said I definitely looked more confident than Friday. I was using Brian's special fiberglass Hurricane board and caught the first wave coming my way. It was a great ride. I had a few other pretty good rides, but nothing to brag about. I still have a timing issue. I really have to work on catching those waves at just the right moment.

I didn't give up on cycling all together. I took my mountain bike and rode around the island a bit. But, I will have to get a good road ride in either tomorrow or one day this week during lunch!

Even colder weather, but very nice waves

Well, southeast Texas is experiencing its fall cycle. Every year, the weather changes at a moment's notice. Just as we all start grumbling about 85-degree weather in October, the next cold front pushes through and drops the temps to more seasonable degree expectations. While I admit to liking the first cold snap, by the time the second or third front makes an appearance, I'm ready for summer again. I've always been a fan of hot, sticky weather (I think I've written that before) so it's probably a good thing I live where I live. However, I must admit that if a strong "norther" blows through like it did on Thursday evening, the north wind creates phenomenal waves. So, Friday afternoon I definitely made my weekly afternoon jaunt to Galveston. This time, instead of a spring suit, I had to wear my 3-2 wetsuit. I met Super Brian at the 43rd Street pier and we surfed. I probably caught three or four waves and this week, Brian wanted to surf himself so he didn't offer to push me at all, which is good 'cause I had told him I needed the practice. I had to time the waves myself. I missed several of the waves because I stopped paddling before they made it to me (this timing thing is hard for me), but I also caught a few. I had two or three phenomenal rides that I took all the way down the shore by turning and riding in the wave. We were eventually joined by four or five other surfers and it was good to see that they also had timing issues. Brian is the only one who knew when the wave was right. It made me feel better to know that timing must be an issue for everyone. In fact, other than Brian, I probably caught more waves than the others. I wiped out a few times too. I have no idea why; well, I do know why I wiped out a couple of times. Even though I was on Brian's phenomenal fiberglass board, I didn't get in trim. I was way too far forward and the wave just pushed me over. We outlasted most of the surfers. They usually only stay 30 minutes to an hour, but Brian and I were out a little over two hours. I got a little tired once or twice paddling back out. The strong waves, even while in the rip current, can make the paddle out past the breaks tiring. I seem to still get pushed around alot, and I try to be extra careful because I'm on Brian's board and I don't want it to get pushed into the jetty.(I had a jetty encounter last week and while protecting Brian's board, I shredded the top of my foot on the barnacles.) All in all, it was a fantastic afternoon! I hope tomorrow's surfing experience will be just as good, but I fear that it will be like last Sunday when the waves were inconsistent and hard to read and get through.

As part of my usual weekend workout, today (Saturday) I rode my bike and had an outstanding 60-mile ride with the 21+ mph group. It was quite cool at the start. In fact, I was colder at the start of the ride despite having on leggings, a vest, arm warmers and a jacket, than I was in the water yesterday. The only bad thing so far about surfing in the winter isn't the water, but the walk from the water back to the car with wet hair and then having to take the wetsuit off to put on sweats, while cycling in the winter requires me to get through the first 20 miles of freezing and sucking in cold air. Brrrr!

(P.S. This morning -- Sunday -- was a bust. NO WAVES. So, I had to ride again. Beautiful day for a ride, but I sure wish I could have surfed.)

Colder weather and a quiet beach

A cool front moved through this week, and the residents of southeast Texas experienced some of the coolest weather so far this year. Although I heard that the waves were the best on Thursday just as the front moved through, I didn't make it down until Friday afternoon. I met Brian at the beach who I've decided is such a good surfer he could take a door off its hinges and surf it in a swimming pool without any problem. He can surf anything! When I got there on Friday around 1:30, I noticed that the waves weren't huge, but they were well-defined and a little bigger than what I'd seen in a few weeks. The air temperature was pretty cool, but I put on a rashguard and then my springsuit before traipsing down to the water. Brian let me use his amazing board again, and I was thrilled. No one else was out; I'm guessing most of the diehard surfers had been out in the rough, big waves the day before. Brian talked to me about turning and positioning myself on the board to get the most effective ride possible. I had a blast. I caught approximately eight or nine really good waves right off. They were spectacular! I moved around on the board and practiced turning. I caught one going left and right. Brian pushed me several times, something I probably should ask him to stop since timing is so important and still an issue for me. Nevertheless it was a great day. I went down twice--I kept referring to them as crashes; Brian says the surfing term is wipeout. Of course, it just so happened that it was when my husband, Rob, happened to ride his bike up to the pier to watch. (It was the only two times he watched me, and I didn't get up either time. oh well!) Overall, I felt great about the day! I had many fabulous rides, with Brian telling me that he thought I was getting better every time I went out. (Compliments don't come often from him, so I felt good about that remark.) I just need to keep practicing. I'll be going out again Sunday! Hope I have as good a day as I did on Friday.

(I didn't surf today. The waves were flat, so I rode my bike. It felt good. I rode 55 miles with a great group of cyclists. Hope my cycling friends have a good ride tomorrow. I'll be looking for waves.)