More time needed

Wow! When trying to come up with a title for today's post, I couldn't come up with anything. I almost used one I had used before, but decided to look at my past posts and found it just in time. So, I was thinking about my past week, and realized that a recurring theme for me has been lack of time. I had someone tell me this week that he didn't know how I found the time to do all the things I did. I found it funny, because I had been thinking the same thing about him recently. It seemed that every time I spoke with him or exchanged emails with him, he was taking a trip or going to an adventure race. He had gone surfing or gone skydiving. He's now training for his first marathon, which takes much more discipline and a more agressive training schedule than a half marathon, which is all I've ever run. And, this was discussion we had while preparing for an intense high mileage (Me 72 and him 100) bicycle ride we did in hilly East Texas. We both did fine, but I wished I had trained a little more (spin class just CAN'T prepare you for 72 miles) and had a different gear set-up on my bike. But, what does this have to do with surfing? Well, I wish I had more time for surfing. I guess I could give up something, but I'm not sure what I would give up. And, sometimes, I need more than time, I need waves at the same time I have time. Does that make sense?

All this leads me to something I wanted to add to my schedule and that is skydiving. I've now completed two tandem jumps. I've attended the four-hour STP (Skydiver Training Program) also, which means that, hypothetically, I could jump alone on my next jump. I'm not sure I will be ready to do that, but it's an option. Several things make me think that "surfing on air," which has multiple meaning to me now, may or may not be something I pursue.

First of all, skydiving requires a major time commitment. It would take 18 jumps to get my certification and I don't want to give up anything to do it. Secondly, I don't want to die. During the STP "ground" school, my instructor "Kritter" told me about all the things that could go wrong. About halfway through the class I thought to myself, "What the heck are you doing Karen?" Then, when looking at the photos of the screwed up chutes, I thought it again. Once I get away from the airport, I think that it would be a fun thing to do, but when I look at the books as well as the stats about how many people die, I have second thoughts. (Statistically, it's really not that many, but still...)  Can I react quickly enough for this sport?

I should look up statistics on surfing. I'm pretty certain that surfing would be considered a safer sport. What's interesting is that I read about all the things that could go wrong (i.e. sharks, killer waves, board injuries), and I still don't feel unsafe doing it. I feel like I have more control over my destiny. Waves sucked on Friday, and, even today, while some friends went down, Brian told me not to bother. He said it was rough and quite cool. He thought the water was actually warmer than the air. Brian had a lesson, but he said he wouldn't be out there if it weren't for that. I probably should have gone down anyway, but I changed my mind. After skydiving school and a 72-mile bike ride out of town, I was ready for a rest day. I didn't even run this weekend, which I will pay for Wednesday during my next scheduled run. As for surfing, I will definitely pay for not surfing this weekend the next time I go out and wipe out on my first two waves. AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!! I need more hours in the day, minutes in the hours, seconds in the minutes...

Even more chop to surf

I didn't get to surf on Friday and, of course, heard the waves finally built to a reasonable surfing size and offered fun to those who made it down. So, I was determined to make it down and least one day this weekend. I chose Sunday since it was the only free time I had this week. Saturday was a busy one for me and included an 8-mile run, 13-mile bike ride and five hours of babysitting my 10-year-old nephew. (I had the chance to find out if I was smarter than a fifth-grader when I helped him with his homework. It was tough!)

This morning I made it down to Galveston at about 7:30 a.m., parked and walked over to Brian, Neil and Bob. They were discussing the waves. It was windy today, with winds approximately 20 mph out of the southwest. The water was a choppy mess. I realized that I had parked a little out of my designated zone, so I thought I would move it. However, I quickly realized that the car wouldn't start. The battery was dead, which required Brian to go home, get his jumper cables, drive back and then jump the battery.  We got the car going, so I moved it to the proper place. I also decided to surf for a couple of hours, jump the car and then drive to the closest dry goods store for a new battery.

The waves were a mess! Paddling out was a struggle because the waves were beating in so strong. Taking the rip current provided a little comfort, but timing had to be perfect to find the right spot. Even good timing, though, couldn't always get you to the outside. Sometimes, I was pushed back toward the shore at the end of the jetty. And, although, you could catch a wave occasionally on the inside, to get any long rides, you at to be ever so slightly on the outside. All in all, I had some fantastic rides. Neil and Bob did too. One wave would pick me up, while a second wave would carry me in. I also had some serious wipeouts, which is never fun. I got caught up in a bad one that included wave on top of wave just as I was trying to catch my breath, only to realize that I had sucked in part of the ocean. Not good. However, it didn't last...just long enough to remind me that surfing can be dangerous, and that I need to be more aware.

In other surfing news, I went for another surf in the sky and completed my second skydive. If I sign up for the class, I could go solo on my third jump. I'm not sure I'm ready. We'll see. It won't hurt for me to take a third tandem jump just to see if I want to do it. My friend D, took his first solo, but failed to pull the chute cord. Needless to say, they pulled it for him and he failed test jump #1. Too bad. I hope he doesn't give up!

Surfing on air

Friday was a bust this week! I spoke to my super surfing dude Brian at my usual time Friday afternoon and found out that, while there were waves, the current was really bad due to a strong east wind. I really wanted to surf since I wasn't going to be able to surf on Sunday. (More on that later.) I contemplated going down on Saturday after my early morning run and ride. I ran my seven miles and rode 45 miles, and was quite tired when I finished. However, if my Saturday morning call from Brian would have included a more positive outlook on the waves, I would have definitely headed down. He said it was choppy and windy. He also said some of my regular surfing buddies were down though. But, since they had all already left the beach, and conditions weren't great, I opted out on Saturday too.

Sunday was beginning of a whole new experience for me. The reason I was going to miss surfing is because I was going skydiving. It had always been something that I had wanted to do, especially when I was much younger. I had realized lately, though, that if I didn't do it soon, I was going to chicken out. I had mentioned my dream of skydiving at a family party this summer and two of my brothers-in-law had said they wanted to go with me. As fall approached, it became obvious that they wouldn't be able to go, since one had work conflicts and the other had back surgery. But, another old friend invited me along. So, that's what I did today. The experience was incredible! I was, literally, surfing on air. Watching my video was eye-opening. I know I have much to learn about skydiving. I've already committed to doing it again. However, I must admit that adding another hobby to my list will make my crowded schedule even more unmanageable. I'll have to think about that. I just can't imagine, though, not living my life to its fullest.