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!!

Run, Ride and SURF

I had a very active weekend as usual. In addition to the craziness of moving, I had the opportunity to participate in all three of my sports. I think I mentioned in another post that I'm training for a marathon, which requires long runs. This weekend's training plan required a 16-mile run. Fortunately, I have some other friends training for some runs, so I was invited to train with them this weekend in Memorial Park in town. What a fun way to run! I hadn't been to Memorial Park in ages, and I had never been there to run. Hundreds were on the trail, which was exciting to see. One of my friends and I ran the 16 with relative ease. It was a great start to the weekend on Saturday morning.

On Sunday, despite the cool temps and cloudy weather, I participated in a cycling club ride to a local coffee shop. I finished with 36 miles, and had a ball the whole time I was out. It was a little windy, but what fun we had! I'm so glad I was able to go. I checked the wave/webcam before the ride, and the waves didn't look great. My surf contact said it was incredibly cold and that he wasn't planning to surf himself. He had lessons to give, but hadn't even bothered to bring a board for himself. But, when I looked at the webcam after I rode, I thought it looked a little better. I had some lunch plans on the island with my family, so I opted to pack a board just in case... I'm so glad I did.

Several people were out at 39th.
I opted to go out at 33rd.

I drove down the Seawall looking for parking near my usual surf spots at 39th and 45th, but because the sun had come out and the air temp had warmed considerably, the beach was packed. I found a parking spot between the 33rd and 34th Street jetties.  I had never surfed there, but was willing to give it a try. I noticed as I was leaving that several people were out at 39th (as you can see by the picture).  However, I'm glad I went out at 33rd. I was able to take the rip out, and although it was quite rough, the small chop was enough to give me several fabulous rides. I hopped from one wave to another at least once. I needed a little wax on my rails and had one bad tumble when my hand slipped off the board as I was popping up. But, even that was refreshing. It felt good to be back out in the water. I'm so glad I made it out. Life is about experiences. Every time I participate in any of my sports, I have an experience -- an experience that changes me more often than not for the better. It's important to keep having experiences -- to keep moving, seeing, living...

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” 
― Albert Einstein