Cold, Flat Days and Missed Opportunities

Cold front after cold front keep pushing through Texas and make it to Galveston usually on a Tuesday or Thursday between noon and 4 p.m., meaning that the good waves are happening during WORK HOURS.  Many times, I can see it on the G-townsurf website, and it just makes me want to cry. In fact, last week as I was sitting in the waiting area of the dentist's office, I made the mistake of visiting the G-town page to see some pretty waves rolling in. A cold front was pushing across the coast. If I had realized that the front was passing that afternoon, I guess I could have packed a board, bathing suit and wetsuit, but when I had looked at the forecast the day before, the front wouldn't be passing through until much later. However, at around 1:30 I noticed the waves rolling in and the Galveston surfers were out in droves. I would have loved to have gone out, but by the time I finished my dental appointment, it was getting too late for me to go home, get my gear and drive to Galveston before the sun was setting. And, when I looked at the cam at 3 p.m., it was already getting flat. By 4 p.m., it was too flat to surf. All of the locals had packed up and gone home. It was also quite cool. The water temperatures have dropped to 46 degrees, which is colder than I have remembered it for the last three or four years. Those out surfing were not only wearing thick wetsuits, but also gloves, booties and head coverings. Although I have the 5-4 wetsuit and booties, I don't own the gloves. As for the head covering, I would have probably just worn a wool hat.

I wish Santa Teresa was
close enough for a weekend trip. 

Of course all this cold weather has me longing for another trip south. I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica. I wish I was a little more skillful at surfing so that I could really appreciate the waves, but I'm grateful for the surfing I could do while I was there. I need to figure out how to pop up quicker than I am. I'm working on my balance by standing on the balance ball at the gym. Not completely sure it will help, but it certainly can't hurt. I'm practicing my pop up too. Although, I'm not sure that popping up on the floor in my living room will translate to popping up on the board in the ocean's waves, but, again, the practice can't hurt me. I've stated it in my last post, but I will re-state just how forceful the waves in Costa Rica were. I need to not only practice popping up fast, but also gaining the nerve even though I might fall and suffer a little pain. No pain, no gain, right? In my last post, I think I explained that when I went for a wave in CR, I freaked out looking at the bottom where I would drop. It seemed so far away, and I didn't have much time to change my mind or correct any of the moves I was going to make. I wish I had a little more time  in the Central American/Pacific wave to test out my pop-ups, nerve etc. I definitely "chickened out" when I was there.  The balance ball needs to be something I do more regularly. Maybe by spring, I can figure out how not to be scared of the bigger waves. Maybe, I'll have mastered completing the pop up quickly and, maybe, just maybe, I'll have a little more balance on the board.

Marathon Completed and a Little CR Action

A week ago Saturday (1/18) was a very crazy day for me.  Because I was running the marathon the next day, I had opted not to run on that Saturday, although many runners like to do a warm-up 5K. I needed a little bit of a workout and chose a 15-mile bike ride to loosen the legs instead. The weather was perfect, so I rolled out early and snuck it in to my busy day. I went to the expo later, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and then spent the afternoon with Mom in the hospital because of her emergency hip surgery the day before. I got a little packing done later that night because my plane for Costa Rica was leaving early Monday. Pshewww... it was a very busy Saturday.

My Sunday run began strong. I ran the first half in 2:01, which isn't a record for me, but probably was a little too fast considering I had another half still to run. I felt it in my thighs at about mile 15, and by mile 17, I was also experiencing some pain in the bottom of my foot. I finished at 4:36, but had trained to finish by 4:15. So, despite my proclamation that Houston would be my last full, I will have to find another marathon to run just so I can better my time. Yikes! An article I read stated that is what always happens to runners. They always think they can do better no matter how much they train. Another friend of mine wants me to do some adventure triathlons with her that include mountain biking, trail running and swimming, but I'm just not crazy about having to squeeze swimming into my workout. I know it will be getting warm soon, but I still do not have the time to add another sport, especially with another marathon in my future. I could just make swimming in the Gulf part of my surfing ritual, but I don't always feel like swimming when I'm finished surfing. What's a gal to do???

Sun and surf provided the perfect
marathon recovery.

When I first realized that the day after my marathon was going to be a holiday, I decided to take a quick trip to Costa Rica to recover. I knew I wanted to go to a place that was warm and since my surf buddy Robin had moved there almost seven months ago, Costa Rica seemed like the most natural place to go. I also thought that surfing would be a good way to recover my aching legs and strengthen my skills. I was right AND wrong. The warm weather in CR definitely helped lift my spirits right away and rejuvenate my tired legs, but the surfing just reminded me of how much more practice I needed. Santa Teresa, CR, offers wave action just about all year. I had received a report the week before I headed down that the waves this winter were small. Although once I got there, I realized that the "small" waves were still much bigger than the ones I was used to surfing. Waves in Galveston can get big, but they just don't seem as forceful as the ones in CR. I watched my friend/hotel manager Don easily catch everything that came his way, but I, on the other hand, would back out of every wave on the outside I paddled to catch. I surfed a lot of a white water, which is pretty powerful stuff in CR and I even caught one true wave with a drop, but I need so much more practice. I know I don't surf often enough to be the greatest of surfers, but just as I am about to feel a little confident, I go to a place like CR and realize I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN.  Well, I guess it's back to the practice field, also known as the 43rd street jetty...just as soon as it warms up a little.

Another New Year and More Resolutions

Seems like forever since I've surfed. It has been an unusually flat winter. Waves have cropped up every once in awhile especially when I can't make it down because of work or other engagements. However, for the most part, it's just been flat. A cold front has been blowing through every three or four days, but with such force that the winds have blown the tide out and made the water smooth. It's definitely 5-4 wetsuit weather, but still, I would love to get out.

I've been pretty busy for the last couple of months. The holidays are always hectic, but to add to it I've been doing quite a bit of running since I will be running my second-ever marathon in a few weeks. Fortunately, I'm looking at going someplace warm after my marathon, so that should help get me through this training rut I've been in. I just hope that when I get to the warm place, that I still know how to surf. I'm sure it's a little like riding a bike. However, it uses a whole different set of muscles, which will require me to re-acquaint myself with the moves. For instance, the paddling requires a lot of upper body strength, and even though I try to lift weights on a regular basis, sometimes the paddling can wear me out.

In addition to my post-marathon vacation later in the month in Costa Rica, I've been thinking about where else I might want to surf this year. I'm hoping to make it back to Nicaragua, southern California, Florida and, possibly, Honduras. I just want it to be warm. The past month or so has been so cold, so I mostly just need it to be be someplace warm. Well, warm with waves!

I resolve:

to make the most of 2014 in all of my endeavors;
to surf, run and cycle even more than I did in 2013;
to not only successfully surf my 9', but to also continue to strengthen my skills on the 8'; and
to be less judgmental not only of myself, but of others.