Sea urchin spines and the podiatrist

My foot started swelling about two weeks ago...one month after I stepped on the sea urchin down in Mexico. It doesn't hurt badly, but it hurts just enough for me to wonder how it will do once I start surfing in Nicaragua. I finally decided I needed to see a doctor, which resulted in a visit to my primary care physician, an x-ray at the Memorial Hermann Imaging Center and a visit to a podiatrist. My doctor recommended Dr. G as my podiatrist. Amazingly, after I made the appointment, I got a text message from a friend of mine who insisted I visit her boyfriend podiatrist. As it turns out, Dr. G was her boyfriend. So I packed up my x-rays and headed to Dr. G's office. He explained that the sea urchin spine has little thorns on them. Sure enough, once we looked closely at the x-rays we could see where it had come off. He explained that it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack if he were to go in looking for it. So, the best we can do is treat it with super-strong antibiotics. I asked if he thought I'd be able to make it on my trip to Nicaragua and he said that as long as I don't feel pain in my groin muscle and that my foot was not swollen to the size of a grapefruit, I should be okay. Of course, immediately I thought my foot was bigger and the pains started shooting up to my groin muscle. :-) I started the medicine immediately, and after four days, the swelling has gone down considerably. I am, however, still having some pain. I sure hope it goes away soon. I'm on my final countdown to the big "Surf Nicaragua" dream trip. Four, three...

Winter Surfing Sucks

Wetsuits keep you warm when the water is cold, but they sure are cumbersome, not to mention, difficult to get out of when they are wet. They imply winter because they exist. I've been wearing a 5-4 since November, and I'm definitely ready to revert back to a 3-2 or a springsuit. I've been hearing how great the waves can be if you are in the water just as a norther goes through. I haven't been there at the right time though. I'm either surfing just before it comes through or just after it starts to calm down. I only got to surf one day last weekend, and I didnt' get to surf today (Friday). Last Sunday's surf was odd. I wasn't mentally in the game, and my new pop-up prevented me from getting a good ride. However, I think in the long run that my new pop-up will pay off. One mishap with Brian's board, though, left me badly bruised. He let it go to tell me something just as a wave pushed it into me. He felt bad about it, but not as bad as I felt when it pounded me in the kidney. The purple bruise covers part of my lower back and feels sore, but I know it will heal.

I should have listened to my heart last week and stayed out of the water. I think another kind of workout would have been better for me. I debated whether to go down today or not. Waves were rough most of the morning, but when the north wind came through, the waves were good...or so I heard. In the end, though, I'm glad I didn't go. I had to work later than usual, and I had errands to run. I wish I had some great philosophy to share about knowing in one's heart when timing is off, but I don't. However, I guess "to thine ownself be true" works. I need to always remember to listen to myself.

SUNDAY (2/28) update -- No surf today! The south winds didn't kick up enough surf. So, I rode my bike instead. It was a great ride.

Two dud weekends

Last weekend was a total wipe out for surfing. While Brian has promised that the winter surfing was the best, it certainly hasn't lived up to his awesome description. The other day he told me that he's never seen it this bad before this year. I'm not sure what to think! I had a few good Galveston surf days during January, but February has been flat. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been cooperative for cycling either. Cold wind and rain just doesn't make it safe or fun to ride. Last Saturday (2/6), though, I was determined to ride. It was cold, but it was sunny. Rob opted for spin class, but I joined my cycling buddies in the Bike Barn parking lot. Because of the wind direction, we went to the Monument, before crossing the ferry to Baytown and riding back across the Baytown Bridge. I rode with the 21mph+ group and had a fantastic ride. By mistake, I left without any gu or powerbars, but someone took pity on me during the ferry ride and shared his power bar. I got dropped by several while crossing the bridge, but maintained a steady pace. Three of us were able to take a short cut by turning on a feeder rode and joining our group by the railroad tracks before heading to La Porte and Morgan's Point. I ended the ride with 52 miles, and it felt good. Sunday, I opted for the gym as I did today because of the bitter cold.

I spoke with Brian and he said there were some nice, little waves. However, because of the Mardi Gras crowds, he didn't think it would be worthwhile for me to drive down. He said it was crowded on the beach and bitterly cold. A late afternoon note from him said that he decided to surf for a couple of hours, but even he had trouble with crowds on the Seawall (and he only lives a few blocks from the beach). He said only one other surfer was out. I'll be waiting for my Sunday update from him in the morning. Then I'll know if I should head to Galveston, or, once again, to the gym.