Start with Star, end with waves

What a busy weekend! Even though the weekend had a little uncertainty. Going into the weekend, I had such high hopes. Several weeks ago, the surf dude I surf with had asked if I would be at the beach on Saturday to be a part of a ribbon-cutting with the Chamber of Commerce and grand opening of his new surf school. In addition, I had bought tickets to the Galveston Homes Tour so that I could take my mom to see the historical homes in honor of Mother's Day. It's impossible to complete the Homes Tour in just one day. So, my original plan on  Saturday had been to go to my bike ride, cycle 40 miles and then to head to Galveston for the ribbon-cutting before meeting my family to cycle from home to home on the Homes Tour. But as Saturday got closer, it became more and more apparent that some, if not all, of those plans were going to be changed. The weather forecast showed high percentage for a chance of rain. Strong winds were also in the forecast. So the beach Dude decided to call off the ribbon cutting until a later date just in case the weather forecast was correct. I definitely couldn't ride my 40 miles because of the weather (the forecasters were right for a change), so I ended up at the gym where I completed weights and two spin classes. I then took my mom (and dad) to Galveston for the tour. I was able to convince them I needed to drive by the beach, where I found a ton of surfers and beautiful waves!! I was envious of the others in the water, but knew that this weekend was special; something I had planned for my mom for a long time. So, I didn't surf. I saw the others, but just knew that there would be other days for surfing in my future.

Sunday brought new possibilities. Earlier in the week, I had registered for my first duathlon, which would be held early Sunday morning at a park on the northeast side of Houston. It would start at 7 a.m. and be over by 8:30, but I would still have the long drive back to my house and need to clean up before going to the tour to finish seeing all the homes. I debated whether I should do the "du" or not, but in the end decided that I would be better off not doing it, even though it meant I would lose the $80 registration fee. Instead, I thought I would go to the 7 a.m. yoga class on the beach, ride over to Star Drug Store for breakfast before meeting up with my parents to finish the tour. And, that's what I did, and my husband decided to join me (even though he isn't much of a "yoga" guy)! The day was wonderful. I brought my swimsuit with the hopes that there would be waves and I could surf, although I wasn't convinced that I would. However, when I saw the dude driving down Market Street just as we were all heading back to our vehicles after the tour (we rode from home to home by bike), I decided to chase him down. It was 4:30 and he said the waves were still fantastic, so we agreed to meet back at the beach at 5 p.m. for a late afternoon surf session. I didn't have a lot of time and decided that I would spend only 45 minutes surfing. It wouldn't be long enough, but it was all the time I had. I was so glad that I did. The waves were small, but very clean. I was able to get one ride after the other...nice, wonderful rides. I used the dude's 9'6" "Hurricane" board, which was perfect for these waves. He said that I surfed real well. I felt pretty good since several people were out, but only B and I caught waves consistently. I love surfing, especially on days like this.

My mom was gone by the time I started surfing, but I'm sure she would have been happy for me. I think she had a wonderful Mother's Day. I know I did.

And even though she had nothing to do with the waves, I still must say Thanks Mom!

The Beauty of California Surf...

...is that they always have waves! Well, maybe they don't always have waves, but at least they always have waves when I visit. I also follow a couple of surfers on Twitter (people I don't really know, but people who started following me) who post about their great surfing sessions. And from what I've seen, they definitely have some sort of waves most of the time. I headed to southern California this weekend for a quick trip. Now, that I've started running, I like to find interesting places to run. This weekend, Orange County hosted their OC Marathon, with a half marathon option available to us newbie runners. I chose this run for a number of silly reasons. First, I ran the Huntington beach half in February and found out that if I signed up for the OC and Long Beach also, I would receive a medal shaped like a surfboard. I know it's silly, but I like the bling. Secondly, I think southern California is beautiful; a little chilly, but beautiful. Finally, if I travel to California, I can surf! 

I contacted the school I used when I was out there in February and asked if the instructor I had then would be available and he was. I really liked Phil 'cause he's a little older and really wants his students to understand the waves, which is very similar to the "dude" I learned from, and still surf with, in Galveston. I received my instructions about where to meet him through a text message, so, on Saturday morning, I headed down to the beach entrance on Huntington Beach to meet Phil.  The first thing we did was examine the waves. After a few moments and a thorough discussion with Phil, he decided we needed to drive down the beach a little way. There were waves where we were,but he thought the waves on the outside were closing out a little too fast for me and, on top of  that, it was quite crowded with local surfers. We drove down the beach and after another thorough investigation and explanation by Phil, we found the perfect location. He explained that I would have to paddle quickly to get past the rough stuff to the outside. I said "No problem." Of course, the first time I tried, it was a problem. I got pounded on the inside. On my second try, I paddled quickly enough to push to the outside. Once out, it was wonderful. With Phil by my side, I was able to decide which waves to attempt to catch. Of course, it helps when he's right beside me and is telling me. There were a couple of waves I would have attempted to catch if he hadn't been there to wisely guide me. However, even with him there, I managed to blow it most of the time. I caught two or three...kind of. By that I mean, that I had a couple of waves that didn't pummel me, but I waited a little late to get up, so I missed the drop. My drops were small in comparison to his, 'cause I delayed my pop-up. However, the two or so waves I caught were wonderful and fast. Phil assessed me and basically said the same thing that my "dude" in Galveston said. I need to stop thinking so much about and surf. It needs to become second-nature. I definitely want it. I think it's a fair assessment.  

On another note, my run today was fun, but not a PR for m. I probably needed to run more miles while training. Also, I probably needed more repeats on the Kemah Bridge. Today's course was very hilly for a flatlander like me, but the scenery was beautiful. I finished the 13.11 miles in 2:02 rather than  1:55.  But, I've already signed up for the Long Beach Half in October to see if I can better my time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Just ask Zoltar

Zoltar, do I need
another board?

Last week, I wrote that I needed signs; some little something to help me make the right decision. And, I do. This week, I decided to research boards. I know I don't really need a new board. I already own four of them, although I'm ready to sell at least one of them. However, I've decided to focus on my 9' board. I mentioned before that one of the Chica Brava instructors recommended that I pick one size board and stick with it. I opted for my first board, which is the 9' Softop. After my surf session last week, the surf dude told me that I had outgrown my board with my skill level. Was this a sign that I needed a new board? He felt like the Softop was holding me back. I'm not sure that's really true. I don't feel like I've outgrown it. I still have so much to learn. I thought I turned it rather easily last week. But, nevertheless, I went window shopping for a 9' epoxy/fiberglass board. I found a couple of them at the Soundwaves on Bay Area. They were ranging in price from $700 to $800. However, they did have a nice McTavish that was 9'1" and cost only $499, which is definitely not a bad price. I wish it was only 9'. I even made a trip into Houston to the Montrose Soundwaves to check out their boards. I was impressed with their inventory. They had several 9' Robert August boards that looked fantastic, but again, they were all over $800. I thought I could possibly find one online cheaper, and earlier in the week, did some research on craigslist, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for there either. Today, after surfing, I even went to Surf Specialties and found out that the owner had a used 9'1" Senator board for sale for $575. It sure was a nice board. But again, I really think I just want a 9'. Hmmm...for now, though, I'll probably just keep looking. Unless, I get a "sign" suggesting that I found the right board.

Waves were too messy on Friday for me to go down and surf. It looked like a mess on the webcam. Strong winds created choppy waves and a strong current. I had heard that surfers and swimmers were being swept down the beach with the current. While early forecasts predicted that the wind would lighten up by Sunday, it didn't. Today was just as windy as Friday. However, it had shifted slightly and the winds were more out of the south. And, although someone told me that would make the waves a little better, I didn't really see it. When I made my way into the water, I immediately realized that this day surfing wouldn't be easy. The only way to make it to the outside was taking the rip because of the current. And even that took some heavy duty paddling. I managed to make it out several times. However, I also managed to either get pushed back in by the current or to get pummeled by waves and washed back in several times. On occasion, though, I caught a wave. They required fast pop ups. In fact, I missed one all together simply because I was too slow getting up. Because the waves were so strong, it pushed me in before I even had time to realize I had missed it. I had three or four good rides, but one in particular made the whole day worthwhile. I seemed to be flying. I wished I had practiced my turns/movements more, but I really can't complain. I turned it a little, and I was moving fast. Some of the others out in the water were really good with the choppy waves. But even they missed a few. I even had the pleasure of watching and taking photos of a young couple who was taking their second lesson from surf Dude B. They were refreshing to watch, and seemed like genuinely good and kind 20-somethings, which is always nice to see. Hope they come back. Surfing is a blast!