Finally, Some Waves

I stayed away from the water for the past three weeks for a number of reasons. One reason, and the biggest reason, is that I was busy with my

Although it was rainy, the waves were actually quite
nice at the 43rd Street Jetty. The photo doesn't do it justice.

final weeks of training for the Marine Corps Marathon. Although my training went well, I didn't finish as fast as I had hoped. Although I planned for a 4:15, I didn't finish for thirty minutes after that. My final time was 4:44. It was a great run, though, and I would do it again if I had the chance even though it is impossible to PR because of the crowds and the hills. My favorite memories of this run will be the Marine Corps band playing the Marine Corps Hymn at about mile 10 and the Blue Mile that honored Marines who had lost their life serving the country. What a touching run it was! I will recommend this run to all my running friends. And, if I ever get a chance to run it again, I hope that I can get a better time.

This weekend has been a good weekend for waves. But before this weekend, we haven't had much for surfing, which is yet another reason I haven't been out. Beginning on Friday, the wind started blowing and the waves started building. Surfing reports on Friday suggested the current was strong and the waves were rough and surf would be better, hopefully, on Saturday. By the next morning, the waves looked much bigger, but the current and consistency of the waves looked rough. The forecast was for the waves to clean up a little, but they never did on Saturday. The next forecast suggested that Saturday would be the day that things cleaned up. And, while the waves were building, the weather was stagnate  and only offered clouds and rain. One forecaster said that the sun would start coming out on Sunday, but by this morning, it didn't look like it would be clearing soon. And, the current still looked awful.

I was determined to be in the water this weekend. I felt a little relieved when the weather didn't clear up and the waves didn't build on Saturday as first forecasted. I had a family party to attend that would take most of the days. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and the gatherings, but I would have been a little disappointed if I had missed the best wave of the week/month. I noticed late on Saturday, that the prediction for clean waves had been pushed to midday on Sunday. Perfect!! The weather forecasters had also said the weather would clear, which didn't happen at all. But, the waves cleaned up. Not only were the sets easy to read, the waves were big. The only problem I had was reading them correctly. I either paddled to soon or too late. I caught a couple but it was after they had broken. What a bummer! I need help with the timing aspect of surfing. I had fun nevertheless. And, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a few more waves at least one day this week. I love surfing!

Beginning to Get Colder Way Too Soon

I was excited that the waves from last week stayed around through the weekend. It has to do with the north winds and the beginning of the fall season. I've been a little sad since the days started getting shorter. I want the days to be long and the air to be warm. It's still rather warm right now, but the when the northers come through and the air temps are only in the 80s, I have to wear a long sleeved rash guard. After hearing about perfect waves all week, I went down after work on Friday, despite a report that the waves were dropping fast. I drove to the 43rd St. jetty to see what the waves were like. About seven other surfers were out. Most of them were on the east side of the jetty, but two of them were on the west side. They seemed to be having fun without all the problems facing the crowds on the east side of the jetty. So, I paddled out on the west side. I caught a wave almost immediately, but after that, I waited. I eventually caught another, but by that time, the other two surfers had moved to the east side of the jetty. I hung out a little longer on the west side, and caught another, but the waves were definitely getting smaller and coming through even more sporadically than when I first arrived, and definitely smaller and more sporadic than earlier in the day. I eventually moved to the east side and caught a few there. All in all, it was a wonderful day

By Sunday, the waves were as pretty as they had been during the week. I had some morning responsibilities but, fortunately, the waves held on until I made it down by 1:30. In fact, they were beautiful. I had received a text from dude Brian saying the waves were going flat and he was leaving the beach, but it looked great to me. I went out at 37th and, although there were three or four others already out, there were plenty of waves for everyone. By friend David also drove down and we spent the next couple of hours catching wait- to shoulder-high waves. The were fast and big. Had a BLAST! It was a great way to wrap up the weekend. The only negative aspect was that I had to wear a long sleeved rash guard for the first time this season. There was just enough coolness in the air to make being in the water cold. Bummer! Although it is flat right now in G-town, a north wind is blowing through, and this Friday afternoon is looking pretty nice on SwellInfo's forecast. Hmm. Despite my proclamation that I probably wouldn't be surfing on Friday until after my Marine Corps Marathon at the end of the month, I might have to make an exception this weekend. What the heck?!? I'll just have to go to bed earlier that night to rest and relax before my training run on Saturday. 22 miles of running the next day will definitely give me a workout.

Surfing Cozumel

Who knew that you could actually surf in Cozumel? When I decided that I would take a somewhat last-minute four-day cruise  to Cozumel, I started googling Cozumel surfing. Guess what I found? Well, of course, I was instantly connected to a surfing company…possibly the only surfing company…in Cozumel. Surfing with Nacho had several good TripAdvisor reviews, and some fun Facebook posts. However, the website for Cozumel Surfing did not have an email address, but rather one of those online forms. I immediately sent a note. I was confident that I would hear back within the week before I left for the cruise. But, I didn't. I left for my cruise, and there on the open seas, I receive a note from Nacho G., the surf guru of Cozumel. The spelling was off and I realized that English was definitely not his native language. I could understand what he was saying, though, and he was saying that he could, in fact, give me a surf lesson. I was ecstatic! I am always looking for an adventure.

Had a blast surfing in Cozumel.

When I got off the cruise ship, I took a taxi to the designated restaurant. I can't say that I wasn't a little hesitant and nervous at first, but once I made it to the restaurant and the head waiter knew Nacho, I realized everything would be okay. He took me to a quiet side of the island, far from the cruise ships.  It was beautiful. Waves were about three feet and powerful enough to help me up. I surfed wave after wave and, when necessary, Nacho would give me hints and suggestions. He also used my camera to shoot a few photos. He told me that he almost always has a camera with him, but that he didn't have it that day. I had my camera, though, and offered it to him. So, while I surfed, Nacho took a few photos. Had a fabulous time with Nacho and even learned a little, including a fast pop-up for gals with long legs that involves using one of my knees.  After the surf session, Nacho took me to a little beach-side bar that his cousin manages. What a wonderful experience. I keep thinking that Cozumel would be a great long-weekend surf destination.

Now that I'm back to reality in Texas, I'm waiting for some decent waves. Yesterday, there were a few surfable waves and, in order to loosen my legs after a long run and to strengthen my skills, I went out at 43rd. There was a surf reunion taking place with many older surfers from the '60s and '70s who hung out on the beach. Even though the waves were weak, some of the old surfers in town for the reunion had no problem surfing them. I was in awe of a couple of the older guys who seemed to easily catch the weakest of waves.  I paddled near them just to watch, and I'm so glad I did. They were smooth paddlers, and it didn't take much of a wave to give them a push. I learned from just watching. I caught several myself, and had a wonderful times! I just can't help feeling great after being in the water.