Surf Sesh August 11, 3023

Waves were small. Did a bunch of paddling practice. Caught one little white water wave.  Was attempting a green wave and had a unique wipeout. I came down on my rail right under my left boob, driving it in my ribcage. For a minute there I thought I may have cracked a rib, and it reeeally hurt so I cut my session early. All is well though.  Ibuprofen and ice and it feels much better, not even a bruise!

Time surfed: 18 min

Total Surf time to date: 46 min

Surf Sesh August 10, 2023

 I had every intention of logging conditions, swell direction, etc...but all I will say is:

I fully caught and rode a whitewater wave!  Totally stoked!

Time: 28 min

August Goals

-get out in the water as often as I can,  weather and tourists permitting.

-stay out a little longer each time 

-in the water:

  -paddle out the back

  -strengthen padding technique and turning 

  -work on catching green waves, try popping up but don't stress about it

  -practice pop ups on whitewater: fast to feet but slow to rise. Look up, not at my feet!

-on land:

  - AM exercises: pop ups, balance board, paddle cords

  -Exercise videos on non Surf evenings after work

  -but don't overtrain 

  -keep making healthy nutrition choices to support my surfing

  -bed time breathing/meditation/relaxation 

Most of all...

Stay Stoked!

Do You even Surf?

 My surfing journey for the past 9 years has been in fits and stops.  Things have changed though.  

I live at the beach now!  For the past year, I've been a fairly steady and competent bodyboarder.  Last fall I got a 7'6" Mick Fanning softtop.  I ditched the crappy old amazon board.  I struggled on the MF and didn't really get any wave time to speak of.  I hibernated all winter, pulled out the bodyboards in March, and tried the Mick again in June.  It was a STRUGGLE!

I finally decided to go back to square one, and start all over again.  I got a 9' Catch Surf Odysea log.  It's got tons of volume!  For that past month I've been getting out most days.  at first, my stamina was such that I could only do a few minutes at a time, but each session is a little longer.  I'm focusing on going slow, and really becoming a surfer.  My paddling is stronger, and I feel more confident on the board and in the ocean. I even feel less shy about being out around other surfers.  I feel like I'm doing pretty okay at reading the waves- the year of bodyboarding really helped.  Right now, I  feel like I can catch a wave, or stand up, but not both at the same time.  Total kook problem!

I plan to start blogging my surf sessions and tracking my goals so I can see myself progress.  I don't want to get too obsessed about it though, and make it more about the blog than what the blg is about.  In theory, it should take about 30 hours in the water to go from "Beginner Beginner" to "beginner."  I will spot myself a few hours and for tracking purposes start at 0:00 today!

Serious Fun

It seems strange to say that I want to get serious about surfing, when it is for fun. Perhaps it's more accurate to say I want to commit to surfing this year. Surfing is a skill, a sport, and an art that I want to, if not master, at least become proficient at. With that in mind, I'm setting some goals for the year.

-The biggest goal is to stop worrying about what the other surfers in the water think of me. As long as I follow surf etiquette and stay out of their way, nothing else matters.

-Get in the water every day I can. Even if there isn't good surf, getting out will help me improve my skills.

-Have fun and enjoy the process. Phil Edwards was the first to say that the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun, so this will be my benchmark for being the best surfer I can be.

-improve my pop-up.

-on land, work on getting fitter and stronger. 

-improve my wave reading skills

I plan to set goals for each surf session, and log my surf sessions to track how I do!

...and refresh

I obviously did not go boogie boarding every weekend last year, or any weekend last year. Public transit became a big no for me. I was back to the same old problem: no ride to ride the waves.

It was an odd year. I started working from home in March. It was a gift. My dog was getting old and I loved being home with him all day, every day. 

Then, in December, my beloved dog died. Four days later, one of my two cats followed him. It was truly the most heartbroken I have ever been.

I healed and am healing by taking care of myself. I started working out consistently again, and have been going a little longer every week. I stopped getting takeout. I started buying flowers. 

Then, last month, my roommate, best friend, and chauffeur got a car! 

Because of my lapses in fitness, and the quarantine 15, I no longer fit into my wetsuit. I had been planning on getting back in the water when the wetsuit fit again, or it was warm enough to go without, whichever happened first.

Yesterday morning we took coffee to the beach for a sunrise walk. That's all it took. I don't think I can wait. I ordered a new wetsuit yesterday. With free shipping, it should be here by Friday, March 5. I plan to get in the water on March 6!

Recap

Well, the past four years just flew by, didn't they?

2017: I never did start taking my board out every weekend. Without a car, any trip to the beach would require a zipcar. I did surf nights again that summer, but didn't become the regular (goofy) surfer I wanted to be.

2018 and 2019 I got one week of surfing each year, thanks to a family rental in Maine. It was not enough.

I also let my fitness slip a bit. It was easy to lose my motivation when there was no surf in sight.

  I came up with a plan though. I got a boogie board. My plan for the following year was to go to the beaches that I could get to on the T. While it wouldn't be a longboard, boogie boarding would help my timing and wind knowledge. 

And then 2020 happened.