Longboard Or Shortboard - Surfing

Until now I have not had a longboard surfboard that I can use while I am at home.  I always use my co-workers longboard at work and my 7’6’’ board when I am home.  Thanks to my roommate and his beater longboard that needed repairs those days are over.  He told me that if I fix the numerous dings and holes on his old longboard I can use it as often as I like, so I did.  I spent all weekend and about $20 worth of Solarez fixing the board and I think it turned out great.

My other roommate and I decided to go surfing today at Tourmaline.  So I threw the Frankenstein longboard on top of my Jeep and went down there.  Unfortunately, it was choppy again with a strong on shore wind that was closing out all the waves.  On top of that the inner break with the white water, what I call the noob section, where I wanted to try the new board out had a very high wave frequency.  A high wave frequency means that the waves are crashing one after the other with very little time to rest between.  The good thing about a high wave frequency is that you get an awesome workout if you are trying to paddle out in those conditions.

I was not looking for a good workout session today.  I was more looking for some nice calm waves with a low frequency so I can get used to the new board.  Oh well, I still had fun.  Handling that board was like trying to steer an ocean liner man.  I kept trying to make sure that the board was never parallel to the shore and if it was parallel to the shore, that I did not let the board get between me and the wave.  This was a struggle in itself but all in all it was a good learning experience.

After wrestling around with the 9’0’’ tank board I borrowed my roommates 6’10’’ and took it out for a spin in the white water to get a feel for the difference between a longboard and a shortboard.  I really like the smaller boards maneuverability compared to the longer board.  I also loved the fact that I was able to duck dive with the shorter board.  I really didn’t manage to catch anything with the shorter board but it definitely got me thinking again about spending more time on a short board.  I will continue to try both of them out and let you know what I discover.

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Repaired My Surfboard - Surfing

I found a hole in the bottom of my mid sized board a few days ago and was really bummed because I do not have enough money to spend on surfboard repair.  Well I looked online and found this stuff called Solarez.  This stuff works great and only takes about 10 minutes to use.

Epoxy Surfboard Hole

Above is a picture of the hole I found in the tail of my epoxy board.  Unfortunately, the guy at the surfboard shop did not ask me whether I had an epoxy board or a fiberglass board so he gave me the polyester Solarez resin that is meant for fiberglass boards.  I found this out after I made the repair haha but oh well it still worked great to make the board water tight.  I read online that the polyester version of the Solarez resin can eat the foam used inside epoxy boards.  Luckily I did not have to use much so I don't think it did much damage.

Solarez Resin

Again, the stuff I used is for a fiberglass board NOT an epoxy board so this is another case of learning from my mistakes.  After I added the resin in the shade I put it in the sun for about 5 minutes to let it cure.  This resin cures very fast in the sun.  It doesn't matter if it is a cloudy day either, it will still cure from the UV rays that make it through the clouds.

Sanding down the rough edges

After the resin cured I sanded off the rough edges and I was done!  There are lots of techniques you can use to avoid having to sand as much as I did, which I found out after the fact, but even if you don't use those techniques a little extra sanding should give you the shape you want.

Water Tight Board!

I really don't care how this boards looks just as long as it is water tight so I am happy with my first attempt at repairing a hole.  I will definitely get the Epoxy version next time.  Not bad for the $3.25 I spent though.

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Always Be Prepared - Surfing

My surf buddy and I just took a quick drive out to our surf spot to arbitrarily check out the conditions during lunch.  Unfortunately, my buddy did not bring his board with him today so it really didn’t matter if the conditions were good or not but it was an awesome day so it was still worth it to go.  I am happy we went and checked it out because this is what we saw.

Terra Mar Surf Spot

I took this pic today!  The waves are definitely not huge today but they are nice and glassy with a long wave that was breaking very clean.  We watched a lady catch a wave on the outside break and ride it all the way in to the shore, and it wasn’t on white water!  It was awesome to watch and very inspiring.  But, because my buddy didn’t bring his gear and I am dependant on him for transporting my board… I will not be able to go out today after work.  I guess the lesson for today is to always be prepared because you never know what the conditions might be.

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Surfs Up! - Surfing

Man it feels like it’s been ages since the last time I surfed… I guess it’s only been about a week but that just seems like way too long.  The conditions in SoCal have not been great for beginners the past week and it has really had me bummed.  There was an awesome swell last week which is great, if you’re good and know what to do with the large waves but not great if you are still trying to stand up in the white wash like a noob.  Today I forgot about the last week in a second because the waves were awesome!

I paddled out to the point break again and sat there for a bit before I decided to get out of there because I did not want to get in anybody’s way once the larger sets started to roll in.  After I left the prime real estate I headed for the inner break with the white wash.  I actually had a blast in the inner break and managed to catch some white water, it’s the little things I guess.  I am in this for the long haul so I try not to get discouraged if I am not progressing very fast.  As long as I keep getting out there that's all I care about right now.

Something interesting I wanted to mention about the spot I surf at work is that during high tide the waves crash close to the cliffs and then bounce back toward the ocean.  This is usually kind of dangerous if you are not careful.  While I was riding my last wave in toward the beach to end my session today, another wave crashed on the wall and rebounded straight back at me.  I hit the waves heading out and it launched me into the air haha.  It must of looked hilarious because I heard a woman on the beach scream “YEAH!! You caught air!!!”.  That was definitely a good way to end the session.

My Sandy Wetsuit

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Getting Back To The Gym - Weight Training

After a long internal debate I have decided to get back to a regular gym schedule to do some moderate weight training.  One of the main driving forces for my blog is to take part in a variety of activities to make the experience of working out not feel forced, boring, and scheduled.  I really want to re-wire my brain so I become an active person that does not rely on countless hours on an elliptical machine, treadmill, or stationary bike.  I want to get the bulk of my exercising from activities such as kayaking, surfing, road biking, skateboarding, basketball, or whatever else I can think of.  That still leaves one main piece to leading a healthy life style, weight training.

Part of me feels like going to the gym to lift heavy things is in the same class as scheduled movement time on an elliptical and part of me feels that weight training is fundamental to maintain a strong frame that can stand up to the different activities I am taking on.  One main reason I need to get back to the gym is for leg training.  I have had two knee surgeries in the past and I really need to strengthen my legs.  I am sure these activities I am doing will eventually give my legs the strength they need, but I also need to prepare them with some weight training to help avoid injury.

I won’t be spending hours upon hours in the gym doing weight training.  Instead I will be focusing weight training as a supplemental exercise so that I can keep doing these sports I love.  I am looking to spend no more than 30 to 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week in the gym lifting weights.  My main goal with weight training will be to build a strong frame that will make me stronger and more agile.  I decided to include some info on the weight training that I will be doing but I have to clarify that I am NOT a personal trainer and I must direct you to your doctor for any advice you need pertaining to weight training.  I am only including this info so you can see the whole picture regarding my journey back to a fit person.

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Turning Nothing Into Something - Skateboarding, Basketball, Land Paddling

I was really unmotivated to do anything today but my roommate Zak convinced me to get out and do something, I am glad he did.  I had a lot of options to choose from for an activity today and we couldn’t decided so we loaded Zak’s Bronco up with everything lol.  I am not even kidding either, we stuffed two surfboards, two skateboards, a Kahuna Big Stick, basketball shoes, a basketball, two wetsuits, skate shoes, and some towels in his truck and just went out looking for whatever might look good today.

We drove down to our surf break in San Diego only to discover it was completely blown out and too small and mushy for the short boards we threw in the Bronco.  After seeing the surf conditions and deciding not to even attempt to throw on our wetsuits, we went down to Mission Bay to play some basketball and skateboard around.

We started with Skateboarding.  Zak just went old school and pushed his Tan Tien with his foot and I went with the Kahuna Big Stick and my Sector 9 Carbonite.  I prefer to use the big stick because it makes me feel more stable when I am riding, I am still a beginner.  I am glad I went with the big stick; I forgot how much of a workout it is to push yourself along on that thing.  After about 2 miles I was covered in sweat.  I haven’t had the skateboard out in at least a month.  It felt great to ride around again.

After skateboarding we did some sunset basketball.  Man it was a great day to ride and play some ball.

This is a pic I took of our basketball spot today

Below is a short video of our sweet basketball spot

Here is a short video I took today of the Loaded – Tan Tien that Zak rides… I wish I got that board instead

All in all it was a pretty good day of exercising and not one minute of it felt like I was exercising, so mission accomplished!

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The Wedge Got Huge This Weekend - Surfing

This past week Southern California had a large swell which caused the famous spot in Newport Beach, CA called “The Wedge” to get pretty big.  The media circus showed up on May 19^th which hyped up the swell even more.  Here is a video of some pretty crazy wipeouts on May 19^th, 2011.

The Wedge is a world famous surfing and bodysurfing spot located in Newport Beach, California.  The massive beach break waves are a result of improvements made to the rock jetty, in the 1930s, on the west side of the harbor entrance.

This creates some massive waves that get as high as 30 feet!  I would never have the stones or talent to venture up to Newport Beach and paddle out at this spot, but there are definitely plenty of brave or stupid surfers and bodyboarders that take a shot at it when the conditions get huge.

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Loaded Tan Tien - Gear, Skateboarding

The Loaded Tan Tien is a longboard skateboard that has become very popular among longboarders all around the world in the past year.  The Tan Tien dimensions are 39'' long, a 27'' wheelbase, and 8.75'' wide.  There are three different decks you can choose from that have three different weight thresholds.

1. Flex 1 – Up to 279lbs
2. Flex 2 – 130lbs to 210lbs
3. Flex 3 – 80lbs to 170lbs

The most popular deck of these three options is the Flex 2, which is quite flexible yet still very strong. One of the reasons for this strength is that fact that the deck itself is made of bamboo making it very strong and giving it lots of spring.  The trucks are mounted with a drop-thru design which gives it a lower profile.

Loaded Tan Tien Top View

I ride a Sector 9 Carbonite that is 41’’ long.  I went out and bought my board without doing much research and really wish I hadn’t.  I am happy with my board when it comes to just cruising around with the Big Stick and for straight line runs down by the beach but it isn’t as stable and maneuverable as the Tan Tien.  My roommate did some research online and found the Tan Tien.  He bought it to use with the Kahuna Big stick as well as some simple downhill riding.  The board just turns sharper because of the shorter wheelbase but is still stable enough to retain the longboard feel.  I think it is a great board and I will probably end up picking one up eventually.

Loaded Tan Tien Top And Bottom View

Here is a video from the Loaded YouTube channel.  It’s a video for the launch of this board last year and has Adam Colton, Kyle Chin, P-Below Castro and the Bandyman riding around the streets of SoCal.

I seem to watch this video at least once a week.  I know I will never be able to power slide like this but it is always nice to dream.

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YouTube Channel - General

Our YouTube channel is finally up!  This will be the location for any videos that I create that are related to this blog.  Keep checking back because I plan to upload videos often.

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Design Tweaking - General

Hey all,

Just a heads up that I am tweaking the design again today so you might hit refresh and see some strange colors or formatting.

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Blown Out Again - Surfing

We have had some really unusual weather here in San Diego the last few weeks.  My buddy and I decided to switch our surfing hours to the morning so we will have more consistent surf.  It is sometimes blown out in the afternoon by an on-shore wind and it sucks to get off work and head to the beach only to find a bunch of white water mush... Well it sucks even more when you wake up at 5:00 am, get everything you need ready for work, make the drive to work, and see that everything is still blown out in the morning.

I hoped to have an awesome morning surfing post for you today but it doesn’t look like that will happen just yet.  I am debating whether or not I am a “dawn patrol” kinda person or if I should just continue to try and surf after work.

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The Weather In SoCal Continues To Disappoint - Running

I really wanted to log some time on my surfboard yesterday but when my friend and I got to our surf spot we discovered the waves were small and completely blown out by an on-shore wind.  The surf break that I surf right after work is right next to my job and about 25 miles north of my house.  Plan A is always to surf and Plan B is whatever other activity I can pull from my list that best compliments the weather outside and my current mood.  That is one of the main driving points of this blog btw, options.  So, based off the conditions we decided to skip surfing and I made the long drive home and decided to go for a run on the beach by my house.

Although I am not a fan of running AT ALL, I seem to keep defaulting to that on days the weather is not ideal.  I have not had much motivation to jump on the road bike, the kayak is more of a weekend thing, and the stand up paddle board just hasn’t been calling my name recently, and I have not yet been able to afford a mountain bike.  With all of these other options sounding like to much prep work for today, I went for a run on the beach with my roommate.  We ran exactly two miles with about a quarter mile cool off.  I was able to track everything with a new app I got on my Android phone called RunKeeper.

Here is a screen shot of the app

This app is very useful, it allows you to track the route you ran and even tells you your average miles per minute.  I ran a very slow 12:42 mile and completed two miles in 25:28.  It also told me my calories burned but I am not sure how accurate this can be without it knowing my weight/height.  I would definitely recommend this app to anyone wanting to get a benchmark and to set a goal for their running.  At the moment my goal is to be able to run 2 miles in 16 minutes, I am sure this goal will shift around a bit but it is something to shoot for.

Running on the beach is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it if you live close to the ocean.  If you don’t live close to the ocean then I would look for any kind of environment that would help get you out of the house.  I ran a few times around my block and found that to be completely mindless and boring.  It made the run feel like work or some sort of scheduled movement time.  The scenery will add a great deal to the experience.

Here is a photo of the beach I ran yesterday.  I took this photo with my phone right after I finished.

Wouldn't you be thinking about this later and want to return as soon as possible?

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New Phone - General

I just got a new android phone!  I downloaded the blogger app so i can blog on the go.  So far i am impressed.  I am able to post a blog without having to log into a web browser so i should be able to post content no matter where i am.  i love it so far.

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A Modest 2 Miles - Running

I went for a run on the beach today. I figured if I live this close to the beach I might as well take advantage of it. It did the trick too; the running went by much faster because the environment was so beautiful and relaxing. My journey to becoming a runner again is going to be a long painful one. I have had two knee surgeries in the past, one on each knee and it’s been hard to get motivated to run.

I found out about these cool new running shoes called Vibram – Five Finger Shoes. They basically try to simulate the act of barefoot running. There is a movement on the web, with supporters on both sides, regarding barefoot running. I plan on writing an article about this subject once I have some more experience on it so I am not going to go into too much detail about it yet. I just wanted to share a couple of photos I took of these funny looking shoes when I was down at the beach today running.

Vibram Five Finger Shoes

Vibram Five Fingers On The Sand

This is only my second time running for what I consider a long distance. I ran… well jogged for about 2 miles on the beach today. I definitely wasn’t breaking any land speed records today but it was good to get out and add another running session to my list. It served another purpose as well; while I was down at the beach running I saw a bunch of beginner surfers catching some white foamy waves. This got me even more motivated to get down to this beach break more often. All in all, it was a good run. I can’t wait to do it again, believe it or not.

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Why Not Just Use Your Foot?! - Land Paddling

Land Paddling is relatively new but seems to be catching on pretty fast.  The basic idea behind it is using a long stick with a rubber knob on the end to push you along while riding a longboard skateboard.  I know… Land paddling sounds completely ridiculous, but give it a chance.  I can’t put into words how much fun it is.  My roommate and I got into this activity about a year ago after seeing an ad on Facebook for the Kahuna Big Stick by Kahuna Creations.  Kahuna Creations is a company that manufactures the stick you can purchase online from their website.  I bought one myself and love it.  They have a few different variations including a bamboo, adjustable, and “classic” version.  I went with the cheaper “classic” stick and have not had any issues with it so far.

Buttons Kaluhiokalani rockin the Big Stick

The board I use is a Sector 9.  My roommate did a little more research and picked up a Loaded Tan Tien.  To be honest you can probably use any old longboard skateboard you might have laying around your house to start out.  Land paddling is really simple to do as well.  You just hop up on the board place one hand on top of the stick and the other hand a little lower on the shaft and push.  Heh… he said shaft.  The motion almost feels like you are sweeping your kitchen, which coincidently is what surfers call stand up paddle boarders on the water, sweepers. 

I get a lot of strange looks when I am doing this around town.  I also get a lot of questions because it looks strange.  Most people are just curious about it and want to know more.  Sometimes, not very often, you might catch some grief from a little skateboard punk but I just remind them it’s not wise to make fun of a man with a large stick and the comments stop haha.  Either way, it is just something to expect when you are out doing something that is fresh and new so just go with it.

One of the main reasons I was drawn to this is because of my bad knees.  This is primarily an upper body workout and does not put much of a strain on my knees.  When I do about 5 miles around the local lake I am drenched in sweat and completely exhausted.  I would also recommend a pair of gloves if you are prone to getting blisters on your hands from repetitive rubbing.  I just use my smaller light weight motorcycle gloves and those work great.

Here is a video of Kahuna Creations sponsored land paddler and epic surfer Buttons Kaluhiokalani talking about the big stick.

If you are at all interested in SUP (Stand Up Paddling) on the water, this is a great complementary exercise for days the waves may not be suitable for SUP or for colder days outside where you don’t feel like putting on a wetsuit.  The paddle style is slightly different than when you are on a SUP board but it pretty much works the same muscles.  When you are paddling around on a SUP board you face forward towards the nose of the board with your feet about shoulder width apart and paddle on either side pushing from front to back.  When land paddling, you stand sideways on the board in a traditional skateboarding stance and push from front to back.

Like I said before I love doing this exercise!  It is a great way to have fun while getting a good workout.  I hope you found this information useful and thanks for reading!

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Blog Version 2.0 - General

I made A LOT of changes to the layout of the site today!  I am very happy with the way it turned out.  I finally figured out a way that I can categories my posts!  This is something I have been trying to figure out since I started this whole project and I just happened to stumble upon it when I found out how to attach labels to your posts.  It took me a little time to retroactively add all of the proper labels to my previous posts but it was worth it because I have a solid categories section on my page.

I also added a featured post slide show on the main page.  I love this feature because it allows me to showcase what I consider some interesting posts.  In addition to the slide show, I added a link to a featured site page on my blog so you can quickly scroll through them without having to mess with the slide show.  I hope you like the changes so far.  What do you think?

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Collapsible Carbon Fiber Surfboard - Surfing

I came across this article and could not resist sharing.  This is a collapsible carbon fiber surfboard designed by Nicholas Notara.  The frame is made of carbon fiber making it incredibly light I am assuming.  The carbon fiber design, to me, is not even the best part.  The kicker, is that you can break it down by engaging a quick release lever and then flipping two pins on top.  This will break the board down in half after you remove what looks like a center strut pole from the middle.  The bar appears to insert into both halves providing a solid backbone for the board.

The board also has 5 fin slots, allowing for a wide variety of fin configurations to fit your riding style.  I do not have the dimensions of this board and would love to see a version of this for a longboard.  This to me would be a great idea to help with transporting a 9'0'' board.

I would not want to be on the receiving end of a direct nose hit from this board judging from the image below. 

Based off of this image it looks as though some assembly may be required...

I would love to know how much a board like this would cost.  The price is a moot point at this time anyway, this board is just a concept design at the moment.  I can't wait until someone is able to mass produce this design.

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Blogger Hates Me - General

Blogger went down yesterday and took a lot of the formatting I did with it.  I will be working hard all weekend to get everything I have done back so if you saw something that looked cool before, don't worry it will be back!

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Changing Blog Design - General

Hey everyone!  I am messing around with the design of this blog today so you may see some strange things.  Keep checking back though, I hope to have it sorted out by the end of the day today.

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Choppy Day - Surfing

So the conditions were far less than ideal today for my surf session.  The waves were about 2-3 feet, completely blown out, and choppy.  My friend and I took one look at the conditions and said “Oh well, let’s do it”.  It took a while to paddle out today because of the chop.  You really couldn’t judge the wave frequency or direction because they seemed to be coming at you from every direction with no consistency.

I caught a wave at the point break instead of the inner break where the white water is, which was great because I have not done that before.  The wave came out of nowhere so I got a late start at it.  This didn’t matter because I was on the longboard so after hitting the turbo button I was being pushed along with no effort.  This wave felt different than the white water I usually catch in the inner break.  It was moving much faster to start.  Also, after catching I finally felt the sensation of sliding down the wave face.  Unfortunately, I did not stand up on this wave.  I am still working that part out but it felt amazing to catch a wave like that today.

I am still using my friend’s 9’0’’ board.  At first I did not want to use a longboard AT ALL.  I even went out and bought a 6’6’’ fish board touting that I will be one of the few that starts on a shortboard, that lasted exactly one session.  I spent the entire time fighting the board and it took me what seems like an eternity to paddle out.  After that session on the shortboard I lost my desire to try and be a badass and fell in line with all the other beginners.

I like the longer board for a few reasons.  The first being how stable it is when I am paddling around on it.  The short board would sway back and forth with every little movement I made and I could not seem to find a spot on it that would make it feel stable while paddling.  The second was how easy it was to catch a wave on it.  The third was how easy it was to sit on when you are waiting for a set to come in.  There are a few other reasons but I will leave it at that for now in the spirit of keeping this blog short.  Thanks for reading!

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The Weather Outside Sucks Today - Running

Since the weather outside is not ideal for surfing today I decided to go for a run instead.  Running has got to be my least favorite activity.  I have had two knee surgeries in the past which can make running a bit painful so I absolutely despise it.  When I first started this blog I was determined to leave running out of it.  I declaring the activity something I call "scheduled movement" until I gave it a little thought and determined that it is still a useful activity to invest some time into.

I haven’t gone running consistently in over 5 years and man does it show.   I just ran about a 12 minute mile.  I guess that’s not too bad for a beginner but considering what I used to run about 5 years ago it’s kind of sad.  My goal is to eventually be able to run 2 miles in about 16 minutes.  That to me seems like an attainable goal for someone my age.  I feel strongly that you should set a goal for any activity you begin for motivational purposes.

Starting out on this run today was a very painful and slow process.  My knees were yelling at me for about the first mile until they finally fell in line and started to stop bothering me.  For me, the problem is not with the pain while running it’s with the swelling I normally get the next day.  Oh well, I figure if I take it slow and continue to lose weight then running will become a lot easier, at least that what I keep telling myself.

I included a couple of images of the running shoes I bought last week.  They are Saucony ProGuide 4 running shoes that have a lot of stability in the sole.  I also added some aftermarket inserts called SuperFeet for even more stability and a longer life for the shoe.  These shoes feel great and so far have helped out quite a bit with reducing the knee pain I normally incur while running.  Here is some additional info for these shoes from the manufacture’s website:

RUN - Light Stability

The perfect everyday training shoe, the ProGrid Guide 4 is the next rendition of the award winning ProGrid Guide 3. Ideal for light stability runners, the Guide 4 offers a dual density midsole for motion control and support throughout the entire gait cycle - ensuring a great run every time!

• The perfect light stability, everyday training shoe
• Dual density midsole slows down any mild overpronation
• Smooth transition and ride allows for a great run
• Weight: 11.6 oz

The images I took of my shoes are below:

Thanks for reading!

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New Blog Addition - General

This post is just a quick FYI that I added a useful links section in the navigation bar on the right hand side of this page.  As I find useful websites in any topic I will be adding them there.  Thanks!

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No Waves - Surfing

I brought my friend’s 9’0’’ longboard home from work on Friday with the intention of taking it out to the beginner break either yesterday or today.  Unfortunately, I drove out to the break and found out that the waves were very small and blown out by the wind.  Oh well, I just need to find something else to do instead of surfing this weekend I guess.  I haven’t checked the surf report for today yet but judging from the weather outside I am pretty sure it will be the same as yesterday.

 I still need to take a picture of the three boards I am using so you can get an idea of the range of boards I am testing.  I hope to get that done in the next week or so.  The only thing that is holding me back on this is the fact that I do not have a good digital camera yet.  I am expecting to upgrade my cell phone in the next week so that should do it.  No matter which exercise I pick I will definitely post something about it.

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I Stood Up! - Surfing

Yesterday I went surfing right after work again.  When we first got there the wave conditions were not that great… But I am a beginner so I really didn’t care.  The waves were about 2 to 3 foot and it was blown out.  Blown out means there is a lot of wind that collapses the face of the wave which causes it to close out.  This is ok for me because I decided to focus on catching the mushy white water instead of trying to paddle out to the point break.  My co-worker let me borrow his 9’ 0’’ longboard and man what a difference that made!  I actually caught a wave and stood up for about half a second!  This was the first time I have ever been able to stand on a surf board with a wave behind me.

I did have a few scary moments this session however.  While I was paddling out to the point break a set of waves came in and began to crash pretty much right on top of me.  2-3 foot waves look small when you are standing on shore but look freakin HUGE when you are paddling on a surf board laying on your chest.  I ended up “going over the falls” on one wave which was not fun.  That means the wave face picked me up and turned me over then crashed on top of me pushing me under water for a few seconds.  I was determined to keep going though so I pulled the board back over to me with the leash, hopped back on, and kept paddling out trying to make it past the area where the larger waves were breaking.

Another thing I was focusing on was something called turtling.  This is what some longboarders do instead of duck diving to make it out past the break.  It basically means rolling off the board and holding it on top of you letting the wave wash over top of the board.  I didn’t do it very well to start but I think I started to get the hang of it after a few waves.  I have to say that turtling takes a lot of energy though because you have to climb back on the board after the wave passes you.  This was definitely a good session though and I hope some of this info helps you out.

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Finally Got To Surf! - Surfing

I finally got a chance to go surfing yesterday!  My co-worker (the experienced surfer) and I went to a local surf break that is only a block from our job.  I was a little nervous to go out because I have only attempted to surf a few times in my life and it was not consistent so I was basically starting over.

I took my 7’6’’ board out that has a lot of “rocker” and sufficient girth in the middle to float me properly.  Even though I took my larger board out I still felt like I was fighting the board the entire time.  I had a hard time locating what surfers call the “sweet spot” on the board.  This means the location on the board where you are not too far back or too far forward.  My pseudo instructor told me that you should be positioned so that the nose of the board is just sticking out of the water.  If you are too far back it will slow you down while you are trying to paddle out.  If you are too far forward you will take a nose dive over the board when you try to catch a wave, this is called “pearling”.

Overall I spent about an hour and a half in the water and caught 1 wave that was all white water.  I rode that on my chest and did not make any attempt to stand up yet.  I am in this for the long haul and see no reason to rush it and potentially hurt myself.  I hope this info helps!

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Strapped On The Running Shoes - Running

Today my surfing buddy said the waves were too small so we did not go out surfing like I was hoping so I was left to pick another exercise to try.  After debating it for a bit I decided to do something I have not done since my two knee surgeries, run!  I have not been able to run for a long distance in a while without my knees filling up with fluid so I was a bit nervous to see how this would go.

I decided to just go for so I went down to my local running shoe store and they directed me to a Saucony running shoe that was in their “Stability” category.  The shoes were not that expensive considering the quality.  I got them for about $80 before taxes after I joined their “VIP” club.  They also talked me into buying some new inserts with extra arch support and man I am glad they did.

After I got home I immediately put the running shoes on and went for a light jog around my neighborhood.  I ran for about 1.25 miles and decided that was enough for my first day back.  My ankle, knees, and back started to hurt a little towards the end so that was my indicator that I did enough for that day.  It’s all about baby steps.

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