I Will Find My Board! - Surfing

The more I try to surf the more I am seeing how important board selection is to the whole process.  I have been bouncing around from board to board over the last month trying to narrow down the best board for me.  I already purchased a 6’6’’ fish and an 8’0’’ funboard.  These two purchases were definitely a learning experience because of their impulse nature.  I did not do my due diligence in researching a wide variety of boards and ended up making bad choices.

After the previous board choice debacles I decided to dive into the process of selecting a surfboard deep and try to not make a miss-informed choice.  I scoured the internet searching for articles on longboards.  I borrowed a few boards from different friends to try out in the water to get a good feel for how they paddle.  I even took out a demo board from a local surf shop.  After all this I have narrowed it down to a board that is about 9’2’’ with a thruster fin configuration and is wide in the middle and the nose.  I am leaning towards a Takayama board.  Now it’s just a matter of saving up enough money to purchase the board!  Hopefully I should have my new board in about a week. 

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Making Good Use Of My Time - Running

Over the past week I have been making it a point to run during my lunch.  The reason for this is because after sitting back and analyzing my entire day I came to the conclusion that at least 8 hours a day five days a week are completely wasted when it comes to getting anything done that is not work related.  There is only so much time during the day and only so many days a week.  I have been struggling trying to put together a solid routine that I can stick to and still maintain enough free time to have a social life or to just simply relax.  So the conclusion… get my cardio done during my lunch.

At first when I started this project I wanted to use alternative exercises like surfing, swimming, or skateboarding to keep me in shape.  The small problem I am running into is my lack of patients and how long it is taking me to GET into shape and slim down.  I have not been able to spend enough time each week doing these activities to completely rely on them for my daily exercising needs.  So, this is where lunch time cardio comes in.  I spent some time figuring out what items I will need in order to be able to run during my lunch for a half an hour and then return back to work without being all nasty and sweaty.  This is the list I put together:

Running Shoes

Shorts

T-Shirt

Extra Socks

Towel

Shampoo

Soap

Luckily, I have a shower located next to the bathroom in my office building so I am able to take a shower right after I run.  I also have an awesome little trail behind my building that I can get a good 2 mile run out of if I make a few laps around it.  So I started bringing these items to work and leaving them there so they will be available and so I will not have any excuses to not get a good run in 5 days a week.  Also, because I am getting this done during my lunch I do not have to add an additional 30 minutes on to the beginning or end of my work day, which frees up time for a simple weight lifting session at the gym and then… the rest of my day is free to take on any alternative exercises I want!

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The Board Search Continues - Surfing

It looks like my search for a good board still continues.  I have been going back and forth between a 9’0’’ Costco longboard my buddy at work bought and an 8’0’’ funboard I bought from a local surf shop a few years ago.  I am really starting to learn that the conditions vary from day to day and it’s good to have as many options in your “quiver” as possible.  As of late, I have really wanted to get a longer board, one that accelerates very quickly and is wide enough that it floats me and has a stable feel to it when standing.  I went out surfing yesterday at what is considered a beginner spot and found that my board is just a tad too short for the conditions there, for the most part.  Of course, when I say that you have to take into account my skill level… Which is very low at the moment.

There was a group of surfers, most of them women that were on very long boards and were just gliding across the water while paddling.  These surfers were able to get into position on the peak of the waves much quicker than I was so I was left with very few waves to try and catch.  They were at a much higher level than me so I found it a bit intimidating to try and challenge any of them for a wave because I was not sure if I would be able to follow through and ride the wave out after I caught it.  Also, because their boards were longer they were able to sit out farther and catch the wave sooner than me which they did, often.  I surf three locations, each of these locations are bit different from each other.  The spot by my house is primarily a longboard spot while the 2 spots at my work can be surfed with a longboard or a shortboard depending on the conditions.

That being said, I decided not to sell my 6’6’’ fish just yet and I drove up to work to leave it there just so I had it available to use if I wanted to when the conditions were right.  I am now left needing to get myself a 9’ + longboard for home.  My buddy has an awesome 9’3’’ Takayama nose riding board that just glides across the water and accelerates very quickly.  I rode it last week for a short time and was very impressed with how easy it is to catch a wave on it.  I actually gave up on paddling for a wave once and STILL caught the wave.  The search for my go to board still continues.

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Busy Day At The Park - Skateboarding

I took out my new Tan Tien flex 2 with gold Paris 180 trucks out to a VERY busy park yesterday.  I went with skateboarding instead of surfing yesterday because the water was absolutely crowded and I didn’t feel like fighting for a wave.  I had a great time skateboarding though and got a great workout in the process.  I am still new to skateboarding so going to a busy park with people everywhere and kamikaze children running in front of you was not the ideal place for a beginner to skate but I wanted to see how I would do.

I was happy with how I did though, I recently learned how to foot break so that saved me on countless occasions yesterday.  I am getting much better on the board and starting to feel much more comfortable pushing with my foot.  I enjoy pushing with my foot much more than using the Kahuna Big Stick.  When I got back to my car I was covered in sweat, I didn’t even notice until I stopped skating.  All in all it was a good day and I got some exercise without even noticing, so much for scheduled movement time at the gym.  Below is a pic I just took of my Tan Tien.

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