Hurricane Irene SCORE!

On Friday morning we decided to head south of Cape Canaveral in hopes of catching the conditions just right. As we arrived and spot checked it at Cherie Down Park it was going off and then I realized we were about to score really big!
For the first session we hit it at Jetty Park and it was overhead and super clean. I got two ligament barrels and pretty much lost count of the nose riding mayhem I was creating on my 9'0" Walden Magic. The amazing thing is it really wasn't that crowded.
By noon it was fading away at Jetty Park. I guess it was too sheltered at that point. We headed south to the more exposed Cocoa Beach Pier only to find a few hundred guys in the water. The waves looked enticing and I was game, but one of our friends (a beginner) was intimidated so we headed back to north to Cherie Down again and paddled out to score big again!
This time it was bigger. The drops were faster and waves more powerful. I was in freaking heaven! But, my arms were getting more and more burnt out. By the end of the second session my arms felt like my legs usually feel after running a marathon. We all headed back north with smiles on our faces. Irene we love you!

Here's some pictures from Friday....











On Saturday it was New Smyrna Beach and the north coast of Florida's turn. The wind was now offshore up this way and the ocean was clean and ready for some rippin'.
We met at a predetermined spot where we know of a good sandbar just after dawn. The waves were the biggest we've seen yet. The wind was slightly less than the day before and that was good because it means easy entry. The paddle out was the hardest yet and I had to take several sets on the head, but made it out in about 10 minutes. The outside break was the furthest out of all our Irene sessions; about 3/4 of a mile. The wave faces were around the 8 feet range. It was so EPIC that I surfed for 3 1/2 hours without coming in once. That's a long time for no food or water. I took about 100 waves during that time and they were so clean that I probably could haven't gotten by without having a leash. Super fun and what a stoke! I surfed myself sick... literally. After the session I had to get in a car and crank the A/C to high while drinking three Gatorades and then going to Subway to down a foot long meatball sub (it's what I was craving). Then I went home to pick up Jenny (she went to Gainesville to do her long run with Team Hot Legs) and I laid down on the couch for a half hour before feeling better.
We went back to the beach to visit friends. I didn't paddle back out as I was stoked and satisfied. A thunderstorm rolled through and sent all the Orlando kooks fleeing the beach and hopefully going home. After it was peaceful. Jenny and I went on a couple mile walk. It was a good ending to a top 10 swell of my lifetime so far!

Here are a few pics from Saturday in New Smyrna Beach.





On Sunday we went down to the inlet only to find waist high sets rolling in with offshore winds. This was hardly exciting after the previous four days. We surfed for about 30 minutes and call it quits. It felt like a recovery paddle... like a recovery run, but for my arms.
Can't wait for the next swell!

It's contagious and I'm infected with S.U.P.

Knock them all you want (Lord knows I have). Call them what you will. Stand up paddle boards are here to stay. In the past decade these boards have gained popularity and seem to be spreading across the nation and world like a virus. From Hawaii to California to Florida to a random lake in Kansas the concept is absolutely brilliant. Simply put, you have the billion dollar plus marketing machine that is the modern day world of the surfing industry (although it seems only a small percentage of the people involved in that industry "actually surf) and NOW there's a way for EVERYONE to surf... well... kind of surf. The allure of "surfing" that this mass marketing machine has created across the globe is NOT something everyone can do. First off, you've got to have a beach geographically in reach. Then that beach has to have ridable waves and favorable conditions to learn. And finally, you have to have a little bit of athletic ability in conditioning, balance, strength and stubbornness. Learning to surf waves is not easy no matter who you are and a lot of people get frustrated and give up!
Now take a large stable board with a massive amount of floatation and give someone the ability to have a higher amount of environmental control -- the paddle -- and calm flat water for beginners and just about anyone can enjoy it on their first time. Just check out this picture! BRILLIANT! It looks like a surfboard. You stand on it. It must be surfing, right? I don't think so, but... well, that's the marketing brilliance of it.
Stand up paddle boarders take a lot of shit from surfers. This is probably in part because of a few SUP guys getting into situations where they don't belong. There are a lot of SUPs at my local break (one of the most crowded and territorial in Florida). I talk to the regular ones. They're nice guys and mean nobody harm. The trouble with SUPs is when they allow a beginner to get into a situation where nature would not allow them on a traditional surfboard. Then chaos soon follows and an out-of-control 11 or 12-foot board, paddle and out of shape human in the line up is bad for everyone. I will say in defense of SUPs. Anyone that knocks stand up paddle boards and says they don't belong in the surf needs to watch Laird Hamilton rip the hell of a few waves in this video here. Perhaps watching that very video influenced me.
After careful consideration and a lot of thought I decided to finally give it a try. My idea was simple; get two stand up paddle boards and Jenny and I can use them to explore the river while getting another type of cardio/core workout other than running and most importantly, it's on the water. Jenny was sold on the idea instantly when I pointed out to her some of the endurance SUP races held around the country. Something to train for!
We asked around, did research and eventually decided to buy a couple of SUP ATX boards. They are by far not the best boards ever made, however, for our budgets they get the job done. We got identical boards with different paint jobs. They are epoxy and they included the deck pad, fin and carbon fiber paddle in the discounted price. As popular as these boards are I know that I can always sell them on Craigslist without losing much money and buy different ones if needed.

As I clicked the "order now" button on the website I felt as if I was betraying the brotherhood of surfers. I was excited and weirded out at the same time.


Jenny was 100-percent EXCITED when she clicked the order button!

We had them shipped to my office. You should have seen the look on my co-worker's faces! The box was so big it hardly fit in my truck.

Later that night we opened them up in my living room. Jenny is ready to go! Each board is 11' feet long and 4.5" thick and 28-pounds light.

We picked a calm, wind-protected canal for our first attempt. Neither of us had ever tried it. The plan I devised was to push off on our knees and paddle around for a bit on our knees to acclimate and then stand up. I was shocked to see Jenny hop up to her feet only after a few seconds on her knees. It was even easier than I thought!


In only a few weeks we've been exploring all sorts of waterways. I own a touring kayak and I can confidently say I'm going to sell it and never kayak again. You can see SO much more on SUPs. So far I've paddled within a few feet of redfish, flounder, manatees, dolphin and even a bonnet-head shark. It's also been a great learning tool for Jenny and her surfing. She has practiced her paddle and pop-up on the SUP in a controlled environment and is now taking it to the waves on her normal surfboard. It's helping and I'm stoked!

Bring it Wikiki!

Sometimes I get stuck working the weekends. I try and limit this awful behavior to only customers that I believe will be NOT wasting my time. This means they have the means (cash) and mindset (pressure) to buy something. If I work with someone for an entire weekend and there's no contract by Sunday afternoon I feel like I've just D.N.F.'ed a race.

This happened one recent weekend. Both days experienced good surf in the mornings and blown out conditions in the afternoons. Both days I worked in the mornings. I even put off my long run until Monday morning. By Sunday late afternoon I was frustrated at being foolishly suckered into working the weekend with this costumer that now wants to wait until the Fall to buy something. I can't blame the guy -- financially it makes more sense for him. But, I'm still out two days with no exercise!

A visiting friend from Denmark text messaged me saying he was still on the beach and Jenny and I decided we'd go hang out with him the last few hours of daylight. I threw the two SUP boards on top of the Jeep and we were off. The beach was wind swell choppy as expected and after taking a look it didn't look good for either of them to attempt a paddle out on one of these beast of a boards.

We hung out for a bit shooting the breeze and then I had an idea. What if Jenny and I paddled out together on one SUP board? Tandem? That way I could control things and make wave decisions. The more I thought about it the more I liked it. Next thing I know I'm carrying one of the SUPs down to the surf with no paddle. Jenny's right behind me as we walk out waste deep. The water is aquamarine with more visibility than average. It's beautiful despite the chop.

I have her jump up on the mid-section of the board like she is going to knee-paddle (although she's never need paddled before) and I jump up on the tail section so I can manage our center of gravity and keep us from periling. We get into a pattern of paddling together and start punching through several small walls of white wash. It's amazing how fast we're moving paddling together. Jenny thinks she isn't contributing, but I know better because we're moving faster than I can paddle this thing alone.

We sit on the outside a while and I study the ocean. The waves are coming in sets of 3 or 4 and they're slightly crossed up. Not unusual for New Smyrna Inlet. Nobody is out but us. Jenny thinks people are staring at us from the beach. I could care less. I turn us into a wave and yell, "paddle!"

The timing is off, the wave breaks early and a wall of whitewash engulfs us.

I make a mental adjustment for our timing and we nail the next wave. I don't turn us, but let the board go straight as I hop up to my feet. "Stand up," I yell at Jenny. She's still on her knees. I can hear her laugh and know she's stoked. I pull her up to her feet by her arms and there we are surfing this choppy knee high wave for all it's worth - her goofy and me regular. We surf almost to the sand for quite a long ride. Jenny turns around smiling ear to ear and simply says, "again!"



It was amazing how easy it was on such a stable board and how I could control everything from the tail section. On several waves I had to almost lean my entire body off the tail to keep us from periling on the drop-in. Jenny's weight counter-acted mine and kept us from stalling. There's a few mental adjustments to make, but for the most part surfing tandem is a blast and not too difficult given the right conditions. Our combined weight of around 280 pounds was nothing the SUP board couldn't handle. It was only after that I realized how doing this could be an amazing learning tool for beginner surfers. Jenny made a few comments about how intense the paddle into each wave was from her perspective and how when she watches other surfers it looks easy. Then I realized that by doing this she was seeing the surfing experience basically through my eyes - the timing, the positioning, the decision making, all of it. What a great learning tool I've stumbled upon!

We'll definitely be doing this again!

A Good Day ....

I was stressed out yesterday. A string of unfortunate events with work combined with some bad luck in the past month has left me on edge. Feeling like I should be working rather than playing I was not in my normal "thrilled to be going surfing" mood when we decided to make it a beach day.

The weather was perfect -- sunny and warm. A sense of Spring and a hint of Summer is in the air.As we pulled up to the inlet and assessed the situation (playful little thigh high glassy sets rolling in with the incoming tide) I noticed some commotion in the water. Fighter-jet colored fins breaching the water. Fishing flinging themselves airborne in a desperate attempt to escape. White water splashing about.

No not sharks. Another visitor to New Smyrna Inlet that is even more common than sharks believe it or not -- The common dolphin. An entire pod to be exact!

Dolphin are one of my favorite animals. Intelligent, playful, skilled and the undisputed best surfers in the world. Many times I've shared waves with them, locked eyes and sensed a common bond of "let's have some fun on this wave!" I grabbed my camera and snapped off some shots before grabbing my noserider to join the fun.

Stressed out or not, a paddle out with the dolphins and fun surfing session at New Smyrna Inlet is a cure all!

Double Pump Weekend Recap!

First off, let me just say how thankful I am for all the support we've received from my last post and the donations that have been made already to our fund raising race benefiting American Heart Association. Now for the blog post! This weekend was a blast. Since it's both surfing and running I'm going to break it up into two parts.

Surfing

On Thursday and Friday New Smyrna Beach actually had warm air temperatures, swell in the water and light offshore winds. I was able to hit it Thursday evening after work with Norton, Blythe and Jeremy. I'm super excited that the water seems to be warming up. It's still cold and I still doubled up on wetsuits, but the end is in sight for this coldest winter of my memory!
Since we all had been watching the forecast all week and waiting for it to actually hold true, there was a lot of excitement upon arriving at the beach and actually finding good surf. The paddle out was a sprint and a good way to warm up. The waves were coming in long period sets of 5 to 6 and they were a comfortable chest to head high size range. I recently watched a surf video on Holly Beck's blog here, that got me super pumped up to surf and decided to bring my Go Pro Surf Hero camera along with the intend on getting some barrels, but the waves just weren't pitching out enough. I did get some good video and maybe I'll find the time to edit up a little video sometime in the future, but what really is worth mentioning is the final 15 minutes of the session.
The sets were rolling in pretty consistently and we were having a blast. After about a half hour I looked out on the horizon and saw a huge set coming. "Outside," someone yelled and we all started paddling out. Brian and I made it over the first wave, but Blythe was sitting a little inside and had to take the wave on the head. An even larger wave followed. Norton took the fourth wave and rode it through the impact zone and into the slew. I continued paddling out trying to decide which of the last few waves of the set to take. I could hear a few choice curse words behind me as Blythe continued to take bigger and bigger waves on the head. I dropped in on the 6th or 7th wave and cutback to the right. It was at least a foot or two over my head and I could see it setting up for a huge section (probably a closeout) about 30 feet in front of me. I generated a LOT of speed and totally launched myself and 9'0" Walden Magic off the lip. I got so much air that I kicked away from the board and back flopped behind the wave. It actually hurt!
The next event was the event of the session. Remember Norton took a way all the way to the slew? Well, at the point Blythe had given up trying to get back on her longboard and was treading water and swimming under each massive wave with the leash keeping the board within 10 feet or so behind her. Norton spots something floating in the water next to him and turns out it's the front half of Blythe's board, which is actually Norton's longboard, also a Walden Magic. He collects the broken board and yells Blythe's name. When she finally hears him she turns around to see him holding up the board half and saying "look at this!" Then she realizes her board is broken. That's about the time I hear her calling my name instead of the curse words. By now I'm taking wave after wave on the head too, but I'm in position to turtle roll a few waves and be in the clear. I look back and see Blythe saying, "look at this," and holding up the bottom half of her board! She turns and rides what's left of the board in body board style. I see Brian inside and decide she's OK and head back out. The freak thing is after that the waves calmed down and went back to how they were. Freak set came, broke board and left! Here's a picture from my Go Pro after the session...




Running

This weekend was my first experience running two races in one day. It worked out perfectly because the morning race was a 10k trail race (6.2 miles) and the afternoon race was a 5k (3.1 miles) or 10k. I opted for the 5k making my entire mileage for the day 9.3 miles, which fit into my Seattle RnR Marathon training schedule perfectly! Both races were up in Gainesville and so much fun!I had everything for two races laid out the night before!

The morning race was the Trail of Payne 10k put on by Lloyd Clark Sports (a killer running store) that included admission into Payne's Prairie State Park (see photo from the My Tracks app on my phone). We were told it would be muddy so we came prepared with old running shoes and ready to get dirty. It was a little colder than expected (49-degrees) at the start and I couldn't make up my mind to keep the long sleeve shirt on or take it off. Finally, about a minute before the race start Jenny and I both took off our long sleeve shirts and hid them in the woods. Overall, the race was well organized, featured a sweet tech race t-shirt and had us running a grab bag of trail, road and pathways (even a short boardwalk bridge). We ran around lakes, through pine forest and oak forest, up and down small hills and out onto the Payne's Prairie where Bison (yes, Bison in Florida) actually roam wild. I started in the middle of the pack near Jenny and several of her friends. Soon Jenny was a few feet ahead of me and I could see her for at least the first half of the race. I took it slow to begin with and let a lot of people pass me. I haven't run a 10k since winter of 2008 so I'm still learning how to pace myself. The two sections of mud were not too bad. I was able to avoid complete shoe submersion by running the edge of the trail (I was told later runners had no choice but to plow through the middle as the trail got tromped more and more). Around Mile 4 I was feeling pretty confident so I increased my pace. It also took me a long time to warm up (I hate cold!). The last two miles of the race I was able to pass about a dozen runners and nobody passed me. That's always the best feeling! I crossed the finish line at 50:33 for an 8:09 average pace. This beat my only other 10k race and PR by more than 4 minutes (54:50 - Ed Root 10k 2008). Although I really REALLY want to finish a 10k under 50 minutes, I was stoked about this time! It felt really good and I'm sure if it was on a flat road course I would have killed and totally owned 50 minutes! Next time!


The afternoon race was the Run for Haven 5k/10k at the Tioga Town Center out to the northwest of Gainesville. It didn't start until 4:30 so Jenny and I consumed a large brunch, took an hour nap and waited for Harrison to show up. It was Harrison's first 5k race so we wanted to show him a great time. This was a big social event and many of Jenny's friends were out to race and support the event. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by running two races in one day. Thinking back, it was an irrational intimidation as I've done many things in one day that burns just as many calories, for example, surfing 5 or 6 hours in one day. Nevertheless, in good spirit, or should I say spirits, I decided to amp myself up it was a good idea to drink a good mixture of Gatorade, Red Bull and vodka about 15 minutes before the gun. This left me buzzed as a spring breaker and again I found myself in the middle of the pack when the race started. I looked around for Harrison, but we had managed to lose him so I ran with Jenny and one of her friends for probably the first mile (the one thumbs down I have for this race was no mile markers on the course) until the course split. The 10k continued on through some woods and that made me envious because the 5k looped back through residential neighborhood and nothing but pavement. I waved good by to Jenny and cranked the Rise Against in my iPod. This, combined with a drunken buzz, some 'get-there-idis' and boredom, caused me only to run faster. At some point I saw some dude in front of me a ways that looked like Harrison. As I got closer I realized it was Harrison! He had started closer to the start line and was ahead of me. No wonder I couldn't spot him behind me! We chatted a bit, but as we approached an aid station I opted to not drink (I merely splashed the water in my face) and blasted through and next thing I know he's behind me. I figured he doesn't want me distracting him so I continue on increasing my pace. It would have been nice to have mile markers because I remember worrying about running out of gas at my current pace, which I really have no idea of what I'm doing.... but I'm feeling good so I keep going and end up passing people again just like the morning race. This is a new experience for me (usually, I'm the one getting passed) and I have to say I like it! Soon I see the finish line and in all my buzzed/drunken self I sprint it out until reaching the chute. My time is 23:47 for an average 7:40 pace. Can you say HOLY CRAP! Yeah, that's what I said when I logged it into the computer. It's not a PR, but it's a lot faster than I thought I was going. A volunteer hands me a t-shirt and I walk back to the end of the course to see Harrison finish not far behind. I wave the t-shirt in the air and tell him to kick it out! Again everyone finishes unscathed and a few of the friends win their age group or place overall. The after party makes the lackluster course totally worth it as there's plenty of beer and food to go around.

Two races in one day?

SUCCESS!

I'll leave you all with this picture I took of the road way going through the state park. Who wouldn't want to run down this road?!?

Running and Surfing Weekend Recap!

I've been having a bit of a writers blog as of late. I come up with blog ideas and get excited only to let them fall by the wayside for a few days and then they aren't so exciting anymore. However, I have a great recap from last weekend to tell and a few ideas in store for the next week so hopefully my little stumble will fade away.

The Surf

As I mentioned in last Thursday's stoke, it was Jenny's birthday weekend and what better way to celebrate than with some running and surfing!?!? On Saturday part of the gang gathered, or should I say only those of the surfing gang brave stupid enough to venture into our cold surf that has dipped down into the lower 50s due to our record cold winter. Now us Florida boys only have 3/2 wetsuits. Years ago when I surfed in Oregon we wore a 5/4 wetsuit in 52 degree water along with booties, gloves and hood. This Saturday it was more like whatever you can find, wear it! I chose a 2mm O'Neil short sleeve top as a base layer under my Excel 3/2 full wetsuit. I have some 2mm O'Neil booties that I also sported. No gloves, no hood. Dees and JB had similar tactics.

The air temperature was about mid-50s and there was a side shore 15-20mph wind that was mixing up the head high surf a bit. I was glad I brought my 9'8" Anderson nose rider at first because of the wind, but later wished I had a performance board as the waves turned out to be sectiony and choppy and I needed more drive. Jenny watched in amazement as the three of us screamed profanities at the ocean upon first charging it. I imagine to an outsider it's probably the same kind of "your insane" as an outsider looks at runners when they say "I can't go out tonight because I'm getting up at 4 a.m. to do a 15-miler."

I tried to keep my head from getting wet as long as possible, but eventually had to take a wave on the head. It felt like thousands of ice crystals being blown into my face by a hurricane and instantly took my breath away. Soon I lost all feeling in my hands. Then my nose, ears and lips followed. Nevertheless, we were in the zone; cheering, hollering, yelling every time one of us took off after a wave. It was good to be back in the ocean. Nearly a month since I last surfed and for JB his first time this winter wearing a suit (he just returned from Puerto Rico). We were making the best of it!

After about 45 minutes someone said something like, "I think I might take the next one in," and immediately another said, "me too," followed by a final, "me three!" We were all cold. I was so cold that when I stood up on my last wave my muscles were failing to do what my brain was ordering! For safety and health reasons it was definitely time to go in and call it a day.

That may have been as cold if not colder than my session back in Oregon.

Jenny ran a few miles on the boardwalk and was reading a book in my pickup truck bed as I shivered out of the water. Her run was marked by the cold wind as well and wasn't ideal. It wasn't long before we all decided to head home to warm up. It was good to get back in the water!

The Birthday

Saturday night was planned as a beach bonfire night. The Cooper Street gang got the permit, but at the last minute it was canceled due to cold weather and that blistering wind. Not to let that ruin our night a bunch of us decided to have our own little bonfire in my backyard. Jenny didn't want everyone making a big deal about her birthday so I didn't tell most of them, that way we all hung out as normal. What we learned:

Cut up palm tree trunks, no matter how old or rotted, do NOT burn well.

Eating up the jumbo rock shrimp before everyone arrives is a good idea. More for us!

The ceviche was a SUCCESS! Jenny and I made a ceviche inspired by the one JB and Julie made for us in Puerto Rico. It was simple amazing and easy to make. Here's how:
1.) Soak (cook) 1 lb of oily fish in a bowl with fresh lime juice (we used Golden Tile)
2.) chop up a fresh organic tomato, avacado, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, sweet onion and cilantro to be mixed into a bowl with more lime juice.
3.) Once fish turns white-ish in color mix with the veggies and now you have an amazing ceviche dip that is good for you!

The Run (a.k.a. The Stump Jump!)

On Sunday morning, or should I say late morning as we wanted to sleep in and let it warm up, Jenny, myself, Harrison and Katie converged upon the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve for the week's long run. Katie is one of Jenny's running friends from Gainesville and a member of Team Hot Legs. She came into town Saturday night to celebrate Jenny's Birthday and do this trail run with us. It's been several years since I've run this trail, but I've done it on mountain bikes numerous times. The entire loop is 7 miles and that matches our Seattle RnR Marathon schedule exactly. The trail is very similar to the San Falesco route that I've run with Jenny and Katie in Gainesville a few times and I was excited to share with them a trail in my neck of the woods. The weather warmed up to be one of the hottest days of the year so far! Low 70s with a comfortable breeze near the Spruce Creek section of the route. The big difference between San Falesco and Spruce Creek is the difference in under growth. Spruce Creek has much more of it, whether it's scrub oak or palmetto brush, it's harder to see long distances so in some sections of switch backs it's difficult to see the path much further than 10-15 feet.

We nicknamed our run the "Stump Jump." Two reasons for this:
1.) Katie was supposed to do a trail running marathon in North Carolina on this very day, but had to cancel because of an hip injury that she is now recovering from. Jenny decided it was a good idea to give it a name and we even created a "race packet" for Katie with mementos from New Smyrna Beach. Any "race packet" deserves to go with a "named" race so we dubbed it to the Stump Jump and even made a bib with the number 1 for her because....
2.) We saved a bottle of wine for the night before that just happened to be named "Stump Jump" wine. Not sure why, but it sounds like a good race name. The joke was you drink the entire bottle and then demonstrate exactly what a "stump jump" is for your friends!

We drank the wine the night before, but didn't do any stump jumping although during the run there are several log jumps that bicycles jump. As we jumped over them we all yelled "stump jump!" Plus, we decided that a trail run isn't official until someone falls down. This happened around mile 4 when Harrison tripped up and had to fall on one knee. That made it official!

The Stump Jump was a hit with Katie and Jenny and I'm sure we'll return for some more fun out at the Spruce Creek Preserve soon!

I tested out a new app on my HTC Hero phone called "My Tracks" that uses GPS to map out your route and uploads directly to My Maps in iGoogle. I'll probably write a review for this phone in the future as I learn it, but here's the satellite image of the route we ran during the Stump Jump.

Thanksgiving.... to cook or surf, that is the question!

When I asked what to bring to Thanksgiving Dinner she said, "just bring beer." Being quite handy in the kitchen this is a hard task for me to comprehend. Beer is easy, right? Go to convenience store and buy beer, preferably cold, and bring to family gathering. I like to cook and holidays that involve cooking whether it's a 4th of July Cookout or baking Christmas cookies are my favorite (make fun of me if you like) so when my sister told me to "just bring beer," I was not having it.

On Thanksgiving morning I started my insubordination by beginning to cook a banana nut bread. It is 11 a.m. and the meeting time at my sister's house is 1 p.m. My cell phone beeps with a text message and it's Dees telling me how great the surf is at New Smyrna Beach Inlet. It says, "Wind offshore, clean long period sets head high bring blue board." The blue board is my 9'0" Walden performance longboard that's great for sectiony powerful waves. It's fast and turns quickly.

Now I have a decision to make. There's not enough time to bake some bread and go surfing.

For about .5 seconds I'm really torn so I think hard and then make a decision. . . GO SURFING!

The roommate recently bought a longboard on Criag's list where the seller threw in a 5'10" twin fin fish. The Fish is totally sick. It's very retro, super wide and 3" thick. I've been eyeing that board since Day 1 wondering if I can ride it being 6'6" tall. I mean, seriously, this board is so small that when I paddle it my head is at the nose and my knees are at the tail. It might as well be a hard bodyboard!

Well, when the roommate heard I was going surfing he wanted in too and since his new longboard is getting some glass work done he grabbed the Fish. Now the roommate is learning to surf (I let him borrow one of my wetsuits) and I've already had him out on a classic-super-fun-glassy-small day with a lot of friends in the line up so he's hooked now that he knows how fun surfing can be. However, as we get on the beach the wind has shifted to a side shore wind causing semi-choppy conditions. The waves are good on the outside break, but the inside is a small washing machine with a south-pulling current.

Dees is waiting for us as I pull up and ready for his second session. I'm stoked to get some waves to ride. The Roommate looks anxious and makes a comment about how hard it's going to be to paddle out on the Fish and it would be easier on a longboard. In my book that's a loaded statement. Yes, I'll paddle out a longboard any day in most conditions, but I don't think it's always easier to get a longboard to the outside in some conditions without having a lot of experience points on your side, which the Roommate is seriously lacking. I tell the Roommate to give the Fish a try and we'll keep an eye on him. If he's struggling he can simply give us the Team America secret signal and I'll bring him my longboard. We can switch and I'll paddle the fish out and we can switch back once we're all on the outside.

We start our paddle out and I find myself sitting in the slew watching the roommate struggle to get through the first break. Dees waits as well, but is a little further out. After a few minutes the roommate is completely exhausted looking. It's not the Team America super secret signal, but the delusional look upon his face is enough for me. I paddle over and ask how it's going. He just gives me a look and with no words, I toss him my leash and board and we switch in the slew between sets. He starts paddling out the longboard and I let him go. It's my first time laying on the fish in the water. It's surprisingly buoyant, but definitely NOT a longboard. I start to paddle and it feels more like swimming.

It's not long before I pass the roommate. I wasn't trying hard or meaning to belittle him, but I hear him yell out in an exhausted tone something like, "how are you paddling that faster than me!?!" I look back and try and explain that he needs to dig deeper in his strokes and not thrash the surface of the water so much and for God's sake pace himself. I duck dive the fish under three waves, paddle past the fourth wave, sit up and turn around. The roommate is a good hundred feet away drifting quickly south and taking wave after wave on the head. I've instructed him how to turtle roll and how to duck dive, but today I don't think he's accomplishing neither.

By the way, as thick as the fish is, it still duck dives very easily. It wasn't long before I found myself sitting next to Dees on the outside watching the Roommate doing the walk of shame up the beach back to the Jeep. He never made it out and he's completely defeated and exhausted. Hey, it's happened to all surfers and I feel for him, but now I'm way out here and my longboard is up on the beach. I guess I'll just have to see if it's possible for a 6'6" guy to ride a 5'10" fish!

Dees takes a wave and as he's paddling back out I spy a wave coming my way. It's peaking up perfectly. If I was on a longboard I'd paddle past it, but guessing that this fish is going to be a late takeoff board I wait for it and at the last second turn into it paddle three times and it takes me! I hear Dees screaming encouragement in the background as I pop up. Both feet land on the board right where they should be, but I'm so high up on the lip I free fall a couple feet before hitting the bottom of the wave. The first thing I notice is how fast this board is and its ability to turn on a dime. The bottom turn is a little slow, but once I'm up on the wave face it goes! It goes so fast I shoot way out far down the line and attempt a fade away, but it turns so fast I fly off the board from the shift of momentum.

Several years ago I attempted to ride a 6'2" thruster. I failed big time and could never get my footing right on that board. Now I'm riding a fish that is 4-inches shorter and I'm nailing it! Nothing.... NOTHING makes you feel better than concrete proof that you're improving in your sport no matter what it may be. I get in about a dozen more decent rides before it's time for that Thanksgiving feast and I can honestly say I ripped it up on a fish! Twice I did have trouble with my back foot initially landing on the fish tail section of the board and slipping off, but once I corrected for that it was not a problem. I just may be in the market for a fish as my next board. Or maybe something like a Rusty Dwart... maybe 5'11" or 6'0" ???

Here is the famous fish next to my 9'0" Walden epoxy performance longboard to give it some scale.


In all fairness to longboarding, I did not feel like the Fish compared to the same awesome feeling I get from trimming up a longboard down a perfect line, or ripping up the lip with a monster board. But, what really got me was the challenge. Can I ride this board? Yes, and it was fun. It kind of felt like a skateboard, but in the right conditions I think it would be sick. I can already tell this little fish will ride smaller waves than my 6'8" shortboard.

And don't worry about the Roommate. He'll get it. He's got the addiction. I can see it in his eyes. Now all he needs is time and experience and perhaps a little stronger paddling arms.

Riding that fish really made my Thanksgiving. Of course seeing family and friends was awesome too, but what better way to go to a family gathering than already being stoked about a fun surf session?

So in the end I just brought some beer.

Alaia Boards 1 - Surfers 0

Finally!
A small swell graced us with weekend waves worthy of a little Alaia board experimentation. Contrary to the surf reports, head high waves began peeling in at New Smyrna Inlet Saturday morning. Brian and I took our homemade "Alaia" boards to the beach with our normal quiver of longboards.
They look huge in this pre-session photo because they ARE HUGE! And for the record that is NOT duct tape at the nose of my board. It's a GLOBE sticker of a skull that I thought would be appropriate considering my prediction of the board breaking and/or becoming water logged and de-laminating upon the initial use with possible injuries. Having a longboarder's mentality I think we were hesitant NOT to make them on the bigger side when it came down to the drawing board. Since then we've seen a few professionally made alaia boards and they are for the most part much smaller and more narrow. Ours are 8 feet long by about 23 inches wide. Brian's is a swallow tail and mine is a squash tail. Now on to the surf!

The first thing noticeable is the SERIOUS lack of floatation. Duck diving through a wave is super easy, but the only problem is the board does NOT bring you back to the surface as a normal surfboard. I thought I would treat myself to a duck dive (a rarity now that I primarily use longboards) and it was the strangest feeling sinking to the bottom with this board below me. Paddling these boards feels like swimming. They are very close to being neutrally buoyant so it takes a lot of energy just to stay in the line up. Catching a wave is not a difficult as I thought, but finding control once up on the board is like learning to surf all over. Our alaia boards are clumsy beasts! They flex so much that they almost feel cushioned under the feet and they tend to yaw back and forth more than I thought. It's hard to get the rails to hold a line. I've surfed a few regular surfboards with the fins removed a few times and these boards are much harder to control.


The current was kicking the day we tested them so after 20 minutes both Brian and I were spent. We each rode 2-3 waves. It was more difficult to find the pocket of the wave and not end up in the whitewash. Brian does not see much fun in the concept with the waves we have to deal with here in Florida. I'm going to experiment a little more and perhaps make one out of real lumber and NOT plywood. Neither my prediction of the alaia boards breaking nor becoming water logged and de-laminating held true. At first I was a little disappointed in the overall outcome and more than happy to surf some fun waves on a normal surfboard, but after a while I realized my accomplishment in the fact that I built a wave riding machine from scratch and successfully surfed it on first try. That's amazing in my book! It's always fun to experiment!

In other news:

I continue to R.I.C.E. my Achilles tendon. Another week with no running and I'm beginning to stress about being ready for the Daytona Half Marathon on November 1. Tendons are SO SLOW to heal. It's downright annoying at this point. I'm riding my bicycle (hate it) and weight training while trying to patiently wait for the injury to GO AWAY!

I also have got to throw out a "hell yeah" to my good friend J-Mo (aka Caution: Redhead Running) who conquered the Chicago Marathon yesterday. It was her very first marathon and she did not stop once, never hit the "wall" and finished with a time of 4 hours and 8 minutes. I am so proud of her and totally stoked!!!!

Savasana

Savasana...
I lay flat on my back, arms out beside me and palms facing the ceiling.
The ceiling is plastered with a "popcorn" finish indicative of early 1980s construction.
A shinny speck... a sparkle catches my eyes.
It's glitter that was mixed with the plaster. I've always hated the look.
My body is sweating profusely as I lay here doing nothing but breathing.
Then I see him; three shinny speckles in a row like stars in the night sky. Orion's belt.
Two more speckles above and two below the belt...
Strange it is to see this "hunter" of Greek mythology and well known constellation staring down upon me from a popcorn ceiling of a 100+ degree Bikram Yoga studio...
If one believes in signs then what could this mean???


HELLO HUMP DAY!
This week is shaping up to be quite interesting. Here's a random breakdown of the highlights so far just as random as my intro and exit to this post!

On Sunday, after sleeping nearly 11 hours after my 16.5 mile long run, I woke up feeling like a million bucks! Yes, my legs were sore as I expected them to be, but I felt so good I decided to do my 3 mile recovery run first thing. Two miles into the run my body said F*ck this! My left knee started hurting and I decided to call off the last mile to play it safe. After all it is a recovery run not an injury run.

On Monday I went surfing after work. There was a strong onshore wind and a moderate chop on the chest to head high surf at New Smyrna Inlet. I only brought my 9'8" noserider. This is the worst board decision I think I've made all year. I should have brought my thruster as the waves were peaky with lots of sections. I paddled out anyways and even elected to wear a leash. Seaweed was everywhere and I kept seeing either bluefish or tarpon in the water. Larger sharks like to eat bluefish like bluefish like to eat mullet. I was alone and after five or six rides I opted to paddle in and call it a day. Just as I walked back to the Jeep a friend pulls up in his truck so I decide to surf with him. We paddle back out. The tide is coming in stronger than before and the waves are jacking up more and more. My board could use some more rocker. I take a closeout on the head and get pushed into the impact zone. The periods are short. Wave after wave rolls over me, but with a little technique and strength I fight my way back to the outside. My friend is also caught in the impact zone and unfortunately stuck there in a vicious cycle of paddling, duck diving and taking beating after beating by the relentless surf. After 10-15 more minutes I take a left and as I'm exiting the wave my back foot slips causing me to rack my balls on my board. A paralyzing pain that only a male knows overcomes my body. Luckily, I get a boost of adrenaline that temporarily subsides the pain and I'm able to get back on the board and take a wave to the beach. A few minutes later, my friend walks up and tells a similar story. Apparently, after fighting to get back to the outside he racked his balls on his board too! What a ball racking day!

Tuesday was a strange day at work followed by a relaxing but difficult 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga. In today's age of real estate it really is like going to WAR to get deals to close. All the stars, planets, constellations have to be aligned just right and perhaps throw in a solar eclipse and the deal just might close. Part of getting stuff to work out is having people work together. It truly amazes me how lazy people can be sometimes. I'm working on several deals right now and sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that really wants everyone to get what they want; seller sells his house, buyer gets the home he wants, real estate agents, title companies, surveyors, appraisers and loan officers get PAID! You'd think with so many people's paychecks depending on the deal closing that they'd all be going above and beyond to get things done. Why does it feel like I'm constantly doing other people's jobs just to get things accomplished? On a funnier note, a fellow agent representing a buyer that had made an offer on a short sale (a seller getting approval from their mortgage lender to sell their property for less than they owe) three weeks ago got this email:
"Over the weekend my wife and I found a lovely home on the Suwannee River, made a cash offer on it and it's been accepted. Please tell the bank (of the short sale) to PISS OFF. They shouldn't have sat on their asses for 3-weeks to make a decision on our offer."
Wouldn't it be great if we could all tell the banks to PISS OFF?

Hope you all have a great HUMP DAY... tell your banks to PISS OFF. Remind them that YOU are the CUSTOMER and you have the freedom to take your business elsewhere! Sorry about the random blog, but I'm in a most random mood!


Savasana...
90 minutes since Orion appeared before me.
My body is drenched as if I've run 15-miles.
Heart rate elevated, Smart Water drank, I rest, breath and stare at the ceiling.
Where has the "hunter" gone? I cannot find him.
There are hundreds of pieces of glitter within the popcorn ceiling,
But none resemble the constellation Orion.
How could this be? I have not moved. The ceiling has not moved like the night sky.
The lighting in the room has not changed.
Puzzled I am?
Namaste...

15-Mile Barrier SHATTERED!!!!

If Redhead Running had told me a couple of years ago that one day I would be marathon training at a ridiculous hour (4:30 a.m.) with her for a ludicrous distance (16.5 miles for me, 18 miles for her) I would have laughed her out of the room. I would have told her I'll never run that far. I would have told her that distance running like this is horrible for your body. I would have even bet my bank account against such a crazy prediction. And if I had told her she'd be running like this back in those days she would have raised her beer, laughed ME out of the room and drank!

Those predictions were never made, but Saturday morning at 3:57 a.m. the text message alert on my phone sounded off. It read, "I'm here," and when I opened my front door there stood the Redhead nearly 30-minutes early. Now that's hardcore! Her day started at 2:30 a.m. (when most of our friends are passing out from a long night of partying) to allow time for the hour drive to my house. I wasn't ready yet, but it worked out perfectly because she had a routine of stretching to do before our run. At around 4:15ish, I think, we headed out for our planned run; a 15-mile for me and an 18-mile for her.

All week I've been anxious about this run. Perhaps it's was something about the number 15. I psyched myself up in Thursday's blog post on the number. I hydrated, carb loaded and got plenty of rest on Friday. Now it's Go Time!

We start off with a slow pace to warm up. When I'm by myself I think I might start running faster sooner, but today I want to take it super easy and slow is good. I've got plenty of time until Disney and the last thing I want to do is injure myself. The run it's self is awesome. At mile 5 I'm feeling great! I quickly find the bag of water bottles and energy/electrolyte gels I stashed in the woods the night before and week each down them. It's the faster water stop on a long run I've taken yet. The Redhead told me earlier she wants to keep stops to a minimum as she's only a few weeks from her Chicago Marathon and this is one of her last few long runs. Another mile and we're on the beach. We are so early it's still dark. REALLY DARK. It's a new moon and the stars are amazing. Other than shrimp boats on the horizon and a lone beach patrol officer driving by we are alone for the next five miles. At mile 10 a little detective work is done to find the bag of water and energy gels I buried the day before and marked with a pelican feather. The Redhead finds this amusing. What was really amusing was me the day before in business clothes trying to NOT look suspicious amongst sunbathers while using a shovel to bury the water without being seen. We push on and soon the runner's high silliness kicks in gear. A song pops into the Redhead's mind after an earlier discussion about coconut juice. She starts singing a song from the Lion King:

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts
There they are all standing in a row
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
Give them a twist a flick of the wrist
That's what the showman said
I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts
Every ball you throw will make me rich
There stands my wife, the idol of me life
Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch
Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch"

I can't help but laugh, smile and think to myself, "appropriate, I am training for the 'Disney' Marathon!"

We had a beach walker snap this shot somewhere around mile 14. Hmmm, either the Redhead is really short or I'm really tall.... or both.

We are now running the 1.5-mile loop on the boardwalk at Smyrna Dunes Park and the first hints of dawn are lighting up the horizon. It's a beautiful sight! We pass three other "serious" guy runners, several fisherman and a few surfers, but that's it and we're back on the beach again tracing our footprints back toward Flagler Avenue. The tide is getting high and the sand is soft so we switch up to pavement a little early and suddenly I realize for me there's only about a mile left to run. The shops are opening along Flagler Avenue. The Coffee House is abuzz with activity. I'm feeling a new sensation. Instead of only leg pain, which set in several miles ago, I'm feeling a loss of energy, a loss of endurance. It's like I have the will to continue running, but every part of my body is resisting in protest. The Redhead claps her hands and yells, "Let's go Sylvan, Let's go!" Now she knows what it feels like to be the motivator and NOT the one that needs end of the run motivating from the "Lazy Runner." I feel her slipping away. It doesn't feel like I'm running any slower, but I am. I struggle to keep pace. Half a mile to go and I catch up with her and proclaim that "I'm back," only to fall behind again. She mentions another blogger she knows, this guy Jamoosh, that counts hot girl's ponytails for motivation. What a great idea? I stare at the Redhead's ponytail. It bounces back and forth with the rhythm of her body. Hot! Normally I'd be in a daze, but right now my extreme fatigue is taking priority. It's like the final few minutes of Bikram Yoga when you could care less if the hottest girl in the world is next to you... all I want to do is finish! Sorry Redhead Running, I love ya, but it's just not working for me right now! At a quarter-mile to go she's a good 50 feet ahead of me and unsure where the stopping point is so I yell out directions. I want to stop, but I'm determined! I dig deep and the most random thought of motivation comes to me. I start singing Pearl Jam's "Alive." When this song was released in the early 1990s I was just a teenager and my father had just passed away. I learned this song on my guitar from beginning to end. It was such an inspiration to me at the time and somehow it's going to get me through this run!

"I, oh, Im still alive
Hey i, oh, Im still alive
Hey i, but, Im still alive
Yeah i, ooh, Im still alive"

Finally, at 2:30:00 we reach the 15-mile mark!!!!

It's located at a friends house where I've left my truck the night before stashed with a cooler stocked full of Gatorade, Cliff Bars, Water and the Redhead's last energy gel. She downs it and heads out for the final 3 miles. I slam a Gatorade and walk around the driveway for a good five minutes before attempting to remember how to drive my truck. I'm looped out of my head right now and it feels great!

So how did I run the 16.5 miles if the story ends here???

An interesting twist of fate all thanks to a sketchy black man in a black truck.

Yup, thank you sketchy black man! Because of you I can say my longest run ever is 16.5 miles instead of just 15!

The plan was for me to drive the truck down to the park where the Redhead would be finishing her 18-miles after one last loop around the boardwalk. I wanted to drive down and be there before she started in on the boardwalk to cheer her on, but she came running up with a look of concern on her face. Apparently, a black man in a black truck drove by her once on the main road, turned around and drove by her two more times and even honked at her before continuing on to the park. We could see the unoccupied black truck in the parking lot. I can tell the Redhead is a little freaked and I would be too if I were a female her size so I decide to run the last 1.5 miles with her around the boardwalk. I feel amazingly better on this last run with no problem finishing. With a quarter mile left I yell out the final distance and the Redhead takes off sprinting with a super strong finish. She is SOOOOO ready for the Chicago Marathon!

Overall it was a milestone run with many "firsts." It was the first time I've set out my clothes the night before a run. It was my first time stashing supplies along the route. It was the first time the Redhead and I have ever run together, let alone being around each other this time of day without being drunk, passed out or hungover. It was the first time I've run that distance in my life. It was the first I've run that early in the morning. It was my first time doing a long run on Saturday (which I might switch instead of Sundays or Mondays). It was the first time I've seen my good old friend the Redhead in more than a 1 year!

All of it rocked!

Favorite Quote of the Run: "Ya'll are going to like live a long time being all healthy and stuff... unlike me," the 7-Eleven clerk said as he took another hit from his cigarette after taking our picture in front of the 7-Eleven sign. You see, The Redhead and I have this history with 7-Eleven, being drunk and in costume. Our friends used to get dressed up in crazy outfits and walk to 7-Eleven after long nights of partying for junk food. It's ironic that years later we find ourselves at 7-eleven using the bathroom at 5 a.m. while on a long run.

At the 7-eleven 3:20 a.m. sometime in 2007

At the 7-Eleven around 5 a.m. 2009

I'd like to send out a BIG THANKS to the Redhead one more time for coming over and running with me. My official time with the extra 1.5-miles added on was right at 2:45:00 (a little slow, but strong) and I doubt I could have done it without my old friend chatting it up, making it seem short, and being silly with me! I've got a long ways to go, but plenty of time to work on that distance and time!

108 Days Until the Disney Marathon!!!!


Final thoughts:
If I ever bring myself to such self torture as taking an ice bath after a long run, somebody slap me!

The Redhead taking her famous ice bath after the run. Wearing a bathing suit bottom, long sleeve shirt and sweat shirt hoodie she listens to Dropkick Murphy's music, head bangs and waits for the ice to melt. You can see the happy picture of her on her blog, but I took this one as she was hunkered down and enduring the "freeze!" Note: She also called me an A*hole for taking this picture at the time.... hahaha... Love ya Morgan!

Point Break in New Smyrna?!?!?!

Today is my day off from running.

My alarm clock rings at 7 a.m. (hell yeah, sleeping in!) and instead of going straight to work I decide a surfing pit stop is necessary to get the day off to a good start.

I meet my buddy JB as the beach ramp opens at 8 a.m. The inlet is already crowded at New Smyrna Beach. We paddle out. The ocean is as glassy as an oil slick with the sun glaring intensely off the surface. The choice waves at the best spot are about chest high, but there is a strange vibe in the water today. It's not negative, just strange. JB feels it too. The normal crowd is not out. We paddle south to another sand bar that is a little shallower in hopes of picking up some longer lines to surf. After an hour I'm just not feeling it and I tell JB I'm headed in to go to work.

Drying off at my truck, I decide to cruise down to the jetty and climb up on the rocks in the hopes of getting a few decent or amusing pictures of the short boarders aggressively dropping in on each other at the most crowded and peaky spot. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while and today is perfect since it's right around the full moon high tide. The water is high and I'm able to get out far enough on the rocks to be shooting down the line at the surfer for a different perspective than the usual direct from the beach shot.

Immediately I notice Austin, a local college student who works part time at a surf shop, sitting on his long board INSIDE the inlet completely alone. Earlier I saw him paddle north, away from the pack and wondered where the hell he was heading since it looked as if he was going out to sea. He's a phenomenal longboarder and when I see him I know what's up. New Smyrna Inlet rarely breaks on the inside where the boats come and go from. The swell has to be from the right direction and the tide has to be high enough. Right now there are both! I take a few pictures and then notice a local pharmacist that's another amazing longboarder along with his wife a couple of their daughters paddling out. I'm getting some really great pictures of all of them and starting to muster up some energy to join them when JB climbs up the rocks behind me. He's also wondered down the beach and found me. It's on! We grab our boards and join the fun.

It's a super fun vibe now as there are only eight of us with the entire inside of the inlet to ourselves. Only 100 feet away on the other side of the rocks lie about 200 guys on short boards snaking each other, fighting and dropping in on each other for a wave that's not nearly as clean and long as the one we are surfing. Stoked out of my mind I ride wave after wave with these wonderful people. The vibe in the water is everything! The rides are long... nearly the length of a football field and they all begin at one point near the rocks and peel off to the right toward the Intracoastal Waterway. Point Break at New Smyrna Beach??? You bet!

After a half hour the tide starts pushing out and the wind picks up out of the south. That oil slick glass turns into a slightly bumpy texture and the consistency of the wave deteriorates. The fun is over, but I'm stoked for the rest of the work day!

Fluky Friday Flash

<>I recently read in Men's Health Magazine about the benefits of eating brown rice. Always striving to convert to a healthier diet, I decided to give it a whirl. Rice is cheap and in these tough economic times it could be a great way to save some money and get some health benefits. I saw a coupon for some Minute Ready to Serve whole grain brown rice. This stuff comes in a bowl and all you have to do is pop in the microwave for 1 minute and waaaalaaa, ready to eat! Sounds to good to be true and with my luck it always is....
This is what happens when I open it up upon getting home from the grocery store:

I think I'll stick with the traditional "boil in water" rice from now on...



<>I received an award from my friend Redhead Running in her blog post yesterday. Thanks Morgan! It's a little fluffy for a guy, but I'm always stoked to get an award! Ha! Now the rules are I'm supposed to pass it on to 15 other bloggers. Well, I'm not one to follow rules. Never have been, never will. So due to this fact, and also that I don't really have 15 blogger friends that would read this and pass it on, I'm going to modify the rules and pass it on to only one blogger friend, whom just happens to need a little push to get off her butt and update her newly formed blog!

...And the award goes to: J-Schmo at Diaries of a New RN


<> Text message of the week: "I just passed a guy in the hall at work rapping about getting high on the bone and blacking out from good head," came from my friend "J-Ho" who happens to work in a level three NICU at a hospital. Yup, premature babies and this is what she hears in the hallway. Classic!

<> Random Picture of the week:This guy was surfing at the inlet last weekend. It looks like he's getting shot by a sniper in this dramatic, but dull, wipeout!

And that ladies and gentlemen concludes this week's Fluky Friday Flash of Randomness!

10-inches and hangovers!

There's no better way to get rid of a hangover than going surfing. Yes, it sucks dragging your butt to the beach, but once you're in the water you always feel better.

Today was one of those days. Last night a few friends and I went to a local bar to hear some original music by a band we like called Whole Wheat Bread (crazy name I know). I had planned to only have a few drinks and come home by midnight. Somehow my plans always get thrown in the trash and set on fire along the way. One too many drinks later and half past 2 a.m. I finally hit the sheets. Luckily for me, a surfer friend called at 8 a.m. to wake me up and let me know how good the waves looked. It was hard, but 20 minutes later I approached the inlet in my Jeep.

The water was cold for some reason and that was all the better with the hangover, but I was definitely off my A game. The waves were glassy waist to chest high sets rolling in with perfect lines for longboarding. For the first 30 minutes it was fun, but by 9 a.m. all of Florida had showed up to surf a half mile section of beach. I've been riding the 9'8" Anderson noserider pintail sans leash for a few weeks now, but I still get nervous in crowds without the leash so I paddled in...

My nose riding is progressing quite well. I'm able to cross step on the board now instead of shuffling back and forth. The cross stepping was uncomfortable and awkward at first as I had to force myself to do it, but now it's becoming a smooth movement and actually feels more natural than shuffle stepping. I'm able to get one foot up on the nose very consistently, but the few times I try both the board feels like it's about to give way and pearl. I realize New Smyrna Inlet isn't Malibu, but other guys are doing it on the same waves I'm riding. After sitting through a mundane home inspection this afternoon (yes, I'm a Realtor and actually do work) it was raining so I decided to stop into a local surf shop. Picked me up a shinny new fin!


It's a Mikey Detemple 10 inch RFC (clear color) and it has a little less rake than the 9-inch Josh Farberow Flex Fin (blue color) that I've been using, but I think the extra inch and the wider base will give me that little extra edge to support me on the nose for longer periods of time. I'm super excited about it and if I wasn't so dang tired from lack of sleep and being hungover I'd hit the waves this evening, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow morning!