The Injury Report

Lately I've been getting out for dawn patrol at least 3-4 times during the work week. It's an awesome way to start the day for sure. Hubby gets a little concerned from time to time, he's one that's a bit afraid of the water to start with. I do my very best to stay safe though. I never surf alone and I always tell him where I'm going. In addition, I'm not totally nuts and get out of the water if I'm completely worn out or if it's too rough for me.

When I get back to the car the first thing I do is call hubby so he knows that everything is okay. I jokingly give him the "injury report" of the day. Most of the time there are no injuries but I do get bruised from time to time. I guess I just try to make light of it all so he doesn't worry.

Last week I had a couple of doozies. After one particularly un-graceful trip over the falls I somehow jammed the middle finger on my right hand. The knuckle immediately swelled up and turned a really nasty shade of green/blue. Ouch. I kept moving it to assure myself that if wasn't broken. The pain was pretty strong so I got out of the water. The following day the swelling had completely diminished and the area was red. Then it was fine. Pretty amazing. I'm not sure just exactly what happened.

The worst of the week came afterward when my board hit me. I wiped out, was under for a moment, and then came up. I felt the leash on my board tug toward the shore and had my hand up so it wouldn't hit me. However, as soon as I got to the surface and put my arm down the board somehow swung back around in the backwash and proceeded to hit me right in the face. The nose rammed just above my lip and really rang my bell. OUCH! The first thing I was worried about was if I knocked out a tooth. I didn't. Since I ended up right where the breaks were happening I proceeded to get back on and paddle out to calmer water so I could collect myself. I kept feeling the area and everything seemed okay so I resumed my session. As it turned out all that was visible was a thin red mark about 1.5 inches across. Whew!

Yeah, so you can get bruised up when you surf. It really doesn't happen all the time though. I'd say I do just fine more times than not.

Surfing Instead Of Blogging

Instead of blogging before I head to the office very morning I go surfing lately. No, not EVERY morning but an average of 3 out of the 5 days Monday through Friday. The mornings I don't go are usually due to an early morning meeting or giving myself a rest and sleeping in until 6:30-ish.

On my surf days I'm in the water no later than 6:45 am. I've been hitting the same, easygoing spot that's close to home. I see a lot of the same fellas out there and the occasional lady. Most of the time I'm the only surf chick out there. Not that it bothers me, I'm in the zone doing my own thing.

My new board that I picked up at my favorite surf shop is freaking AWESOME too. Now I'm the one out there catching everything while the others watch in envy. Love it!

Talk about great exercise...I can totally see the difference in my muscle tone. In fact, so does everyone else. I've been getting many complements/comments on how defined my arms are.

I can't wait for the Halloween surf contest. I have an idea for the costume and I'm so ready to take the event this year!

Fitness Check In

Some of you may recall that at the beginning of the year I decided to join some of my Twitter peeps in the TTUC (Twitter Trim Up Challenge). My goals boiled down to strength and endurance.

I'm delighted to report that my endurance is really remarkable. My recovery time is way, way down also. For example, I had a surf session yesterday that had a bit of a current so I was nearly paddling non-stop. A year ago I would be incredibly sore today. Now I'm only a tad creaky! In addition, I can totally stay out for 2 and 3 hour sessions with no problem. Hopefully they have the Haunted Heats competition this year because I am ready to take that first place trophy!

Also during this year I've had illness both help and hinder my progress. I mean help as it's taken off extra flabby spots and now my arms and shoulders look incredibly cut (hooray!). The hindrance comes when I get worn out easily. The latter is pretty much over for now and I hope it stays that way.

Now to work on that golf game. I'm not that bad these days. A proud "socially acceptable" golfer. I'm not far away from the driving distance I want.

Tell me how your fitness routine is going...if you're still following it!

Getting Sick Of The NFL?

It seems like we just watched the Super Bowl not that long ago and here we are again knocking on the door of football season. I've really missed a bunch of news and info in this pre-season. For example, I just realized that LT was now on the Jets. Yeah, I really haven't been paying much attention at all - much to hubby's dismay.

Football has always been "our thing". We met at an NFL game. Our first dates were watching NFL games. I met all of his childhood chums over NFL games.

I'm not sure what's happening lately. Am I growing tired of the NFL? This sport that I've loved my entire life that I've watched with my father, brothers, friends, etc.; is the luster gone for me?

I'm not sure. What I do know is I have a very low tolerance for sitting and watching other people do things. Of course, as I am sitting here writing this I am watching the PGA Championship. I'd still rather watch sports than anything else on television. Today happens to be an atypical Sunday for me. I'm staying in and doing laundry while catching up on a few projects. This doesn't happen very often.

Which brings me back to my point. I just don't have much tolerance for being idle these days. I've always been full of energy and out doing things but I'm really on it lately.

At any rate, I'm not sure if I really am sick of the NFL or I just can't sit still long enough to watch it anymore. I'm sure if we do get a team closer to Los Angeles that it could change things for me...

They're Closer Than You Think

Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

I first saw this video on Facebook a few days ago. Now just about everyone that has anything to do with surfing has posted the video in one place or another. I just read the Killer Dana post about it and it inspired me to share it with all of you.

This video was taken at San Onofre, a rather popular surf spot in Southern California. I haven't been there in a very, very long time but several of my surf pals have been in recent weeks. When I first saw this video I was wondering if it was some hoax but have been told that it is confirmed as real. Take a look and decide for yourself.

Blogspotting - Other Than Sports Edition

I've been asked a few times about what else I like to follow other than sports. There are many, many things that interest me. In addition to "sports ADD" I really have "hobby ADD" as well. So many things interest me it would be hard to capture them all at once. I file away many things that interest me on my posterous blog. It's really my virtual filing cabinet for things I want to refer back to or share later. In addition, some of my other faves in my reader are:

That Mutt is one I've always got to check in with. Lindsay is a regular commenter here and has contributed more than once. Her blog is full of valuable information for living with your dog including food, behavior, exercise, and so much more.

Bluebird Vintage Official Blog is a must read for vintage clothing fans, which I most definitely am.

Mashable is where I get my fix for info in social media and related technologies.

Le Fashion is another great spot for fashion inspiration as is The Sartotialist.

green LA girl chronicles urban eco living by the beach and has great tips and giveaways.

Senor Gif is always funny as is Bluntcard.

The statistician/data geek in me is a big fan of Flowing Data.

Lastly, but surely not the least, I always check in at Timothy Types TMI. He's an aspiring author, professional smarty pants, and one of the coolest little brothers a gal could have.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means and I'll probably do another post like this sometime with more good ones.

What other blogs do you sports nuts check in on that aren't related to sports?

Surfing With Dad

Over the weekend I was finally able to do something I had wanted to do for some time. I got my dad out in the water on a surfboard. He's a SoCal native and grew up on the beach. For the last several years he's been on dry land and doesn't live in SoCal any longer. He's east a bit in a landlocked area.

My dad was a teen back in the Beach Blanket Bingo days and rode the giant longboards of that day. Saturday would be the first time he tried to surf since the late 1960's.

I've got a very nice 8' board that has a lot of stability and volume that I put him on. It's super light compared to what he used to ride. He was stoked to be back in the water for sure. It was quite different than what he remembered. Unfortunately, my brother and his wife forgot the camera so we didn't get any good vids of anything funny for my other brothers to check out. We've only got a few still pics from cell phones.

I also had my two nephews out in the water. They were trying to get the hang of surfing by using my shorter board (6'8"). After I was done helping everyone else I hopped on the 8' and had some really great rides. We were at a spot that I hadn't been to since I was in high school. I forgot how great it was and plan to hit it again very soon.

P.S. I talked to dad the next day and he felt great and couldn't wait to try it again! My nephews are pretty stoked too.

Stopping To Smell The Roses

I've been stopping to smell the roses quite a bit lately. Although we are having a very cold summer by SoCal standards there is still plenty to do...albeit while bundled up. I'm still wearing my thicker wetsuit that is generally reserved for the winter months but enjoying the surf nonetheless!

I've even finally pulled the trigger on a new surfboard. So far it's incredibly awesome to use. A breeze to paddle and catches just about everything that I go for. What more could I want? I've only had it out three times and am taking it out late today for the 4th session. Hopefully the love affair continues so I can report back to my favorite surf shop that the choice was a good one.

Speaking of surfing, the US Open of Surfing is underway down in Huntington Beach. The events last through this coming weekend. So far, I've heard great things about the contest and surrounding atmosphere.

Also about surfing...I've just got to say how disappointed I am with some of my fellow watermen/waterwomen. I've noticed a big surge in those who believe they have a specific claim to certain parts of the ocean. Sure, these same surfers would likely freak out if the beaches were made private. However, if someone they don't know tries to surf there then they feel that's not allowed. I'm so tired of this attitude. Is it really worth it?

On the other hand, there are a lot of surfers out there passing on the Aloha spirit. I've been fortunate to encounter a lot of very nice people out at my local breaks. I do my best to spread good will. Heck, I even gave a summer transplant from Boston change for a 20 the other day. I even said, "welcome to my home town". I'm hoping that sort of thing will spread. I was born here and I don't have a hard time sharing the water. I think Shaun Tomson said it best in his book Surfer's Code: 12 Simple Rules for Riding Through Life:

I Will Watch Out For Other Surfers

There Will Always Be Another Wave

All Surfers Are Connected By One Ocean

Life's to short for stress. Chill out and remember to stop and smell the roses every so often.

50 Days Until The Homeless World Cup

Today the Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup launches the 60 second promo with 5 time Grammy award winner Carlinhos Brown, 50 days before it kicks off on Copacabana Beach to beat homelessness. It features 4 ex-Homeless World Cup players as the animated stars who have radically transformed their lives through football.

Find out more about the Homeless World Cup here.