That's how I feel about my 2009 off-season! I swear it feels like I only just stepped off my pursuit bike at elite track nationals a week ago, but it's been a whole month. As I mentioned in my last post, my offseason mode has been surfing. I've been going out almost daily, trying to learn how to not get my ass kicked by the ocean, or creatures in it!... Albeit, with mixed results. I've probably avoided some real nasty injuries, but I've taken a few blows.
The highlight of the past month was paddling out to my usual surf spot (Tonggs)... I was bobbing around in the usual lineup of longboarders, but decided to venture a little further east... After scoping out that area, a surfer on a short board that looked like a seasoned "dude" hollered "bro... you've gotta go out to the point... that's where the waves are at". Right on, a friendly dude! I proceeded to follow him (paddling a bit slower of course)... then he disappeared... I looked to my right only to see a large group of rocks protruding out of the water like the tip of an iceberg... Inital thought = Oh shit! I then looked to my left only yo be greeted by a very pretty and LARGE wave... "Oh shit" quickly turned to 'Oh f**k!"... Next think I know I'm engulfed in the wave. After the water calmed down (briefly), two things became apparent. 1) I was in about 8" of water, MAX! 2) I managed to pet a sea urchin with my right hand. Blood and a few fingers with a bunch of puncture marks with a blue color. "Oh shit.....WAVE"... It felt like I was paddling for a good 15mins and gettingn nowhere fast, just trying to get the hell out of the shallow water and away from the rocks. Eventually, I managed to get my ass back to dry land. Fun times.
This is the damage from 15+ sea urchin (aka "wana", pronounced vah-nah). Surf lesson #7: Don't pet the wildlife, even if they look fluffy! Doesn't look too bad, but it's not the most enjoyable experience!
Today, I got in my first real training ride after my time off. Nothing spectactular, just a 1hr 15min cruise to make sure my legs have retained a hint of fitness, and that my new winter bike functions properly. Legs and bike both function. Winter bike = 22lbs... That makes the legs feel a little less awesome than when I was riding my 15lb race bike.
Right now I'm enjoying surf so much that getting back into serious bike training isn't the most appealing thing to be doing. Bike is a known quantity, whereas surfing still has a lot of unbroken ground... This weekend I'm meant to be going surfing with someone that REALLY knows what they're doing. I can't say much more than that until after the weekend, but trust me, it's unbelievably awesome!
