surfing

Whew!  Now that business is out of the way... I see the picture didn't appear, just as I suspected...

To report on my surfing lesson.

Remember how I'm already willing to do next year's marathon?  I was talking about it right afterwards, even after my legs had seized up on me.  Surfing?  I'm not there yet.  I don't know if I'll do it again.  It's HARD y'all.

I am battered and bruised all over.  My knees, my elbows, my ribs and even my pubic bone is bruised!  (from lifting up to keep the water out of my face)  It's a total arm workout.  And I have NO upper body strength.  I haven't worked out my upper body AT ALL since my initial biopsy in the fall of '06.  I was flopping my spaghetti arms in vain trying to fight the waves and get somewhere.  I swear I paddled 20 miles and moved maybe 2 inches.  If it weren't for the instructors, I wouldn't have ridden any waves.  I swear!!

We went with a company called Girls Who Surf.  They are awesome!  They met us at the location with our surfboards.  Provided water shoes and a rash guard for me.  (thank goodness for that, it held back some of the arm irritation)  Gave us a little lesson on the grass and then helped us into the water.  We paddled like mad to make it to the first breakers - took at least 20 minutes to get there.  I was EXHAUSTED and we hadn't even started!!  I was up first.  One of the instructors hung on to me, and when the wave started to come she would say "paddle, paddle paddle as hard as you can!!" and gave me a shove and off I went!  the first 3 or 4 times I just rode on my belly.  Then I got the nerve to pop up on my knees.  Actually, it didn't take nerve, I just realized that the waves carried me for a while and I had time to do it.  And it was easier than I expected.  Twice I got up on one foot, one knee.  Once I tried to stand but fell backwards.  The other time I was going to stand, but my board was heading straight for a friend and so I bailed right when the board was going over her head!  (there is no controlling the thing)

I think the whole lack of control, and arm weakness is what I like least.  I had no sense of orientation the whole time I was out there.  I don't know if I could find a wave on my own.  Literally, I had to get set up by the instructor each time.  She earned her money, big time.  Actually, I should pay her two times over for how much I worked her.  But, she had a boogie board and flippers.  I wish I could have used my legs...

So, for now, no more surfing.  But the water was warm and fun, so I will see if I can snag someone's boogie board and try that out.  And, after some time, if I get to the gym or start swimming and build up my arms, I MAY try it again.  But not in the near future.

BTW, I cut out the cups out of my bathing suit and that worked like a dream!  Problems solved.!

Check it out!  This is one of the instructors!  She's this teeny tiny little Japanese girl who is as strong as all get out.  They gave us a little magazine called WSSM (Women's Surf Style Magazine) and her picture is in there.  She's hot!!

Um, I wasn't looking like that at all.  If you were to look out at the ocean where we surfed, you would say it was flat.  No waves.  Although it felt wicked to us.  Also, I would be pictured laying flat on the board, trying to catch my breath.  (being swept out to sea)

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