Change the Conversation - Kook

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about the lessons that I've learned from surfing. I received incredible support here on this blog and elsewhere. However, the post was also shared by a kind reader on a local surfing forum where it wasn't so well received by those who consider themselves "hard core" surfers. After all, I'm a kook - a new surfer.

But, kook is a pejorative term. It's is often used to describe new surfers who are clueless and have no regard or respect for surfing etiquette, thereby endangering themselves and/or others out in the water. In their eyes, I was an overexcited kook who didn't have the right to be out in the water.

Source: John Robison. Surfing Illustrated: A Visual Guide to Wave Riding

At first, as I read through their responses, I was hurt. I felt attacked. I didn't feel safe in my blogging space anymore. But as I read some more, I realized something. They were attacking the image of a kook that they held in their mind and everything that label encompasses - arrogant, privileged, inexperienced, disrespectful, dumb. But that wasn't me or my story. I'm more than that label.

I am a new surfer who is trying to learn to surf the right way by learning technique and water skills; understanding the ocean, waves and currents; and learning and respecting my own limitations.

I am a new surfer who is so well aware of the unique history and culture that surrounds the sport - a mostly male-dominated culture where women often aren't treated on an equal level.

I'm a new surfer who knows that you have to earn your place in the line-up as well as respect others out in the water.

I am a new surfer who has a long way to go but I am committed to putting in the time to improve and to learn both in and out of the water.

I am also a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend and athlete. I'm a runner, swimmer, yogi, spinner, writer, artist, and the tickle police for my kids.

When I was younger, I hated being a newbie whether it was a new school or sport or instrument. There is truth to the myth of the Tiger Mom and the notion that nothing's fun until you're good at it. I wanted to excel at everything that I did, often barreling my way through and pretending that I didn't need help.

Now, I've learned to embrace my newbie-ness whether in surfing or blogging or any other new experience that crosses my path. I'm not afraid of it anymore - not afraid to ask questions, admit that I'm wrong and just learn. To me, being new isn't about fear or failure. It's about excitement and opportunity. After all, we ALL started off new at some point. 

Labels are everywhere. They help our brains organize and sort information. For a type-A person like me, that's really helpful. We all have labels that we attach to ourselves and others. But labels are not what solely defines us. So let's change the conversation and stop judging based on labels. The conversation NEEDS to be changed.

What are your labels and who are you beyond that? How do you handle being a "newbie"? 

{Linking up with Just.Be.Enough to change the conversation}

5 Life Lessons I Learned From Surfing

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

A year ago, I was on a beach in Costa Rica doing something I never dreamed of doing - learning to surf. I'm not exaggerating when I say that surfing changed my life. I never would have thought that I would own two surfboards, surf in NYC, religiously check the surf forecast and obsess about anything and everything surf.

For me, surfing felt like I was coming home. Don't get me wrong. I was terrified and it was hard but there was something about being out on the water, the camaraderie, and yes, the hard work that just fit. When I read this post by MizFit, it all made sense to me.

"I am often surprised at how often the things we don't think we'd ever want to do ignite new passion in us when we simply try them with an open heart and open mind."

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

Though the process, I've learned some important lessons that go beyond the water.

1) Check Your Expectations
I am normally not a braggy braggy person. I believe in the idea of hard work and that if you work hard, you will make progress. At the same time, I do have high expectations for myself. I felt like I should "get" surfing and be good at it. I understood what I needed to do technically but I couldn't manage it. I was extremely frustrated. Only when I adjusted my expectations did I start having fun and, consequently, start surfing better. I learned how to be more forgiving of myself.

2) Slow Down
Learning to surf seemed so overwhelming at first. How was I supposed to paddle, catch a wave, stand up on the board and ride the wave at the same time? There were so many things to think about. My surf coach started from the basics and slowly added one new step at a time. He made learning to surf feel manageable and I learned to slow down. For me, this was such an important lesson. I have a tendency to rush through things in life or become overwhelmed when things start piling up (work, family, etc.). Now, instead of being overwhelmed by the big picture, I try to focus on one thing at a time and breathe.

3) Commitment
One of the most important lessons I learned was about commitment. When you paddle out in the ocean, you have to be committed to make it past the breaking waves. If you're not, you will be continually battered and pushed back to shore, exhausted. When you paddle for a wave, you have to be committed to catching the wave.  If you are wishy-washy, you can get into trouble and potentially hurt yourself or another surfer. Surfing taught me to trust my judgement and instincts and to stop second guessing myself.

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

4) Patience
There's a lot of waiting involved in surfing - waiting for the ocean to calm down so that you can paddle out, waiting for a set of waves to approach, waiting for the right wave. I learned to sit on my board and to appreciate the amazing gift it was to be in the ocean.

5) Learn something new
It was an incredible experience to learn something completely new in my mid-30s. How many opportunities do you have to do that? I was so far out of my comfort zone but I think that was why this experience was so rewarding. Yes, I pushed myself physically and mentally. Yes, I fell countless times, got water up my nose and earned new bruises. But, there's something about learning a new sport that made me feel incredibly alive. It made me happy. This experience has made me more open to try new things and to be uncomfortable because the reward is often so great.

Source: fromupnorth.com via Christine on Pinterest

So You Want to Learn to Surf - What Do You Wear??

Surf bikini from Desi's Bikini Boutique - a Costa Rican designer. It's a reversible suit but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to wear the animal print side!

{Note: I anticipate that this will be one of many posts in which I'm ignoring the fact that I'm having knee surgery soon and pretending that surf season and other fitness adventures are just around the corner for me.}

You've made the brilliant decision to learn to surf. Whether you have decided to take one lesson while on vacation in Hawaii, California, Costa Rica or another warm water locale or to spend a full week at a surf camp like I did, your next question undoubtably is, "What in the world do I wear?" OK, that was my first question.

If you are headed to tropical waters, you don't need much. For women, you need a bikini/swimsuit, a rash guard and possibly a pair of board short, depending on what you're comfortable with. For men, you need a pair of board shorts and a rash guard. While I used to think that rash guards were silly, they are pretty important, especially if you are a beginner surfer. Not only does a rash guard protect you from the sun, but it protects your stomach and torso from chafing as you paddle and move up and down on the board.

I feel like it's easier for men to find a pair of board shorts. There are lot of brands out there - Quiksilver, O'Neill, Billabong, Rusty, Volcom, etc. and really, they're board shorts. However, you don't want to buy a pair of bulky swim trunks that are going to chafe and/or ride up on you when you're out in the water.

For women, it's a little more complicated. I don't know about you but I've never purchased a functional swimsuit, except for the Speedos I had to wear for swim practice. For my first trip to Surf Simply, I didn't really think about what I would need from my swimsuit. I knew that I wanted it to be cute, fit well and not fall off while I was in the water. I bought a bikini top and bottom from Athleta. I mean, they show women surfing in Athleta swimsuits in their catalog so that must mean that their bikinis were good for surfing, right? I wasn't sure where else to look.

While my bikini served me well on my surf trip, I did learn that the bottoms have to fit properly i.e. don't buy it a size bigger because it's more comfortable which is what I tend to do! You want your swimsuit to stay put and not move around when you are paddling, turtle rolling, or trying to catch a wave.

Since then, I've purchased two surf bikinis that I love. One from Desi's Bikini Boutique, which is made by a Costa Rican designer, and one from Calavera Swimwear which is based in Newport Beach, CA. I love that these swimsuits are made specifically with surfing in mind and therefore meant to stay put!

Surf bikini from Calavera Swimwear - Wicked line, Graffiti pattern and Pure bottom.

Both suits are made from material that does stretch not out in the water and both are highly adjustable. As you can see from the picture above, instead of a typical halter or open back top, the straps cross in the back, creating a much more secure fit. You can cinch the straps down pretty tightly (which is what you want to do) and then tie it in the back. Again, the material is such that the tie doesn't loosen in the water. It stays put. The Calavera suit actually crosses around the bottom of your chest twice before you tie it off, again creating a more secure fit. I actually prefer the cross-back style. I find that when I wear a halter top for too long, my neck starts to hurt, especially surfing when I have to keep my head and chest up to paddle.

The bottoms are also adjustable. The Desi suit has a single tie on the side of the suit that you can tighten. The Calavera suit has ties on both sides so that you can adjust the fit to your body and again, make sure that it's tied on snuggly.

Lastly, I have a pair of Roxy board shorts that I love. I didn't want a pair of long board shorts because I thought that they would annoy me in the water with all the fabric. I found these short shorts last year and they provide an extra level of comfort and security when I'm in the water. I don't always wear them but I like having the option.

What do you wear when you surf or play in the ocean? 

An Apology to My Back and Shoulder

Dear Shoulders and Back,

I'm sorry. I haven't been treating you very well. You've been abused by all those years studying hunched over books followed by years of sitting in front of a computer. You've been trying to tell me to take better care of you. You started with my posture, shoulders rolling inwards and forward while shoulder blades started drifting farther and farther apart. Then, you started developing muscle imbalances. Some muscles became over-used and tight while others became under-stretched and shortened. Finally, you threw my alignment off. The muscles in my middle back and between my shoulder blades, neglected from working all day at a computer, started to lose their mobility.  Shoulders - it became harder and harder to pull you down and away from my ears and stand tall. 

I really started to notice my neglect when I started surfing. It was hard to paddle on a surfboard. I couldn't fully lift up my chest from the board to look up and see where I was going. It was also hard to breathe. Then, when a good looking wave presented itself, popping up to ride it was a challenge because my chest wasn't open. 

I thought all that I had to do was strengthen your surrounding muscles and everything would be OK. But that didn't work, huh? It just made my already dominant chest and front shoulder muscles even more tight. I didn't realize that I needed to improve your flexibility and mobility first, especially along the mid-back. I needed to be able to stabilize and control the movement of my shoulder blades before I could build up your strength. With greater mobility around the mid-back, Shoulders, you would start falling back and away from my ears and it would be easier to maintain proper alignment and increase your range of motion.

So, I promise to treat you both better. I promise to become more aware of my posture so that I can counteract these muscular imbalances. I promise to:

• Stretch my chest muscles, for example, standing in a door frame with my arms out to either side and elbow bent up at a 90 degree angle and leaning forward into the door frame.
• Use my foam roller to gain mobility in my middle back by doing passive foam roller stretches (lying down on a foam roller in a vertical position placed at the base of my spine) as well as actively roll out my back (with the foam roller in a horizontal position just above my belly button and rolling back and forth along my spine). 
• Do scapula squeezes, pulling my shoulders back and down while squeezing my shoulder blades together and holding for a few seconds 20 times, three times a day.

Let's work together to relax, retrain and lengthen your muscles. We already had one falling out - literally you fell out of your socket - so let's stay strong and healthy so that we can surf, swim and do lots of other things together for a long long time to come, okay? 

love you

Christine

{Here are two great articles on Surfline, one keeping shoulders strong and injury free and one on paddle power advice from some of the world's best.}

My First Surfboard

In June, I got my first surfboard. It was a birthday present from Ed and the boys and was definitely the last thing that I expected to take up residence in our house. After all, I had only surfed for a sum total of 6 days at this point and it seemed a bit premature to invest in a brand new surfboard. But after our first trip out to Rockaway, navigating the logistics and the crazy traffic along Flatbush Avenue, we realized that this was doable - that we could manage to surf in Brooklyn. All we needed was a surfboard. We could rent boards from the local surf shop, but that would mean that we would have to wait until the shop opened at 10am. Owning our own board would give us a bit more flexibility as to when we went surfing (and also ensure that we could make it out there, have a good session and get home in time to pick up the boys from school).

Enter my new 8'6" NSP longboard (22 5/8" wide and 3" thick). It's an epoxy board that's a lot of fun to ride. You can see the board's construction here. It has enough volume to make it pretty forgiving for a beginner, especially for those of us who may not have a chance to get in the water on a consistent basis, and good for days when the conditions are smaller. The volume helps to make the board more stable in the water and easier to paddle, giving me a little bit more wiggle room as to where I sit out the back. At the same time, it's a pretty responsive board that I can maneuver. I've also ridden the 8'2" NSP and also had a lot of fun on that board. While it's four inches shorter, it has a similar volume as the 8'6". Therefore, it offers similar stability in the water as the 8'6" but is much more maneuverable due to its length.

Once the board was delivered, the next step was figuring out just exactly how to get it from the front door of our building into our apartment. It arrived packaged in a big, long box. I tried dragging it into the elevator. I think about half of the box actually fit into the elevator. I then tried carrying the box up the stairs but it wouldn't cut the corners of the stairwell. Crap. I had visions of our surfboard residing in the lobby of our building. Maybe I could install a rack somewhere along the hallway? Maybe one of our downstairs neighbors would house our board for us? I finally stripped all the packing off and tried the stairs again. This time, I made it. Phew.

Here's a good article for beginners looking to buy their first board.

Last surf session of the season

I have been meaning to post this for a few weeks now but the weather here on the East Coast has been so unseasonably warm that I kept thinking that there would be a chance that I could make it out to surf again.  But, looking back, I am kind of glad that my session in the water a couple of weeks ago was my last for the season. I had a lot of fun. It was a good way end to my first few months of surfing.

A week or so before Thanksgiving, Ed and I went out to Rockaway with a friend - someone we met while in Costa Rica and who we have since become friends with. That morning, I was a bit reluctant to go out.  It had been a little while since I last surfed and I think that I was anxious and nervous and excited all rolled into one. You know that feeling you get sometimes when you don't do something for a while? You begin to think that you can't do it? That's what I was feeling and I was starting to get into my head too much.

It was a beautiful day. Crisp blue skies. Low 60s. Light wind. And there were waves. Nothing huge but some decent waves coming in with some regular frequency and shape. The waves weren't crumbling or breaking too fast. The only problem was the water temperature. It was probably in the mid-50 degree range - not freezing and comfortable with my wetsuit on. But, since I don't own gloves or booties, my hands and feet got cold quickly so that when I caught a wave, I had a hard time gripping my board and adjusting my stance. As much as I tried and stared at my foot to will it to move, I couldn't square off my stance.

I had a lot of fun out in the water. My goal for the day was just to work on my positioning out the back - not too deep and not to shallow - and just catch some waves. If I stood up and rode the wave, great but I really wanted to deal with the issue I had been having the last couple of times that I had been out surfing. Namely, my constant nosedives and inability to catch any waves. During our morning out in the water, I felt like I was finally starting to get a feel for surfing at Rockaway, a better sense of where I needed to sit and what the waves needed to look like when I try to catch it. There were no nosedives!! Not only that, but I felt like I caught four to five decent waves - which is a lot for me!

I think that by tempering my expectations, I was able to have more fun. There was just one thing that I wanted to work on that morning but, in the end, the rest kind of just fell together by itself. I wasn't expecting to catch a ton of waves and to pop up and ride them all beautifully. I think that by removing that pressure, I was able to relax more and just enjoy being out there. I think that that's something that I often forget about. I can get so focused on how I perform and what I can or cannot do that I often don't take the time to appreciate the moment before me - the beauty of being out on the ocean, the gorgeous day, the time with family and friends.

There was this one surfer out that day who I couldn't stop watching. He moved so smoothly, paddling and catching a wave, standing up and riding across its face. It looked almost like he was moving in slow motion, making everything look so effortless. There were a couple of times when I was sitting off the shoulder of a wave.  I would watch him as he caught the wave and start to move towards me. The lip of the wave would just start to curl over and it almost looks like he's in a barrel, albeit a minuscule one where he's literally squatting down on his board to get as compact as possible. But it was beautiful. I want to be able to surf with such grace and effortlessness.

Surfing in the Rockaways - Part 2

Like I said, the first couple of times I went out to surf at Rockaway, I was super anxious. I was anxious to get back in the water. I was anxious to see if I was really able to do this surfing thing on my own or if my experience at surf camp was just a fluke. I was anxious to apply some of my lessons I learned - on my own surf board and beach. I was anxious because I was some place new and wasn't familiar with the territory. 

The hardest thing for me was and still is getting my timing right and figuring out exactly where I need to sit in order to catch the wave in the right spot. That's a big part of what surfing is all about, right? Being able to read the ocean and catch your own waves? If you can't catch any waves, how can you surf?

When we went out in September and October, the waves at Rockaway were small, broke close to shore and crumbled fast. There weren't quite the nice, consistently breaking waves and off-shore winds at Playa Guiones. These waves felt less forgiving. I often found that I was either sitting too far out the back, thinking in my head that I couldn't possibly sit closer to shore, or I overcompensated and sat too far inside. In the first case, I would paddle hard for a wave but wouldn't be able to catch it. In the second case, I would paddle for a wave but because I was too far in front of the wave as it started to bump up and break, the tail of my board would get picked up and flip me right on over. See for yourself.

I'm too late to catch this wave. I think that my board needs to be about half a length further back than where it is in this picture. I think...

Nose of my board starts to dig into the water while my hands instinctively plant themselves out in front of me to try to stop the inevitable.

Oh no!!

Oops. Oh well. Paddle out and try again.

Those first few sessions were so very frustrating and discouraging. But I tried to keep paddling out and trying again. With each wave and its attendant nose dive, I became a little more familiar with the waves at Rockaway, how they behaved and how I needed to behave in concert with them. I figured out that I do have to sit closer in than I think and, as I paddle for a wave and look over my shoulder, the waves tend to look a little steeper than I would think they would. To set myself up in the right place (or close to it), it's usually a two step process. I start off by sitting a little too far out the back. A wave comes towards me, I paddle for it and I don't catch it. While a little annoying, it helps me learn where the wave breaks and where I need to be to be able to actually catch  the wave. Then, I have a better sense of how far I need to be from that spot, based on my paddle speed and how long it takes me to spot the wave, spin around and get myself down on my board. It's a start, right? A work in progress? 

Surfing in the Rockaways

You know that giddy feeling you get when you fall in love with something new - a book that you can't put down, a new pair of shoes, an amazing new running route, a new food that makes your taste buds tingle - and you can't wait to experience it again? That was the feeling that I couldn't shake when we returned home from Costa Rica. I knew that surfing in New York City wouldn't exactly be the same thing but I was anxious to see what it was all about. I knew that there was a growing surfing community in NYC. Several of my friends and neighbors even surfed.

Birthday surf with a huge red board!

The first time Ed and I went out to the Rockaways was on my birthday in June. Since we weren't familiar with the beach, break or anything really, we decided to take a lesson from the local surf school. It was more of a chance to get our feet wet and to become familiar with the surf conditions. It was a wee bit different than what we were used to. For one, the water was cold! I hadn't fully appreciated the luxury of surfing in just a bikini and rash guard.

The next time we went out by ourselves and I felt like I was the new kid on the playground. In Costa Rica, it was like we were in this nice, little protected bubble. Everyone was friendly out in the water and looking out for each other, hooting and hollering every time anyone caught a wave. Now, I didn't have the comfort of my surf coaches flanking me, showing me the ropes, helping me figure out which waves to go for and which ones to pull back on (and sometimes literally pulling me back by my leash), and making sure I didn't drop in on anyone.

Paddling out into the line-up the first time was probably one of the most intimidating things I've done. Thank goodness the line-up only consisted of two or three other people. But still, I had to watch and observe the rules and culture of this new "playground." When it was finally my turn to paddle for a wave, I didn't want to be that kid who face plants off the monkey bars. I wanted to show the world that I could hold my own, catch a wave, stand up and ride it somewhere - anywhere! Needless to say, that just meant more nervous and anxious energy for me, resulting in lots of fun nose dives. Yes.

Turtle Rolls

Oops

Now, about those turtle rolls. Can I just tell you one thing? I really really don't like turtle rolls. I know that hate is a strong word but I am pretty close to hating turtle rolls. Yet, if you ride a long board like me, turtle rolls are a necessary evil.

With a long board, you can't really duck dive under the waves. The boards are too big and buoyant that it is nearly impossible to submerge the whole board, and with control, to get them under the waves. So what do you do? Hopefully, you've watched the waves and waited for a lull so that you can paddle out with dry hair. Maybe you even found a rip current to help carry you out the back. You've timed your paddle out such that you are able to weave in and around the waves to get over its shoulder before it gets too steep or else do a press-up and over the tops of waves before they break, maybe punching through the last one or two waves. However, there will be times when you are caught paddling out and your timing isn't perfect. A set starts to roll in and you are caught in the impact zone. You have two choices - 1) turn around and go back to shore, or 2) battle your way out.

Basically, a turtle roll involves flipping the board over so that you are beneath your board underwater as the wave passes over the top of the board. Once the wave passes, you then flip the board back over and hop back on and continue paddling. Sounds interesting, right? That's what I thought. I basically laughed out loud when my coaches began describing this technique. You want me to paddle straight into an oncoming wave at maximum speed, flip myself over, hang out underwater while the wave passes and then just nonchalantly get myself back up on the board and keep going? Sure.

My sessions would go something like this.

Coach: Right, we're just going to roll right through this one.

Me: OK (turtle roll, swallow a bunch of water, climb back on my board breathing heavily, stunned and scared)

Coach: Great. Now climb back on top and paddle. We're just going to roll through the next one too. 3, 2, 1 and roll.

Me: (repeat above, a bit more flustered and mumbling to myself, OMG OMG OMG)

Coach: Great. Keep paddling. Keep going. 3, 2, 1 and roll.

Me: (repeat above, even more fluster)

Coach: Fantastic. Now, just one or two more and we're almost out there. Keep paddling. Here comes another one. 3, 2, 1 and roll.

Me: AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously thought that turtle rolls were going to be the one thing that kept me from surfing. They are taxing. Physically, my shoulders were screaming after a couple of sessions paddling out. Psychologically, I didn't think that I could do it. Even as a strong swimmer, I would find myself completely out of breath once I made it through one wave only to be faced with another wall of whitewater. Oh yeah, and that fear of the ocean thing starts to kick in pretty strongly when you're hanging off a surfboard underwater.

But I know that turtle rolls are an important tool I need to have and we came to an understanding. They still aren't my favorite but I don't necessarily dread them in the same way. I know that I can manage about 4-5 turtle rolls before I start to think about going to shore. OK, maybe more like 4. Each time I do them, I try to work on one specific part of the technique. This helps to take my focus away from my fear and anxiety and gives me a concrete task to concentrate on.

Smack. Oops again.

As for technique, here's what I learned.

1) Paddle into the oncoming wave. You want to make sure that you are paddling straight with some speed, as opposed to lying on your board and waiting for the wave to get to you. If you do the latter, the wave will definitely knock you off your board and tumble you around.

2) When the oncoming whitewater is about a board's length away, that's when you begin the turtle roll. After a couple of tries, you begin to get the feel for how long it take you to get off your board, flip over and punch through the wave.

3) Grab the rails of your board. Bring your hands back down towards your ribs so that your elbows stick out like chicken wings. Bringing your hands back is super important and will ensure that you will be in the right spot when you get back on your board. Hold tight!!

4) Despite the "turtle roll" moniker, you don't just want to roll off your board. Push up slightly with your hands and then jump your legs down off one side of your board. You want your body to be as pin straight as possible in the water so it helps if you are able to jump down with a bit of force. That way, your body acts as a bit of an anchor, keeping your board in place and keeping you from being knocked around by the turbulence of the wave. When I just roll off my board, I find that my body immediately goes horizontal and I'm much more likely to get thrown around and/or lose my grip on my board.

5) Now, you're hanging off your board underwater. You've flipped yourself so that your face is facing towards the shore and your back is facing the on-coming wave. Holding on the rails of your board, forcefully move the board over your head in a backwards stabbing motion. Basically, it's like you are trying to pierce through the oncoming wave with your board. Sounds weird, I know, but the force helps to punch through the wave, again reducing the amount of turbulence you are likely to experience from the ongoing wave and whitewater.

6) Once the wave has passed by (and I promise you will know when that is), roll back over onto your board. Remember, your board is pretty damn buoyant so when you bring the first rail under water, you can guide it down into the water and in towards your body. You can then kind of scoop your body up with the edge of the board as it rights itself in the water. Then you don't need to exert as much energy getting yourself back up on the board.

7) Get back on your board and keep paddling. Even if it seems impossible, try to get a few paddles in before the next turtle roll. That will help you keep making some forward progress to the outside!

8) Last thing, don't let go of your board! Not only is that a no-no, it's super dangerous and you could seriously injure another surfer in the water. I know it happens sometimes but try your hardest to hold on to your board!

Riding Unbroken Waves

Thrilled with the ride. You can't wipe the smile off my face.

Photos by Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

{Blog Note: March 26, 2012}

I'm linking up this post as part of Alison's and Ado's 1st Blogoversary Blog Bash! Both are incredible women and bloggers. They asked us to link up our favorite blog post of all time. I choose this post, describing my first experience catching and riding a wave on a surfboard, for two reasons. 

First, surfing is the reason that I started this blog. I learned to surf in April 2011 and completely and utterly fell in love with it. Some might even say I am obsessed. In either case, I experienced a sense of exhilaration and happiness that I haven't felt in a really long time. I started this blog because I wanted to stay connected to that feeling as well as chronicle my quest to learn to surf and what I learned along the way. There aren't many resources out there for newbie surfers. 

Second, today - March 26, 2012 - I am having my ACL reconstructed in my right knee. I'm having surgery because I want to continue to lead an active life, one that includes running, yoga, swimming, hiking, playing with my kids, skiing and surfing. What better way to remember this day than by celebrating one of the main reasons why I want to get better.

I hope you like it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Happy Blogoversary Alison and Ado!

{Original Post: November 21, 2011}

The first time time that I paddled out the back - out past where the waves were breaking so that you're in position to catch unbroken waves - was amazing. It was a little nerve-wracking to paddle up and over waves that looked like they were about to crash on my head at any minute. I felt like I was bracing myself for battle, taking on each oncoming wave one at a time - at least in theory until my fear and anxiety began to rise. Then I started to sprint and quickly get out of breath. 

But once I'm out, it is so peaceful. You get to sit on your surfboard, enjoying the view while noticing how lumps start to appear on the horizon and watching how they roll in and change shape to get a sense of where the wave will break, if it's surfable or not and where you would have to be to catch the wave. You watch as your fellow surfers start to paddle for a wave, start to stand up and then disappear down the other side of the wave.

As I sat there watching everyone take their turn in the line up, I looked out to the horizon and noticed a larger lump moving in. Uh-oh, thinking to myself that this one looked like it's going to break sooner and way before it gets to me. Crap. That meant that I would have to paddle out to meet the wave. That meant that I would probably have to turtle roll in order to get through the wave without getting crushed. And so I did. And I survived, again waiting in the calm beyond the wave with my heart pounding in my head.

The next time we paddled out, I catch my first unbroken wave. And then my second. The first was OK. After I caught the wave, I was a little off balance. The front edge of my board dug in and I fell off. The second wave was AWESOME. It wasn't a big wave but I got up, managed to turn my board so that I trimmed across the face (a little bit at least) and rode the wave all the way into the beach. It was an exhilarating experience. You feel all that power of the wave, surging forward and backing off slightly before surging forward again. And it just made me happy. 

As I get back out to the line-up, Ed asks me, "So, was it worth it? Was it worth all the paddling?" All I can answer is "YES!!" 

"And it's worth the turtle rolls?"

"Totally worth the turtle rolls."

Understanding the basics or how to handle a surf board so it doesn't smack you in the face

One of the things that I really appreciated about the coaching at Surf Simply was the way the coaches were able to break everything down into simple and manageable steps and to build on those steps at each lessons so that it didn't seem overwhelming. They didn't just tell you to "feel the wave" and didn't speak in technical surf talk but used very specific, concrete language that you could understand and relate to. Plus. delivering feedback on my miserable surfing in a British accent always seemed to make the situation seem slightly brighter.

We spent the first two days in the whitewater, learning the mechanics of our board and how to control it before even thinking about venturing out the back to catch unbroken waves. We learned how to accelerate the board (by shifting your weight forward) and how to decelerate (by shifting your weight back). We practiced this over and over again, sliding our bodies up and down the board while lying down. Those rash guards really earned their name during those first few days. Once we practiced that, we moved on to learning to turn our board left and right and the difference between trimming turns and carving turns. Back in our room after our lessons, I frantically tried to take notes and scribble drawings so that I could remember all the things I was learning.

But, by the end of those first couple of days, we had the tools we needed to feel comfortable and confident in the water...in theory. While I rationally understood what I was supposed to do, it was a different story trying to get my body to do what my brain was telling it to do. I felt like a stumbling fool most of the time. There was just so much to think about and remember. It's hard not to rush it when the urgency starts to rise as you feel the wave begin to pick up the back of your board. Instead of thinking about bringing my hands back and looking up so that I can stand up on my board, I'm just thinking, "Crap Crap Crap!!" And trailing behind me are the cheery sounds of my British coach saying, "Right. Nice one. Just climb back on your board and give it another go." Sure.

Yet, it is an amazing feeling to catch a wave, even in the whitewater and feeling all of that power behind you. And that's what hooks me and sends me on this quest to experience that feeling again and again.

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

OK, here are some of the basics (more for my own benefit than anything).

Trimming turns are gently banking turns that allow you to ride across the face of the wave. For me, as a natural foot stance (meaning when I stand on the board, my left foot is forward), I shift my weight to my toes, keeping most of my weight on my left toes, to trim to the right and shift my weight to my heels, keeping most of my weight on my left heel, to trim to the left (backside). Obviously, it's the opposite if you stand with your right foot forward or goofy foot.

Carving turns are sharper turns that allow you to quickly change direction. To do this, you need to shift your weight back in order to lift the nose of the board up in the air so that the board basically pivots around - the pivot point being the tail of the board. However, by bringing your weight back to turn the board, you've also in effect stepped on the brakes and slowed down the board. So, once the board comes around, it's critical to shift your weight back forward to accelerate again.

OK, sounds great in theory, but how does this actually work? How do I actually make this happen out in the water and shift my weight back and forth and left and right? Well, apparently, it's all about the stance. Our coach also hammered into our head a "stance mantra" that would help us get up into the most stable position each and every time.

Feet: Slightly wider than shoulder-width, feet perpendicular to the length of the board

Hips: Squared off and weight forward
Hands: Hands are out to either side of the body i.e. one hand in front and one hand out by your bottom
Head: Look up and where you want to go!

For me, the one thing that I need to remember is to make sure my knees point inwards - kind of like you are knob-kneed - rather than pointing outwards like they do when you are doing a plie squat, especially my left knee (my leading knee). When I consciously remember this, I find that I'm more stable on the board and I'm less likely to dig the front of my board into the water or fall off the back of my board.

Surf Simply has created a set of podcasts that go through all the fundamentals which you can find here.  I have found them to be great, straightforward refreshers on the various lessons we learned.

Hooked

I never intended to learn how to surf in my mid-30s. I definitely didn't intend to become completely obsessed by surfing, surf theory, surf culture, surf contests, surf forecasts, the pro tour...but I can't seem to help myself now. I am hooked.

Overlooking Playa Pelada in Nosara, Costa Rica

It happened inadvertently. When Ed and I were looking for ideas for a vacation for just the two of us, we wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before and we wanted to do something active - something that we wouldn't be able to do with the kids. We settled on Costa Rica and were originally going to do the typical jungle-hike thing. But everyone kept talking about the surfing in Costa Rica. While I've always been fascinated by surfing, I was beyond surprised when Ed suggested going to surf camp. What started off as "just a vacation" turned out to be one of the best vacations. Maybe it was the thrill of learning something entirely new in your 30s. Maybe it was immersing myself in a lifestyle that's so completely different from the one I lead at home - my only responsibilities being to learn, surf, yoga, eat well and hang out with new friends. Whatever it was, I returned home craving more.

When I got home, I searched for websites and blogs and hunted for sources about surf theory so that I could continue learning. But I couldn't find anything that I could relate to. Most of the information out there assumed a certain level of knowledge and/or experience and didn't address basic questions or the trials and tribulations of a beginner surfer. 

But was it realistic to think that I was going to continue surfing while living in New York City, working and raising two young boys with my husband Ed? It's a lot easier to think that the answer is yes when you're hanging out in the jungle of Costa Rica with no work or family responsibilities. But back home? Was it possible? That's what I wanted to figure out. Not just whether I would continue to surf but whether I would be able to incorporate the lessons I learned and the perspective I gained into my everyday life.