Day Away and More Subjects and Batteries

I needed a day of rest after yesterday's awesomeness.  I had the pain, but I dealt with it and I'm writing a draft about how that happened, it still blows my mind.  Kinda glad it was overcast and rainy.

More subjects to write and post about later:
-Pain and relief
-Reviews of all of the surf related films I can get from Netflix
-More gear
-More photos

OT:  Will be able to use my AA consuming digital camera to add more pics to this blog.  My rechargeable batteries came from batteryspace and they are good.  AA Ni-Mh 2600's.  They also come in nice reusable plastic holders, really nice, even the retail AA's don't include that.

Awesome Day at Lincoln and I Stood Up

But only for a couple of seconds but I was up there.  What helped was analyzing what I've been thru, even drawing myself in the waves, which I'll post later, and watching and watching and trying and trying.  And one more thing, letting go of fear that I wasn't consciously aware of until today.  Had pain episode but dealt with it very differently, I'll post that later also.  I sat at the shore in the 2 foot breakers and watched my board interact with the small waves and learned a lot, which I'll have to post later also.  Met new people, which is always awesome.

Subjects I want to write about later:
-Analysis drawings of my wave interactions
-Pain episode number 4 but dealing differently with it and successfully!
-Wave awareness is a constant challenge for everyone
-How I caught first Tobay wave vs LB waves
-Bottom contour of Tobay vs LB
-Difference between one block at LB regarding sand bar
-How I really don't wipe out lately even if I don't take off successfully
-Catch up on the parts to get current ones

Conditions Look Good - I'm Going

Surfline condition report for Lincoln looks good and so do the 3 buoys 44025, 44066, and 44065 that I have i my Twitter list:  ny-buoy44025-066-065 It's handy. 


Hope I didn't miss it, I'm getting ready to head out there now.

Part 14 - Ocean Time

Summer 2010 - After staying away from it for a year and working out in flat water, I've developed paddling endurance and even a little muscle, a surprise.

Workout goals were 200 reps in a set and 5 sets with diminishing reps but at least 1500 reps in a session.  And distance goals of 3,000 feet or about a half mile.  At the start of 2009 bay workouts, my first set was 30 reps before needing a rest and 120 reps at end of season.  Starting 2010 was 60 reps and quickly up to 120.  It took about 8 weeks before I reached my goals in August, started using the webbed gloves and working out almost every day to a day or more of rest and I was ready to hit the ocean.

I went to Tobay, right next to Gilgo, the conditions were flat but I was psyched to be in the ocean again, it was beautiful and great weather.  I was so stoked to be back that my first set was 350 reps.  Good day!

Part 13 - Webbed Gloves

While training for paddling in August, I found webbed gloves.  In the video, Learning to Surf, Richard Schmidt said that they can be hard on the shoulders.  They sure are, but at the time I started to use them, I wasn't working out every day.  I couldn't since I was getting sore shoulders and arms from them.

Once I started using them, even the first time, I couldn't go back.  Suddenly I went from feeling like I was going nowhere with just bare hands, to having paddles and moving immediately with each stroke.  It was amazing how much faster and how much more each paddle stroke moved me and my board.  At that time I was still on the bay, but getting psyched to know that I had even more power for the ocean with the gloves.  Just about $20.

Saturday Was So Good I'm Still High On It

Knee boarding, wave drops, foamies, fast rides, smiles, getting to chill with a friend, perfect weather late in the season, no severe pain, it doesn't get any better than that.  You know a day was good if it can still put a smile on your face just remembering it.

Awesome Beginner Waves Today

I hadn't seen that kind of sand bar at LB until today.  Water depth was waist high, then I climbed up a steep ramp to a wide sand bar that was knee high.  Then just past it was 5 feet high and I was able to walk out a little more right where there were breakers.

Some I caught just jumping off the bottom, others jumping onto my board and paddling just a bit.  It was a really great spot and perfect little waves.

I think I conquered some fear of the 4 foot wave, over the surface, starting to break just behind me and getting ready for that drop.

There were a few different situations at that point.  I've never come down from the peak until today.  On a steeper wave face like these today, being forward on the board is not good.  I am used to mushy, low slope waves that require me to be very far forward so I can enhance gravity going forward down a mild incline.  However, when the wave is a real breaker with a curl, being forward sinks the front of my board down 3 feet.  So I started moving back and these waves took me even without me paddling up to their speed.

I got smacked hard in the back once by the lip coming down hard, ouch.  I got enveloped by the whitewater on a couple.  I think I hit one perfectly and knee boarded, which is progress.

There are a lot of things going on that I have to change and figure out.  I have so many images in my mind of so many situations and board positioning that I am mentally sorting thru.  I can't even list them all, not even sure how to describe them.

At the first spot I easily took 100 body slams by waves from my hips to my head.  I have a headache.  Every 5 seconds was another foamy that just knocked really hard into me.  The outside wasn't even good because those were mostly closeouts and massive sections, there was one really good guy who took extremely short rides on them.  That's why there were "poor" conditions today, but good for beginners.

And luckily, no 2 hour severe pain episode.  I took 4 days off.

I think my eye whites are sunburned.  This may be the first time, anyone ever have that?

Heading Out Anyway

Surfline report for Lincoln says very poor conditions.  Bouy data shows increasing wave heights.  Looks ok for beginners now that I know what s going on there regarding bottom contour and where the foamies form.

Been practicing popups and ready to implement them.

3 buoy chart from Surfline

Part 12 - Simplicity

I have been going to the bay for years.  All that time I would sit there and enjoy, but also be trying to figure out how to get in there.

I was awed by the beauty of the boats, I really wanted to be on them, it would drive me crazy.

I used to get out there a bit with a really small sailboat, about the smallest, cheapest one on the planet, a Snark.  Actually made of styrofoam the original model had bare styrofoam and they would not last long and chunks would be taken out of it.  Luckily I had the version with a nice plastic cover to keep it together.

Eventually I got out on the bay with a small rowboat and motor.  That still required going to the DMV getting registration for boat, trailer and trailer inspection, a hitch, electric connection, trailer maintenance, new light sets every year, new hubs, boat supplies, fuel, oil mixing, hoses, siphons, dual gas tanks, fuel storage and buying premium gas, lifting dirty, heavy motor on and off and flushing it each trip, and on and on.

After the old 2 cycle used outboard died, I was out for years, until I tossed one simple, cheap, used, foam board  in the car and into the water.  Done.  I kicked myself for not considering that over the way too many years.

Loved paddling on the bay for hundreds of yards enjoying it while conditioning.  Summer '09 to '10.

Then I was ready....

Part 11 - Reps and Sets on the Bay

Summer '09, starting out on the bay, I counted my reps.  I did 30 paddle strokes before I had to rest.  That's total of both arms, which is only 15 each.  I ain't going nowhere with that.  I did a few sets.  We had fun floating and resting.  It was still beautiful Summer on the water.

By the end of the summer I was up to 120 reps and 5 sets.

This year, 2020, I started out with 60 reps and worked up to 200 reps and the total in just over an hour was 1500 paddle strokes.

I worked up to that over 8 weeks straight, from 2 times a week up to a stretch of 9 days in a row.

I set goals of markers for channels in the water.  The one I set that I liked because it was a challenge was a 5 miles per hour float out in the bay that looked pretty far away.  That took 600 reps out.

Some days I was fighting tides, currents, white caps, and wind so it was a good workout.

Bay

This Summer, 2010, had an amazing run of clear days and low humidity.  This is never the weather here, or should I say climate.  That's how different it was.  It is still going, btw, and an overcast day gets me down, we had 6 in a row this September and it was really getting to me. But then back to more clear days in long series, it's amazing, but very strange.

Part - 10 Decision to Condition - Bay

Summer '09

After three ocean sessions of getting nowhere and being exhausted out there, dragging myself in over the wet sand out of the shore break out of breath with jelly legs, I was done with the ocean for a while.  I decided that I really needed to be stronger and have more stamina and endurance out there.

So I said that we should work out in the bay, just paddling.  We did.  I am really lucky here to have access to the bay just a few miles away.

No Pics on Posts Lately Because of Batteries

OT - off topic.  My rechargeable batteries all wore out after a few years.  I started using alkaline but they only lasted one or 2 days.  Such a waste.  I couldn't continue.  Ordered some online at batteryspace.  Rather than $4 each AA retail they were $1.50 including shipping costs, but I have to wait a week.

Everyone at Lincoln Had a Surfboard

And those without boards were surfers too.  I never saw so many boards in one place.  Yesterday was good conditions there.  First time I ever saw Surfline report good conditions at Lincoln or Tobay/Gilgo.

Not much time spent in the water.  Had to exit when the pain started in.  Third day in a row.  Starting to research it.  Not going today.  No pics, camera eats batts, ordering rechargeables today from batteryspace.

Igor Saturday Boogie Boarding and Sunday Soft Top

Saturday
At LB I thought I could get out in the middle of the jetties but it took forever.  Even with the swim fins and small boogie board, it was just as hard as with the surfboard.

My legs weren't propelling me as I remember from a long time ago, or it didn't seem that way in the heavy surf.

Then I had a new problem, severe pain in my arms.  I had to sit on the beach and do yoga for an hour for any relief.  I've never felt that before, it was very distressing.

Sunday
I returned with the soft top surfboard thinking I had enough shoulder rest.  I made it outside really smoothly with careful timing next to the jetty.  Saw a guy who recognized me from Friday.  There were closeouts of good sized waves.  I had spotted an area while on shore that looked like a good left and where the larger breaker started a sweep after the larger part closed out.  That's where I wanted to be but it was really hard to get there because of the strong westward current.  People getting out would go ten feet out and 20 feet west.

Then I started feeling the same pain from the day before.  I took a fast and bumpy foamy ride all the way in and suffered for 2 hours in severe pain.  I did yoga and tai chi and finally the pain decreased but there is a little remaining.

Monday
Long Beach looks like the best since I've been observing it so far.  Worried about the pain returning, but I have to try it again.  I plan on taking the left after the breaker closes out a section in the middle.  I studied this from shore for a half hour yesterday and got stoked that I figured out the best place for me to be and it isn't where anyone else thinks is good.  They are all headed for the largest peaking area that is too challenging for my level.

Time to gear up.

Igor Saturday Morning and New Fins

Resting shoulders for one day.  Boogie boarding trying out new swim fins.  Heading out now.

I just realized these things are called, "Aqua Lung!"  Do you think they ever heard of Jethro Tull?  Do I really want to touch these things now?

Should be good out there today and tomorrow, cloudy here tho.