9-13-09 Weekend update

I had a good time this weekend despite my favorite lady off on her own adventures. On Saturday morning Tassie and I got up at the buttcrack of dawn to drive down to Wrightsville Beach for the Pier 2 Pier swim. Tassie decided it was too early and went back to bed, so it was up to me to do the two hour drive. I brought my surfboard just in case there were some waves worth catching.

The conditions were nice and I got off to a good start on the swim, held pace for about 1k, then pooped out and just enjoyed the ocean for the remainder. UNC W and a few kids from the Wolfpack were in the hizzzzzouusse and they are fast.

I had done San Shou (sparring) on Friday night for the first time and my arms were pretty tired from punching (attempting to punch, one could say) the 15 year olds from the Kung Fu center.

Not that I need an excuse to go slow. ;)

After the swim I picked up some breakfast, got a new rashguard, and then caught a few waves while they did the awards. I keep telling Bri we should buy a place on the beach, but she keeps telling me things like "how are you going to pay for it, smart guy?" to which I don't have a pithy answer just yet.

Maybe I can sell 10,000 Powerstroke DVDs.

Night time saw me head off to meet Jimmy, Alsyia's husband (Bri is hanging with Alysia this weekend), at Tyler's Tap Room for brews and conversation. He is a well-rounded guy and we had a good time.

Today I slept in, which I rarely get to do, puttered around the house in my slippers for a couple of hours, then road my mountain bike to downtown Raleigh to race in the Magnificent Mile. I was pleased to gut out a 5:25 which is totally jamming for me at this moment and bodes well for a return to sub-18 5ks during the winter.

Now I am going to finish work for the week, open a beer, and stare blankly at the wall until Bri gets home.

Weekend update

We're headed down to Wrightsville Beach for the weekend. Tomorrow Bri will race alongside 1,300 other folks in the Wilmington YMCA Triathlon. I'll be out getting my long run in and cheering. We get to spend the rest of the weekend chillin' like a villian with bob dylan' at my bro-in-law's brother's beach pad. Phat. I'll get some easy riding in on Sunday and hopefully there will be waves worth surfing. Other than that, relax and enjoy.

Duck NC surf report

Picked up my new surfboard today at the Corolla Surf Shop. This type of board from New Surf Project is made with epoxy rather than fiberglass, and a bit less expensive. It will last a schmo like me for a while.



I had some fun paddling around out in the Atlantic, but the waves were dumping onto a sandbar, making things pretty unrideable. Managed to fall down a few times, which is my SOP. I paddled for a few minutes as my swim workout for the day.

Now we're going to go check out the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills!

Costa Rica

This post will be a little long so bear with me. This evening we're flying to Orlando to meet up with my college chum Bill Payne, of Bill Payne Design (the OSB website designer). On Thursday morning we'll all take an American Airlines flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

From San Jose we're catching a twin prop over to a town called Tambor, on the Pacific coast. From Tambor we take a shuttle to the town of Malpais. This is essentially a semi-developed surf resort. Down in Malpais we're meeting up with our buddies Jamie and Judy, who we know from Orlando but who originally hail from the Jersey shore.

We'll be there from Thursday to the following Wednesday for what will amount to a surf vacation. Bri plans to take some surf lessons and will go out if the waves aren't too big. As of yesterday they were overhead or bigger.

If you want to be a stalker you can find us at the Hotel Oasis. We'll either be on the beach, here, or at a bar somewhere.

I am not bringing a computer and will be completely unplugged. Might check email a couple times, but I might not. It's been a while since we did that.

Ok, part 2. The results of the weekly survey!

1. Did you miss the weekly surveys?
81% - Yes
14% - No
3% - New here

2. When I'm bored I like to:
76% - Roam the internet
10% - Eavesdrop on co-workers

3. If you the reader could go to the beach every summer and be a lifeguard/beachbum, at the cost of maximizing your earning potential, would you?
54% - Do what you love
5% - Yes, no, the world will end, life is what you make of it

4. On Iraq, I (the reader) think:
39% - Boondoggle
29% - We can't win this one
19% - Stay the course
10% - We're winning and we can win

5. My favorite summertime activity is:
29% - The mountains
19% - The beach/shore
24% - A big trip of some sort
19% - Triathlon races
5% - Vegas, booze, women, and gambling

See you in a few days.