Last weekend I was out in San Diego training for the Olukai paddle board race in May. It’s pretty hard to train for a stand up paddle board race in Colorado during the winter. I was staying with a good friend and didn’t have a car so I ended up walking, taking ferries, and riding the bus to the beach. I Went full minimalist on the camera gear and only carried my iPhone. It was pretty liberating. I instagr.am(ed) my way across San Diego. Here is what I saw along the way. You can find the complete adventure, and the photo locations, here on The Creative Frontier.
I hope everyone has a great weekend, we will see you back here on Monday!
Fitness Challenge Update
If you are a regular here, you know I run a fitness challenge every year. We all state our goals in Nov. and try to make them happen by May. My goal this year was to do a stand up paddle board race called the Olukai. When I set the goal, I had never even stood on a paddle board, let alone race one. That was the beauty of it! It was totally uncharted waters (pun intended). I had no idea what to expect or what I would encounter. Instead of updating you about my fitness, I thought I’d share a few of the things I have experienced that I never would have had I not tried something totally new. I share these things hoping that it will encourage you to do the same. I’m learning more and more about the journey….the destination is just icing on the cake.
- Spent some quality time with a few of my photo buddies in Austin.
- Paddled a five mile stretch of Lady Bird Lake on my knees.
- Was nearly run over by the UT women’s crew team….they weren’t stopping.
- Actually went on a photo-walk with some of the nicest guys you could meet.
- I participated in a Bordeaux wine tasting with thousands of other people around the world.
- Fell in love with nookie…no, not that nookie…I’m talking fried chocolate chip cookie dough.
- Visited (by paddle board) the Stevie Ray memorial in Austin.
- Reconnected with an old college cycling teammate.
- Rode cruiser bikes with my wife for 30 miles along the California coast.
- Surfed a few waves.
- Overcame (well, overcoming) a healthy fear of white sharks. It still bothers me a bit when I’m alone in the grey waters a mile off the coast of California.
- Chatted with a Navy Seal and thanked him for his service.
- I was scolded by a surf shop operator for drinking coffee…apparently he couldn’t keep up with my questions at 10am.
- Paddled along side a family of dolphins.
- Got Plineyed(sp?)
- I’m spending a lot of time on a balance board in my living room.
- Got into land surfing (long boarding around the parks here in Colorado w/ a paddle).
- On my paddle board, I explored the kelp fields off of La Jolla and watched sea lions play.
- Fell off my board more times than I would like to admit.
I’ve missed the last check-in or two. I’ve had a bad week (two workouts) and a good week (four), including a road bike ride. Thanks for motivating me to ride again. It didn’t take much. I seem to be making good progress, so that too is motivating.
No sweat…because of the bull rider story, we missed a week.
I’m glad you are riding again. One day we will sit down and I will tell you my story of cycling. I think it might be similar to yours. Anyway, glad you are back on the bike. Hopefully I can make it down there again and we can go for a ride!
Take care Alex!