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.