Timeline: week 2 + 3 days of club foot
Current Situation: cooling off my stump & eating enough food for 2 people
Mood: introspective
Word of the day to describe my splint: Pig in a blanket
Tunes: Yiruma - River Flows In You
Step 1 done! Surgery went well, only tricky part was the nurse had to poke me 3 times in order to get the iv running. All the nurses and anesthesiologists were so nice to me. They all were very curious about how I injured myself jumping rope. I heard a lot of "Oh you're the jump rope girl!" ""Oh I read your chart and was wondering about that!" "How exactly does that work? Jump rope?" The anesthesiologists that worked with me during my surgery were singing Double Dutch Bus by Frankie Smith as we wheeled into the surgery room - hilarious.
My leg was nice and numb yesterday, so I had a full nights slumber with no pain! I restfully woke up at around 5:15 this morning, was wide awake, and still unable to wiggle my toes. It was a little uncomfortable, and I thought the nerve block was supposed to wear off by the morning; so I thought maybe if did some bicycle motions in the air with my leg that I could get the "blood flowing" and some feeling back in my leg. That kinda helped. Then I tried really hard to wiggle my toes and I got some cramp-y tingly sensation in my leg. I thought to myself, "Woohoo! Sensation!" So I decided to do 3 sets of 10 of attempted toe wiggles. I took my pain meds, iced, got sleepy, and fell asleep to the live feed of the World Jump Rope Tournament going on in DC. That kept me pretty busy today in between eating, resting, and icing - that is until the pain set in.
At around noon I was able to wiggle my toes, but still couldn't feel the rest of my leg. I had a feeling once I did have my sensation back it'd be a little painful. So I made sure I iced, ate, and took my meds. But, even with the meds, it started as pins and needles and then just pain. I guess it's about time I felt some pain with this injury. It feels like a real injury now. haha. So I upped my med dosage since I was taking the minimum, and found only one position to be comfortable. I feel like the princess and the pea with the amount of pillows I have on this bed.
Alas, it's been a good week filled with many encouraging messages and little notes from friends and family. Heck, it's been a great month filled with good people and good memories. Well, despite the burn out and blown out Achilles, it really has been a good month.
I can't help, but think about the almost unparalleled value of the human connection. Without it, I'm not quite sure how functional anyone would be. This Ted talk was introduced to me about a year ago and has definitely put things in a different perspective for me. I've watched it like a million times and every time I feel like I've learned something new. Maybe I'm just bad at listening so I'm unable to absorb all that it has to offer in just 2 sittings. Maybe I'm just ADD and can't focus for more than 2 minutes on something. Maybe I'm just not good at reading or following lectures. But, I'm telling you, I'm pretty sure this Ted Talk is dense with a beautifully voiced perspective on life. Watch it. Watch part of it. Watch it again if you've watched it before. Or don't watch it. At least you've gotten this far in my blog post :)
I know it's quite a long video...but it's only 20 minutes of your time! I have finally been able to look at the transcript (because I'm such a visual learner) and really take a look at the content of Brené Brown's discussion - The Power of Vulnerability. And I've had this draft open for a couple of days and had taken notes on all the key points that I liked from her lecture, but I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to discuss all these concepts in my own voice. I've decided that I'm going to make this a 2 part post, otherwise I might loose you in my thoughts :) I encourage you to take a look at this video and sit on it for a little while. Then I will share with you part of my story and how I think some of Brené's concepts resonate within my own life. Or don't take a look at this video and just read what I have to share in my next post. The choice is yours :)
So my intention for this blog was originally to log my surf sessions so that I could look back, reflect, and hopefully become a better surfer. But, due to recent events, I am going to put a spin onto my originally intentions. I aim to use this blog to log what I've learned and what I'll be learning during my recovery and in my journey in building a business and community. I hope to keep myself inspired and hope to spark a little something within my readers.
Since my last post, I've crossfitted, rope jumped, coached, and schooled my heart out. Results of the past 2 weeks: unable to continue school, no jump rope, and a torn Achilles. Fact: I burnt out.
In the past month I've been doing quite a bit of reflecting about where I'm going and what I'm doing with my life. And given my current situation I'm pretty much literally forced to sit down and think. I've come to the conclusion that where ever I go and whatever I do, I have to do with passion. So what am I passionate about? I am passionate about people. Understanding, interacting, and being inspired by another. And I am passionate about fitness/health; more specifically jump rope.
So, expect from me in the next year to become the queen of a huge jump rope empire in the Bay Area. Jump rope has been a part of a majority of my life, 20 years to be exact. It has always been somewhat of a selfish outlet for my own sanity, but in the past 4-5 years it's become so much more than that. I have discovered my niche for teaching and coaching, and the joy that accompanies every aspect of my job.
Favorite part of my job: Seeing the light bulbs go off. There's nothing more inspiring than seeing another person tap into their potential and work with it. And then see it work towards a greater whole.
So I told myself I wanted to keep this entry semi-short and sweet and I think I've accomplished my goal. I look forward to logging in more hours to this blog and hope that you'll enjoy the ride or part of the ride with me.
I think this last quote sums up my entry quite nicely: Love what you do, and do what you love.
It has been quite the week since I last posted. Lots of studying, coaching, and socializing. I am officially tired today. This week was midterms week, but I only had one midterm. haha...not much of a midterm week. I've had quizzes here and there and I've got a project due next week. San Francisco this weekend. San Diego in 2 weeks to run a judges clinic. Sacramento to celebrate Chinese New Year the next. Regional Championships at the end of March and a 5 hour comprehensive exam the week before that. Rough. The next 6 weeks are gonna be a doozy.
I have thus limited my time in the water. I have only been allowing myself one surf sesh a week. And of course this month is packed with swell after swell. Not to mention the killer weather. I almost wish it would rain more so I'd be more inclined to stay inside and study. But then again...surfing in rain is pretty magical. But, of course there are many things that are taking the front seat to surfing right now. And that is okay. Mother ocean will always be there.
So I choose Super Bowl Sunday for my surf day of the week. I had a super packed Saturday with work, a team/meeting gathering in the evening, and then a night out for a friend's birthday. I was runnin from 8am to 2am. So I decided that I needed an alarm clock-less Sunday. I woke up fairly refreshed at around 10am and it was beautiful and sunny out. I took my time getting up. I took my bowl of Trader-O's out to my front porch to soak up some morning rays. I took my hibiscus plant out with me as well. It had been a while since she'd been outside for some sunshine. Her leaves were gettin' a little depressed sitting on my kitchen counter on the windowsill. But, the windowsill was definitely a better choice than sitting outside in the cold. So there I sat next to my hibiscus and ate my morning meal.
The last bloom
So I studied a little bit. And then finally packed up my car and was on my way to get me some waves. I checked the tides before I left and it was getting to low tide so I decided not to surf at Sharks, but instead at 38th street in front of O'Neill's house. When I first started surfin SC this was where I went. It's a pretty mellow wave and long boarders love this wave on a south swell. Apparently it hollows out and barrels for days. I have yet to see that.
Sunday, I was catching the tail end of a WNW swell, I think. I'm not sure what I'm surfin these days. I pretty much go to get out, get wet, and try to dance around on my board. I check to report to see which day looks best and drive out that day regardless. So I paddled out, and 38th was semi-crowded with some beginners and a few friendly experienced locals.
Ashley Lloyd was out, and it looked as though she was teaching a friend to surf. For those of you who don't know who Ashley is, she's a SC local chick and is a pretty amazing person. She's been in quite a few surf documentaries. She shapes boards and has her own line. She's a musician. And of course she has a beautiful presence and style out in the surf. It's always nice to see her out in the line up.
Klaude discussed his hero's in his previous blog, and I have to say, I don't really have one hero -- I have many. The people in the water that have the most impact on me are the ones who have a great balance between many things. These surfers are subtly assertive and expressive of their love for surf. They don't always sit in the line up at the peak, but they still enjoy a set wave here and there. And by doing so, they set this sort of...tone, and project only positive vibes. They may not talk much, but might exchange a friendly smile, or not paddle battle you for a wave and let you take it. They are there, like you, to enjoy the ocean, the company of people, and to forget about everything else in the world.
There's not much to say about how I surfed this day. I got a handful of fun nose-ish rides. But, what made this sesh good were the people, and the beautiful day that it was. There were more than enough smiles and laughs to be shared. Waves were about chest high. No wind and glassy. The clouds had all sorts of warm hues of reds, oranges, blues, and purples reflecting from the setting sun. It was a wonderful day to be out surfing. Much better than watching the Super Bowl...hahah sorry for all ya'll football fans...but I think I had a much better time outside than inside watching the game.
So I think I'm going to try and get out for surf on Friday. Surfline has estimated 8-12 footers...which means maybe some good head high waves. I think surfline over estimates it a little bit sometimes. It might even rain on Friday, which would make my day if it did. Nothing like surfing in the rain.
It's been a great day of reflections. Commuting to SF 3 days a week definitely gives me some good down time. The commute isn't so bad knowing that when I get out of class I have this to look out to...nature and ocean is beautiful, but we can't forget human creation :)
Current State: zombie mode Time: late at night Tunes: Ingrid Michaelson - You and I
Okay so I made a blog. I've been motivated, inspired, and become very antsy reading all the blogs of the DRC :) So what better to do on a Saturday night than create a blog dedicated to the trials and tribulations of my lovely life. Yea, nothing better than to do just that.
So let's see, SURF! Surf was on the up and up for the past couple of days. There was a solid WNW swell that pushed through the cruz on Thurs/Fri. I hadn't surfed for almost 2.5 weeks. Yea....eek. It had been far too long since I had tasted the salt water. Although within those couple of weeks, especially the latter half, I had been messing around with my indo board and attempting to figure out how to cross step on it without cracking my head open. I watched this old school video and then went to work.
I think the best tip that I took away from this vid was balancing on one foot was key to a solid cross step. Took me a little while to figure out how to balance on one foot. Some things I learned:
It's much easier to balance on one foot on my front leg of my stance. This is almost my dominant foot I think. But the better I got at balancing on my non-dominant foot the better I got at cross stepping.
Hinging from my hips. So essentially everything from my hips up was in the same spot the whole time when I did anything successful on my indo board. My torso was ALWAYS centered over the roller.
Engaging different core muscles helps with balance. I found that I had more successful and perhaps 'stylish' cross steps when I engaged my lower abdominal muscles, which essentially tucked my butt in a little so I wasn't in much of a bent over squatted position. Instead I was in more of an upright erect position (insert dirty jokes here...)
Now after a week or so of playing around with my indo board I'm definitely not pro or anything, but I am much better than I was last week and got a couple of successful cross steps.
upclose and personal: probably right before I ate sh-t
THURSDAY SURF.
Condtions: awesome
Wave height: awesome
State of being: limited amount of time in between coaching.
Surfline had estimated that the day would be Good and that wave height would be from 8-12ft at least. I couldn't get out in the morning because I was running a jump rope performance. I finished my performance at around 1030am, had a quick dim sum lunch with my mom, ran a couple of errands and wasn't really planning on making he trek to SC, but then said 'eff it, I'm goin' surfing'. So I ran home really quick, got some work done on my computer meanwhile am drooling over the pleasure point cam. Waves were goin' off but the paddle out looked brutal. I decided I'd go out at my fave go-to spot 'sharks' which is right next to a popular short board spot called the Hook. So I drive down to Santa Cruz and don't even look at the surf and change into my suit as quick as I can. But, ho man, I don't see the waves, but I can hear 'em! The parking lot was packed which is a sign that there's got to be some decent surf. I ask some guys how it was and they said it was fun out and that I'd have a good time. One of them teasing me for taking my log out on a bigger day. But, hey, if any board can be ridden on big waves my board can handle it.
So I tip toe my way to the top of the stairs and watch the waves for a moment. Ahhh...beautiful day, and beautiful waves. Many of them were connecting all the way from second peak and some even from first peak of the hook all the way to sharks! This was a day where you had to definitely be a little more aggressive to get waves. Have fun, but still have yo game face on.
Every time I paddle out I try not to get my hair wet in hopes of staying warmer longer. That definitely did not happen this day. The waves were big and the white water big too. Trying to hop my way over the white water was out of the question. Once I got out to the line up I sat and watched for a little bit. many of the waves were connecting and the sand that had filled into the little cove had definitely created a small shift in the wave. It was peaking in a slightly different spot.
I caught a couple of good waves that day. Most sets were rolling in the head high slightly overhead height which was super fun. But I also had fun playing on the inside with some of the waist high waves.
Right off the bat, I had decided that I wanted to work on my steps today. I had been able to manage a couple cross steps here and there, but I wanted toes to the nose status. Figuring out how many steps and placement on my board has been a definite process and I'm still figuring it out. But, this day, after taking my first wave, I can honestly say that cross stepping felt the most fluid and natural that it had even been thus far. Which means....yay!! Indo board training is working!!!
So my wave of the day: I had shifted down a little bit in order to get waves that weren't being torn apart by the shorties. But when the sets rolled through in the right angle, I was in the right spot. I really forget how I caught the wave, but I distinctly remember taking a couple steps forward then backwards. Then took 2 steps forwards again. I knew my position on the wave was where the wave speeds up, this meant I needed to speed up too in order to stay with the section. My usual first instinct is to just keep my feet planted and to step on the pedal. And, I was so surprised that my first 2 cross steps were so solid that I almost forgot to think about taking 2 more steps to the nose. But, this time I remembered. And I acted. Toes to the Nose!! Hangin 5, a little wobbly, but I had a solid 3-4 second nose ride before I kicked out! Feels like you're on the edge of the world.
Probably not my most graceful moment of the day, but definitely a moment to remember. There's something very special about nose riding that I don't know if I could experience on a short board. It's nothing but you and the wave. Nothing else is in front, or in your periphery but ocean curl. It's pretty amazing.
FRIDAY SURF.
conditions: awesome again
wave height: smaller but still awesome
state of being: much less rushed but still had work in the afternoon
I have been limiting my time in the water because I have some pretty important tests in school coming up, but I made an exception for this day. Surf was good, it was a beautiful day, and I needed a break from life. It's been a busy couple of months.
So I had a late start and when driving over the hill a huge curtain of fog appeared. The closer I got to the hook, the foggier it got. I got to the parking lot and it was packed and it seemed nobody was leaving. Good sign perhaps. Surf must be good. So I parked on the street and ran over to the ledge to take a peak. Couldn't seen one thing because it was so foggy. Most of the guys were joking around about how you'd just have to paddle out to see what the surf looked like. And even then you can't even really tell if there's a set coming until it's about to break on you. Yes, it was THAT foggy.
not sure if you can tell...but this was DENSE fog.
So I paddle out, and yea it's foggy. Everyone was pretty much guessing where the waves were going to break. But when the sets came in, ho bah, they were fun! The height had dropped off a little bit from Thursday but still had some size to it.
I saw quite a few friends out that day and spent some time catching up and chillin'. But, I definitely got my fare share of waves. I was paddling around second bowl at the hook for a while pickin off some of the smaller waves that the shorties couldn't catch and practicing my steps. But, I saw a few larger sets roll over to sharks and decided that's where I wanted to be. So I paddled over there and waited with some other long boarders. It was still pretty foggy but I picked off a few nugs by just waitin' further on the outside so I could see them coming before some of the other guys. But, the fog eventually cleared.
Waves of the day: I don't think that I'm that great of a surfer compared to some guys out there, but I definitely surfed well for myself that day. I caught a handful of waves and all of them I took around 6-10 steps on my board on each wave. I had a rhythm going that I've never had before. Step forward. Step back. Cut back. Reposition. Step forward. Step back.
I got one decent nose ride which I rode down the face and was crouched low. My back foot ended up slipping out and I tried to counteract it by putting more weight on my front foot which was at the nose. I let my back foot drag in the wave for a second, but the wave was so powerful that it spun me around on top of my board. Hahaha. I started laughing because I was now riding this chest high wave sitting down backwards still in the pocket of the wave. I also passed another fellow surfer whom was just as amused as I was, watching me spin around to my bottom and butt ride down the line. I spread my arms out in aloha and rode it for a while until I rolled out of it.
I have to say the most fun part of this day besides the rhythm I created for myself, were the kick outs I had. I dropped in on a couple of big wave close outs but did it just for the drop and the kick out launch. I was having a lot of fun seeing how many different flips I could do exiting the wave. Hahaha. I managed to get a lot of water up my nose and in my ears after this though. Oh well. Twas worth it.
Okay, this brings me to an end of my surf for the week. We'll see if I get wet next week or not. I'm not sure if every blog that I do will always be about surf. As I was creating myself an account I was asking myself what exactly I was creating this for. Well, I'm not quite sure, but perhaps in hopes to continue to motivate, inspire, innovate, and grow within. And in turn, hopefully make a positive difference throughout. So join me, in my blogger journey and I will in yours as well :)
