Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Surf Fitness for Surf Travel

Last week I had the opportunity to join a good friend for a quick trip to Centro America for 6 days of surfing, sunning, fresh fish, cold beers and plenty of hammock time. I knew about the trip for about a month, and with fairly inconsistent surf in Central Cal this time a year, I made sure I trained hard the month before I left. My weekly workout diet leading up to the trip consisted of two to three Surf Stronger workouts per week, two swims, and the occasional surf or skate session. I'm happy to report the training paid off! Upon our arrival, the swell was pumping: 6-8 foot beach break heaving onto the tropical beach. Awhooo! We paddled out at dusk to a hungry, competitive crowd and caught a few nice ones. For the rest of the week we surfed two to three times per day (with the surf never dropping below head high) and got our fair share of waves. I gotta say, the heat and dehydration got to me every session before any fatigue or soreness. It's trips like these where you really notice how well fitness can pay off for surfing!

The author, right place, right time.