Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Cross Training

For Thanksgiving I met P__, S__ and A__ in Costa Rica. Among other things, we took surf lessons. If you haven't tried it, I can offer a cheap way to get the experience: have a friend throw bowling balls at you for two hours and then take a belt sander to your chest.

S__ and I discussed at the beginning that surfers seem to be the fittest of the various "extreme sport" athletes. While skiers come in all shapes and sizes, have you ever seen an out-of-shape surfer? I quickly learned why. First you paddle on the surfboard to the waves. Then you fight with the waves as they try to rip the surfboard out of your hands. Then you paddle to the waves. Then you do a rapid push-up to stand. Then paddle. Then a rapid push-up. Then fight to keep your head above water. Then paddle. I could go on.

It's perhaps no accident that most of the world's great triathletes come from Australia, which -- if Point Break didn't lie to me -- is also a major surfing mecca.

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