I'm Not Over 50 Yet, But My Knee Was

I guess I'm still an (almost) babe to some of you since I turn 47 next month. I'm looking at 50. I see it there in the not-so-distant future. And, believe it or not, I'm excited by it. So, I asked to join the blog now.

The picture above was taken a few days after I had my knee replaced in April 2009. I was 45. My knee was that of someone in her 60's or 70's. It's now the knee of the Six Million Dollar Man or Bionic Woman. It's metallic and solid.

Surfing is not a problem. Skateboarding is not a problem. Swimming? Running? Dancing? Hiking? I can do all of it.

I say all this to explain that joint replacement does not necessarily prevent you from continuing with your athletic lifestyle regardless of your age. It seems to be in the future of many people I know who are over 50. They, like me, wore their joints out from decades of being active. Many of my friends fear the prospect of joint replacement. I can honestly say it saved me from spending the second half of my life being inactive. That would have killed me. I plan to stay athletic until my entire body finally gives out. Then I will sit back, tired as hell, and celebrate what I hope to be a long life of athleticism.

I have every intention of being as fabulous in my 50's as I think I am in my 40's!

Thanks for allowing me to join the blog.

Mary

That does it, I quit.

I've been fighting it for a long time, but I've decided the time has come for me to just give in and accept it. I'm getting older and my physical attributes are in decline. I have to quit...living in denial, that is!

I have to accept the idea that if I want to continue to surf I need to start working out and cross training. Ugh. I hate "working out". Exercising for the sake of exercising. It seems so mindless. But, the alternative is to start gravitating toward even bigger boards and shorter sessions and even longer recovery times. Now I don't mind the getting older part or the idea of being eventually forced into bigger boards. I'm actually looking forward to the learning curve that goes with surfing a longboard well. But I'm still having fun on the sub-6ft (fattie) boards and I'm not looking forward to leaving those behind just yet.

Lucky for me that my son (he's 27) has entered into a period of introspection in his life. It seems that, having married and settled into being the adult and being the dad of a pre-schooler, he's put on some weight and he's no longer the skinny kid who can inhale a 1500 calorie carne asada burrito without feeling bloated for a week. He's put on some pounds and the strategy that worked for him a couple years ago (cutting down on his wife's pasta) isn't working so well for him this year.

Yeah, on a certain level I *AM* gloating, 'cause I know what's in store for him after 30. And 40. And 50. It was just a couple years ago he was giving me a hard time for dieting - he's not laughing anymore.

Since none of his buddies are available to workout with him he hit me up. I guess you could say I was his last resort. S'okay, because I wasn't all that anxious to volunteer in the first place. But, having been drafted to provide him with some external motivation I reckon I should consider this an opportunity to see him more often and maybe do something for my fat ass in the process.

So today we hit the gym. Now, having avoided the gym for most of my adult life, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had some preconceived notions about gym culture, but as it turns out the family gym wasn't as meathead-heavy as I had expected. Little old ladies, middle aged guys who are even more obese that me, a couple moms and everyone in between. Okay, so maybe I don't stand out too badly.

We found a couple of the elliptical machines, which interest me because I don't have to worry as much about my knees or the repetitive striking motion of running. Since I hadn't brought my reading glasses with me my son had to read the fine print on the instructions for me. Classic, right? We decided on a 30-minute interval and I entered my age and weight and hit the "cardio" button. It took me about 3 minutes to hit my target heart rate of 134/minute and I ended up running about 145-150 for the duration 'cause I was afraid it would get harder if I slowed down.

I did break a sweat, and I did finish without collapsing, so I guess I can call it good. After that we hit a couple of the abdominal machines and took a look around and that was that.

As it turns out it wasn't so bad. I wasn't completely bored, I didn't end up being real sore and I didn't overstress anything - which was what I was really concerned about.

Maybe I can do this after all. While I'm at it perhaps now is a good time to get back into limiting my starch intake. It would be nice to drop 20 lbs (or more), and I'm sure a weight loss like that would help me extend my current level of surfing for a while longer yet.

Maybe next time I'll try to add a couple more exercises, just to see how it goes.

email from the Pendo people!

Hello

We came across your blog via SurfMatters today and enjoy reading it very much, stoked. My husband Steve and I surf and mat ride regularly. We are both over 50. We are so stoked and grateful to surf, still.

Every wave is a gift. We both began surfing in the mid-1960s. My husband Steve Pendarvis makes the Pendoflex boards. There is a little clip of Steve matt surfing on the Surfmatters blog now.

Our web site is pendo.com.

Thanks for all that you're doing, keep surfing and stay stoked!

Aloha,
Cher Pendarvis
San Diego

(Huck's note: I have invited Cher to join our blog as a contributor - cowabunga!!)

Robert Parker in Bali

I received this email from Robert Parker:

Was in Bali for 2 months surfing this winter. I am a 65 year old surfer and have been surfing since 1963. If you would like to see my blog about Bali, please Google Oceanautic Adventures and you will find photos and journal of my surfing adventures there.

Aloha and Mahalo, Robert Parker

http://oceanauticadventures.blogspot.com/

I "borrowed" the image of Robert surfing, from Robert's blog (hope that's OK Robert) - check out his blog if you'd like to see more. But be forewarned, there are lots of pictures, so its kinda slow loading.

I have invited Robert to be a contributing author to this blog. Cowabunga! - Huck

Hi, I recently stumbled on the blog, and am happy to find it.

I'm 57, my wife and I live in NE Connecticut, and discovered surfing only about five or six years ago. Turns out that Rhode Island surf spots are close, and I've gotten good enough to be pretty comfortable at the local point break in mid-size surf. I've been riding a 9'6" longboard, but recently bought a secondhand 8'6" thruster - something to work toward.

These days I'm surfing all I can (man, those 6-5-4's are hard to get out of), and when I can't, then as much as possible I'm working out, trying to get into better condition, and building paddling muscles. Things can get pretty flat in RI, but the next swell will come, and I've got to be ready for it! If the movie Surfing for Life is any indication, I should be able to surf for a long time to come.

But I haven't yet learned how to tell the difference between Mrs. Palmer's for warm water and Mrs. Palmer's for cool water when I lose the boxes...

I'm absolutely knackered.............

..........because I have had three surf sessions over the last two days.

Yesterday, I had my new big and beautiful blue 10' single fin out in perfect peeling rights in the morning and then finished off the day further round the bay on my bodyboard in bigger and faster rights including one wave which would have to count as the longest I have ever had on a bodyboard. By the end of the ride, my right calf was really aching because I was working so hard using my fin to hold into the face that it was somewhat of a relief when it did end, right on the beach among the seaweed!

This morning, feeling a little like I really didn't need another session, I was again on the 10' single fin looking for the peeling rights from the previous day but they were not there unfortunately.

So I paddled a little further around the bay to some close outs, that were breaking into a bit of a hole, so at least I got a little face time and a lot of that much desired wave condition "By myself". The swell appeared to have come a up a little so I headed back to the point and those little right hand peelers were working again and I got three really, really excellent rides before the tide came in and it stopped working again. Just got to be in the right place at the right time!

Incidentally, we had a 6 metre swell over the weekend and knowing it would be too much for me, I took my video camera down and shot the following footage, of the many that were willing to brave it, if you are interested.

Anyway, I don't know about you guys, but I am finding that after that much surfing, my body is just not coping as well as it was when I was a little younger.

Mind you, when I first started surfing 8 and a half years ago, I found the walk up the beach trying, would only last a little while in the water and needed a couple of days get over it before I could go surfing again!

So it is all relative I guess but it definitely looks like it is going to be an increasingly obvious issue.

I think one of the key contributors is hydration and I keep forgetting to take on some water before I go surfing rather than relying on doing so after a surf and having trouble actually getting enough fluid in to myself.

I also think that a loss of flexibility is also problematic. I find I have to give my calves a good stretch in the morning before I actually stand up otherwise I am hobbling around like a much older man for a few minutes. After spending sometime over at Pranaglider's blog, I have also tentatively restarted a yoga practise again after many years of "I must get around to it soon!"

Unfinished Business

After nearly thirty five years of living on or near the Southern Ocean I have now belatedly returned to live on the Australian Pacific Coast. This was my first home, the mystical the place of my youth, where I first earned my spurs as a surfer, but I ultimately left the small coastal town I came from to pursue work and career opportunities.

While I have been fortunate to enjoy half a lifetime of great waves with good friends in many fine places, I always felt I left a lot of unfinished business back in the water where I came from. Favorable circumstances have now allowed me to return to my origins and I am back in the subtropics living within a five minute walk to the nearest break.

From the first moment I stood upright on a board I became completely committed to never leaving the water until they carted me out. At the age of 55 I am more determined than ever to make good on that commitment. So I am traveling full circle and betting the mellow, warm water waves that I remember from my youth, if combined with plenty of stretching and healthy living, will allow me to log a lot more time in the tube for an awful lot longer.

A Call for Contributing Authors

This blog currently has 6 actively contributing authors. We'd like to add some more to the roster, and get some added imput from you stoked surfers who just don't want to quit surfing and being stoked!

You don't have to be a surfer over 50 to be an author - just someone who is determined to stay fit, enjoy the active lifestyle, and never stop being stoked no matter how old you are!

If you'd like to join our blog as an active contributor, please email Huck. Just scroll down to the list of contributing authors, click Huck, then click email under my pic. Look forward to hearing from ya'!

Mahalo nui loa! to Gdaddy, goomba271, Monty, Ramsnake, & Fergus McDingo!!

Thanks to those of you who keep this blog alive! I love surfing, but find at my age, its a lot tougher to stay out there in the lineup.

I live a few hours from the ocean now, and I don't have any fellow surfers in my neighborhood, so I rely on this blog for tips, pointers, info, and keeping up the stoke! This blog has seven followers (6 besides me!), and I get email support and appreciation as well, so your work does not go unnoticed

Props to those of you who have shared and contributed to making this blog worth having, and worth reading

Here's a pic of me with my latest homebuilt hollow wooden surfboard at the 'bu!

Derek Hynd, 53 years old, one eye, no fin - check it out!!