Dolphin Zone....

Decided to do the paddle board classic last week. Mostly because the Lazy Dog crew is doing it and also they assured me I'd be ok. I didn't believe them until they told me about how a search crew went looking for them during last year's race cause they stopped too many places for beer.

I figured what the hell, I'm in.

Then the reality of a 12 mile paddle set in and two days ago I thought I better start "training". I'm not interested in racing, just going the distance. I paddled all the way around Stock Island to test my stamina a few days ago. Afterwards, I thought - holy crap what did I just get myself into?

Yup, right on schedule.

After telling the kitchen crew last night about my sign up, one freaked out and mentioned how he knew someone that's been training for weeks. The other guy kindly told him not to scare me.

So this morning I decided I needed to try the Stock Island circle again and find the zone. What that was I had no idea but figured I'd know when I'd know.

One thing was immediately clear, I need to create a Itunes mix with some mellow rhythmic music to match the pace. Dolly Parton was a surprisingly good choice today. Thinking of loading up on some country for the island stroll.

After testing a few things out, I started to hit the zone. I could feel it. I closed my eyes to feel it more and as I opened them I saw a fin in the distance. My zone quickly broke, as the excitement set in.

A dolphin!

It came straight toward me coming within just a few feet of my board. He playfully turned on his side while checking me out zooming by. I stood in awe as he circled a couple more times before heading out to the Gulf.

Unbelievable and I found the zone! It felt amazing getting off the water today.

That alone was worth signing up for the race.