12-19-2025 Ride

This ride had an annoying start. When I went out to my bike I noticed that my front tire had a sidewall tear, enough for the tube to be sticking out. So I replaced the tire with an old one with some mileage left on it and headed out through the neighborhood. Then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, stopping by the water tower to take a picture of a great nativity scene featuring a kneeling Santa. To CdS, taking it to the 56 bike path, including a detour through that Del Sur neighborhood to the right of CdS. I saw that the bike path was going to be closed for a marathon race on Saturday and let the Bisikleta riders know. Then I rode down to ECR and headed south. At this point I stopped my ride and restarted it, attempting to get my power meter to connect. No luck, so I replaced the battery and that did the trick. Up ECR to Carmel Mountain Rd, continuing up to the top, where I stopped at that little park to pee before turning onto Del Mar Mesa Rd and riding to Carmel Country Rd. Down the hill and back to the 56 bike path, taking it up to Carmel Valley Rd. Rode this back to CdS, trying to push the pace on the last little climb but getting frustrated when my chain dropped and I had to stop to put it back on. Back CdS to Paseo del Sur, taking this over to Del Sur Ridge Rd and riding over to Lone Quail Rd. From there, I took the normal route back via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. This was a fairly easy-paced ride, didn't push too hard at any time and took it slow at other times.

Part 1

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 19.7 mi

Estimated avg power = 128 W

Total elevation gain = 940'

Avg heartrate = 113 bpm (coospo)

Relative Effort = 19

https://www.strava.com/activities/16786177442

Part 2

Avg speed = 15.9 mph. Total mileage = 21.3 mi

Avg power = 155 W. Weighted avg power = 176 W

Total elevation gain = 1420'

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 40

Training Load = 95

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/16786745132

When I got home, I watched a little TV, showered, then got ready to run some errands. T Mobile had a promotion for a cheap large cheese pizza that I cashed in, so I rode over to east Escondido and picked up my pizza. Had to hunt around for a while to find a suitable place to sit and eat, but I was successful. Then I rode over to the thrift store on Valley Pkwy and was able to find a cheap picture frame to mount my latest Bisikleta certificate in the garage. Then I rode to the See's candy shop on Valley Pkwy and bought some for Ann for Christmas, no California brittle unfortunately. Last stop in Escondido was at Dick's Sporting Goods, where I picked up my shirt and number for the Charlie Brown Christmas run with Caleb on Saturday morning. Home from there, where I had a rest for a bit, including a little nap, then read as well. We (Ann) drove down to Encinitas in the late afternoon, intending to go to Moonlight Beach and see the sunset. But it was quite foggy, so no chance to see the sun. Instead we drove to Leucadia and had dinner at La Especial Norte. My bean and rice burrito was pretty good, nothing really special. We had some time before the show started, so we drove to downtown Encinitas, parked on a side street, and had a drink at the 1st Street Bar. Then we walked to the La Paloma Theater for the Melody League Christmas Show, a benefit concert for the Switchfoot Bro-Am Foundation. At the concert we met Darrin and Terry Eaton, friends of Yosi Boublil. Ann talked to Terry at the concert where we saw Sean Watkins and The Lonesome Roses. They are nice people, and it's a small world that we both know Yosi. Here was the concert line-up:

    Titus Houg
    Shua and Marcus Patterson
    Molly Pardin, Matthew Wright
    Jordy Searcy
    Telephone Friends, featuring John Van Deusen
    John Foreman (lead singer for Switchfoot) and Friends

All of the performers were good, and the concert was over two and a half hours long. The theater itself is pretty run-down, and the seats weren't comfortable, but we still had a really good time. Will look forward to making this an annual event to attend the concert. I drove home, taking a route that was more well-lit, perhaps a little longer but easier to navigate.

12-18-2025 Swim

Slept pretty well and long, for me (<!>). I was supposed to meet Avi at the WWC for a swim at 9:30 instead of our usual time, so I had the opportunity to move the tables and chairs into the garage, eat a little breakfast, and generally chill. Got ready for my swim and rode over there. He told me about the numbness and tingling he has been experiencing on his left side, no clear diagnosis yet, but it has been getting slowly and steadily better with time. My camera wouldn't turn on, low battery, so I don't have accurate times for the intervals below, just estimates. Estimated total workout time is 29:37, not including breaks.

Warmup 250

    4:45

5 100s at 2:00 intervals

    1:40

    1:45

    1:50

    1:50

    1:45

6 50s at 1:00 intervals

    0:46

    0:50

    0:50

    0:50

    0:50

    0:47

100 with breaststroke, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle

    2:20

2 stroke-lengthening 100s

    2:00

    2:00 (with pull buoy)

Cool-down 250 (with pull buoy)

    4:49

Avg pace = 1:51/100 yds (Estimated, not counting pauses)

Total distance = 1600 yds

Elapsed moving time = 29:37 (Estimated)

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Zepp, including pauses)

Relative Effort =  51 (possible)

SWOLF = 56 (including pauses)

Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.18 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/16779185126

Had something to eat when I got home and watched a little TV before loading the tables and chairs into the car and returning them to Perse at his house. I finished watching the TV show when I got home. Had a little nap in the afternoon, after Ann went to Mah-Jongg. Then I went downstairs and worked on the garage, intent on doing a deeper search for my Google TV puck. Of course, I found it within about 5 minutes of looking for it, which was fantastic. Spent a fair amount of time cleaning up that corner of the garage, which was dirty and disorganized. I also went through the solar lights, old and new, that we have used for camping, to see which ones work and which ones don't. I have put rechargeable batteries in all of them, and I will wait to see if the batteries charge before throwing others away. In the evening, Ann and I went down to La Jolla Playhouse to see Burnout Paradise, a semi-comedic show featuring four people on treadmills performing various tasks and activities while trying to clock running 12 miles as a team. I didn't know what to expect, but the show was incredibly entertaining, frenetic, funny, and in some ways exhausting. These four runners took turns at four stations: cooking a meal for two audience members, writing a grant proposal, performing individualized entertainment, and humorously completing a series of random tasks. The show lasted about an hour, and it was basically non-stop other than for breaks to change places. Very quirky and original, we both loved it. Home after that, I was still hungry so had a bowl of cereal before I went to sleep.

12-17-2025 Walk

Got up, pretty good night's rest, no eating in the middle of the night. Got ready for the bus ride downtown and scootered over to the RB Transit Center. No problems getting downtown and to the courthouse, where I dropped off my lunch in the jury room and then waited by the courtroom. At the lunch break, I ate my lunch in the jury room and then went for a walk around downtown, taking Kettner Blvd down to Market St and then walking through the Gaslamp Quarter, eventually getting as far east as 10th Ave before I started heading back, mostly on Broadway. The bus ride after the afternoon court session ran into heavier than usual traffic on I-15, so I was late getting back to my scooter. Rode it, also in heavy RB traffic, over to Mongolian Stir Fresh to have dinner with Ann, John, Vivian, Jayden, Jim, and Krista. This restaurant is closing on Sunday, so it was our last chance to eat there. Food was decent, I ended up speaking mostly with Jim and Krista about our travels. I found out that Krista grew up in Jersey Village and went to Baylor, so we swapped some stories about our university days. That was fun. Rode home and then watched some TV before heading to bed.

12-16-2025 Walk/Virtual Ride

Slept okay, got ready to head downtown for jury duty. No issues to get down there, drop my lunch in the jury room, and arrive at the courtroom. I talked to another juror who worked for HP, and we shared our work and travel experiences. Was in court in the morning, then I ate my lunch in the jury room before going for a short walk around downtown. I walked over to the Civic Center Plaza, where there was supposed to be music and food carts, but it was really disappointing, so I didn't stop. Got some gummy bears at Ralphs and headed back to the courtroom for the afternoon session. The bus ride home was also uneventful, we had dinner, then I went into the garage to set up my trainer for a workout. It was frustrating because I was inefficient in getting what I needed for the workout. I couldn't find my Google TV puck, not sure where I put it, also very frustrating. But I got it set up, then rewatched an episode of Ozark on my garage Roku while I rode at tempo for an hour. It took some time to get up to tempo, and I started to run out of gas in the last 10 minutes.

Avg speed = 19.5 mph. Total mileage = 21.2 mi

Avg power = 168 W. Weighted avg power = 182 W

Total elevation gain = 100'

Avg heartrate = 137 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 60

Training Load = 72

Intensity = 83%

https://www.strava.com/activities/16764104540

I was soaked through at the end, so it was strenuous. Had a shower after I was done and then cooled down before reading a little bit prior to going to sleep.

12-15-2025 Run

Slept okay, was asleep early but got up hungry a little after midnight. So I went downstairs and had some cereal. Back to sleep after that. I went for a run in foggy weather after I got up, the 5k route down by the park and back. Right leg felt a little better than it has in past runs, I'm still taking it easy on my pace.

Avg pace = 8:50/mi

Total distance = 3.22 mi

Elapsed moving time = 28:27

Avg heartrate = 121 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 6

https://www.strava.com/activities/16749216460

Shaved and showered when I got home, I had to rush a bit. Ann made coffee for me, which was nice. I cleaned the pots and pans and tidied the kitchen before packing a lunch and heading out. Got to the Transit Center in plenty of time, there are two others, Phil and Tui, who are on the jury taking a bus from this same location. Ride downtown was uneventful, I put my lunch in the jury room refrigerator this time and got to the courtroom around 8:35. The day in court went basically as planned. I spent the lunch break in the jury room, eating, looking at my phone, and reading. Straightforward ride home and a fairly quiet evening, where I watched some TV before heading to bed.

12-14-2025 Palomar East Grade Ride

This turned out to be a pretty good day on the bike. I took my time getting ready for the ride, unloaded all of the drinks from the coolers and packed them back up. I bought way too much beer and soda, when will I ever learn? Did some more clean-up from the party, then I packed my stuff into my backpack and met John, who showed up around 8:00. We loaded the bike into the back and were off, got to the La Jolla Trading Post store off the 76 a little after 9:00. Had a good conversation on the way there, talking about sports mostly. I bought a coffee (only $1.35) at the general store and had a pee. Paula and Catalin showed up around 9:40, and we were rolling a little after 9:30. There was a short downhill on the 76 heading east before it started with a gradual climb. I initially kept my pace dialed back, and Paula was there behind me for the first several miles. Eventually she couldn't hold the pace and dropped back without me knowing it. I kept going and then stopped to wait for her and the others at the turn onto East Grade Rd. We took a couple of photos and then started up the climb, getting to a point where there was a decent view of Lake Henshaw. Stopped and took a group photo there, then we continued on. Paula and I were out front, and she and I stopped for another photo a little further up, before the road turned away from the lake. We rode together and in front of the others for the first four and a half miles, where it flattened out and briefly descended. We stopped there and waited for Catalin and John to show up. They kept going, and we rode to catch up to them. Around this time, I stopped to pee, getting behind the others again. When I got back on, I picked up my speed and rode closer to my normal pace for the second half of the climb. I was about a minute and a half slower on the second half than my PR but felt like I put in a good effort, setting a number of PRs on the smaller segments comprising the second half. I waited quite a while at the split for the road to the county park for, initially, Catalin and, later, Paula and John to show up. Catalin and I chatted while we were waiting. We rode down to Mother's Kitchen and took a short break there, taking some photos. I also had another pee. Then we rode to the Observatory. I ended up setting a PR (15:47, 211 W, 152 bpm) on the two and a half mile climb up to the Observatory, felt pretty good on the climb, and it was a good day for riding. This was the third fastest time ever on Strava for my age group, that was nice. I waited by the entrance to the Observatory grounds for the others to get there, then we rode, slowly, on the path up to the Observatory. We rode around the Observatory to take a picture of it in the sun, then Paula and Catalin went in to see it, they had never been inside. Some more pics out front, then we started heading back. I put my arm warmers on, was glad I did, since it was cool in the shade on the descent on Canfield Rd. Right near the bottom Catalin hit a rock in the road and got a flat on his front tire. John rode ahead while I helped him fix the flat, then the three of us rode the one and a half mile climb back to Mother's Kitchen. On the way up I stopped to take a picture of the Observatory from a distance, and I still ended up setting a PR (10:34, 205 W, 149 bpm) for this climb. That put me sixth all-time in my age group, would have been higher if I hadn't stopped to take the photos. Got to the top and waited with John for the others to show up. We had a very short break and then headed down South Grade Rd. I was seven seconds off my PR for the descent, decent weather but riding from bright sunlight into heavy shadow slowed me down somewhat. John came down next, then Paula followed by Catalin. We rode the last three and a half miles back to the cars, I was out in front and pushing a little harder on any of the flat or slightly ascending sections. John wasn't too far behind.

Avg speed = 13.2 mph. Total mileage = 37.9 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W

Total elevation gain = 4430'

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 109

Training Load = 187

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/16744666863

After the ride, which was very successful for all, we had cake that Catalin had made along with sodas and a chat. Then John and I drove back home, talking a little about the back story of Jayden and his IVF origins in Malaysia. Surprisingly, I wasn't starved when I got home, ate a little bit and was fine. I watched some TV before dinner and caught up on blogging after that. Read some in the evening before turning in.

12-13-2025 Ride

Slept pretty well but got up a little early (<>). I got ready for the Bisikleta ride, which was a shorter one because of the Christmas party. I left early enough to be able to ride through the neighborhood and then take the new extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. When I got to the 4S Target, Perse was the only other rider in the parking lot, and I was concerned that it would be a very light turnout. But people started showing up, and by the end we had ten riders, more than we have had in a while. Here were the riders who started with us: Perse, Ray, Jed, Arnold, James, Kamal, Aaron, Fritz, and Cam. It was a little foggy when I had ridden over, and as we rode out CdS we started seeing some of this foggy layer. Wasn't too long before Aaron zoomed out in front of us, he needed to ride quickly to get home and go pick up his son from UCR. The fog got thicker and mistier as we turned onto San Dieguito Rd, and it was thick, with wet roads, at the bottom of the hill. Right on El Apajo, and over Via de Santa Fe to Calzada del Bosque, taking it up to Linea del Cielo. The pace was about average up to the climb, and I got out in front and pushed it a bit. Cam was able to stay fairly close to me, and others, Arnold next, made it to the top. I ended up setting a PR (4:09, 262 W, 148 bpm) on this climb, which is the third-fastest ever on Strava for someone in my age group, pretty cool. We took Linea del Cielo nearly into downtown RSF, turning left on El Fuego to bypass the village and get over to La Granada. A left turn there and the short, sharp climb followed. I got out in the lead again, Perse tried to follow and went into the red, without my knowing it. To La Bajada and down the hill to turn onto RSF Rd, taking it up to Manchester Ave, where we turned left. We stayed on this road through the left turn and after it turned into San Elijo Ave. Stopped briefly at the 7-Eleven at the corner of Chesterfield Dr, where Fritz said he needed to get back soon and didn't want to take a long break. So he, Kamal, and I left early, taking Chesterfield Dr over to PCH and heading back south. We made pretty good time, Fritz and I generally traded leads and didn't push the pace so hard that we would drop Kamal. Back to VdlV, taking that to ECR and over to San Dieguito Rd. We started out riding together on the flats here, but at some point when I was in the lead we dropped Kamal. We waited for him by the gas station before the Three Witches climb, and he told us to ride ahead, he was going to turn right on CdS anyway. So Fritz and I rode up the first two pitches of the climb together, I was riding at his pace. On the final pitch, I got in front and turned it up a notch, and Fritz couldn't keep up. We connected back at the turn onto CdS and rode together the rest of the way back to the Target parking lot.

Avg speed = 16.7 (16.9) mph. Total mileage = 41.5 mph.

Bisikleta route avg speed = 17.6 mph

Avg power = 149 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Total elevation gain = 2340' (2660')

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 72 (73)

Training Load = 187

Intensity = 82%

https://www.strava.com/activities/16733491072

I didn't stay long there, rode back home the straight shot way to save time. Ann had gone to World Market, so I started in on the to-do list that she had made. I swept the front porch and put up some solar lights along the sidewalk by the east side of the house. When she got back, I made a run to Von's, actually two runs, since I forgot to buy the ice on the first run. Frustrating! Loaded the drinks into the coolers, then I made the eggnog base, which involves a lot of stirring while the mixture heats up. The custard got just a bit lumpy because I was using the wrong thermometer to monitor the temperature, but it ended up tasting okay. Had a shower and changed, then folks started showing up a little after 2:00. There was a ton of good, and it seemed like everybody brought something to drink, even though we had stocked up on drinks ourselves. We had a very good turnout, and all seemed to have a good time, although the relatively few kids were probably bored. Had dinner, then after dinner we handed out awards, which were a hit, and held the raffle drawings. Ann and I ended up winning the grand prize, a 43" TV, not sure what we will do with it, maybe Emily and Caleb will take it. Everybody left by about 7:30, and we didn't have a whole lot to do for clean-up. Did that, then went to lay down and rest/recover from the party.