09-08-2026 Ride

Maybe too much caffeine the previous day, I woke up around 1:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up and watched some TV. After that I was able to sleep, waking up around 6:20. Didn't have a lot of time to get ready for a coffee ride, so I gathered my stuff, prepped my bike, and rode over to Albertson's to meet up with the others. On this coffee ride we had Andy, Nel, Cam, and Cynthia (a rider whom Andy met from an RB retiree's cycling group). We headed north, taking the now normal neighborhood roads to avoid having to ride on Pomerado Rd as much as possible. Down to Pomerado Rd and then over Lake Hodges via the pedestrian bridge. We got to BVP, and Cynthia split up from us, as she didn't want to take the longer way to our coffee spot. Not sure which route she took. We kept on BVP up to Sunset Dr, turning there and riding up to Juniper St. On this stretch Cam, Nel, and I put in a bigger effort than usual, and we waited for Andy to catch up at the turn. We took Juniper St all the way to Grand Ave and turned left there, riding down to A Delight of France, which wasn't open yet. About five minutes later Cynthia showed up, so we were all back together. We got in when they opened at 8:00, had coffee and almond croissants, and sat indoors to enjoy the A/C. Chatted about 9/11 (25th anniversary coming this Friday) and COVID lockdown experiences, among other topics. It had been cloudy on the way over, humid but not too hot yet. When we rode back, the sun was out, so it was noticeably hotter but not yet uncomfortably hot. We rode down to Escondido Blvd and then took it to El Ku Ave to get to Kit Carson Park. Home the normal way through the mall and across the pedestrian bridge. Cam and I split off at W Bernardo Dr, while the others headed up Pomerado Rd. I got home around 9:30, pretty good timing for the expected heat coming during the day. 

Avg speed = 13.9 mph. Total mileage = 19.2 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 143 W

Total elevation gain = 980'

Avg heartrate = 110 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 19

Training Load = 68%

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20090321240

Also on a positive note, my brakes didn't squeal after I made the adjustments the previous day, and my shifting was also a lot smoother. So, new wheels are working well. With this knowledge, I switched back to my DT Swiss wheels, using the new rotors. I also swapped out the SPD MTB pedals on my Fuji bike after charging the Assioma pedals. We talked to Jeff Ross about our investments in late morning, made only minor changes. I had a quiet afternoon, read both books in progress, avoided napping. Later in the afternoon I used Claude's assistance to modify my cycling analysis code to display a route map and elevation profile that are linked to display position on the map, distance, and gradient simultaneously. It is actually pretty cool. I watched some TV while Ann was at bells.

09-07-2026 Ride

Slept okay, even with the previous day's naps. I woke up a little after 5:00, read for a while. Then I got up and ate some bread and cheese for breakfast. Then I received a text from Rob about meeting for a ride. I got ready and then rode over to his house the normal way. He was ready to ride, so we headed up to RB Rd and took it at measured pace to Dove Canyon Rd. Rob was slow but had been riding some, so he wasn't that slow. We rode over to CVR and took it up to Black Mountain Rd and then down the hill. Rob wanted to keep going straight, so we rode on to Rancho Santa Fe Farms Rd (not counting a false turn through a neighborhood) and took it over to the 56 bike path. Headed back to CdS, again at Rob's pace, not pushing it. We then took CdS all the way back to RB Rd, turned there, and rode to Mostra Coffee (Rob's preferred shop), where we stopped and had a nice conversation about recent activities and some work topics. We headed home after that, through the neighborhood. It was a nice little ride for me, I hope he enjoyed it as well.

Avg speed = 13.5 mph. Total mileage = 22.9 mi

Avg power = 109 W. Weighted avg power = 134 W

Total elevation gain = 1460'

Avg heartrate = 107 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 19

Training Load = 68

Intensity = 61%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20076306805

Got home, read some more, then watched a little TV and had some toast as a second breakfast. In the late morning I went out in the garage and tried to readjust my rear brakes so they wouldn't squeal and wouldn't rub either. Made some adjustments, we'll see how they work out. If this doesn't work, I'll swap out the rear rotor with my older rotor that doesn't have as much wear. I also tried to change the rear derailleur Microadjust setting to optimize it more for this wheel. Settings shown below.

DT Swiss wheel rear derailleur Microadjust setting - 5

EliteWheels wheel rear derailleur Microadjust setting - 12

In the afternoon I looked through my paint cans to find the right one for painting the gate caps. I think it's the large Sherwin-Williams can with beige paint, the color seems to match. I also used Claude to modify the elevation profile display in the cycling analysis program to dynamically show the distance and gradient. With its help I got it to work, looks decent. After that I went out in the garage and painted the gate caps. Later I applied a second coat, should be enough after the two coats of primer, so my fingers are crossed that this paint will last and not flake off. Started reading Earl's book, it's pretty well written but dense with fantasy and alternate world elements from the start. After dinner Ann and I watched TV, and the rest of the evening was quiet (<!>).

09-06-2026 Swim

Slept all through the night, woke up a little after 5:00 and read for a bit before getting up around 6:00. I watched some TV and had breakfast. Eventually I got ready for a swim at the WWC. Headed over there in a very light drizzle, and it sprinkled on me while I waited for them to open the gate. I was a little surprised at how many people were there to swim, lanes were almost full before too long, but I got lane 3. Started with a warmup 500, and I could tell my legs were tired. So I focused on my stroke form. I followed this segment by a 300 using the swim pads, am going to include these more to try and strengthen my shoulders. I followed this segment with two 100s using alternating arms and tap-to-touch with a final normal 25, using the pull buoy. Then I finished with a 500 followed by an extra 150 for good measure, all with the pull buoy to reduce the strain on my sore legs. Here are the times for these segments:

Warmup 500

    9:32

300 with swim pads

    5:44

Two 100s with alternating single arms, tap-to-touch, and standard stroke, with pull buoy

    2:02

    2:00

500 with pull buoy

    9:20

150 with pull buoy

    2:54

I didn't record the second 100 on my watch, so my Strava workout only shows 1525 yds (it probably also didn't capture the 25 yds when I was windmilling the non-watch arm).

Avg pace = 1:55/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1650 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 31:32 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (maybe these numbers are right)

Relative Effort = 14 (perhaps)

SWOLF = 37

Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.48 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20063738749

Got home, had coffee and toast while watching some more TV. I was weary and dozed during the TV show. In the early morning I had noticed a big leak spewing water out of a surface line, so I turned the sprinklers off. In the afternoon I had Ann turn the sprinkler on while I watched to see where the water was coming from, then I spliced fresh line in and buried it to reduce sun exposure, which causes the line to be brittle. Later on I pulled the caps from the metal front gate, since the paint was peeling from them. I scraped the paint off and then used wire mesh to remove the rest of the paint, then I primed all of the caps with primer paint, including a second coat on the top. Will let that dry and then paint them to match the rest of the gate, which as far as I can tell was last painted on 10-14-2024. Read for a bit after that task was done, then I talked to Mom in the early evening. She had a great time at Ben's house, stayed Friday night and went to Matthew and Lauren's house for a baby shower for Hannah on Sunday (?). Ben drove her home after the shower, she wanted to sleep in her own bed. Was a decent phone call, she didn't talk too much about her health issues. After dinner I tried to read, aiming to catch up on my latest book, Gregory Benford's Shadows of Eternity. I fell asleep early and then couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up and watched a little TV before retiring for the night.

09-05-2026 Grape Day 5k

Slept okay, had quite vivid dreams throughout the night. Woke up around 5:00 and laid around in bed until 6:00. Then I got up and got ready for the Grape Day 5k. Ate a banana and drank some water but didn't eat a big breakfast. I made sure I had the necessary items to take loaded on my scooter. I left a little before 7:00 and, after navigated around some blocked roads, was able to find a spot pretty close to the start. It was a very cool, not quite chilly ride over the bridge and into Escondido. I got to Grape Day Park and did some stretches to loosen my legs up. Then I met Caleb and chatted with him until it was time to line up. I got in the 6-8 min/mi group, and we were eventually able to move up to the start. The national anthem singer was not good, we were off right around 8:00. I started fast, pulled along by other fast runners. I think they shortened the course on Grand Ave, so it wasn't a full 5k. Nick agreed at the end of the race. Ran a sub-7 minute first mile and then put in a big effort on the second mile, which had some significant little climbs that really hurt. Came down 5th Ave after the climbs and didn't have a lot left. The rest of the course was flat, and I could see a couple of older runners ahead of me. I caught and passed one but didn't have enough of a push to catch the second one (he finished second in my age group). Tried to stretch it out on the last mile with only limited success. According to the time keepers I finished in 21:05, and I think the course was about 3 miles. So I averaged a little over 7 min/mi, which was my target pace. Felt pretty good about that, didn't know if it would be enough to place in my age group. I cooled down for a bit, had some chocolate milk, a granola bar, and an orange segment, then I saw Nick cross the finish line. I congratulated him, then we stood around until Caleb came across the line. Not too long after that they announced the people who placed in their age groups. My group was the fourth last to be announced, and I was happy with the third place finish. Another guy in my age group finished a second slower than me, so I just made it on the podium. Overall I placed 33rd out of 662 male runners, also a nice accomplishment.

Avg pace = 7:09/mi (Zepp)

Total distance = 2.97 mi

Elapsed moving time = 21:17 (official race time was 21:05)

Avg heartrate = 148 bpm (Zepp)

Relative Effort = 28

https://www.strava.com/activities/20048810159

After the race I rode over to Grand Ave and met Nick and Caleb at Burger Bench for brunch. In hindsight, this wasn't the best restaurant choice, it was jam-packed with runners. We waited a long time to place our order, then waited an even longer time for our breakfast burritos to arrive. They were decent enough, nothing special. We chatted about F1, the church's upcoming anniversary, our Houston trip, and some Escondido history from Nick (he grew up in this town). It was pleasant conversation for the most part. After the meal I rode home, temperature was ideal for riding on a scooter. Got home, Ann was still out, so I ate a little more and watched some TV. In the afternoon I rested but avoided taking a nap, was still energized from the morning run. I put my aero bars back on my Fuji bike, it went much more quickly than in times past. Caught up on blogging and watched some TV before we drove up in the late afternoon to Barona for a Native American celebration. The event was at the Barona Sports Complex, which is separate from the casino. It was hot when we got there but cooling down, we walked around the large number of booths selling mostly Native American arts and crafts. Then we went back to the car to get our camp chairs and set them up to watch the dancing. We got some food and ate it before the dances started, ended up moving our chairs to get a better view. We watched a number of gourd dances, which involved drumming, chanting, and stepping around the arena in time with the rhythm. There were some long-winded speakers interspersed with the dances that we had to listen to as well. Then there were some small drum and chanting circles that got brief spotlights before the big Native American procession in costume, which was quite impressive. There were some smaller processions around the arena after that, and we decided to leave around this point. Google Maps had us going back through Ramona, and the section of Wildcat Canyon Rd leading back to Ramona was winding and unlit, not easy to navigate in the dark. I made it, although there was a car tailgating me the entire time down to San Vicente Rd. We turned left there, let the car pass us, and then drove down to Warnock Rd, turning left and following it to Dye Rd and then to Highland Valley Rd. I don't know if I've ever gone down this road in the dark, but it helped to have ridden it many times, so I knew where the sharp curves were, for the most part. Home the normal way from there, arriving a little before 10:00. It had been a long day, and it wasn't long before I was in bed and asleep.

09-04-2026 Swim

Slept okay, woke up but got back to sleep. I looked at the computer code to display multiple charts in one window, had some success but ran into a problem displaying the underlying street map. It appears that something has changed in this code that will need to be investigated. I got ready for a swim at the WWC, started a D: drive file backup before I left home. Met Avi there, it was a little crowded but we got adjoining lanes. I swam four 250s with pauses in between to chat. He has lost weight on a GLP-1 at a lower dose than recommended. His daughter is adjusting well at college. Here are the splits for the four 250s, the last one with a pull buoy: 4:27, 4:29, 4:27, 4:29.

Avg pace = 1:47/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 17:52 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (probably too low)

Relative Effort = 14 (too low)

SWOLF = 35

Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.52 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20035283778

Got home and watched some TV before heading to the clinic for a blood draw and urine sample at 11:00. Got home and I was pretty hungry, hadn't eaten since early the previous evening. I had lunch and felt better after that. Was tired in the afternoon, so I ended up reading and napping alternately for about an hour. Eventually I got up and decided to work on my cycling analysis code problem of the street map underlays not displaying. It turns out that the map library I've been using has tightened its restrictions on usage. I used Claude to help me find this issue out, and I also got a referral to an alternative street map database that appears to be richer in features, albeit it's slower to load. With this fix I tackled the issue of displaying two different displays of gpx data in the same window and had success here too. Now I have a plot that displays power output over a street map and shows the elevation profile for the route next to this map. It would be nice to link these two maps so that I could trace the elevation profile and follow on the map where I am. For a future project. We went out to dinner at a Nepalese place on Via Rancho Pkwy. Food was good and plentiful

Watched some TV together after we got he, then it was settling down for the rest of the evening.

09-03-2026 Ride/Run

Slept pretty well, no reading in the middle of the night (<>). I was scheduled to meet Paula for a morning ride but didn't have to start as early as usual. Rode my Canyon, hoping that the squealing brake pad issue would not be as bad. Down by the park and over the pedestrian bridge to get to the entrance to the bike path on the mall side. I got there pretty quickly and waited for Paula to show up. She was a little late, ran into some traffic that she had to navigate around. She passed right by me, as she was intent on making up lost time. So I rode to catch up with her, then we rode back to Pomerado Rd and up the gradual climb until turning right on Mirasol Dr and taking this very bumpy descent down until we climbed up to Sintonte Dr. Right turn there, rode through the RB Inn parking lot to Bernardo Oaks Dr (this road is also in really bad condition), taking it all the way to Lomica Dr. A left turn there, then a right on Pablo Dr followed by a left on Nacido Dr to get back to Pomerado Rd. Paula had enough time for a coffee break, so we rode to the Einstein Bagels by Sprouts and had pastries. I also had an Iced Creme Brulee Coffee just because it was at an introductory price. It was very sweet, didn't taste much like coffee. We talked about her kids and their school activities among other topics, including old cars and the possibility of them getting a used car for the girls to drive. Then we headed back to Stone Canyon Rd and took it up to Avenida Lamega, turning left and up to Avenida Villaha, turning left there too. That got us to Bernardo Heights Pkwy but past the steep part of the climb. So we climbed the rest of the way to the top, stopped for a photo op, then rode down to Bernardo Center Dr, where we turned right and headed back to W Bernardo Dr. I was soft-pedaling on most of this ride, again not wanting to stress my legs. I rode with her down the hill there and then stopped at the light by the park, where I turned around and rode home while she continued riding to her place.

Avg speed = 12.6 mph (12.7 mph). Total mileage = 14.6 mi

Avg power = 104 W. Weighted avg power = 132 W

Total elevation gain = 1020' (990')

Avg heartrate = 104 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 12 (12)

Training Load = 50 (50)

Intensity = 60% (65%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20021801506

Got home, had a little time to change before heading over to the cafe by the old HP site to meet Gary, Brooke, and John for a chat. No more coffee for me, we talked about some org changes and issues with the new site that are still being worked out. It was a pleasant chat. I rode home after that and put in some fence replacement quotes through Yelp when I got there. Will see how that works. Ate some lunch after that, then I went out in the garage and located my front bike light and its handlebar attachment. I put the light on, will use it more regularly in flashing mode to make myself more visible during rides. Next, I had seen some errors with my cycling database code, so I looked at the code, made some minor mods, and ran it again. Success this time! In the mid-afternoon, after watching  I checked the temperature and decided to go out for a last run before the 5k. The temperature wasn't too bad, but running in the direct sun was noticeably harder. I started slow in the first mile and picked up the pace in the second mile before slowing down a little on the climb back up to the house. Showered and went to Happy Hour at Phil's, talked to JJ about IPOs and some Indigo history. Had dinner after I got home, then I drove to Escondido to pick up my 5k race packet from the Chamber of Commerce building. I mailed the November party invitations at the post office, drove home, and watched some TV before reading for a while.

Avg pace = 8:14/mi

Total distance = 2.22 mi

Elapsed moving time = 18:21

Avg heartrate = 138 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 13

https://www.strava.com/activities/20026052079

Got home and enjoyed the relative coolness of the house.

09-02-2026 Ride/Hike

Got up and got ready for a ride with John. Rode my Canyon, still testing the new wheels out. Through the neighborhood on Matinal ircle to the end, then W Bernardo Dr to RB Rd. Normal way over from there, taking it slowly, since it was going to be a climbing day. Jayden counted us down at the start, and we headed down to Mountain Pass Rd, turning right for a change and climbing this little hill to Oakview Way turning right there and riding to Caneridge Rd, which had a nice little descent back to Springhurst Dr. Then we rode to Springbrook Dr and took it past Scripps-Poway Pkwy turning left on Candy Rose Way. That took us up to Cypress Canyon Dr, where we turned left and then left again on Cypress Wood Dr. Down to Swan Canyon Dr, using it to get to Legacy Rd. Then it was up to Pomerado Rd, turning right there and heading up to Stonebridge Canyon Pkwy. We took this road all the way to the top. John initially got out ahead, and I slowly caught up to him, riding at his pace for a bit before getting ahead. Got to the top and waited for him. We took a short break when he got there then headed down Via Santa Pradera to Beeler Canyon Rd. Down the steep part, around the closed gate, then on the flats over to Creek Rd. Over to Pomerado Rd and then down the hill and to Stowe Dr, where we turned right and rode up to Community Rd. Then we rode down the hill and on to Twin Peaks Rd, where we continued straight onto Hillndale Way. Some climbing in this neighborhood, left on Poway Mesa Dr and up to Triumph Dr, taking it to Laurelwood St and then to Stoutwood St, turning left and then left again on Lakewood St. This took us to Ted Williams Pkwy, which we followed up and then down to Sabre Springs Pkwy. Left turn there, following it back to Springhurst Dr. Then it was up the hill and back to John's house. About halfway through my ride with John my brakes started to squeak, and it got progressively worse. When we got back to his house I used his tools to adjust the brake positions and minimize rubbing. It was better after that but not perfect. Vivian made smoothies, then we chatted for a bit before. I headed home the normal way via Bernardo Center Dr. I was slow the whole way, just getting miles in and not stressing my legs.

Abg speed = 14.2 mph (14.3 mph). Total mileage = 40.8 mi

Avg power = 134 W. Weighted avg power = 161 W

Total elevation gain = 2850' (2890')

Avg heartrate = 118 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 53 (54)

Training Load = 179 (182)

Intensity = 73% (78%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20009142458

I only had a little time once I got home to get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. It turned out to be an unusually slow shift, particularly toward the end, when it usually gets busy. I did meet new nurses Dani, Devyn, and Amber as well as get reintroduced to the housekeeping aide Angie (very nice and capable). I ended up leaving just a little bit early, rode home and changed for a hike with Emily at Kit Carson Park. We had a nice chat, mostly about her work, as we walked around the park. After the hike I rode home and had dinner, then Ann and I watched some TV. The rest of the evening was quiet.