Monday, June 1, 2026
06-01-2026 Basketball
Slept okay, this was intended to be an easy exercise day, given plans for the following day's ride. Had some cereal for breakfast. Around 9:00 I went to the WWC and shot baskets for about a half hour. At one point, I made six straight 3's, which is about as unusual as it gets for me and basketball. Rode home, where Ann was getting ready to drive to San Clemente and SJC with Kathy and Heather. While they were gone I watched a little TV, had a burrito and a Pepsi at Cotijas, and organized my workbench in the garage, put the aero bars back on my Fuji, and made some adjustments to the sprinklers for the upper bed in the front yard, swapping out some sprayer heads in an attempt to reduce the overall water flow and get better coverage. After that was done, I chilled in the afternoon, did some reading as well. Ann and the others came home, I chatted with them before and during dinner. After dinner I made a fire in the fire pit, and we sat outside to enjoy the evening. We made s'mores after the fire subsided, then went inside. I loaded my bike and gear into the car, and that was the day.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
05-31-2026 Run/Swim
Slept pretty well, even with the coffee, I think because I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before. I woke up around 5:30, read for a while, then got ready for a run. Went down by the park and did my usual 5k route, walking the rest of the way up the hill to get back home. I stretched before the run and kept my pace steady but not too fast.
Avg pace = 8:19/mi
Total distance = 3.18 mi
Elapsed moving time = 26:29
Avg heartrate = 123 bpm
Relative Effort = 6
Got home, did a little work on the computer, then I got ready for a swim at the WWC. It was really busy at the opening, but the pool wasn't too busy to begin with. It got more crowded soon after I started, but I had my preferred lane. I swam the first 1000 yds, took a little pause, then swam another 200, another break, followed by a 300 to get to a total of 1500, with the following split times: 9:23, 9:39, 9:25. I didn't select the right workout type on my watch, so this one wasn't recorded, other than on video.
Avg pace = 1:54/100 yds (Video, not counting pause)
Total distance = 1500 yds
Elapsed moving time = 28:27 (Video)
Had some cereal when I got home, then I chilled for a while. Ann, Kathy, and Heather drove down to Coronado, walked around in the afternoon and watched a concert with a Fleetwood Mac cover band at Spreckels Park before heading home in the evening. I stayed home and decided to try and remove my crankset to lubricate the bearings. This turned out to be an adventure. First I removed the Dub cap on the drive side crank using the tool I had bought when I got the cap in the first place (it didn't come with the bike). Then I loosened the 2 mm Allen bolt on the pre-tension wheel on the non-drive side. Next I used an 8 mm Allen wrench to loosen the bolt holding the crank on. Lots of videos said this bolt could be very difficult to loosen, but I didn't have any problems. When I removed it, I couldn't get the crank off. I went back to look at other videos, looked up the serial number for my bike to get the exact model of the crank, still no luck. I went into the garage and out a number of times, resolved to take it into Poway Bikes and have them show me how to remove it. At this point I found another video that mentioned extracting the crank, and I thought about the olden days, when you needed a crank extractor tool to do this job. This other video mentioned the need to have the Dub cap on while loosening the bolt, since this cap then effectively serves as the crank extractor. So I put the crank back on, tightened the bolt somewhat, then put the cap back on. Then, when I loosened the 8 mm bolt again the crank came off. Success! I had figured it out myself, with lots of help from videos. Got the crank off, then a couple of taps with a rubber mallet loosened the other side and allowed me to remove it too. As far as I can tell, I found that the bearings are sealed and can't be opened up. So I applied grease to the areas where the bearings were rotating, in the hope that some of this grease might make it into the bearings. Then I reinstalled the non-drive side arm (it took a couple of times before I could get it to seat), and reattached the spider assembly on the drive side, using a torque wrench to tighten it to specifications. I put the Dub cap back on and manually tightened the pre-tension wheel finger-tight, then backed off a tiny big before tightening the little locking bolt with the 2 mm Allen wrench. Had taken the pedals and chain off for easier access, so I reinstalled them as well, lubricating the pedals before putting them back on. Everything seems to be put back together, may need a shake-out ride to verify proper operation. The rest of the day and evening were fairly quiet, I had leftovers for dinner, nothing major to note (<>).
Saturday, May 30, 2026
05/30/2026 Ride
This was an annoying, and short, night. We got home from the theatre after 11:00, and I didn't take too long to get to sleep, even though I dozed a little bit during the show. About 1:30 I woke to the sounds of the smoke detectors beeping. As usual, I couldn't easily localize which ones were beeping, so I ended up having to disconnect both wired smoke detectors and put them in the garage to get them to stop annoying me. Took a while to get back to sleep after these antics. My alarm woke me at 5:15, and I had time to get ready for a bike ride, meeting James and Rob T along the way. Left the house before 6:00 and rode through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then took CdS to San Dieguito Rd, which tooke less than thirty minutes. There I waited a couple of minutes for James, who was early to this meet-up spot as well. We rode down the hill to wait for Rob at the corner of El Apajo. He was a little late to this spot but eventually showed up. Then the three of us rode loosely together over to Rancho Diegueno Rd, turning left here an riding up this short, steep climb. James was riding his Tomassini, which isn't geared for this type of gradient, but he made it up okay. Over to Ranch Santa Fe Farms Rd, turning right and taking it to CVR, where Rob and I waited for James to catch up. Then it was over to the 56 bike path. Rob missed the turn to get to the bike path, and I had to ride back to the branch-off and call him to get him back on track. James got way out ahead of us, so the two of us rode down the path to ECR, where James was waiting. We rode together over to CVR and took it to PCH, heading north and avoiding the TP climb that had been discussed. Down the coast for a while, initially having to chase James down, then Rob and I kicked in the jets and got ahead of him. We gathered back before La Costa Ave, turning right here. Across the flats back to ECR, where we split from Rob and turned right. The two of us rode to the outlet mall nearby and found a café to stop for coffee. Service took forever, not sure why, but we had a good conversation, and it was pleasant. We continued on ECR to Olivenhain Rd, turning left and riding up to RSF Rd, where we turned right. I had dialed my pace back to more closely match James, and we rode basically together onto El Camino del Norte. I got ahead of him on this gradual climb, even though I was taking it easy. Right turn onto Via de Fortuna, following it to El Montevideo, where we turned left and rode over to Paseo Delicias. Right turn here, down towards RSF village and a left turn on VdlV. Then it was back to El Apajo and up Three Witches to the CdS intersection. James turned right her to head home, and I turned left. Back the new normal way via W Bernardo Dr from here. Legs felt just fine at the end, I had an easier time of it on this ride than a normal Saturday workout.
Avg speed = 15.4 mph. Total mileage = 53.8 mi
Avg power = 122 W. Weighted avg power = 154 W
Total elevation gain = 2980'
Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 63
Training Load = 199
Intensity = 70%
Got home earlier than usual, had time to shower and relax a little bit before driving down to the airport with Ann to pick up Kathy and Heather. We didn't have to wait too long in the cell phone parking lot before they were walking to the arrivals area. Drive home was uneventful, we had some lunch when we got back, talked a lot throughout the afternoon and evening. I chatted with Heather about her job and the impact of AI tools on her coding responsibilities. I watched a little TV after they went upstairs, then I went to bed as well.
05-29-2026 Swim
Slept okay, woke up around 5:00 and lay in bed, read for a while as well. I got up and did a little more updating of my riding blog entries with my own cycling analysis data.
Warmup 250
4:35
6 100s at 2:00 intervals
1:39
1:41
1:41
1:43
1:44
1:41
5 50s at 1:00 intervals
0:46
0:47
0:48
0:47
0:43
Cool-down 250 (with pull buoy)
4:42
Avg pace = 1:43/100 yds (Video, not counting pause)
Total distance = 1350 yds
Elapsed moving time = 23:17 (Video)
Avg heartrate = 169 bpm (nope)
Relative Effort = 101 (again, nope)
SWOLF = 41 (included rest period when I forgot to pause the workout)
Avg stroke rate = 19 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.53 yds
Got home, avoided riding while it was sprinkling, and had some cereal for breakfast. Later in the morning and early afternoon I went out and investigated the sprinkler line for the upper beds in the front and back yards. Didn't find any obvious leaks, but this line uses a lot of water. I increased the flow to the peach tree and decreased the sprinkler time overall. Also chopped a couple of low shoots off the tree in the front yard, which were blocking the sprinkler flow. I replaced one of the sprinkler nozzles with a lower-flow version, not sure if it made a huge difference. Cleared out the areas around the sprinkler heads in the back yard and pulled out some of the overgrowth, including cutting down the pepper tree shoots. Working in that back upper bed is definitely no fun. Caleb came over a little after 3:30, and we drove down to Emily's office to pick her up from work. Had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant off Mira Mesa Blvd, food was decent, then we ate ice cream at a shop next door. Drove downtown to the Civic Theatre, no traffic to speak of, and parked in the lot right by the theatre, Google Maps directions to the entrance to the parking lot weren't great, but we eventually found it. We saw The Sound of Music on stage. It was cute but dated, lots of familiar songs. I was tired, so I dozed at times through some of the dialogue. Before the show we were standing in the lobby talking about funny family songs, and a lady from one of the bars joined in our conversation, it was kinda strange but okay. Emily kept coming back to the meme of the night: Mervyn's, The Musical. That was probably the best part of the evening for me. Drove home and got back a little after 11:00 after dropping Emily and Caleb off at the parking lot by her office.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
05-28-2026 Run/Ride
Slept okay, woke up early and had some cereal. Thought about going for a swim, but I decided to run in the morning and ride in the afternoon instead. Got ready, then rode my scooter down to the park and ran the one-mile loop four times, finishing with my fastest mile in a while. I stretched before the run, and that seemed to help, although my hamstring was a little tender throughout the day.
Avg pace = 7:42/mi
Total distance = 4.01 mi
Elapsed moving time = 30:53
Avg heartrate = 141 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 26
Got home, cleaned the kitchen from the previous evening's dishes. Later in the morning I went out and cleaned the back patio, including sweeping the pavers and wiping all the patio furniture down. Had a bigger lunch than normal, then in the afternoon I went for a ride, heading through the neighborhood and taking Matinal Cir all the way around to get over to W Bernardo Dr. Then I rode up by the HP site (those buildings won't be HP's much longer) and over to Bernardo Center Dr, turning right and riding into a fairly steady headwind. Over and down the hill to Carmel Valley Rd, making the climb at moderate pace, then descending to CdS. Left turn there and over to the 56 bike path, where I headed west down to CVR again, turning right there. On this stretch I had the benefit of a tailwind and seemed to make pretty good time back to CdS. I worked hard on that last little climb but didn't have enough juice for a PR, even with the tailwind. Took CdS and CdN all the way back to Camino San Bernardo, then followed the new normal route home from there via W Bernardo Dr. I could feel the effects of the earlier run on my legs, didn't have huge push when I needed it.
Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 25.1 mi
Avg power = 147 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W
Total elevation gain = 1590'
Avg heartrate = 123 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 34
Training Load = 99
Intensity = 78%
Did some more dishes when I got home, then in late afternoon I went to Phil's for happy hour with HP and ex-HP folks. Evening was quiet after I rode back and had dinner. Ann and I watched some TV.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
05-27-2026 Ride
Slept somewhat fitfully and woke up hungry in the early morning, so I had a bowl of cereal and some bread. Then I got back to sleep for a while, waking up around 5:30 and reading for a bit. Then I got ready for a bike ride with John. Was a little cooler than normal. I headed over the normal way via W Bernardo Dr, keeping a slightly faster than usual pace. Got there around 7:25, John was adjusting his headset, and Jayden was out front with him. Vivian also came out to see us off. We headed up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and turned left, riding down the hill and then climbing up to Danielson St before descending to the turnoff for Sycamore Canyon Rd. We took this down to Grade Rd and then over to Poway Rd, following the reverse of the old time trial loop for a while from there. My legs were feeling good on the climbs, I can tell the effects of my recent riding in improving my fitness. Back to Pomerado Rd, turning left and taking it up to the turn onto Old Pomerado Rd (my idea) to get back to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. We rode up this little climb and then took the normal way back to his house from there. Had smoothies and chatted with him and Vivian about their upcoming trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. They also told me about Dave's upcoming marriage to a woman he recently met. It's a weird story, I'm hoping that all turns out well for them. I rode home the normal way (perhaps a little faster) from there via W Bernardo Dr. Legs still felt pretty solid at the end of the ride.
Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 40.1 mi
Avg power = 135 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W
Total elevation gain = 2340'
Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 51
Training Load = 154
Intensity = 72%
Got home and had a little time to relax. I did some more updating of my cycling blog with my own analysis numbers, then shaved and showered to get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. Got there early enough to eat lunch in the cafeteria. On the shift there were two new nurses, Masha (on loan from Esco) and April. It started slow, but I got busy and stayed that way pretty much until it was time to go home. Was a little warmer on the ride back. I watched some TV and dozed through the episode. After dinner Ann and I watched the final episode of Season 1 of Untamed. The rest of the evening was quiet.
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
05-26-2026 Swim
Slept pretty well after a workout day, even though I had a short nap after getting home from the Palomar ride. I ate some coffee cake for breakfast, had a little time to keep updating my 2026 cycling blog entries with data from my own analysis program. Then I got ready for a swim at the WWC. Was cloudy and looked a little like rain off to the west as I rode over. I swam 2000 yds, the first 1000 without stopping, then a short break followed by a third 500 at decent pace. I swam the last 500 with the pull buoy. My stroke felt good out to about 1250 yds, then I started to struggle more to stay smooth and pull strong in the water. Here are the splits for the four 500s: 9:28, 9:33, 9:23, 9:25.
Avg pace = 1:53/100 yds (Video)
Total distance = 2000 yds
Elapsed moving time = 37:49 (Video)
Avg heartrate = 150 bpm (possibly)
Relative Effort = 59 (possibly)
SWOLF =36
Avg stroke rate = 19 bpm
Avg pull distance = 2.61 yds
Then I shaved and showered to get ready to go for a new dentist visit at Bernardo Dental Care, by McDonalds in RB. The dentist, Dr Ramanujan, was nice enough, suggested that a molar with a large filling needed a crown sometime soon. Not great news, but I'll hold off for right now. Had to wait a while after the x-rays until the dentist showed up. She also was the one who gave me the dental cleaning. Office is smaller, with correspondingly fewer staff. Seems like a decent, lower-cost setup. Got home and had cheese and crackers and chips and salsa for lunch. I don't know why I was so tired, but I had a longer nap in the afternoon. After that I worked on fixing a couple of minor issue with the cycling analysis program, organized the data files somewhat, then re-ran the cycling database creation program, with updated metrics and data entry rules.
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