02-12-2026 Swim/Ride

Ann's alarm woke me up. She had to get up early to go downtown to the courthouse for jury duty. I stayed in bed and read for a while, then got up to get ready for a swim at the WWC. It was foggy and cooler than expected on the ride over. There was just one more swimmer in the pool. I tried to be consistent for the first 1500 yds, focusing on keeping my posture up and not dragging my legs so much. As a result that third 500 was faster than it has been in the past. I used the swim pads on the fourth 500, they weren't so helpful, but maybe they're good for strengthening my arms. Here are the splits for the four 500s: 9:29, 9:30, 9:32, 9:19. Elapsed swimming time was 37:50.

Avg pace = 1:54/100 yds (Video, not including pauses)

Total distance = 2000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 37:50 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 146 bpm (Zepp with Polar (?), maybe)

Relative Effort = 48 (maybe)

SWOLF =37

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.40 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17379757697

Got home and changed to ride over to HP and meet with Brooke, John, and Gary. It's depressing to hear what's going on, although I learned that Qin Zhao got a position up in Corvallis, and Emilio got a new role as well, also up there. Lots of mess with the new site in Bldg 8. I rode home after that and ate some lunch, watched a little Winter Olympics. Then, after having some food, I got ready for a longer bike ride, training for the upcoming century. It was cool on this day, so I wore a long-sleeve jersey and was glad I did, at times in the ride. Through the neighborhood and then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to the left turn onto Hunters Ridge Pl, using it to get to Hunters Ridge Rd and then to Ralphs Ranch Rd back to Albert Ave, old route from there to CdS. I headed toward the coast, not feeling very strong at this point in the ride, so I wasn't pushing particularly hard as I rode over to Carmel Valley Rd and turned right there to get over to the 56 bike path. Down to the end and then I used Carmel Valley Rd to ride to the lower parking lot for Torrey Pines SB, to use the bathroom. Then I continued from there up Carmel Valley Rd to PCH, turning left and riding up the outside route of the climb, at a "stately" pace. I needed more miles, so I continued past the top to the turn to stay on Torrey Pines Rd, riding past campus until I got to Theatre District Dr, where I made a U-turn and started heading back the way I came. Thought briefly about heading down Genesee Rd but opted to reverse my route as originally planned. The breeze was noticeable, coming on the coast from the northwest, so the descent was sketchy, and it was harder to climb back up to Carmel Valley Rd. Once I started heading east, the wind was favorable and helped me along. I still wasn't feeling strong but ended up having a pretty consistent ride back from the coast. I stayed on the 56 bike path to CdS, was easier than usual due to the tailwind. Then I took CdS back into Del Sur and from there followed the new normal route home, stopping at the 7-Eleven on the corner of RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr to have a short break and a free Slurpee. Tasted pretty good after the workout, then home.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 50.1 mph

Avg power = 143 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W

Total elevation gain = 2890'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 82

Training Load = 201

Intensity = 79%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17378990144

This was more of an effort than expected, was glad to be done. I took a shower, had a very short nap, then called Ross around 5:00. Mom was resting, so I just talked to him. Watched a little Winter Olympics and made pumpkin rocks after dinner, some more TV as well. Was a relaxing evening.

02-11-2026 Virtual Ride

Woke up to get ready for a bike ride with John from his house. Weather was clear but looked sketchy. Around 6:30 he texted me that it looked ready to rain at his place, so he wasn't going to ride. About 10 minutes later, it started to rain at our house, so, good call. I decided to ride on the trainer instead, so I got all the gear together and rode the Area 52 course in the California set of routes. Rode for an hour at a mix of endurance (Z2) and tempo (Z3) pace, keeping a more consistent power output than on a typical outdoor ride. This course is relatively flat, which helped with power output consistency. I couldn't get my power pedals to connect to the app, although I think I've been successful in doing this previous times (maybe not, since the pedals are ANT+). When I started, MyWhoosh wasn't recording my heartrate, so after about four miles I paused the ride and added the heartrate sensor in. So, my average heartrate below is just for the time it was tracking.

Avg speed = 18.9 mph. Total mileage = 18.9 mi

Avg power = 165 W. Weighted avg power = 168 W

Total elevation gain = 540'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 9 (Low, due to inaccuracy in heartrate monitoring during the ride)

Training Load = 58

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17363929093

After the ride I had more time in the morning than usual before my volunteer shift. Didn't do much with it. The ride over to the hospital was wet. I should have worn my rain jacket, so my shirt got a little damp. Had lunch and then started the shift, which was pretty slow at the beginning. The Winter Olympics were on the TV for the first part of the shift, ice dancing. Nothing unusual happened, it did get busy near the end, so I left just a little bit late. Headed home in clear weather, then after dinner Ann and I drove to Del Mar to see The Wailin' Jennys (Ruth Moody, Nikki Mehta, and Heather Masse) at The Sound in the Fairgrounds. They were decent, great harmonies and some really good songs, but their repertoire was a little uneven. I might see them again if they came to the area. Decent show, although it had an intermission, I guess to sell stuff. The drive home was uneventful.

02-10-2026 Run

Sleep was a little disrupted by the short nap I had taken the previous afternoon. I read for a while in the night and got back to sleep (<!>). Then I got up and got ready for a longer run. Rode my scooter, in cool but not cold weather, down to the park, and then I ran 5 laps around the park. Felt pretty good, no tenderness in my right leg, which was a first in a while. Generally had negative splits for the five miles.

Avg pace = 8:12/mi

Total distance = 5.01 mi

Elapsed moving time = 41:09

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/17352294851

I also tracked this run on my Amazfit watch, which reported a slightly lower distance and a significantly higher heartrate (156 bpm average). Don't think this watch does a good job tracking heartrate, and I'm unconvinced that I can replace its native sensor with the Polar sensor. Going back to leg soreness, it might be the case that one of my bike shoe cleats is not aligned properly, so that longer bike rides cause irritation to my leg. I wore different shoes over the weekend and didn't feel any discomfort from that area on the ride. Had some cereal, yogurt, and a banana for breakfast, then I went over to a neighbor's house and picked up a plastic storage shelf they were giving away. Put it in our garage by the entrance to the house and placed a lot of the gardening supplies on it. I think it will work, although it makes for a tighter squeeze to get to my workbench area. Then I went out in the front yard and did some more work weeding the gravel path. Temperature was about right, but I just didn't have my heart in it, so I only worked for about an hour. Then I went in and ate some small cheese sandwiches for lunch. In the afternoon I tackled an issue I've been wondering about with my bike ride analysis program, which has output a significantly higher elevation gain than Strava has. Did some Gemini research, and it suggested that I average out the high-frequency noise in the elevation data before calculating the gain. I implemented a simple moving average approach, averaging about 30 seconds worth of data to smooth each point. Now, my program results more closely resemble the Strava numbers, so I think I'll go with this  method. Made dinner from leftover spaghetti, Ann made bread and it was messy to clean up. Quiet evening watching TV. 

02-09-2026 Swim

Slept fairly well, just woke up once and read for a bit. But I slept until about 6:15 before getting up. Got ready for a swim at the WWC. Was cool but not cold riding over there. I swam in lane 4 because Linda took lane 3. The pool was fairly busy on this day. Swam with music and the Polar HR monitor, although in the second 500 my headphones came loose and I had to stop to adjust them. Third 500 was swum with the pull buoy, and I used my swim fins on the last 500, trying hard to keep kicking and working out my legs on that segment. Here are the elapsed times for the 4 500s: 9:21, 9:40, 9:17, 8:32. I paused my watch after the second 500 and forgot to restart it, so the third 500 isn't included in the Zepp stats below:

Avg pace = 1:51/100 yds (Video, not including pauses)

Total distance = 2000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 36:50 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 157 bpm (Zepp with Polar (?), maybe)

Relative Effort = 69 (maybe)

SWOLF =36

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.43 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17341408818

Got home and had some coffee, not really any breakfast. Then I worked on an analysis of my Tour de Palm Springs ride to break down the stats for each of the segments between sag stops. Ann wanted to go to Costco and Home Depot, so I went with her. Got some snacks at Costco, nothing at Home Depot. I had some lunch and read for a bit after we got home, then I went out in the front yard and started breaking up and weeding the dirt on the path. Got about a third of the way through before stopping. That was enough for one day, more to come. The rest of the day was quiet. I watched some NBA on Peacock in the evening, along with some of the Winter Olympics.

2026 Tour de Palm Springs Century

Woke up after okay sleep on the air mattress, was comfortable enough. I got up earlier than planned, and we left the casita around 6:30. I didn't forget anything in the car but could have brought electrolyte powder for the ride. We parked nearby, unloaded our bikes, and got ready for the big ride. The only thing I forgot, and it was minor, was to put my bike light on. Was cool but quite tolerable early on. We got to the starting line and waited about five minutes before they let our group, the second one, take off. Started at easy pace out away from downtown Palm Springs, the three of us riding together. No wind to speak of. After a bit I got out in front and started to gap the others. Rode up to Dillon Rd on Palm Dr, which avoided the climb from previous years along with the following descent. Once on Dillon Rd we stayed on it for about 25 miles. At about mile 16, there was a water stop. I got there in about an hour and waited for the others to catch up. Nobody passed me in the first leg of this ride, which had about a third of the overall elevation gain. From there, it was net downhill, with some little modest climbs, all the way to Fantasy Springs Casino, the first major sag stop. I made good time here, again gaping the others, although James had left the stop before me and Andy, and on the downhill I had to push to catch up with him. At one point, right after a turn, I thought I had gotten a flat, but the tires were fine when I pulled over to check them. Got some real food - mostaccioli, mashed potatoes, PB&J, bananas - when I got there, and I had a pee as well. The others showed up a while later, James first and then Andy not so long after. We continued on the ride, again initially together, heading through Coachella and riding on back roads around this area. I caught on the tail end of a group of riders from Yorba Linda, Fenix, and they were riding at a fast but not scorching pace. Andy had told me that the next sag stop was at mile 56, so I got a little concerned as this group hammered past this waypoint without stopping. I figured they were skipping it and resigned myself to suffering until the next scheduled stop at mile 73 or so. Fortunately, the sag stop was at mile 62, a quite welcome sight when I came around a turn. Stopped there, had some more food and refilled my Gatorade bottle, still felt really good. There was a high school band playing there that was decent. James and Andy showed up, I had another pee, then we continued. I got out ahead, Andy was slowing down by this point. This stretch was the toughest for me. We rode over to the new CV Link concrete bike path, which parallels a drainage wash that runs along Hwy 86. It was hot on the path, and I was riding into the wind. People started passing me, I was looking for a group that I could ride with, didn't have much success. We stayed on the CV Link path, with a small detour, for six miles or so, back to Fred Waring drive. At this point, I was trying to hang onto a group but eventually got dropped, as my legs started cramping a little bit. I dialed it back and resolved to suffer for 10 miles or so until the last sag stop. Along the CV Path there was a small water station where I grabbed a water bottle on the fly and drank it and used it to cool me down. It was painful getting to the Lowe's parking lot at mile 89, I really needed this stop. Sat down in the shade, had some water (couldn't stomach more Gatorade), are more mashed potatoes and a slice of cheese pizza. James showed up, he was in good shape. Andy came in a while later, he was soft-pedaling by this point. We waited with him for a bit, but he needed more time to recover, so James and I headed out. He got in aero position, and I sat behind him as we passed a bunch of slow riders on the last 12 miles. I got out in front a couple of times but couldn't match the pace long enough. The last sag stop allowed me to recover enough to be able to hang onto James' wheel all the way to the end. Was very glad to see the finish line. My legs were revived enough at the last sag stop to make it to the end, but I can fairly say that I put the maximal amount of effort into this ride. Here are some stats for each of the splits, from one sag stop to the next:

    Distance    Avg Speed    Elevation Gain    Elevation Loss    Avg Power    Weighted Avg Power

    15.8 mi      15.8 mph      1040'                   -158'                    167 W            173 W

    22.6 mi      21.7 mph      395'                     -1740'                  156 W            171 W

    23.7 mi      19.4 mph      210'                     -219'                    124 W            143 W

    27.3 mi      17.1 mph      632'                     -257'                    134 W            153 W

    10.9 mi      17.7 mph      248'                     -104'                    136 W            151 W

Avg speed = 18.0 mph (18.1 mph). Total mileage = 101.6 mi

Avg power = 141 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 1910' (2530')

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm

Relative Effort = 221 (206)

Training Load = 298

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17322082226

We headed over to the beer garden and waited in a long line to get the beer, very inefficient service setup. By the time we sat down, maybe a little after, Andy showed up. I brought him a beer in the waiting line and he came and sat down with us. Was a very relaxing time there. I found a pair of Shokz phones and was able to reunite them with the owner. We stayed until the beer garden was wrapping up then drove back to Amy and Michael Karr's place. Hung out in the casita, took showers, then went and sat in the spa for a while with Michael. He's an interesting guy, turned his chiropractor practice into a very profitable enterprise. The pool was also nice. James and Andy tried to get the new telescope they bought to track objects in the sky, to no avail. Then the three of us changed and went for dinner to a burger lounge that was decent, not very busy on a Saturday night. Was a long day, and I was able to get to sleep not so long after we got back.

02-05-2026 Swim/Ride

Woke up around 6:00, slept pretty well. I finished Mark Bowden's Killing Pablo, about Pablo Escobar, his building of a drug empire and brazen lawlessness in protecting it, and the vicious efforts by the Colombian and US governments to hunt down and kill him. This guy was brutal and evil in his endeavors. Then I got up and got ready for a swim at the WWC. Headed over there and shared the pool, initially, just with Alicia's daughter Audrey. I tried to keep my legs from dragging in the water by arching my back more, and it seems to have had a positive effect in my speed. Swam 3 500s, the last with my swim fins, and I was faster than I've been in a while. I tried to get the Polar heartrate monitor that Avi lent me to work but was unsuccessful.

Avg pace = 1:50/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1500 yds

Elapsed moving time = 27:27 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 156 bpm (Zepp, nope)

Relative Effort = 49 (nope)

SWOLF =36

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.46 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17297618605

Got home and had some cereal and a banana for breakfast, was hungry. I could feel the effects of the swim working in my shoulders as well. I think I also figured out to pair the Polar monitor with my watch, although it is kinda cumbersome. Then I got ready for a bike ride with Paula, who drove to our house to start from there. She arrived a little before 10:30, on time, and we were rolling by about 10:35. Down by the park and over to Pomerado Rd, then a left on Highland Valley Rd, riding the flats to just before the first climb before we turned around and rode back. Left on Pomerado Rd and up to Mirasol Dr, where we turned right and rode through a part of this neighborhood I'd never been in. Took a right on Sintonte Dr, and this took us by the RB Inn golf course and eventually into the parking lot. Through the lot and onto Bernardo Oaks Dr. All of this ride was at an easy pace, not wanting to stress my legs. We took this road all the way to Lomica Dr, turned left there and then took a right on Rodada Dr to get to Nacido Dr, which got us back to Pomerado Rd. A right turn there, up to Stone Canyon Rd, where we turned left and rode up to the top. This was the biggest climb of the day. Left turn onto Martincoit Rd, down the short-steep descent, then right on Rostrata Rd to get over to Orchard Bend Rd, which we used to get to Espola Rd. Right turn there, riding up to Bridlewood Rd, where we turned right and took it to Summer Sage Rd. Left on Lake Poway Rd and up a short climb to get to Riparian Rd, which took us to Titan Way. Back to Espola Rd, partway down the hill, then a right onto Del Poniente and a quick left onto Huntington Gate Dr. This had a really nice winding downhill that led to a gate we were able to ride around and get onto Tierra Bonita Rd, which took us to Twin Peaks Rd. That was it for neighborhood adventures. We rode back to Pomerado Rd, turned right, and took the normal way home, via RB Rd and Bernardo Center Dr. I felt better on this ride than the previous day, even though we were going slower.

Avg speed = 13.9 mph. Total mileage = 24.8 mi

Avg power = 112 W. Weighted avg power = 141 W

Total elevation gain = 1490'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 27

Training Load = 78

Intensity = 64%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17299294593

Ann was just leaving as I got home. I ate a light lunch, watched a little TV, then baked a lemon poppy seed loaf to take to Palm Springs. Headed over to Phil's BBQ in the late afternoon for Happy Hour (no beer) with Avi and the HP gang. Talked to him about his father (German citizen during WWII) and efforts to get a German passport. I also chatted with Britt (just turned 50) and Dave Peralta (about HP switching CEOs). Headed home and had a quiet evening.

02-04-2026 Ride

Slept a little fitfully, read in the night and woke up around 5:30 (<>). I got ready for a bike ride, had some cereal and a banana before going, hoping it would give me some energy. Temperature was strange on this day early on. It was in the low 50s when I left, I wore a long-sleeve undershirt but no full-finger gloves. Through the neighborhood and then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Ralphs Ranch Rd before turning. Got to CdS and headed west to San Dieguito Rd. As I had climbed, it warmed up noticeably to the point that my undershirt wasn't needed. But when I rode down Three Witches, it got cool again, and I was glad I had it. Across the flats to ECR, just couldn't maintain a consistent high effort. I turned left here and rode up into Del Mar Heights, slowly up that little climb. Then it was down to the 56 bike path and heading back toward home. Again, I was slow here, slower than usual. I rode to Carmel Valley Rd and used it to get back to CdS, was really slow on that last little climb. The CdS stretch was also slow after the initial descent, and I ended up turning onto Paseo del Sur to mix it up. Back to CdS, then home the old normal way via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. I'm sure hoping I have more energy on Saturday than I did on this day.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 34.6 mi

Avg power = 145 W. Weighted avg power = 174 W

Total elevation gain = 1890'

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 49

Training Load = 139

Intensity = 79%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17273548417

Had a shower and very light snacks when I got home. I also put the camera covering the back yard back on the tree (after bringing it in and charging it up), it had fallen off somehow. Had enough time to patch the tube that I flatted on Tuesday as well as applying some foam tape to the back of my Wahoo to keep it from rattling in its mount. Then we drove to Stone Brewery for lunch with Dennis, Karen, John, and Vivian. Good conversation, not great, same with the food. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and I got some things to make food for the Palm Springs trip. Home after that. In the afternoon I finished sifting the pea gravel and did a little cleanup of the dirt on the path. Next step is to go after it with the hose and take out the weeds, then tamp the dirt down solidly. Read for a bit and watched TV after dinner, some with Ann and some after she went to her crochet class.