09-17-2026 Ride

I slept pretty well, waking up a little after 5:00. But I dozed and got back into a light sleep, waking up again around 6:05 and then having to rush to get ready for a bike ride to meet Paula by Harmony Grove Community Park. I mistakenly thought we were supposed to meet at 7:00, so I was late to start. That caused me to push the pace more than usual on the ride over. I also took the freeway, since that's a faster route. Rode up Via Rancho Pkwy to Felicita Rd and took it to Hamilton Ln, where I turned and rode up to Continental Ln, turning there and then using Calle Catalina to get to the top of Gamble Ln. Over to Scenic Trails Way, taking it to Citracado Pkwy and heading down the hill to Harmony Grove Village Pkwy. As I turned left on Harmony Grove Rd and started riding I gradually came to the realization that our meet-up time was supposed to be 7:15. I kept on riding, probably rode about two more miles before I saw Paula coming from the other direction. I stopped and waited for her, then we rode back towards Harmony Grove Community Park, our original intended meeting place. At the top of a rise by the Elfin Forest Preserve, I stopped and loaded up the route, intent on avoiding the mistakes in following our map from the previous week. We rode back to the park and\ stopped there as well to review the route before continuing on. We stayed on Harmony Grove Rd up to its end at Kauana Loa Dr, using that to get to Citracado Pkwy, then over to Andreasen Dr. We followed it through the industrial part of Escondido, not so scenic and kinda rough road conditions. Over to Mission Ave, where we turned right and took it all the way into east Escondido. It was less traffic after we got past Broadway, but the bike lane was okay until then, so all was generally good. No bike lane past there, so we had to watch out for passing cars. Took it all the way up past Midway Dr until we turned left on Paula St. We stopped at an intersection there to take a picture of Paula standing by the street sign. Then we continued over to Lincoln Ave, turning right there and then right again on El Norte Pkwy. We stopped for another pic by the Escondido Creek Trail before continuing on past Valley Pkwy, where the street changed names to Hidden Trails Rd. Paula hadn't been on this road, which has a short, steep climb that gets up to 10% gradient. We took this road all the way to its end, where there was a fire access road that led us down to the neighborhood to the south, on Hidden View Ln. This was a nice little descent to Hidden Estate Ln, where we turned right and followed it to Reed Rd, taking another right. This got us over to Citrus Ave, where there was morning traffic to contend with. A left turn there, then a right on Glenridge Rd, taking us past Orange Glen HS. Over to BVP, where we turned right and rode to Oak Hill Dr, taking a left there. I had been on this road before, used to use it on my rides to yoga at church on Tuesday nights. But it had been a while. We rode up to Rose St, turning left and then right on Kingston Dr. A little climb here brought us to Paul St, where we stopped again and got some pictures of me by the street sign. We then continued up Paul St, turned right on Kenora St and then left on McLain St to get over to Boyle Ave. We turned left here as well, were very close to the Guy's house at this point before we turned right on Destree Rd and took it to Birch Ave. A left turn here took us back to BVP, where we turned right and rode over to Eldorado Dr, another street that Paula hadn't been on. We rode over to Juniper St, more morning traffic to contend with, turning left and then right on Vermont Ave. This got us to Escondido Blvd. My original planned route had us turning left here, but I wanted to shorten the ride and lessen the climbing challenge, so we turned right and rode to Felicita Ave, turning left there. We took this road over to Gamble Ln, turned there and rode to Bernardo Ave. Another right turn got us onto the usual route I have followed in the past to get to the meet-up spot, and we stayed on this route to the park, where we stopped and split up. I was happy we didn't get lost on this ride, with its many turns and unfamiliar streets. I rode home the normal way via Citracado Pkwy and Gamble Ln. On the Gamble Ln descent I rode down without braking at all, and it was both exhilarating and a little scary. One false move and it would not have ended well. I felt much stronger on the return portion of this ride than the previous week. It was 18 degrees cooler, and I was also a little more prepared.

Avg speed = 14.9 mph. Total mileage = 40.7 mi

Avg power = 120 W. Weighted avg power = 151 W

Total elevation gain = 2210'

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 45

Training Load = 151

Intensity = 69%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20215966497

Got home, and I was hungry. I had only eaten a part of a banana on the ride, on the return portion after splitting off from Paula. Ate some cereal and felt a little refreshed. I had a little time to relax, then I showered and cleaned the kitchen before riding over to Los Panchos to have lunch with Earl. I miscalculated my travel time and was a couple of minutes late to meeting him, but no big deal. We chatted about the Barona Powwow, Kelly and Jason settling in to their changed circumstances, and Earl's upcoming intended efforts to declutter his life (good luck to him). As usual it was a good conversation, not as weighty as others but still interesting and convivial. Got home and watched a little TV in the afternoon before meeting a guy from a fence company, who walked the property with me to get an idea of what we want to do so he can send us a quote for the work. Rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet, I did avoid taking a nap. I watched some TV before dinner, then read for a while after cleaning the kitchen. In the evening we drove down to the Sharp Rees Stealy imaging center in Kearny Mesa for me to get a CAT scan of my heart, according to Dr Strouse's instructions. I'm hoping the results are tolerable for future quality of life. Ann drove us home, and it was a quiet rest of the evening.

I finished Bowl of Heaven and started Gregory Benford's Timescape. 

09-16-2026 Ride

Woke up in the night and read until I could get back to sleep. Then I woke up, had some breakfast, and got ready for a ride with John. I left early enough to take an easy pace over to his house, following the normal route. I had some time when I got close, took Alpine Way and up to the top before riding down to Dapple Ct and using it to get to Dapple Way. He was there by himself, but the others came out to wave us off. We rode to the top of Pomerado Rd (I went to the top of Angelique St), then rode down to Kearney Villa Rd, turning left there and taking it to Ruffin Rd. Followed that road to Balboa Ave, turning left there. This isn't a great road to use to cross the freeway, but we got through without incident. Then it was a gradual climb to Santo Rd, where we turned left and then took another left on Claremont Mesa Blvd. Back toward Ruffin Rd, using Chesapeake Dr to cut the corner. From there we retraced our route back to his house. Vivian made us smoothies, and we chatted for a while before I started back home. I rode a little harder on the way home, taking the W Bernardo Dr route. Felt okay on this ride, legs were in decent shape even though I didn't push hard.

Avg speed = 15.9 mph. Total mileage = 44.4 mi

Avg power = 135 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 2420'

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 63

Training Load = 161

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20203089898

Had a little time to relax when I got home. I was hungry even though I had eaten cereal for breakfast and had a banana on the ride. So I ate some peanut butter crackers and felt better. Showered (I'd shaved earlier), rested a bit, and then got ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. It was uneventful, steadily busy but not overwhelming. I left a little early, to get home in time to change and head downtown to see Weird Al at the Rady Shell. We left the house at 4:45, and Ann drove us downtown through rush hour traffic. We ended up parking in a lot kinda close to the Midway. Ate some sandwiches and salad at a park overlooking the bay, then we walked down through Seaport Village to the Rady Shell. I thought the show started at 7:30, but it was actually 7:00. We got to our seats just before the opening act, Puddles Pity Party, came onstage. This opening act was eminently mediocre. It was a guy in traditional clown makeup singing (he had a decent voice) to a backing track, with periodic audience participation songs. The audience participation stuff was better than the rest but still forgettable. He wasn't on stage too long, thankfully. The main act, Weird Al Jankovic, was quite entertaining. He used video much more effectively, and he had some well staged set pieces based on both his parody and original songs. The place was quite full, possibly sold out, and the crowd was enthusiastic. My view was obstructed by the lady in front of me, who had a teased hairdo that was impossible to see over. So that was annoying, it forced me for the most part to watch the video screens, which detracted from the live performance aspect of the concert. Still, it was an enjoyable evening. We parked more than a mile away, so the walk back to the car after the concert took a while. But we didn't have to deal with any traffic on the way home, got there a little after 11:00.

09-15-2026 Ride

Slept fitfully again, woke up around 2:00 and need to read before I could get back to sleep. I still got enough sleep before waking up and getting ready for a coffee ride with Nel, Andy, and Perse. I rode through the neighborhood to W Bernardo Dr and then over to RB Town Center, where we met up. Then we took Bernardo Center Dr and Duenda Rd to W Bernardo Dr, then took Poblado Rd to Capilla Rd and through the neighborhood that way to RB Rd. From there it was the usual way to San Dieguito Rd, then down the hill to Little Hidden Bakery at El Apajo. We had coffee and a chocolate croissant, nice long conversation with wide-ranging topics. Perse had pushed the pace on the CdS bump, which bugged Andy a little. So on the way back we slowed it down and rode at Andy's pace. We retraced our route back to RB Rd and then took Matinal Rd down to Hada Dr and over to Duenda Rd. Back to RB Town Center, where I split up with the others and took the standard route home from there. Was a nice easy-paced ride with cooperative weather.

Avg speed = 14.0 mph (14.2 mph). Total mileage = 25.7 mi

Avg power =119 W. Weighted avg power = 142 W

Total elevation gain = 1900' (1890')

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 28 (29)

Training Load = 90 (89)

Intensity = 65% (68%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20188729077

Ann was at the beach when I got home. After talking with Perse, I went up in the attic and took down my golf clubs. May go to the driving range and hit some balls for the first time in a long time. After that I went out in the front yard and trimmed some of the bushes. I scraped my arm on a branch, and it was bleeding quite a bit for a while. Finished up there, then I watched some TV and ate a light lunch. I read in the afternoon for a while. Did a little bit of clean-up on my cycling analysis code. I watched some TV and read after dinner on a quiet evening.

09-14-2026 Swim

Slept kinda poorly, likely because of the nap. I woke up in the night and ended up watching some TV before getting drowsy again and going back to sleep. I still woke up fairly early and lay in bed reading. Then I got up and got ready for a swim at the WWC. It was overcast and cool on the ride over, and so I was surprised to see so few people waiting to get in. It was just me and Cathy in the pool for about the first half of my workout, there were still open lanes when I got out. I did intervals, working on strengthening my shoulders and upper body.

Warmup 250

    4:31

Five 100s with each successive 25 faster than the last, on 2:00 intervals

    1:39

    1:38

    1:40

    1:41

    1:39

300 with swim pads

    5:24

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

    2:00

    2:02

Cooldown 600

    5:36

As usual, my watch didn't count the laps I took where I wasn't rotating my right arm, so Zepp only recorded 1500 yds.

Avg pace = 1:48/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1550 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 27:50 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm (maybe)

Relative Effort = 15 (seems a little low)

SWOLF = 38

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.32 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20172564074

Got home, had some coffee and toast, and scheduled my CT scan to test my arteries. Showered and then rode over to Elmisa Café to have lunch with Pat Harnett. We talked about our moms, his kids (Lauren, Emily, and Shane), and the EER process for him. He isn't done with work, so his future will include figuring out that next job. Was an interesting conversation as always. I headed home after that and had a quiet afternoon including taking a nap and watching some TV. In the evening I talked for an hour with Ross. He starts his new job in a week, I'm hoping it goes well. Also sounds like he's on the outs with Terri, whose life is crashing down around her. Rest of the rvening was quiet (<!>).

09-13-2026 Run/Ride

Slept okay, did get up in the early morning and read before falling back to sleep. And I got up around 5:30, hung around the house for a bit before heading out for a run. I took an easy pace and ran the usual 5k route, nothing special to report. I did run negative splits, which was a plus.

Avg pace = 8:41/mi

Total distance = 3.17 mi

Elapsed moving time = 27:33

Avg heartrate = 123 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 6

https://www.strava.com/activities/20158728831

Got home and cooled down before getting ready for a bike ride. I left a little before 7:30,headed down by the park and then up Pomerado Rd to RB Rd. From there I followed the time trial route. Didn't have a real strong push in my legs and cardio, so I focused on steady effort, and that seemed to work. Also, I found a couple of coins on the road, second day in a row that I picked up money. 😊

Avg speed = 16.4 mph (16.6 mph). Total mileage = 19.6 mi

Avg power = 153 W. Weighted avg power = 176 W

Total elevation gain = 1040' (1060')

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 27 (26)

Training Load = 80 (86)

Intensity = 80% (82%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20160488819

Got home, showered, and had toast for breakfast before getting ready to ride to church for the 140th anniversary service. The ride over was uneventful, got there in time to sit by Ann, Emily, and Caleb. Service was bilingual, and that was generally a treat. I particularly liked Ruben's mini-sermon, it was humorous, meaningful, and uplifting. Didn't spend much time on the patio after the service, there really weren't many people I was looking to talk to, and Ann was putting the bells up. Rode home after that and watched some TV and, after that, football. Afternoon was quiet, I had a nap (I've been more tired recently) and am re-reading Bowl of Heaven, by Gregory Benford and Larry Niven. It's the first in a trilogy, not sure if I finished it the first time I picked it up. Ann and I watched some TV in the evening before turning in.

09-12-2026 Ride

Slept well, the best in a week. I did wake up early but got back to sleep. Got up around 6:15 and got ready for the Bisikleta ride. I rode through the neighborhood and then took the new extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. Perse was there when I got there, and others started showing up. On this day we had the following riders: Perse, Ray, Jed, Fritz, Paula, Nel, and Cam. I'd planned the route, and we took CdS to RB Rd. We then followed it past the freeway and on Espola Rd up to Bridlewood Rd. We turned there, then Cam and I sprinted up the little climb. He rode strongly throughout the day. He and I rode on Summer Sage Rd to Lake Poway Rd, waited for the others there, then Fritz and I climbed up to the turn onto Riparian Rd. I waited to make sure everybody also made the turn, then we rode to Titan Way and used it to get back to Espola Rd. Up and then down the hill. Around this point I had a turn planned but got it mixed up, which caused Cam and Ray to be on the planned route while the rest of us rode further down the hill and turned right on Los Nietos Ave, taking it to Roberto Rio Rd, turning left and getting to Twin Peaks Rd. We rode to Tierra Bonita Rd and waited for Cam and Ray to catch up with us. We were all together again, riding down to Community Rd and turning there to ride to Metate Ln. It was Poway Days Parade day, and they were lining the floats up on Pomerado Rd. We were able to get through and take Pomerado Rd south. On the climb Ray, Fritz, and Cam rode out ahead, but I kept to my pace and high cadence, picking them off one by one. Cam had gotten ahead quite far, but I caught and passed him near the top. We waited for the others to get to the top before continuing the climb past the light at a shallower gradient. Then it was a gradual downhill to the right turn on Blue Cypress Dr. This is a really nice descent, with a sharp right turn at the bottom onto Cypress Canyon Rd. This took us to the top of Angelique St, and we had another fast descent, to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. Left turn there, some gradual climbing and the steady descent down toward the freeway. We stopped for a break at a Sinclair station, then continued down to the bike path running along the east side of I-15. Around here Jed and Fritz got behind us, for reasons I couldn't figure out. The rest of us took the bike path to Poway Rd, riding up to Sabre Springs Pkwy and turning left. We rode to Evening Creek Dr and turned left there. Then another left turn, on Sabre Hills Dr, and up the short steep climb. Cam and I both pushed hard to the top. Turns out that Jed lives in the subdivision at the top of this climb. Looped around and back down to Evening Creek Dr, then back toward Sabre Springs Pkwy. I turned into the parking lot by the Park n Ride and got us onto the sidewalk to make it to the beginning of the 56 bike path. We ended up taking the bike path all the way to CVR, paying attention to the numerous dicey intersections that we crossed. Started back on CVR, seemed that the pace decreased a little bit here. We rode back to CdS, and I waited after the turn for Paula to catch up while the others kept going. Paula and I rode back via PdS, stopping after the turn for a pic. Back to Target via Templeton St. It was heating up and already muggy, so I didn't stay too long. Rode home the new normal way, and Nel followed me, since he had ridden from home as well. We split at Camino San Bernardo, and I took it fairly easy on the rest of the way home.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph (15.8 mph). Total mileage = 50.3 mi

Bisikleta route avg speed = 16.0 mph

Avg power = 140 W. Weighted avg power = 168 W

Total elevation gain = 3100' (3210')

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 87 (90)

Training Load = 229 (216)

Intensity = 76% (78%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20148235385

Had some lunch and watched college football for a while after I got home. Rest of the afternoon was quiet. I rested and read for a while. In the late afternoon we drove to church for the 140th anniversary dinner. Was fun seeing some folks I hadn't seen in a while, including YAMs, whose table we sat at. Food from Olive Garden was meh as expected, some of the pictures in the slide show brought back good memories. We were home before 8:00, which was another plus, so I watched some TV before going to bed.

09-11-2026 Swim

Slept okay but not as long as usual due to the late previous night. I got ready for a swim with Avi at the WWC. Temperature was really nice on the way over and during the swim, although the pool water was a little too warm. My focus was on swimming distance without pausing. I ended up swimming 2000 yds for the first time in a while, the last 450 yds with a pull buoy. Here are the splits for the four 500s: 9:33, 9:56, 10:03, 9:19. My form was generally okay, but my stroke length was definitely shorter than usual, especially when I was breathing every three strokes. Avi was in and out of the pool switching lanes, pausing, but I just kept swimming at my slower pace. Not so much strength in my arms on this day.

Avg pace = 1:57/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 2000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 38:51 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 159 bpm (too high to be believed)

Relative Effort = 80 (nope)

SWOLF = 38

Avg stroke rate = 22 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.25 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20132526154

Got home, had some cereal for breakfast, then watched a little TV. We then met Ed and Susan at Ali Baba for lunch. It was great to get caught up with each other on travels, family, and church topics. They were down in San Diego to test drive a Slate truck, which I understand they are going to buy. We drove home after lunch, and I had a little nap. Been more tired than usual lately. I then watched some TV in the late afternoon. In the evening we drove to Escondido to see a free outdoor concert at the CCAE. The opening act was The Lonesome Roses, and they were excellent, as usual, although Rheanna's guitar sounded strange at times, and her playing wasn't perfect. The main act was a band, Daring Greatly, that neither one of us had heard of. However, they had a pretty rabid group of fans show up, most of them middle-aged. We sat next to two big fans, Russ and Glenda, who have followed this band around. Russ told me that there is a connection between a couple of the band members and two of the female singers from the band, Twilight Highway, that we had seen on Thursday. Small music world in San Diego, apparently. We also saw Jeff Berkley wandering around before the show, and his name got mentioned during the concert as well.