10-11-2026 Virtual Ride

Slept fitfully, maybe too much caffeine the previous day. I started my atorvastatin prescription in the morning (<>). It was raining, so I set up my Fuji on the Kickr and rode for a little over 30 minutes at tempo pace.

Avg speed = 20.7 mph. Total mileage = 10.7 mi

Avg power = 194 W. Weighted avg power = 197 W

Total elevation gain = 180'

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 15

Training Load = 41

Intensity = 90%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20543985916

In the early afternoon we went looking for dishes, glasses, and flatware. Nothing at World Market, but we found some tumblers like ours at Target, along with a new belt for me. The rest of the afternoon was quiet. I had removed the tire liner from my front tire, but it was still very difficult to put the tire on the rim. A little dish soap seemed to help with lubrication of the inner bead of the tire, and I finally fitted the tire on.  Later I swapped out the rotors and put the cassette on the narrower profile wheels, then installed them on the bike and adjusted the shifting to match the wheels. Watched a little TV before dinner, then talked to Ross for a while after dinner. His new job is proceeding smoothly, he's on track to get progressively more responsibility. Ann and I were going to watch TV together, but she decided to read instead, since I was on the phone with Ross for a while. I watched some TV myself before heading to bed.

10-10-2026 Ride

Well, this was an eventful day. I was originally going to ride with Rob Tran from Target, other Bisikleta riders had opted out for numerous reasons. Woke up to a message from Rob saying he wasn't going to ride, so I planned on a solo ride. Paula texted me and asked if I wanted to join the Swamis group that she rides with. I said yes, and after some back-and-forth, we agreed on a place to meet, the Via Rancho Park n Ride. I got ready as quickly as I could and rode over there via the freeway to keep the riding time as short as possible. Got there before she did, and then she told me her plan was to ride from this spot down to Solana Beach. Seemed ambitious to me, but I said okay, and we headed out. I had stopped my ride from home and saved it, so this ride started from the Park n Ride. We headed up Via Rancho Pkwy, I dialed my effort back and rode with her for most of the climb. We got over to Del Dios Hwy and turned left there. On the first downhill, near the bottom, I hit something big in the road, didn't see what I hit, but it threw both of my water bottles off and flatted my rear tire. I was able to find one of the water bottles but not the other. It took longer for me to replace the tire than I would have liked, some difficulty in getting the tire off, and then back on. After that chore, we were off again. We rode together to the bigger descent, and I followed her down the hill, no difficulty on the descent, even though the wind was swirling somewhat. We stayed on Paseo Delicias into RSF village and then took Linea del Cielo out of town. I was stressing a little about being late for the 8:30 meet-up time, but Paula said it wasn't a big deal. We rode to Lomas Santa Fe and took it down to the coast, where most of the others were waiting. We still had to wait for another rider, so we weren't the last ones to show up. From there, we headed north on PCH at a slower pace than usual for me, but I was okay with it. Here are the names of some of the riders I met and talked with on the ride: Variba, Jean-Louis, Brian, Gina, Anna, Otto, Ralph, and Brielle. Folks were very nice in general. Just before we got into Carlsbad, Jean-Louis and I got out ahead and pushed the pace a little more than the rest of the group, creating a gap. We rode through Carlsbad and then turned on State St at the roundabout on the northern end of the city. Then it was left on Laguna Dr and another left on Jefferson St. Rode over the freeway and then took a right on Marron Rd, followed by another right on Monroe St. A little climb here, then another right on Carlsbad Village Dr, with a left soon after on Highland Dr. Around this point Ralph told Variba to hit the gas, so she pushed the pace, and the three of us gapped the others. She has some sprint in her. We took a right to stay on Highland Dr (Ralph missed the turn and caught up with us later), then another right on Hoover St to get to Adams St, where we turned left to keep heading roughly south. We took a right on Park Dr and followed it around until we stopped for a bio break at a neighborhood park. Took a couple of pics here, then we turned on Kelly Dr and rode up to ECR. A right turn there, gathering everybody together at the turn, then another right on Cannon Rd, taking it to Faraday Dr, where we turned left. At this point, I knew basically where I was, most of the streets before this turn were unfamiliar to me. There was a climb back up to ECR, and Variba and I used it to stretch ourselves a little bit. We turned right on ECR and took it to La Costa Ave. Brian split from the group around here, the rest of us turned right on La Costa Ave and rode into a pretty stiff headwind coming from Tropical Storm Rachel. It was around this point that I started getting concerned about finishing the ride before the storm came in. I pulled a small group of riders over to Saxony Rd, where we turned left and rode up to Quail Hollow Dr / Quail Gardens Dr. I had ridden down these roads but never up, and I was a little apprehensive about the climb up to Quail Gardens. J-L rode ahead of the others, then Variba and I got out in front, she was further ahead. I tracked her down, and we rode together up to the turn. I pushed my pace and dropped her on the climb, which turned out to be not anywhere as tough as I thought it would be. I got to the top and rode to Leucadia Blvd before turning around and riding back to the entrance to Fox Point Farms, our planned coffee stop. The weather was definitely coming in by this time, and several riders kept going, while we stopped for a bit. Paula and I were the last to get our drinks, and the service was really slow (one barista), so the others were finished by the time we had our drinks. We were splitting from them anyway, so they took off. Paula quickly downed the drinks, then we rode to Leucadia Blvd and turned left. It was a little sketchy on the descent to ECR, with a stiff tailwind that was moving my bike around. On familiar roads by this time, we took Olivenhain Rd up to RSF Rd, benefiting from a steady 20-mph tailwind any time we were generally heading east or south. I was still feeling strong, but Paula was slowing down, even with the tailwind helping her along. We gathered together at the turn onto El Camino del Norte and took that little climb together up toVia de Fortuna. Right turn there, then a left on El Montevideo got us back to Paseo Delicias. We rode to VdlV, turned there and took it down to Via de Santa Fe and then over El Apajo to San Dieguito Rd. I gapped Paula again on this relatively flat section, so I knew she was fading. I dialed my pace way back on the Three Witches climb, where we had a big help from the tailwind. Up to CdS, where I called Ann to make sure the car was home. She texted me that the rain was supposed to have started, and shortly after this text the rainfall started for us. It was light at first and got heavier as we rode back toward 4S Ranch. It never got really heavy, but both of us were wet and pretty dirty from road grime. We rode back home via RB Rd and then through the neighborhood, arriving there before the rain got steady again. The stats below are a combination of the short ride I took over to the meet-up spot and the longer ride with Paula.

Avg speed = 15.2 mph. Total mileage = 70.8 mi

Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 145 W

Total elevation gain = 3880'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 83

Training Load = 229

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20532775948

https://www.strava.com/activities/20532775465

I was pretty wet and dirty when I got home, so I changed quickly, put Paula's bike in the back of the car, and drove her back to our meet-up spot. It was raining steadily by this time. I dropped her off, helped her put the bike on the rack, then drove home. Took a shower to wash off the road filth. Was hungry but not ravenous, so I had cheese and biscuits, then some cole slaw while watching a little NCAA football. Afternoon and evening were quiet. I finished the book about black holes and started another one, The Perfect Theory, by Pedro Ferreira, about the general theory of relativity.

10-09-2026 Swim

Slept okay for having had a big nap the previous afternoon. I woke up early and dozed in bed for a while before getting up (<!>). Got ready for a swim at the WWC and rode over there in just about perfect weather. He was a little late, but it didn't make a huge difference, even though the pool was full. We got lanes 4 and 5, and they were okay, at least for me. I swam a warmup 250 and was a little disappointed in my time (it actually wasn't that bad). Then, after a short rest, I swam two more 250s, one with my swim pads and the other with my swim fins. Both were faster. Avi was basically able to keep up with me, without the swim aids but doing flip turns. That was impressive, especially on the 250 with swim fins. Then I swam a 500 at tempo pace, averaging 1:47/100 yds on that 500. Finished with a cooldown 250 using my pull buoy. This was a pretty decent workout.

Initial 250

    4:35

Second 250, with swim pads

    4:20

Third 250, with swim fins

    3:52

Tempo 500, no swim aids

    8:57

Cooldown 250, with pull buoy

    4:36

The updated version of Zepp OS is definitely not working the way I'd like it to for exporting data automatically to Strava. It appears not to be counting the time after I push off from the wall but before I start my stroke.

Avg pace = 1:45/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1500 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 26:20 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 138 bpm (maybe)

Relative Effort = 34 (maybe)

SWOLF = 27 (low because it isn't counting the non-stroke time in my laps)

Avg stroke rate = 26 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.42 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20517714491

Got home, was hungry, had toast and coffee for breakfast. Then I sent a message to the Zepp OS folks about the issue to see if there is a fix or workaround. The one I found, manually transferring the FIT file, appears to work for elapsed time but no longer separates out the lap splits. Not a big deal, but it's more difficult to upload the workout manually than automatically. Later in the morning I composed and sent a birthday greeting to Ross, riffing on The Phantom of the Opera. In the afternoon I tried to install tire liners on the tires with my narrow-profile wheels. I found I only had purchased liner for one tire, unfortunately. Much more unfortunately, it took a LOT of effort to get the tire back in the bead, more than I've ever experienced. And in doing so I punctured the tube (obviously) and had the devil of a time getting the tire off the bead. Patched this tube as well as the flatted tube I'd carried for Perse. After these frustrations I read for a while to settle down, then watched a little college football before dinner. I the evening we drove down to UCSD and saw Punch Brothers at the Epstein Family Amphitheater. No opening act. Music was occasionally good but at times too atonal and other times a little self-indulgent. Interesting, but I wouldn't go see them again. Ann drove home, after we sat waiting in the parking structure for about 10 minutes without moving. Home around 10:30.

10-08-2026 Ride

Slept pretty well, woke up but got back to sleep until about 5:45. Had some cereal for breakfast and got ready for a ride from home with Paula, who showed up around 6:45. My Wahoo had low battery, and I had a number of problems starting to charge it and then to load the route. Finally got it working, then we turned right on Creciente Way, then took Aguacate Way to Alborada Dr and over to Duenda Rd. To Matinal Rd via Harvest Dance Way, Carranza Dr, and Pinzon Way. I packed the first half of this route with climbing. We headed up to RB Rd and then took CSB to Dove Canyon Rd. Down the hill, left on Deer Creek Rd and up the short steep pitch to Cayenne Ridge Rd. Right turn there and then up and down to Bernardo Center Dr. We took this down the hill to CVR and then up, past heavy school traffic and road work, to the summit, then down to Black Mountain Rd. We turned there and then turned left on Maler Rd. This is another steep pitch initially, then the gradient lessened as we turned on Corte Lampara. We turned left on Bourgeois Way, to Mediatrice Ln. This got us to Laurentian Dr and then to the first top of our ride. Then it was a steep descent to Stargaze Ave, right turn there, and a really steep descent to Oviedo St. Left turn there, and our second major climb (not that bad, actually) up to McEntee St, where we finished the climb up to Hilltop Community Park. Short break there before we rode down Oviedo Way. Steep descent to the turn onto Oviedo St, then a shallower descent past Black Mountain Rd and into the neighborhood there. Paula stopped to make a couple of calls, then we continued to Twin Trails Dr, taking it up and then down to Black Mountain Rd. Right turn there, we stayed on this road past the highway and down to Park Village Rd. Short climb and then the nice descent to CdS. As on the previous day we continued straight to the right turn on Dormouse Rd. Same climb (last significant one of the day) and descent back to CdS. Heavy school traffic again, we rode up to the 56 bike path and took it west, to the exit to RSF Farms Rd. We turned left and took it down to Solterra Vista Pkwy, then followed this road up to CVR. Right turn there, back to CdS and then to a turn on PdS. We'd slowed by this time, took it easy over to Four Gee Rd. We stopped at the park there, and Paula told me about her future fitness business plan. Pretty risky for business success but likely not a huge investment needed. I hope she's successful with it. We followed the reverse of the short route through the neighborhood 4S Ranch neighborhood, then took RB Rd down to the left turn on Olmeda Way. Capilla Rd to Poblado Rd and then to W Bernardo Dr. Home the normal way from there, arriving just a little after the 10:00 target. Paula had to get to the high school to pick her daughters up, so we didn't chat long.

Avg speed = 12.9 mph. Total mileage = 30.2 mi

Avg power = 109 W. Weighted avg power = 141 W

Total elevation gain = 2540'

Avg heartrate =106 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 30

Training Load = 113

Intensity = 64%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20505493818

I had a pretty quiet late morning and early afternoon, including a longer nap (was tired from the ride exertion and not a very restful night). I watched some TV but didn't really do anything. I went to happy hour at Phil's and talked mostly with JJ about his advanced hobby of telescopes and astronomy. His images are pretty good, and he's really passionate about the topic. Evening was also quiet, watched some football and read before going to sleep.

10-07-2026 Ride

Slept decently, woke up around 5:30 and did a little kitchen cleanup before getting ready for a ride with John. I left the house around 6:40 and used a modest pace to get over to his neighborhood via the normal route. I got there early enough to ride around his neighborhood a couple of times before I saw that his garage door was open. Vivian and Jayden were out to see us off, as we headed up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and turned right there. A little more climbing, then down the hill to the bike path on the east side of I-15, which we took north to Poway Rd and then to Sabre Springs Pkwy. Took a left there and then another left on Evening Creek Dr, with yet again another left on Sabre Hill Dr. It's a short, steep climb to the top, and I put my bike into its lowest gear and just spun up to the top. We followed road around and then back down to Evening Creek Dr and continued up this road, eventually riding through a parking lot and on some sidewalks to get to the 56 bike path. Took it west past a couple of dodgy intersections during morning rush hour, and we eventually turned off the bike path onto Salmon River Rd. Down the hill to Adolphia St, where we turned and then had an exhilarating, fairly steep and winding downhill with periodic speed bumps to zoom over. That was fun, a little scary. We got onto Park Village Rd, a little more climbing, then another nice, shallower descent to the end of CdS. We kept going straight, turning right on Dormouse Rd, which I had ridden once before but in the opposite direction. This road had another short, steep climb to negotiate, followed by another steep, winding descent back to CdS. We turned left there and rode up to CMR, turning there and taking it, and its fairly mile climb, up to Black Mountain Rd. A right turn there, then a left on Paseo Montalban took us eventually back to CMR, avoiding the high school morning traffic. We turned right there and stayed on it as it turned into Rancho Penasquitos Blvd, across the freeway to Poway Rd, and back to Sabre Springs Pkwy, turning right this time. This got us to Springhurst Dr, and we took the route, via Alpine Ter, back to his house. Vivian made smoothies for us, and the three of us chatted for a shorter period than usual, as I wanted to get home before it got too hot. I rode back home the normal way via Bernardo Center Dr. Felt good on the ride, a little tired at the end.

Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 39.6 mi

Avg power = 120 W. Weighted avg power = 147 W

Total elevation gain = 2550'

Avg heartrate = 110 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 37

Training Load = 141

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20491775329

Got home, had time to shave and shower, relax a little bit before heading over to the hospital for my volunteer shift. I ate a big lunch this time, brought more food than I had planned, and bought some food there as well. The ED was really hopping when I got there, as busy as I have ever seen it, with all beds occupied and a lot going on. As a result, I was pretty busy at the start and had a couple of additional stretches where I was busy, mainly cleaning out rooms for new patients. There were two new nurses on duty, Tanner and Elaine. I finished my shift a little late and then rode home in nice, albeit slightly hot, weather. Ann and I talked to Laura and Joe and got some logistics squared away for next week. We had dinner, then Ann went to an exercise class and I watched a little TV before settling down (<>).

10-06-2026 Ride/Swim

Slept okay waking up a couple of times in the night but getting back to sleep. Got up around 5:45 and got ready for a coffee ride with Andy, Nel, and Perse. I left the house at 6:30 and rode the normal way over to the Albertsons parking lot. Within several minutes Nel and Andy showed up, and we headed up Pomerado Rd at modest pace. To Stowe Dr, turning there and riding, this time at a slightly elevated pace, up to O'Brien's Boulangerie. Stopped there for coffee and a couple of pastries (Andy paid). Good conversation about Perse's recent trip to Europe and our upcoming bikepacking trip. After the break we headed down to Community Rd and took it over to Twin Peaks Rd. Took that up to Espola Rd, then up the hill to the high school. We turned on Titan Way and used Riparian Rd to get to Lake Poway Rd. At Andy's suggestion we turned left and rode up to the loop, around it, and back down to Summer Sage Rd. Over to Bridlewood Rd and thus to Espola Rd. We rode down the hill to Summerfield Ln, then over to Rios Rd. A right turn took us back to Pomerado Rd,where I split with the others and turned right. Over to RB Rd, which I took all the way up to Matinal Rd, then home through the neighborhood. Overall easy-paced ride.

Avg speed = 14.6 mph. Total mileage = 25.6 mi

Avg power = 123 W. Weighted avg power = 155 W

Total elevation gain = 1730'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 31

Training Load = 102

Intensity = 70%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20476844905

Got home, Ann was off at the beach. I ordered my first batch of statin pills through Express Scripts. Then I watched a little TV, had some lunch, and started putting together the list of items to take on the bikepacking trip. Started laying some of the items out as well in the spare bedroom office. Ann got home from visiting with Christine, Emma, and Alice down in Mission Beach in mid-afternoon. The temperature had gone down a little bit, so I decided to ride over to the WWC and get a quick swim in before dinner. Swam in lane 2, nobody else in the pool except some moms and their little kids. My stroke count was a little higher than normal, but I was fairly fast. I was also breathing a little more frequently than usual. Swam two 500s with just a little break in between. Here are the splits: 9:11, 9:13.

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

Total distance = 1000 yds (Video)

Elapsed moving time = 18:24 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 166 bpm (nope)

Relative Effort = 51 (again, nope)

SWOLF = 28 (not sure why this is so low)

Avg stroke rate = 26 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.37 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/20482768091

Got home and ate dinner. Evening was quiet, watched some TV and read as well.

10-05-2026 Ride

Slept okay (went to bed before 8:30), got up early in morning and read for a while. Started Black Holes:The Key to Understanding the Universe, by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw. Then I got back to sleep and woke up around 5:30. Got ready for a coffee ride with Joe, left the house around 6:15. It was dark, I fully needed my bike light. Down by the park and over the pedestrian bridge, then to the Via Rancho Park n Ride. Joe was a little late, but we got going around 6:40. Headed through Kit Carson Park to El Ku Ave, then up to Centre City Pkwy via Brotherton Rd. We took this to 13th Ave, then got onto Quince St, taking this lesser traveled road to Mission Ave. Left turn there and over to Barham Dr, aided by a tailwind. We took Barham Dr to North City and stopped for coffee and muffins at Necessity Coffee. Had an interesting conversation about gravitational forces and spacetime. We headed back the same way until we got to Washington Ave, took the Inland Bike Trail to Hale Ave, then over to Tulip St. We used it to get to Valley Pkwy, turned left and got back on Tulip St, taking it to 15th Ave, then left and right on Redwood St. Over to Montview Dr, left and then right on Alexander Dr to get to Brotherton Rd. To Centre City Pkwy, then we turned on Citracado Pkwy and followed our earlier route back to the parking lot. We chatted a little bit about setting up his new head unit, then I rode home the normal way via the freeway. Got home before the temperature rose above 90 deg, so it wasn't bad.

Avg speed = 14.2 mph (14.4 mph). Total mileage = 24.3 mi

Avg power = 106 W. Weighted avg power = 134 W

Total elevation gain = 1030' (1060')

Avg heartrate = 107 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 19 (20)

Training Load = 71 (76)

Intensity = 61% (66%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/20462256197

Ann was on her way to an exercise class, so I watched some TV and did a little searching for HR monitors for Joe. I also attempted to put in a request for my station prescription through Express Scripts, via Dr Strouse. Let's see if that goes through as planned. In late morning I went out and bled just a little fluid out of my front brakes in an attempt to push the pistons just a little further out so they don't rub against the rotors. It appeared to be successful (still a little bit of rubbing), after I readjusted the pads relative to the rotors. I read for a bit in the afternoon, then worked on my cycling analysis code to fix a couple of errors related to choosing segment data to display. Everything seems to work better now, not perfect but better. Evening was quiet, I watched a little TV later in the evening to keep from falling asleep before 9:00, so that was successful.