10-23-2011 Ride

Recumbent exercise bike at the Holiday Inn Express in Berkeley.  I think the resistance function for the bike was broken because I was really struggling just to pedal in the second level.  I alternated between the first and second levels in 1-minute increments for 30 min, and I was drenched when I finished.

Total mileage = 11.0 mi

10-21-2011 Ride

Solo ride from home on a Friday I took off, as we flew up to Berkeley to visit the girls.  Headed out Via Rancho Pkwy, and that first climb was a real workout for me.  Especially in the early stages of this ride, I didn't feel very strong.  Took Del Dios Hwy into Rancho Santa Fe, then through and down to Solana Beach, where I took the Coast Hwy down through Del Mar.  Headed back on the 56 bike trail, and here's where I started feeling better.  Made decent time on the entire bike trail section, and connected onto Ted Williams Pkwy, which I took up to Pomerado Rd.  From here, the route home was the normal one down to the freeway and around by the park.  I felt good at the end, winded but not sore or cramped.

Avg speed = 17.8 mph. Total mileage = 45.1 mi
Avg heartrate = 150 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1760'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55467130

10-16-2011 Ride

Ride over to Dave's house for the time trial loop.  I felt okay at the start, even with the big workout on the previous day.  Didn't intend to ride hard, and we started off this way.  I kept getting ahead of Dave and slowing down to catch back up with him.  It was foggy and misty for the first half of the ride.  On the climb up to Poway Rd, I started out pretty fast and found I could keep the pace at >9 MPH. It was a challenge but not a complete drain.  We caught all of the lights on Poway Rd, and we rode a fast pace.  Dave kept up for most of the way, dropping back around that little climb before Pomerado Rd.  I slowed down a little on Sabre Springs Pkwy,, then picked up the pace again on Ted Williams Pkwy, keeping it going pretty well after the turn onto Pomerado Rd.  Dave wasn't riding fast, so I measured my pace to try and ride with him.  We finished the downhill section riding fast but not all out, which I did only near the end.  Finished in 53:50.

Total mileage = 23.1 mi
Total elevation gain = 820'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/4958719

10-15-2011 Ride

Ride from the parking lot by Cafe Luna over Rancho Carmel Dr and Sabre Springs Pkwy to John's house.  It was absolutely dark when I started, and the fog was preventing it from getting light soon.  Made it okay.  From his place, I rode with him and Dave out to the stop sign on the way to Alpine.  In the early part of the ride, I wasn't really pushing it.  Took it fairly slow up Scripps-Poway Pkwy and even still my heartrate was pretty high on the major climb.  We climbed through the fog into the sun, and it was basically sunny, alternatively warm and cool, through the rest of the ride.  We headed over to Lake Jennings Rd, where there were a couple of riders on the climb here.  I increased my pace and passed them readily, then waited for the others at the top.  On the gradual climb toward Alpine, I intentionally took a pretty easy pace, not pushing it.  We made good time on the way back down, with all three of us pushing the pace at various times.  Then the others slowed down, while I was starting to feel good. Good ride to the base of the Lakeside grade, and the wind was at our backs.  While this was a tough climb, as usual, I think I did pretty well on the first part and really well on the second, where the tailwind seemed to be pushing me uphill.  Headed back to John's house, feeling good and outpacing the others on the little climbs.  The ride back to my car was uneventful.  I didn't feel overly sore, just tired. Thankfully, no cramping in my legs.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 53.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 149 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3300'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/54490040

10-13-2011 Ride

Not a great day at work.  Needed a quick ride to decompress, so I started on the short loop route, and I started at a moderate pace.  The wind wasn't as much of a problem as I had expected it to be, and I was riding pretty well.  Got to Twin Peaks Rd and decided to keep going, so I rode down to Poway Rd and took a right to go down to Sabre Springs Pkwy. Pace was increasing, as I was in a good rhythm.  Made good time on the Sabre Springs section, not screaming but a good, steady pace.  Kept it going pretty much up to Carmel Mountain Rd.  This section has a slight incline, so I was slowed down somewhat.  I powered up the little hill after the turn onto Camino Del Norte, making it about 3/4 of the way up before I gassed.  Even still, I rode pretty well here, and the rest of the way home was mostly downhill and fast.  At the end of the ride, I had ridden harder than I originally planned but felt good.

Avg speed = 18.6 mph. Total mileage = 19.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 152 bpm
Total elevation gain = 690'
www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/54383822

10-9-2011 Ride

Time trial, riding from home. John and Dave rode as well. I was determined to keep a modest pace, as I planned on riding with Joe in the afternoon.  I was pretty much able to keep to the plan, even taking a steady pace up the grade to Poway Rd.  I stayed with the others for the most part, with just a little separation on the small climbing sections.  We made good time on Pomerado, and Dave passed me when I caught a light.  I worked mightily to catch up with him and passed him just before the end, but I really had to go all out to get there.  Finished in around 56:00.

Total mileage = 23.1 mi
Total elevation gain = 820' http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/4958719

Second ride was with Joe, leaving from church.  Again, we started out with a modest pace, and I was able to keep it that way, not getting too far ahead of him and riding with him a fair amount. We headed up Grand Ave to BVP, then took this to E Valley Pkwy and connected to El Norte Pkwy.  It was a pretty breezy day, with the wind coming generally out of the northwest.  Headed over to Broadway and out to Jesmond Dene Rd.  I kept the pace steady on this road and had a good finish.  With the wind in our favor, we made good time getting back, although it seemed like we hit every light on Centre City Pkwy.  I felt fine at the end, legs in decent shape.  Neither ride during the day was a real stress.

Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 18.0 mi
Avg heartbeat = 148 bpm
Total elevation gain = 440'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/54383188

10-8-2011 Ride

Solo ride from home.  I woke up at 6:30 and had to be over at Dave's house at 7:00, so I had to hustle.  Got over there in time, and we rode up Pomerado Rd to Camino Del Norte.  Took this road toward the coast.  On this early part of the ride, Dave pretty much stayed with me, only falling back a little on the climbs.  We took a right on San Dieguito Rd.  At this point, I was a ways ahead of Dave.  It had been cool at the start of the ride but was warming up, so I switched my gloves out.  Dave came on and really sped down the hill, and I couldn't keep up with him.  Even at the base of the hill and in the flats, I really wasn't feeling all that strong.  I took my jacket off after we got onto El Camino Real, and that seemed to help.  Felt pretty good going up this hill, and Dave was starting to slow down.  We made good time down to the 56 bike trail, and I was feeling better and doing okay, not great, on this gradual uphill all the way to the freeway.  Dave was starting to lag further behind, and his knee was a little balky.  We headed up Ted Williams Pkwy to Pomerado Rd, and Dave was ready to break the ride off a little shorter than we'd originally planned.  We rode back to his place, and I took the Pomerado Rd route back home.  I felt good at the end, no muscle cramping or pain, not even really sore.

Avg. speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 43.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1540'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/53657750

2011 Tour de Poway Metric Century

I rode this ride with John, Dave, and Jim, so I expected to have a fairly slow pace.  I used this excuse to not get as many training miles in before the ride, and that turned out to be a mistake.  There was rain in the forecast, so I thought the ride would be on the cool side.  If only!  We headed out from Old Poway Park, so far so good.  On the climb up Poway Rd to the 67, I was just slow.  Lots of people passed me by, and I had nothing to respond with.  Depressing.  We gathered together at the top of the hill, then John and I pretty much rode together to the top of the Mt Woodson pass, where we waited again for Dave and Jim.  All stayed together on the downhill, and we pushed a pretty fast pace.  Near the turn onto Dye Rd, Jim had a flat, and he had to put in two inner tubes before it got fixed.  The wait didn't help me.  We all stayed together riding around Ramona.  On the turn from Hanson Rd onto Ashley Rd, I unknowingly lost my spare tire.  Dave, who was fairly close behind me, saw it and slowed down to miss it.  Jim didn't really react to Dave's slowing down and ended up crashing and scraping up his knees and legs.  John and I didn't realize what had happened, so we rode on to the first sag stop and waited for them.  Jim looked pretty messed up, but he said he was okay, and he got some first aid but no bandages.  On the downhill, we saw an ambulance by a female rider who had crashed, but she was sitting up, a good sign.  This downhill is not for the faint of heart, and it was pretty fast.  At the bottom, we all gathered together and rode as a group through the San Pasqual Valley.  Jim did a little offroading and got another flat, so we waited while he fixed that one, legs looking kinda gruesome at this point.  John and the others got ahead of me after this, and I didn't have much to try and catch up.  I figured that I would catch them on the uphill out of the valley, and I did, but John was right there with me at the top.  He was having a good ride, me not so much.  After this point, John and I rode together, while Dave hung back with Jim, who slowed down significantly (mechanical difficulties, adrenaline let-down, etc.).  We connected back at the sag stop by the park.  By this time, it was hot and muggy, and I was really feeling it.  My upper leg muscles were complaining.  On the uphill sections, I would put some distance between me and John, who was also starting to wear down.  I knew by this time that it was survival time, and I just gritted it out on the uphill on Carmel Valley Rd.  There was another sag stop on Camino Del Sur before San Dieguito Rd, and we waited there for awhile for Dave and Jim to catch up.  When we started up again, John and I decided to ride on and not wait for them.  This was a better plan for me, since I was tightening up during the waits.  I also rode ahead of John, who caught me at the light at Bernardo Center Dr.  After this point, I rode away from him, and he didn't catch up.  I was feeling tired, had gotten my second wind and worked through it, feeling worn out again.  I waited for John after the turn onto Metate Rd, where there was a car crash.  My legs were cramping up, and my right hamstring completely seized up at the stoplight onto Community Rd.  Luckily, there was a downhill section where I could work the cramp out enough to keep going.  I was able to pedal through it.  Here was where John's quads cramped up, and that never happens!  I didn't know it, so I rode a little ahead and finished the ride, quite glad to be done with it.  I actually felt much better after stopping, and my recovery was pretty quick.  We waited for Jim and Dave for awhile, then found out that they had cut the ride short by turning onto Poway Rd at Community Rd.  We rode over there and had a smoothie at Smoothie King (very cold, a little too sweet for my taste).  Next time, gotta prepare better and hope that the weather is not as draining.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 61.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 160 bpm (!!!)
Total elevation gain = 3010'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/53658894