4-24-2012 Ride

Ride from home to church for yoga, using the BVP route and Oak Hill to Ash, then to the church via Grand, Juniper, and Fourth. I kept the pace very modest, not trying to do anything other than get some miles in.

Average speed =  17.1 mph. Total mileage = 10.6 mi.
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/san%20diego/964123799127555358

4-22-2012 Ride

Modified time trial, starting from Jim's house.  It was just him and me.  We headed down and over by RB Community Park, then up Pomerado Rd all the way to Ted Williams Pkwy.  I kept up a good, but not blistering, pace.  Jim stayed with me on the non-climbing sections.  We headed over to Rancho Carmel Dr and took this all the way over until it teed into Carmel Mountain Rd.  It was really foggy here, and I got ahead of Jim by pushing a faster pace and hitting a light.  We reconnected, then headed back on Camino del Norte, following the usual route by work.  I was really amazed that my average heartrate at the end of the ride was so low.

Avg speed = 17.5 mph. Total mileage = 16.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 141 bpm
Total elevation gain = 610'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/85755101

4-21-2012 Ride

Ride from the parking lot by Carmel Mountain Ranch over to John's house, following Rancho Carmel Dr and Sabre Springs Pkwy to Springhurst Dr, then the normal way to his place.  This part of the ride, along with the following 45 min or so, was ridden in a heavy, wet fog.  John had a strong start to the ride, keeping pace with me on all of the flat and slight uphill sections.  We headed up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, then over to I-15, taking Mercy Rd over to Black Mountain Rd.  We stayed on this road, as it changed to Kearny Villa Rd, then Ruffin Rd.  We turned left on Aero Dr, then made a quick right on Murphy Canyon Rd.  The road feeds into a bike trail over to Qualcomm Stadium, and we looped around the stadium, getting over to Friars Rd and heading east.  This road is deceptively long, as we took it over to Napa St for a short jog to Linda Vista Rd.  Here there was a long, gradual climb past USD, after which the slope dropped off somewhat.  We stayed on Linda Vista Rd all the way to Kearny Mesa Rd, which we took over to Balboa Ave.  Over the freeway to Kearny Villa Rd, which we followed back to Ruffin Rd.  By this time, John was flagging a little bit.  On the section by Miramar MCAS, I pushed the pace pretty hard, including a fast climb up a short slope that worked me out pretty good.  I seem to be able to stand on the pedals for a longer period of time.  Back up Pomerado Rd, where I felt pretty good, not great.  I didn't have a good finish at the top of the climb.  We returned to John's house the normal way.  I felt good at this point, no soreness and pretty good stamina left.  After a quick break, I headed back to the car by retracing my route.  I didn't have much at all on the little uphill on Sabre Springs Pkwy, but I did pretty well on Rancho Carmel Dr, only running out of gas near the end.

Avg speed = 17.3 mph. Total mileage = 48.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1730'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/85589401/

4-17-2012 Ride

Solo ride over lunch from work.  It was breezy, coming generally from the southwest.  I headed over to Bernardo Center Dr and out to Carmel Valley Rd.  This climb was okay, not great.  I had to stop in the middle to try and get my cyclometer to register my speed.  Down to Camino del Sur, which I took over to the 56 bike trail.  This generally downhill section was slower than normal, as I was facing something of a headwind.  Down to Carmel Valley Rd, which I took back to Camino del Sur.  Followed this all the way back to RB Rd, not setting any records for speed but making decent time.  Back RB Rd to Via del Campo and back to work.

Avg speed = 18.0 mph. Total mileage = 21.3 mi
Total elevation gain = 900'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/85583133/

4-15-2012 Ride

Ride from home to church following the yoga route up BVP.  It had been raining on Saturday, so this was my longer weekend ride.  I didn't push the pace too hard.  Met up with Joe at church.  He hadn't been riding much, but he turned out to be in pretty good shape, as long as we stayed away from climbs.  We headed out Broadway.  I was supposed to turn on Mission Rd but missed it, so we went to Lincoln and took this to Escondido Blvd, then back  to Mission Rd.  We took this to Barham Dr, and the bike lane on the eastbound side is pretty chewed up.  Over to Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy, where we were intending to climb up and over into San Elijo Hills.  Joe determined pretty quickly that his legs weren't ready for this extended climb, so we took a U-turn at S Village Dr and headed out toward Deer Springs Pkwy.  It was pretty breezy this day, and this part of the ride afforded us a decent tailwind, so we made good time.  On the little climb up to I-15, I pushed the pace pretty hard.  We headed back into Escondido via Centre City Pkwy, riding into something of a headwind, not too bad.  When we got back into town, we were passing through the Mission Rd intersection, and a lady in a car turned right in front of me.  Joe said something that made me look up and see what was happening.  I jammed on the brakes and barely missed hitting her, less than a foot.  That woke me up.  We headed back to church, then I rode home via the normal route.  Felt pretty good near the end, with a good push up the last two little hills.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 38.4 mi
Avg heartrate = 147 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1120'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/6003842/

4-9-2012 Ride

Solo ride after work, leaving from home and heading over to RB Rd through the neighborhood.  On the little climb up Matinal Rd, I wasn't feeling strong, and it was generally a weak start for me.  Headed out to Camino del Sur, where things were still on the slow side.  Took this road down to the 56 bike trail and headed west, into a fresh breeze.  Down to Carmel Valley Rd, where I turned and headed back toward home.  After about a mile on this road, I started to ride better, maybe helped a little bit by a tailwind.  When I got up to Camino del Sur, I hit a light and saw a rider that I decided to try and catch.  So I really picked up the pace on this part of the ride.  The rider I was trying to catch turned on San Dieguito Rd, but there was another rider still further up the road.  I had to work pretty hard to catch up with him.  He was Italian, just getting back into the swing of things, but he could keep a good pace.  I rode with him for a bit, chatting, then tried to leave him behind.  Good burst of speed, but he eventually caught me after I had turned onto RB Rd.  We rode together for awhile, neither one of us strong enough to break away.  I turned on W Bernardo Dr and headed all the way down to Aguamiel Rd, then up the little climb back home.  The last 10 miles or so of this ride were as hard and fast as I have ridden in some time, and it felt okay.

Avg speed = 18.3 mph. Total mileage = 27.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 156 bpm
Total elevation gain = 950'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/82265133/

4-7-2012 Ride

Ride from home with John and Jim, taking the exact same route as I had ridden on 3-24-2012.  The weather was a little cool at the beginning.  I felt good at the start, but my overall pace was not as fast as the previous time.  Still, it was good enough for not really having ridden (other than the previous Thursday ride) in almost two weeks.  Jim was pretty well recovered from his cycling accident, with just some residual numbness from where he hit the ground.  My lower back and hamstrings were still a little sore from the previous Wednesday's kettlebell class.  John hadn't ridden in two weeks either, but he's been running a lot in training for a marathon.  He couldn't keep up in any of the gradual uphill stretches, but his overall pace was good.  About halfway through the ride, it warmed up enough for me to take off my long tights.  Overall, I felt good on the ride, although my chain came off a couple of times when I tried to change to my smaller chainring.

Avg. speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 36.4 mi
Avg heartrate = 154 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1320'
 http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/77928774

4-5-2012 Ride

Solo ride over lunch, leaving from work and taking the extended loop route.  I was pretty sore from the previous day's kettlebell class (my legs were really sore on the Friday afterward), so I couldn't keep up much of a fast pace.  Somewhere on Pomerado Rd, while trying to clip in after a stop, I jammed my leg down on the pedal and scraped up my shin pretty good.  It looked gruesome, although it didn't hurt.  I cleaned it up at the gas station on the corner of Pomerado Rd and Poway Rd, but it was still bleeding a little afterward.  That probably slowed me down somewhat too.  In any case, no records broken on this riding day.

Avg speed = 16.7 mph. Total mileage = 16.5 mi
Total elevation gain = 620'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/12265250