7-30-2012 Ride

Monday morning ride on the stationary bike at work, still on the road to recovery.  I rode the rolling hills course for a little over 20 min at level 12.  Things felt pretty much the same as a couple of days before, including during the circuit of  low-weight extensional exercises for my arms and shoulders.

Total mileage = 8.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm

7-28-2012 Ride

Saturday morning ride on the stationary bike at work, recovering from my bike crash the week before.  I rode the rolling hills course for a little over 45 min at level 11.  I noticed the tightness in my shoulder, but it wasn't really painful, even when I did a circuit of fairly low-weight extensional exercises for my arms and shoulders.

Total mileage = 18.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 151 bpm

7-21-2012 Ride

This was the crash ride, hopefully the last one for a long while.  I rode over to John's house from home, taking the usual route to Pomerado Rd except going up Azucar Way instead of Aguamiel Rd.  Up Pomerado Rd to Poway Rd, then to John's the typical route.  I remember feeling strong on the little climb up to his house.  I met up with him and Dave, who has just started riding again.  We headed over to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, where I kept it pretty modest in pace until about 0.25 mi into the climb up to the 67.  I was feeling good and rode a nice steady pace up the climb, feeling that I could have come close to doing a personal best in time if I wanted to.  We gathered at the top and headed toward Ramona on the 67.  Dave was slow, getting his cycling legs back will take some time.  A guy passed us on the climb up to the pass by Mt. Woodson, and I hopped on his wheel.  He was moving pretty good, but I was hanging in there, including a strong push near the top where I led out and he basically kept pace, dropping back just a little bit.  We connected again at the top, then headed down to the turn onto Archie Moore Rd.  This road, going this way, doesn't really have any climbs in it.  We got onto Highland Valley Rd, and I took the gradual climb at a modest pace, thinking I still had another 20 miles to ride.  We started downhill, with John in the lead, and I was okay through the first downhill section.  I noticed that my cyclometer wasn't accurately reading my speed, and I was ticked off and probably just a little distracted.  So on the next downhill section, I carried too much speed into the last turn before it flattened out and lost it onto the right side of the road, going over the handlebars and driving my face and shoulders hard into the ground.  The right side of my face got scraped up and was bleeding freely but just for a short while.  It took a couple of minutes before my left shoulder started hurting, and the pain just kept getting worse, so I knew I was going to need a ride to the urgent care center.  A couple of good Samaritans stopped, one guy who lived nearby and brought me some towels to clean off my face and another electrical contractor who stopped, cleaned things off with a water bottle and some gauze, disinfected my scrapes with some hydrogen peroxide, and put a couple of bandages on.  Two quality guys!  Amazingly, my bike made it through the crash fairly well, with just a couple of scrapes on the brake shifters.  It took two weeks for me to feel good enough to get out on the road, and my shoulder will need some time to heal.

Total mileage = 25.9 mi
Total elevation gain = 1880'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/122242665

7-17-2012 Ride

Solo ride from work over lunch, heading out Bernardo Center Dr and Carmel Valley Rd all the way to the 56 bike trail.  The wind was generally coming off the coast, so it worked against me on the way out.  I made pretty good time on the little climb up to Black Mountain Rd, and I really flew on the bike trail, with the wind working to my advantage.  Kept my pace about 20 mph on the first section and above 17 mph on the second section.  Back via Camino del Sur and RB Rd to Via del Campo.  I was a little slower than I would have wanted on this section, but my endurance was okay.  Finished with a good average speed, a slightly higher than normal heartrate, but this latter was probably due in part to riding during the warm part of the day.

Avg speed = 19.3 mph. Total mileage = 21.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 151 bpm
'Total elevation gain = 900'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/85583133/

7-13-2012 Ride

Early Friday morning ride on a weekend that we were going camping.  I headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then down toward San Dieguito Rd.  It was overcast throughout the ride, and pretty humid but not foggy.  Down the Three Witches, then right on El Apajo and over to Via de la Valle.  I was feeling pretty good, and I climbed the short climb into Rancho Santa Fe pretty easily.  I made fairly good time going down to Solana Beach and turned left onto PCH.  Originally, I was planning on coming back on Via de la Valle, but I passed it by before realizing it, didn't know it was so close to Solana Beach.  So I stayed on PCH through Del Mar and came back via the 56 bike trail.  Down at the coast, there was a little bit of sprinkles but it didn't last.  Back up the bike trail, where I felt like I made good time, keeping my pace above 16 mph for nearly all of the gradual climb up to Camino del Sur.  Headed back this way and matched pace for awhile with a guy who was doing a similar loop.  Back through 4S Ranch, then down RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr and home.  Throughout this entire ride, I didn't let my pace get below 10 mph.  Felt good at the end.

Avg speed = 18.6 mph. Total mileage = 40.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 145 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1550'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/113719767

7-10-2012 Ride

Short ride to yoga, taking the Sunset Dr route because I was pressed for time.  The wind was generally favorable, so I made good time.  But it was a good warm-up for yoga, as I was sweating at the end.

Avg speed = 19.0 mph. Total mileage = 7.3 mi
Avg heartrate = 144 bpm

Total elevation gain = 420'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/89133995/

7-8-2012 Ride

Ride from home to church, using the Sunset route, to meet up with Joe. This was the first time I'd ridden with him since he got his drivetrain fixed up, and he was riding pretty well.  We headed out Broadway to Jesmond Dene, trying to ride so that the wind favored us.  Then we headed up to Deer Springs Rd and back into San Marcos via Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy.  We decided to put in some additional miles, so we took Craven Rd over to San Marcos Blvd, then down to Las Posas Rd.  Over to Mission Rd, where the wind was at our backs all the way back into Escondido.  That was a nice, fast section.  Then we headed back to church via the Washington/Tulip section to Valley Pkwy, then 2nd Ave to Broadway.  I headed home, taking the Centre City Pkwy route.  I was worried that it would be windy against me, but it wasn't bad, just a little breezy by the lake.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 38.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 125 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1090'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/111232527

7-7-2012 Ride

Solo ride from home.  It was overcast when I started and pretty much stayed that way the entire ride, so good deal there.  I headed over to BVP and up to the 78, to get onto Citrus Ave.  On this early section of the ride, I was riding at a moderate clip, feeling a little leftover weariness in my legs from the long Wednesday ride.  I started riding better on Citrus, taking it over to El Norte Pkwy.  This part down to Broadway went fast, and I rode at a good clip on Broadway and Jesmond Dene Rd.  At the last little hill, I didn't charge up it.  Down and over to Deer Springs Rd and Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy, where I turned onto Buena Creek Rd.  Here, I wasn't riding all that strong on these little uphilll sections.  On the downhill section, some guy in a pickup truck turned in front of me, which made me angry and got my adrenaline flowing.  This climb, going the other way, would be a challenge, because it's got some length and it's steepest near the top. I headed over Rancho Santa Fe Rd, turning right and taking it all the way to San Marcos Blvd to see where they are tearing down the old high school.  I followed Discovery to Craven Rd and over to Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy, then headed back into Escondido via Barham Dr to Mission Rd.  All the way to Centre City Pkwy, which I took through the town, connecting onto the freeway the normal route.  When I got up to the stoplight, I turned onto Pomerado Rd to get some more miles in, heading up to RB Rd.  I didn't go too fast on the initial climbs but made good time after that.  Lots of energy left in my legs for the stretch on RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr, then a fast finish.  I had planned on a ride with a high average speed but was surprised at how well I did, since my legs didn't feel super great during the ride.

Avg speed = 18.8 mph. Total mileage = 46.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 141 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1490'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/111230401

7-4-2012 Ride

Solo ride from home on the Fourth of July.  I knew I would start by riding up Highland Valley Rd to Ramona.  It was the first time I'd tried it on my new bike, and it went pretty well.  I didn't push the pace that hard and didn't have any real problems other than some lower back stiffness (it was a little sore throughout the ride) on the longer climbing sections.  While I was riding up to the 67, I decided to head toward Santa Ysabel and see how things went, both from my fitness and based on the weather.  It was overcast all the way up into Ramona, and it's longer than I remembered to get into the old downtown portion of Ramona from Highland Valley Rd.  I passed through and turned right on 3rd to connect with Old Julian Hwy. After the initial climb up to the left turn at the 2-mile marker, it's up and down for a little while, then there is a longer climbing section of about 3 miles.  It doesn't have any really steep sections.  I think I had a little bit of a tailwind going out.  I got to the junction with the 78, and I still hadn't put in 30 miles, so I decided to ride out to Santa Ysabel and get some snacks and sunscreen for the ride back.  The sun started to come out around here.  Not much traffic on the 78, and it generally has a nice shoulder in this section.  I was riding okay, trying to keep a steady pace on the two longer uphill sections.  When I rode into Santa Ysabel, not much was happening.  I stopped at Don's Market and got a Powerade, a candy bar, and a small tube of sunscreen.  I also had a banana and a small energy bar I'd brought along, so I rested for about 20 min and stretched my back and hamstrings out.  The ride back to Ramona was decent, although there was a steady breeze coming from the west that slowed me down on the downhill sections.  I had good energy for the little climbs, which really aren't much to speak of.  Back in Ramona, I headed back toward Escondido on the 78, not wanting to do the longer climbs on Highland Valley Rd.  I was slower on the gradual climb to that big church, and the descent went fine.  I couldn't get much speed going due to the headwind, but I didn't have any problems with traffic.  Back down in the San Pasqual Valley, it was a slog, as my energy level was waning and the wind was a little stiffer.  I headed back home via the Old Milky Way route and was glad that this is such a gradual exit from the valley.  It was a steady ride back home, although I had enough juice left in my legs to pass a group of four fit cyclists on the little hill before the park and leave them behind.  I finished with strength remaining in my legs and no real soreness there.  Cardio is in good shape, and my riding endurance is solid.  Now to try some rides with a goal of higher average speeds, after the last two hill-climbing expeditions.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 67.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 141 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3360'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/109795907