05-31-2014 Ride

Solo ride, early in the morning, over to John's house following the normal route.  I pushed the pace a little more than usual, since my last rides had shown me that I need to step up my exertion level while riding.  Kept it above 10 mph on the last little climb up to his place, although it was a chore.  We headed back down the same way, turning left onto Poway Rd and riding over to the 56 bike trail.  We were riding at the same pace other than on the steeper climbs.  We rode down to Carmel Country Rd, then took it over to Del Mar Heights Rd (I don't think I've ridden this way before).  Then it was a short shot to El Camino Real, connecting with the Scripps Ranch Old Pros route.  We stayed together until we got on El Apajo and it tilted up.  I waited for him after the turn onto Del Dios Hwy, and we rode up into Escondido.  I got out ahead of him on the climbing sections, and I was able to keep my pace above 10 mph for the whole way up to the turn onto Via Rancho Pkwy, which was a pretty good accomplishment for me, given my current fitness level.  We reconnected there and rode down to the freeway, over it and onto Pomerado Rd.  I was starting to slow down here, so we were at about the same pace all the way back to Poway Rd and to his house.  I didn't stay long, headed back home via Sabre Springs Pkwy and the time trial route, except I turned on Carmel Mountain Rd.  I was really slow on this section, and I had a little bit of tightness in my left groin (it went away).  During our tide, we crossed paths several times with riders on the San Diego Century and Metric routes.  I stopped for a brief rest by Oggi's and had a couple of energy drops, probably didn't do much good this late in the ride.  It was good for me that the finish on this ride was mainly downhill.  My legs felt okay at the end, tired but not too sore.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 62.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 142 bpm
Total elevation gain = 4040'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/430845244

05/30/2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work, riding at level 13 for an hour.  Watched an episode of Doc Martin, and I really felt low-energy.  I just plugged along, sweating quite a bit but not generating any power.  Will try to work out without watching anything next time to see whether it's a focus thing.

Total mileage = 15.4 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm
Total calories burned = 570

05/28/2014 Ride

Ride in the later afternoon from work, heading out Bernardo Center Dr and up Carmel Valley Rd to Camino del Sur.  I intended to ride at a steady, not fast, pace and was generally successful.  Over to the 56 bike trail, which I took down to Carmel Country Rd.  The wind was fairly brisk coming from the southwest, so it was a chore up to this point.  Once I started heading back, the going got easier, even though it was more uphill.  Turned on Carmel Canyon Rd and took it up to Del Mar Heights Rd, where I turned right and headed over to Carmel Valley Rd.  Here the wind pushed me pretty well up to Camino del Sur, where I turned and headed back toward work.  Stayed on Camino del Norte to Camino San Bernardo, turning there and getting over to RB Rd.  Then back to work the normal way.  My legs are in good shape, but my overall fitness level is down and in need of some work to get back into form.

Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 24.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 1?? bpm
Total elevation gain = 1800'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/428516900

05-24-2014 Ride

Ride with Dave Little and Dan Domonoske while up at Fellowship Camp in Wrightwood.  The weather was clear, warm, and a little breezy.  We headed through Wrightwood and out toward La Canada, as I usually do.  On the climb out of Wrightwood, I started slower and gradually increased my effort level.  Got out ahead of the other two, so I waited for them by the ski resort.  After that, we rode together all the way down to the place where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses Hwy 2.  Then we headed up for a little over 2 miles before taking a short break and turning around to retrace our route.  On the initial route back down, Dave and Dan got out ahead of me, as I took it easy around the bends in the road.  I gave it a stronger effort on the 3-mile climb back up to the high point in the ride, where I noticed I had a slow leak on my back tire.  I debated whether to fix it, but ended up changing the tube to ensure a safer ride back to camp.  The downhill was fun as always, with a tailwind to help us along in some places.  The climb back up to camp (new paved road through the camp) was a steady grind, but I managed okay.

Avg speed = 13.1 mph. Total mileage =22.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 153 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3990'

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/583639727

05-23-2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work before heading up later in the afternoon to Wrightwood for Fellowship Camp, riding at level 13 for an hour.  I watched an episode of Doc Martin on my tablet, and I was noticeably slower than in the past.

Total mileage = 20.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 143 bpm
Total calories burned = 680

05-18-2014 Ride

Solo ride in the morning before church, where I wanted to see the damage from the Bernardo fire.  I headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then on to Camino del Sur and out west.  No real fire damage until I rode downhill by the bridge, where I saw the fire had run through this gap from the valley to the south toward Fairbanks Ranch and Rancho Santa Fe.  It had burned out all of the valley but was stopped at the tops of the ridges, where the houses are.  Turned on San Dieguito Rd and rode down into Fairbanks Ranch (no fire damage) and around over to El Camino Real.  On the hill up into Del Mar Heights, I couldn't keep my speed above 10 mph, out of shape.  I headed down to the 56 bike trail and up to Carmel Valley Rd, taking it all the way back into 4S Ranch.  There was fire damage at the northeast corner of Carmel Valley Rd and Camino del Sur, but it didn't cross the road to get into the neighborhoods south of Carmel Valley Rd.  I was slow climbing back up the little hill on Dove Canyon Rd, which I took over to RB Rd.  Then it was back home via W Bernardo Rd.  It was an okay ride for me, I could tell I need to increase the frequency and effort in my rides to improve my cycling fitness.

Avg speed = 17.4 mph. Total mileage = 31.5 mi
Total elevation gain = 2280'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/419115678

05-17-2014 Ride

Ride in the morning over to church, taking the short route via BVP.  I rode fairly fast, not scorching.  It was nice and cool at the beginning of the ride but warming up by the time I got to church.  Andy met me, and we headed back the same way I came, back over the freeway and heading up Pomerado Rd.  Andy was in much better riding shape than me, and I couldn't keep up with him when he kicked it into high gear as we crossed the freeway.  We rode on Pomerado Rd up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and matched the same pace.  I think Andy was dialing it back to stay with me.  On the climb up Scripps-Poway Pkwy, we rode at the same pace, me giving it near the top of my effort to ride with him.  I was slow on the last climb, a reflection of my lower fitness.  On the downhill heading north on the 67, Andy got out in front, so I had to work to catch up to him on the climb to Poway Rd.  He got out ahead heading down Poway Rd, where I got sweat in my eye and couldn't keep it open.  We reconnected at Espola Rd and took it over to Pomerado Rd, basically riding together until Andy pulled ahead near the turn.  After we turned, I just couldn't keep up with him and his steady pace.  I didn't have a lot of push in my legs.  So instead of riding back to church with him, I ended up riding down to the freeway with him and continuing on home, going really slowly up the two little hills.  No muscle cramps, thankfully, but my legs were tired.

After the ride, I put on new tires front and back, Michelin Krylion Carbon tires that had gotten good reviews for toughness and low riding resistance.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 42.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 155 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3100'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/418358006

05-16-2014 Ride

Ride to and from work on what I thought was Bike to Work Day until I found out it had been postponed due to the fires.  I felt better than two days previous, but it doesn't take long for me to get out of cycling shape, and it will be an effort to get ready for the Fiesta Metric ride in three weeks.

Avg speed = 14.4 mph. Total mileage = 5.1 mi
Total elevation gain = 390'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/418556262

05-14-2014 Ride

Ride to and from work, during a very unusual Santa Ana condition in May that sparked the Bernardo fire.  I felt really out of shape on the way to work, and it was broiling hot on the way home, so not a great ride for me.

Avg speed = 13.6 mph. Total mileage = 5.0 mi
Total elevation gain = 390'

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/415980178
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/416474426

05-04-2014 Rides

Time trial ride in the morning, no details.

Total mileage = 17.9 mi
Total elevation gain = 1060'

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/557877419

In the afternoon, I rode from church with Dirk Reschle and David Thompson.  I forgot to log this ride when I originally took it, so I don't recall many details.  We did keep the pace dialed back to avoid getting out too far in front of David.  See route for details.  I rode home after getting back to church with Dirk.  David had peeled off a little earlier to head on home directly.

Total mileage = 24.9 mi
Total elevation gain = 880'

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/558319195

05-03-2014 Ride

Ride over to John's house in the morning, taking the normal way.  I felt decent on the ride over but didn't push really hard.  We rode together up to the top of Pomerado Rd, then down to connect onto Kearny Villa Rd.  Over to Clairemont Mesa Blvd, where we rode together, trading leads.  Near the turn onto Genesee Rd, I got a small piece of glass in my rear tire and had to replace the tube.  We continued on, but I was slower than normal, trying to avoid any debris or rough patches in the road.  On Genesee all the way over to Torrey Pines Rd, which we took over to Carmel Valley Rd, using it to get to El Camino Real and the 56 bike trail.  Here, John started to slow down, as the day was beginning to heat up.  We stayed on the bike trail all the way to Sabre Springs Pkwy, intending to head up Ted Williams Pkwy to Pomerado Rd.  But just past the intersection, John had a rear flat, so we stopped to fix it.  This slowed us down, so we decided to cut the route short and head back via Sabre Springs Pkwy.  About halfway down this road, John hit a bump in the road and caught another flat.  After we fixed that one, we headed back to his house, worn out from the ride and the heat.  I had a quick soda, then rode back home, retracing my route back to RB Rd and staying on it until W Bernardo Dr.  Then back home the normal way, feeling tired but not sore at all.  I'm in generally good shape, just need to get my legs back in condition.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 59.4 mi
Avg heartrate = 143 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3480'

https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/557029131

05-02-2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work, riding at level 13 for an hour.  Watched two episodes of The Office, second half was slower than the first half, as my fitness is still coming back from a mini-cycling layoff.

Total mileage = 21.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 160 bpm
Total calories burned = 740