06-29-2014 Ride

Ride in the afternoon, starting when it was still warm, in the 80s.  I had missed out on my Sunday morning ride (singing at the 8:00 chapel service), so I decided to get out for a moderately paced ride.  Headed down W Bernardo Dr to Pomerado Rd.  The wind was coming generally from the south and west, and it was fairly brisk.  I rode up to RB Rd, deciding during the ride to head east, up and over Espola Rd to Poway Rd.  I made good time on the gradual climb up to the high school, but I couldn't keep a consistently strong pace on the last little climb up to Poway Rd.  Started strong and finished fine, but I had a slowdown section in the middle.  The wind was in my face on the long stretch on Poway Rd down to Sabre Springs Pkwy, and it was a challenge to keep my speed up.  The wind seemed to help push me up the gradual climbs on Sabre Springs Pkwy and Rancho Carmel Dr, and I had a good stretch here.  Over Carmel Mountain Rd to Camino del Norte, where the wind was in my face again and I slowed down.  I rode through it over to Bernardo Center Dr and up to W Bernardo Dr.  Here the wind was my friend, and I had a nice fast ride back to Duenda Rd, powering up the last little climb and then back home.  I was sweating again on this ride, but it generally felt good.  I could tell my legs were tired from the previous day's workout, but they generally held out fine.  I was pleasantly surprised at my output for this ride.  Heartrate was up, but it was a warm day and I pushed it harder than I had originally intended.

Avg speed = 17.9 mph. Total mileage = 24.1 mi
Avg heartrate = 145 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1520'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/458355244

06-28-2014 Ride

Solo ride over to John's house following the normal Pomerado Rd route.  I had left a little later than I hoped, so I kept a decent pace, not too fast though.  I had a good pace on the little climb up to his house, keeping it above 10.5 mph.  I met up with him and Dave, and we rode over to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, taking it down to Mercy Rd and then to Black Mountain Rd.  I was generally keeping my pace similar to theirs until we started the gradual climb up to Mira Mesa Blvd.  Here, I rode steadily and put some distance between me and them.  We connected back at Mira Mesa Blvd and rode together down to Camino Ruiz and over to Calle Cristobal.  Here, we rode together for awhile, then I stepped up the pace and rode alone up to the downhill and down into Sorrento Valley.  At the bottom, I slowed down and waited for them to catch up.  I kept a slower pace going up Vista Sorrento Pkwy, and we stayed closer together.  After awhile, I separated again, and we reconnected after the turn onto Carmel Mountain Rd and El Camino Real.  On the gradual climb up through Del Mar Heights, I kept a decent pace and then waited for them before the downhill into the flats.  They can ride downhill faster than me, so they got out ahead and I rode to catch up with them before we turned onto San Dieguito Rd.  We all rode together on this stretch to El Apajo and after the turn.  When it started to climb, I got some separation and waited for them after the climb on Via de la Valle up to Paseo Delicias.  Dave was starting to slow down quite a bit by this time, so I slowed down for a bit until we go onto the climb up Del Dios.  Here, I was able to keep my speed above 10.5 mph again on the climbing parts, and I felt like I had a good little finish up to Via Rancho Pkwy.  We gathered up again and rode over to the freeway, Dave keeping it slow.  A good steady pace across the freeway, not super fast, then onto Pomerado Rd for the ride up to Poway Rd.  I got out ahead and rode with a couple of other faster riders who were also sharing the route for a bit.  Feeling good on this stretch.  We got back together after the turn onto Poway Rd and rode down to Springhurst Rd, Dave lagging as the miles and effort started to get to him.  On the climb up to John's house, he started out really fast, and I was content to keep him marked until he slowed down.  I think I was able to keep it above 10 mph, but it was a struggle at the end.  The ride home was unremarkable, back via Pomerado Rd to RB Rd and over to W Bernardo Dr.  At the end of the ride, I felt some tightness in my left quad, probably needed more hydration on this humid day, when I was sweating quite a bit.  Felt fine at the end of the ride, no real muscle soreness during the day, just tiredness.

Avg speed = 17.5 mph. Total mileage = 66.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 142 bpm
Total elevation gain = 4030'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/457230392

06-24-2014 Ride

Solo ride to yoga, normal route.  I wanted to keep a good pace but not necessarily as fast as the previous week.  It was a good ride, with the benefit of a tailwind going up BVP.

Avg speed = 18.0 mph. Total mileage = 10.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 136 bpm
Total elevation gain = 730'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/453853944

06-22-2014 Ride

Time trial ride in the morning with John. I was a little tired and sunburned from the previous day, so I started slow. John was even slower, so I tried to match my pace on our way over to Pomerado Rd. I got out ahead a couple of times and slowed or stopped to wait for him. We rode together on parts of Poway Rd and Sabre Springs Pkwy. My pace was a little faster than in recent times, but I didn't really push it for any extended periods on the ride. We had a pretty good finish down the hill from work and on the way back. I ended up at 1:00:14, not terrific but not bad.

Total mileage = 17.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 131 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1060'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/451237858

06-21-2014 Ride

Solo ride over to Dave's house, where I met up with him and John for a ride up to Ramona.  I wore my new cycling shoes with the right shoe size for the first time, and they were very nice.  I can tell a difference in the stiffness of the soles and the snugness of the fit, both of which help in power transfer.  It was foggy at the start, and the overcast lasted until we got onto the 78.  We rode over to Felicita Rd and up to Juniper St, then taking Idaho Ave to the 78.  I planned on keeping my effort level at a match with the others, not getting ahead, and it generally worked well.  Dave was slow on the climb up to Ramona, so John and I got out ahead of him a couple of times, then waited for him to catch up.  We headed together over to Highland Valley Rd via the 67, then rode back toward Rancho Bernardo.  I would get out a little bit ahead on the climb, then slow down for John to catch up.  On the last part of the downhill, they both got out ahead of me, as I was taking it easy on the turns and not getting into aero position.  I caught up with them on the flats, and we basically rode together back to Pomerado Rd.  We rode across the freeway, then I had some separation on the climb to get to Centre City Pkwy.  We all gathered back up and finished at Dave's house with smoothies.  I didn't stay long, heading out Brotherton Rd to Felicita Rd and up Gamble Ln to connect to Citracado Pkwy.  This road is fairly steep, especially near the top.  You have to get by a chain barricade in the road at the top.  Over to Valley Pkwy and down to Del Dios Hwy, enjoying the coasting downhill into a steady onshore breeze.  I rode at a decent, not scorching, pace to Via de la Valle, keeping things steady and grinding it out on the little climbs.  Down to PCH, passing through traffic for the fair.  I took PCH into and through Del Mar, then down to the coast and up the Torrey Pines climb.  My pace here was okay, not great.  I didn't have the will to keep it above 10 mph, but at least my cadence was steady and my legs felt strong.  Then it was over to Genesee and up the little climb to get to UCSD, where I rode to a parking lot to meet up with Ann and Johnnie and Michael Landreth to go to the La Jolla Festival of the Arts at Warren Field.  This festival was okay, some decent art but a little too much of it for my liking.  The food and music were decent but not enough to warrant going back next year.  My legs felt just fine at the end, no soreness.  I didn't really stress them on this ride, just content to get the miles in.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph. Total mileage = 68.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 136 bpm
Total elevation gain = 4780'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/450567982

06-19-2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work, riding at level 13 for an hour and listening to an episode of This American Life.  Again, I hadn't been able to sustain a high exertion level the previous time, so I put in the effort here and refused to slow down.  Better second half than the first, which was good.

Total mileage = 22.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 156 bpm
Total calories burned = 780

06-17-2014 Ride

Solo ride to yoga, taking the normal route.  I hadn't really pushed the pace on this route in awhile, so I made the effort to do so, and it generally worked.  I had the benefit of a tailwind coming up BVP but still made good time and felt fine at the end.

Avg speed = 18.3 mph. Total mileage = 10.7 mi
Total elevation gain = 730'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/447233150

06-15-2014 Ride

Solo ride in the early morning on Father's Day.  We had to be at church early, so I started my ride around 6:00AM.  Headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then up to Via del Campo and over to W Bernardo Dr.  I was keeping a decent pace but could tell that my legs were tired from the previous day's ride as well as the exertion of aerating the lawn.  Over to Bernardo Center Dr and onto Camino del Norte, where it was kinda slow getting up to Carmel Mountain Rd.  I was following the time trial course in reverse, and I couldn't generate a lot of power on the gradual climb up to the hospital.  It felt like a little bit of wind was in my face.  I stayed on Pomerado Rd all the way down to the freeway, then took the normal way back home.  It was an okay ride for me, a little slower that I would have preferred.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 20.5
Avg heartrate = 132 bpm
Total elevation gain = 1110'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/my_routes/

06-14-2014 Ride

Solo ride, initially, early in the morning before meeting up with John and Dave.  I headed through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd, then over to W Bernardo Dr, taking it to RB Rd.  I rode up to Martincoit Rd, then turned right and took to road up the hill to Stone Canyon Rd.  It's pretty steep near the top.  The ride back down to Pomerado Rd was nice, and I then took Bernardo Heights Pkwy over to Paseo Lucido and on to Camino del Norte.  Rode over to Dove Canyon Rd, then took this road to get back to RB Rd.  Down to W Bernardo Dr, then back home the normal way.

Then I met up at home with John and Dave, and we rode over the freeway and got onto BVP.  We took this road up to the 78, then jogged over to catch Citrus Ave, using it to get up to Camino del Norte.  We were all staying together pretty well, other than some slowing on the uphill sections.  Down to Broadway, which we took over to Jesmond Dene Rd.  Up and over to Centre City Pkwy, then on to Deer Springs Rd.  We rode down to Buena Creek Rd and took a right, following this nice road up and then down over to S Santa Fe Ave.  We took this road to Las Posas Rd and used it to connect to San Marcos Blvd.  A short jaunt over to Barham Dr via Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy and took it until it connected into Mission Rd.  Washington Ave to Hale Ave to Tulip St to get to Valley Pkwy/Grand Ave, which we used to ride to Quince St.  Connected to Centre City Pkwy via 13th Ave, then it was home the normal way.  I felt fine at the end of the ride, but I could tell my legs were tired from the previous day's ride and the extra miles before I met up with John and Dave.

Avg speed = 17.6 mph. Total mileage = 55.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 136 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3050'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/443905384

06-13-2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work, riding at level 13 for an hour and listening to an episode of This American Life.  I had a good first half and kept up a decent pace for 50 minutes, but then I hit a wall and had to slow down.  Need to improve my diet because I think my eating habits are interfering with my ability to get more fit.

Total mileage = 21.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 154 bpm
Total calories burned = 760

06-10-2014 Ride

Ride to yoga, taking it at an easy pace and having the benefit of generally favorable winds.  It was a slow ride for me, taking the normal BVP route.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 10.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 128 bpm
Total elevation gain = 730'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/404502134

06-08-2014 Ride

Solo ride on Sunday morning, taking a nice, easy pace throughout.  I headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then over to Camino del Sur.  Down to Carmel Valley Rd, which I took to the 56 bike trail.  Back up to Camino del Sur, keeping my pace above 15 mph the whole way, minor exertion required.  At the corner, I stopped for a large coffee at the Peet's shop by the Albertson's.  Then I rode back toward home, taking RB road down to W Bernardo Dr and then down to Aguamiel Rd, back up to finish.  It was a relaxing ride, legs feeling fine, but I was happy not to push too hard.

Avg speed = 16.4 mph. Total mileage = 27.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 118 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2100'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/438289088

2014 Fiesta Metric Century Ride

2014 Fiesta Metric bike ride.  We go to the starting point, in downtown San Diego by the Star of India, early enough to grab one of the free parking spaces in the underground lot close by.  At the start, I was at the very front of the first group along with John, and we took off at a brisk, although not scorching, pace.  After awhile, it was just me, him, and another rider out in front, with no others in sight.  We all rode together down Harbor Dr and Cleveland Ave to get to the bike trail by the Sweetwater Channel.  Then we got onto Plaza Bonita Rd, taking it to Bonita Rd.  Here is where the road started to tilt up.  By this time, I had introduced myself to the other rider, Mark from La Jolla (he was going in on the following Wednesday to have knee replacement surgery!).  This road turns into San Miguel Rd.  We were making great time up to this point, probably aided by the onshore breeze at our backs.  When we turned onto Proctor Valley Rd, it started to get steeper.  On these climbs, I couldn't keep up with Mark, but I was able to hang on well enough for him not to get out of sight.  He was nice enough to wait for me when the incline decreased, so we ended up riding together much of the time.  Left turn on San Miguel Rd, turning into Miguel Mountain Rd, where it got pretty steep.  We turned onto Proctor Valley Rd again, then right onto Hunte Pkwy to get over to Otay Lakes Rd and up to Wueste Rd, which we took all the way to its end and back.  This route took us by the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.  The second rest stop was near the end of the road, but we saw it too late to make the turn and thus kept riding.  We passed John on the way back, so I ended up waiting for him by the stoplight.  All three of us then rode back to Otay Lakes Rd together, then turned right for another out and back.  This one was generally uphill but not painfully so, and Mark and I kept up a fairly fast pace.  At the turnaround point was the rest stop, so we took a break and waited for John to catch up, fueling up on energy drink, power block shots, fruit, and cookies.  I was off the bike long enough that it took awhile for my legs to start working well.  Then we generally rode together, with John lagging behind somewhat.  We waited for him to catch up, then rode back to Proctor Valley Rd, taking a right and riding for a bit before turning right onto Northwoods Dr for another short turnaround to the end of the street and back.  I'm guessing this section was added into the ride to get it out to the metric century distance.  Bakc onto Proctor Valley Rd, where we just retraced the route we took coming out.  Around mile 45 or so, I felt tightness in just about all of my leg muscles, but thankfully I had the downhill section of the ride to recover, and we had dialed the pace back a bit.  We stopped at the rest stop by mile 52 to wait for John to catch up and have some food and fluids.  When I got off my bike, I could really tell that my legs were sketchy, so it was good that we didn't stay too long.  On the sections back by Cleveland Ave and Harbor Dr, Mark and I ran into another rider who wasn't on the route and was still relatively fresh.  He and Mark rode away, and I initially let them but decided after awhile to try and catch up.  I closed the distance and had the benefit of a stoplight to reconnect with them, and after that we all rode together back to the finish line.  I only remember one other rider passing us on the route, so it was a little surprising when we got back to hear that we were riders 5 and 6 to finish the metric distance.  I'm guessing the others took a shortcut somewhere.  In all, I finished the ride in much better shape that I would have predicted at mile 45, with tired and somewhat balky legs but ones that held up after all.  John finished in the top 10 riders, and we stowed our bikes and grabbed an early lunch catered by El Indio.  Neither he nor I were too hungry, so we just picked at our food and enjoyed the shade and live music.  It was a real thrill for me to do so well overall in this kind of ride.  Granted, there weren't many real stud riders in the field, but it was definitely cool to ride at or near the lead for the entire ride.

Avg speed = 18.3 mph. Total mileage = 61.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 155 bpm (est)
Total elevation gain = 2770'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/437561034

06-05-2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work, riding at level 13 for an hour.  I was able to keep the same pace as the previous workout, but there was a mental barrier to get through numerous times for me to stay on pace (actually a little faster pace in the second half than in the first).

Total mileage = 22.1 mi
Avg heartrate = 155 bpm
Total calories burned = 770

06-03-2014 Ride

Stationary bike ride in the morning before work, riding at level 13 for an hour.  I had a really slow stationary bike workout the previous time, so this time I increased my focus and concentrated on a higher output.  It paid off, but I was really working hard, particularly in the second half hour.  I still have a long ways to go before I'm back to a decent cycling fitness level.

Total mileage = 22.0 mi
Avg heartrate = 158 bpm
Total calories burned = 770

06-01-2014 Ride

Time trial ride from home on Sunday morning with John.  I was tired from the previous day's long ride, so I wasn't looking to set any records.  For some reason, John was even slower than me, so I'm guessing that he had pushed himself on the Saturday ride as well.  We basically rode together, other than the little climbs, trading leads up Pomerado Rd and down Poway Rd to Sabre Springs Pkwy.  I got out ahead of him here, as I put in a little more effort on this section.  I dialed it back on the little hill on Camino del Norte but still got ahead of him, similar situation on the turn by Bernardo Center Dr.  We then rode together the rest of the way back.  I finished in 1:02:10 but was pleased by my heartrate, which accurately reflected my perception of my lower level of exertion.

Total mileage = 17.8 mi
Avg heartrate = 135 bpm
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/431561568