2024 Event Log

01-03-2024    First day of volunteering at Pomerado Medical Center Poway

01-04-2024    Indigo researcher get-together at Miguel's Cocina

01-05-2024    Gregory Page concert at Templar's Hall in Poway

01-08-2024    Visited Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for our anniversary

01-09-2024    First ride with Avi, and Jose Doval, from his workplace, BottleCraft visit in North Park with Caleb and Emily

01-11-2024    Trip on MetroLink to LA to visit the Broad Museum

01-12-2024    Last dinner with Jan Baer, at Cocina del Charro

01-20-2024    Church friends and family singalong

01-24-2024    Travel to Houston

01-26-2024    Lunch with Ben and family at Chik Fil A

01-27-2024    Breakfast with Mark and Ben to talk about planning activities when Mom passes

01-28-2024    Travel home from Houston

02-07-2024    Birthday present dinner with Emily at Casa Lahori

02-09-2024    Travel to Palm Springs

02-10-2024    2024 Tour de Palm Springs Century

02-11-2024    Travel home from Palm Springs

02-14-2024    Valentine's Day breakfast at Milton's Deli, Caleb proposed to Emily

02-17-2024    Engagement dinner celebration with Emily and Caleb

02-18-2024    Jason Mraz benefit concert at the Escondido Center for the Performing Arts

02-20-2024    Travel to Death Valley

02-23-2024    Travel home from Death Valley

03-01-2024    Travel to Cachuma Lake Campground

03-02-2024    2024 Solvang Century

03-03-2024    Travel home from Cachuma Lake Campground

03-05-2024    Visit to San Diego Art Museum

03-10-2024    String Band concert at Forgotten Barrel Winery in Escondido

03-12-2024    Beer-tasting evening at Avi's house

03-14-2024    Happy Hour at CPK with HP and ex-HP folks

03-17-2024    Sean McCole concert at Mia Marie winery with Ray and Anna

03-20-2024    Emily showed us her new car, a Corolla hybrid

03-21-2024    Bisikleta board member dinner with Gideon, Andy, Perse, and Ray

03-22-2024    Lunch with Ed and Susan Hume at Sab E Lee, Banjer Dan Mazer, Gregory Page, and Jack Tempchin concert at the Athenaeum in La Jolla

03-27-2024    Travel to Amsterdam

03-28-2024    Arrive at Air BnB in Lijnden

03-29-2024    Travel from Lijnden to Haarlem and back

03-30-2024    Travel from Lijnden to Antwerp, visit to Plantin-Moretus museum of printing history

03-31-2024    Watched start of Tour of Flanders, Het Steen Castle, De Koninck brewery, Cogels Osylei Art Nouveau neighborhood

04-01-2024    Antwerp walking tour

04-02-2024    Travel from Antwerp to Ghent, Ghent walking tour, Arteveld Brewery, St Michael's church

04-03-2024    Travel from Ghent to Bruges and back, Basilica of the Holy Blood, Beer Museum, Boat Tour

04-04-2024    Travel from Ghent to Brussels, Brussels Main Square, Mannekin Pis, Royal Palace and Gardens, Église Notre-Dame des Victoires au Sablon

04-05-2024    Travel from Brussels to Krakow, Krakow walking tour, 

04-06-2024    Saturday Market, Jewish Quarter, Wieliczka Salt Mine

04-07-2024    Auschwitz-Birkenaus visit

04-08-2024    Travel from Krakow to Barcelona to near La Bisbal d'Emporda

04-09-2024    Walk through Old Town Pals

04-10-2024    Ride to and from Costa Brava

04-11-2024    Travel from La Bisbal d'Emporda to Amsterdam

04-12-2024    MacBike rental ride out to the dikes and back

04-13-2024    Van Gogh Museum, Saturday Albert Cuyp Market, Space Cake, The Breath Concert at Paradiso

04-14-2024    MacBike rental ride out along Amstel River, Zaanse Schanz, Lovers Canal Cruise

04-15-2024    Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, Red Light District, Basilica of St Nicholas, Anne Frank Museum

04-16-2024    Travel to The Hague and back, Peace Palace, Escher Museum

04-17-2024    Travel home from Amsterdam

04-19-2024    Attacked by bees, dermatologist appointment with Mark Vierra

04-21-2024    Concert by Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez at Scripps Ranch Public Library

04-22-2024    Passover Seder dinner at the home of Avi's brother Pierre

04-24-2024    Rob Fogarty bike crash

04-27-2024    Adams Avenue Unplugged concerts, Chickenbone Slim and the Biscuits, Lady Psychiatrist Booth, Chloe Liu

04-29-2024    Palomar Hospital volunteer thank-you lunch

04-30-2024    Ride up to Julian

05-03-2024    Happy Hour at Karl Strauss with HP and ex-HP folks

05-05-2024    Wine tasting at The Succulent Cellar

05-06-2024    Visit to the San Diego Zoo, including ride down to meet Ann

05-07-2024    NEEDTOBREATHE concert (w/ Judah & the Lion) at the Rady Shell with Ann, Emily, and Caleb

05-10-2024    Travel to Berkeley to see Laura, walking around San Francisco

05-11-2024    Marin Highlands hike

05-12-2024    Berkeley Hills Inspiration Point hike

05-13-2024    Travel home from Berkeley

05-16-2024    Fringe Festival - Forest of Truth, swing music, Shunga Alert, Anthony Prezutti (Comedy Mentalist)

05-18-2024    2024 Bisikleta Palomar Challenge, Crooked Jades concert at Pilgrim UCC

05-21-2024    Trip to the dump to get wood chips, announcement about HP site closure

05-23-2024    Maggie Rogers concert at Gallagher Square (w/ The Japanese House)

05-25-2024    Travel to Irvine to visit Pat

05-26-2024    Travel home from Irvine

05-28-2024    Fat Ham play at the Old Globe Theater

05-30-2024    Indigo researcher get-together at Miguel's Cocina

06-01-2024    SD Folk Heritage Society Folk Festival at Old Poway Park - Scarborough, Hot Pstromi, Lee Coulter

06-02-2024    Travel to Mt Laguna for a camping trip

06-04-2024    Travel home from Mt Laguna camping trip

06-07-2024    TSA Pre Check interview at Staples in CMR, lunch celebrating Blair's 30th HP anniversary

06-09-2024    Birthday celebration at the WWC for Perse Bolano, first ride with Rob Fogarty after his accident

06-10-2024    Vampire Weekend concert at Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater at SDSU (La Low was opening act)

06-12-2024     Padres/A's baseball game with John, Ross, Kenda, Dennis, and Karen, it was a walk-off homer that won it for the Padres

06-15-2024    Start of visit by Kathy and Heather

06-18-2024    New waxed bike chain, first rebuild of front fork bearings with Blair, dinner at Ponce's

06-21-2024    Hike up Bernardo Peak and back with Joe Swoboda, Brewskis retiree party at Glen Hopkins' house, Cruisin' Grand with Ann, Kathy, and Heather

06-22-2024    End of visit by Kathy and Heather

06-23-2024    Rewaxed used bike chain on old bike, adjustment of front derailleur as well

06-24-2024    Trip to Dana Point to catch the ferry to Catalina Island

06-24-2024    Ferry ride from Catalina Island back to Dana Point, then home, resolution of creaking issue on new bike by loosening and then tightening the seatpost bolt

06-26-2024    Travel to San Clemente State Beach for camping, Cirque du Soleil show in the evening

06-28-2024    Travel home from San Clemente State Beach

06-29-2024    Dinner at Coyote Bar & Grill, dancing to the band New Joy

07-01-2024    Birthday ride with Mike Law and Joe Swoboda

07-04-2024    Fourth of July ride around San Diego Bay with Charlie Witherspoon

07-07-2024    Gregory Page concert at Old Poway Park

07-12-2024    First ocean swim, with Avi and San Diego Tri Club, at La Jolla Shores

07-13-2024    Travel up to LaVerne to stay with the Humes and visit CUMC friends

07-14-2024    Travel home from LaVerne

07-16-2024    Travel up to Big Pine Lakes area for backpacking trip with Joe, Mike, and Jason

07-19-2024    Travel home from Big Pine Lakes area

07-23-2024    SeaWorld visit with Ann, comped from Palomar Medical Group

07-26-2024    Lake Street Dive concert at the Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater at SDSU (Celisse opened)

07-27-2024    Walk downtown with Rob and Isabelle to watch the Comic Con crowds

07-28-2024    Britain's Finest (beatles cover band) concert at Lake Poway Park

08-03-2024    Bisikleta summer beach party at Jed's Oceanside house

08-06-2024    Lunch with Earl Guy at Chan Dara Thai restaurant, dinner at home with Dave Helfrick before he moved to PA

08-08-2024    John and Vivian's wedding down in Santee

08-09-2024    Republic of Music concert at Carmel Mountain Ranch shopping center

08-10-2024    Postmodern Jukebox concert at the Magnolia Center in El Cajon

08-11-2024    Simulated sprint triathlon

08-15-2024    Drinks and snacks with James and Blair

08-16-2024    Colonoscopy, all clear

08-17-2024    Summer Breeze SD concert at Santee Lakes

08-21-2024    Beautiful, the musical about Carole King's early life, at Moonlight Amphitheater

08-22-2024    Bisikleta Decision Board meeting at our house

08-24-2024    Whole Hog concert, part of SD Folk Music Society series, at Pilgrim UCC

08-25-2024    Pink Martini concert at the Rady Shell

08-27-2024    Lunch with Hongwei at Tandoori Express, beer at home with Blair

08-30-2024    Just Press Play concert at Carmel Mountain Ranch shopping center

09-03-2024    Travel to Houston

09-05-2024    Ride with Mark from his place

09-07-2024    Travel home from Houston

09-08-2024    Tested positive for COVID-19

09-12-2024    First ride with Paula Dragu, along with Blair

09-14-2024    Negative test for COVID-19, Gregory Alan Isakov, Ray LaMontagne co-headliner  concert, with Erin Rae as the opening act, at Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater at SDSU

09-16-2024    Travel to El Capitan SB for camping 2 nights

09-18-2024    Travel to San Simeon SP for camping 2 nights

09-20-2024    Travel to Cayucos for a 3-day weekend visit with the Thompsons

09-22-2024    Wine tasting at Niner Winery near Paso Robles with the Thompsons

09-23-2024    Travel home from Cayucos

09-24-2024    Murder on the Orient Express play at the Old Globe

09-26-2024    Lunch with Jerry, I paid

09-27-2024    Dinner at Himalaya Grill in Mira Mesa with Charlie and Leslie Witherspoon

10-03-2024    Dental cleaning, Decision Board meeting at Gideon's house about jerseys

10-04-2024    Drive to PB to stay in AirBnB while house was tented, Aiofe O'Donovan concert at UCSD Epstein Family Amphitheater

10-05-2024    Water heater leak, dinner with Joe and Cathie at Tender Greens at UTC, frozen yogurt at Pinkberry

10-08-2024    Drive home after staying in PB

10-10-2024    Water heater replacement

10-12-2024    Dinner with Rob and Isabelle at MexicanBar in Poway

10-14-2024    Dinner at Los Panchos with Earl, Paul Lorson, Gary Beckman, Marty Colling, and Steve Palmer

10-17-2024    Lunch at Best Pizza & Brew with some HP folks (Dan, James, Kyle, his girlfriend), The Rocky Horror Show musical at the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town

10-18-2024    Red Luck Trio (Devon Gardner on fiddle, Moriah Ozberkmen on mandolin, Ian Alistair on guitar) concert at Templar's Hall in Old Poway Park

10-19-2024    Celebration of Perse Bolano's father's life at a park in Rancho Penasquitos

10-22-2024    Travel to Washington DC

10-23-2024    Visits to National Cathedral, Scottish Rite Temple, Natural History Museum

10-24-2024    Open House at Library of Congress

10-25-2024    Tour of Washington National Monument, visits to Museum of American History, Museum of African American History 

10-26-2024    Lunch with Kaye Wallace, visits to Renwick Gallery, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, WWII Memorial, POTUS Among Us improv show, Summer Day bus ride

10-27-2024    Lunch with Liz Shattuck at her condo, 

10-28-2024    Tour of Mt Vernon, visit to Hirshhorn Museum, dinner with Liz Denman

10-29-2024    Visit to expanded Air & Space Museum by Dulles Airport, travel home from Washington DC

10-31-2024    Lunch with Earl at Cuscatlan, I paid

11-01-2024    Gypsy Sally concert at The Garten

11-09-2024    Decision Board Holiday Dinner with spouses at Amalfi in San Marcos

11-10-2024    Combined birthday dinner with Emily and Caleb at their apartment

11-14-2024    Comedy show featuring Wendy Liebman at National Lampoon's Yellow Door in the Gaslamp Quarter

11-15-2024    Lunch with John Helfrick at The Stand in CMR, I paid

11-16-2024    Lunch at Las Olas with church hiking group, chili cook-off at San Marcos UMC

11-17-2024    Travel to Refugio State Beach

11-20-2024    Travel home from Refugio State Beach

11-21-2024    Lunch with Blair at Pailin Thai Cafe, I paid

11-27-2024    Dinner with Emily, Caleb, Laura, and Joe at Urban Thai

11-29-2024    Visit to Midway Museum with Laura and Joe

12-06-2024    Farewell celebration for Blair at Karl Strauss, December Nights down at Balboa Park

12-07-2024    Bisikleta holiday party at Andy's new house

12-09-2024    Dinner with the UMM (Earl, Ben L., Andy, Gary, Marty) at Los Panchos

12-10-2024    Lunch with Emily at The Stand

12-13-2024    Lunch with Blair at Charm Thai Kitchen before he left for Boise

12-14-2024    Farewell dinner at Mom's Pizza for Blair

12-15-2024    Coffee and a bagel with Steve Horvath at Einstein Bagels, free Holiday Concert at Rady Shell with Mariachi Los Camparos and Ballet Folklorico followed by holiday boat parade in the bay

12-16-2024    Lunch with John at Mama Cella's

12-19-2024    Travel to Irvine to visit Pat, met Oren Perets in Venice Beach for a short chat

12-20-2024    Travel home from Irvine, holiday lunch for Alberto's section with a sendoff for Blair that I led

12-24-2024    Christmas Eve service at church

12-28-2024    Christmas celebration with Ann, Emily, Caleb, Laura, and Joe

12-29-2024    Dinner with Ann, Emily, Caleb, Laura, and Joe at Savory Thai in Vista, San Diego Clippers vs. Memphis Hustle at Frontwave Arena

12-30-2024    Hot pot lunch with Ann, Laura, and Joe, visited Museum of Us with them as well

Books read

Jon Krakauer, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

James S.A. Corey, Persepolis Rising

Stephen King, Holly

Jesse Cole and Don Yaeger, Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas

Jon Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven

Neil Stephenson, Termination Shock

Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk

Jack Higgins, The Graveyard Shift

Scott Patterson, Chaos Kings

James S.A. Corey, Tiamat's Wrath

Antonio Padilla, Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them

Benjamin Lorr, The Secret Life of Groceries

Kara Swisher, Burn Book

Maggie Haberman, Confidence Man

Liu Cixin, The Three Body Problem

Walter Isaacson, Leonardo de Vinci

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Hugh Howey, Shift

Amor Towles, The Lincoln Highway

Bill Browder, Red Notice

Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Colors of Space

Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Sleep

Timothy Zahn, Cobra

Mike Chen, A Quantum Love Affair

Ernest Cline, Armada

Vaclav Smil, Numbers Don't Lie

Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See

David Brin, Existence

Larry J. Hughes, Rings of Fire

Peter F. Hamilton, Pandora's Star

Vaclav Smil, How the World Really Works

Micaiah Johnson, Those Beyond the Wall

Grace Curtis, Floating Hotel

James McBride, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

Colin Dexter, The Jewel That Was Ours

John Scalzi, The Collapsing Empire

Harry Cliff, Space Oddities

John Scalzi, The Consuming Fire

12-31-2024 Ride

This was a generally slow day. Got up, had some oatmeal for breakfast, and eventually got ready for a bike ride. I took my Fuji bike, since I'm dealing with chain skipping issues on the other one. Ordered a new chain and some other items from Amazon, I hope that fixes the chain issue. I rode through the neighborhood, taking the Capilla Rd route for a change, then it was the long way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. To Camino del Sur, taking it down to San Dieguito Rd and heading into Fairbanks Ranch. I made decent time on the flats over to El Camino Real and then to Via de la Valle. I stayed on this road until just past the freeway, then turned right onto Valley Ave, which I don't think I've ever ridden on before. It turns into Stevens Ave, which tees into Lomas Santa Fe Dr after a short, steepish climb. Then I rode down to PCH and turned right. Headed toward Encinitas, but I had to pee, so I couldn't generate much power. I stopped for a short break at Swami's Beach, had a pee and a banana, then started heading back. To Via de la Valle, and then a retrace of my outbound route until I got to Paseo del Sur. From there, I took the new standard route home. I didn't feel my strongest on this ride, which was comparatively flat. The ride up Three Witches was kinda slow. Legs weren't tired, just no real push in them.

Avg speed = 17.3 mph. Total mileage = 43.4 mi
Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 17.3 mph

Avg power = 154 W. Weighted avg power = 175 W

Total elevation gain = 2010'

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/13234308767

I got home a little before 1:00 and had some lunch. In the afternoon, Laura, Joe, and I (mostly Laura and I) talked about technology and its combination of both beneficial and deleterious effects on society. We included how AI and technology access is affecting knowledge transfer in teaching environments. I signed up for Claude AI and asked it a couple of questions related to this topic. It gives fairly good answers, with more nuance than I have seen with either ChatGPT or Gemini. Emily came over after work, and she and Laura went to Ross while Joe and I watched some of the Penn St-Boise St football game. Calzones for dinner and donuts for dessert. We watched some of the TV coverage of New Year's Eve festivities, and it was frankly terrible. Stayed up until 9:00 to see the ball drop in Times Square, and that was enough for me.

12-30-2024 Swim

Woke up late, slept fairly well (<>). I ate some cereal for breakfast and slowly got ready for a swim at the WWC. This swim was unexpectedly difficult. I just couldn't find a rhythm, and my goggles kept leaking. So it was a slow pace, about 2-minute 100s averaged over the whole swim. I swam 1800 yds, the last 250 with the push buoy to focus on lengthening my stroke. Here are the splits for 500/500/500/300: 9:52, 10:00:10:23 (adjusted goggles), 6:21 (added push buoy). After I got home, we planned an afternoon out, starting with hot pot for lunch at a place in Clairemont Mesa. It was decent, not a hit with Joe, it was his first time. From there, we drove down to Balboa Park, pa|ked in a remote lit and took the shuttle to the main plaza. We walked through the Museum of Us, most of the exhibits were the same as the last time Ann and I had gone. Walked back to the rebuilt botanical enclosure, then shuttled back to the car. We stopped for groceries on the way home, and I had leftovers for dinner. Then Ann, Joe, and I watched Napoleon Dynamite, him for the first time. Still a quirky, funny movie.

12-29-2024 Ride

Got up and had some of the last batch of beignets for breakfast. It was a generally lazy morning, and just before noon I went out for a bike ride. My chain has been skipping on the fourth and fifth cogs in my rear cassette. I tried replacing the QuickLink, since the existing one was slightly bent. No luck, it's still skipping. Will try to replace the chain next, I hope that does the trick. The ride was local, through the neighborhood and then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood on the extended route, including the little jog up to the top of Four Gee Rd. Back to Paseo del Sur, taking it down to Camino del Sur and turning right. I headed up to Artesian Rd and took a left, riding through that ritzy neighborhood all the way down to the bottom of the hill, where the road is still underwater (and the road looks like it's been damaged by being underwater for so long). The climb back up went fine, slow but steady, and that was the theme of this ride, not pushing hard but getting a fair amount of elevation gain in a short ride. Back home via the RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr route.

Avg speed = 14.6 mph. Total mileage = 19.2 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 14.7 mph

Avg power = 132 W. Weighted avg power = 176 W

Total elevation gain = 1570'

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 25

Training Load = 80

Intensity = 77%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13219285826

I watched a little of the Packers-Vikings game with Joe when I got home, had a light lunch as well. Then I went out for a walk to get most of my steps in, about a mile around the neighborhood. When I got home, I shaved and showered to get ready for the basketball game outing. Emily came over a little before 4:00, and we drove down to Savory Thai restaurant in Vista for dinner, meeting Caleb there. The food was okay, a little too sweet for my taste. We headed over to Frontwave Arena, which is on the border between Vista and Oceanside, about halfway between the 76 and the 78. It will be interesting to go on a bike ride out in this general area some time. The game was between the San Diego Clippers and the Memphis Hustle, and it was pretty enjoyable. I don't think I can talk Ann into going again, but she had a pleasant time there. The Clippers won, they were clearly the better team both defensively and offensively. The quality of play was decent, not as team-oriented as high-level college basketball, but the individual players were generally better than scholarship ballplayers. Drove home after that.

12-28-2024 Ride

It was not super cold when I woke up and got ready for the bike ride. Over to the parking lot by Marco's Pizza, where it was a small group to ride: Ray, Cam, and Jed. We headed down toward the lake, and the descents were chilly. Over the lake via the pedestrian bridge, and the flats were really cold. But once we rode through the mall lit, it started to get warmer. At this point I noticed that my Wahoo had died, forgot to charge it. So I started Strava on my phone. Through Kit Carson Park and up to Escondido Blvd, taking it over to Centre City Pkwy. We rode to Washington Ave and took it over to Mission Rd, then up to Barham Dr. So we were following the same route by this time that Joe and I rode on Monday. I threw in an extra loop up and down La Moree Dr. It wasn't as steep as I thought it would get. On Palomar Airport Rd, Jed's front tire went flat, and we helped him put a tube in. His latex sealant was all congealed, so it wasn't too messy. As we were wrapping up, Romeo showed up from the west, and he rode with us for a while. We stayed on the same route to San Elijo Hills, where we took a short break before continuing on through Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove. Turned left on Country Club Dr, but I missed the turn onto Country Club Ln, so we ended up a Citracado Pkwy south of the hospital. We rode up to and past it, then turned right on Auto Park Way to get to Andreesen St. Over to Mission Rd from there and then into Escondido. We turned right on Quince St and took it to 13th Ave, jogging over to Centre City Pkwy. Back to the starting point by retracing our route from there. At least one rider usually kept up with me the whole time except on the last climb to Duenda Rd. We're originally going to eat pizza after the ride, but Ray had to go and it was a small group, so we postponed it for another Saturday. Home the normal way from there.

Avg speed = 14.1 mph. Total mileage = 43.2 mi (38.5 mi in Strava)

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 15.8 mph

Total elevation gain = 2280'

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 102

https://www.strava.com/activities/13210638317

When I got home, the others were eating an early lunch. We hung out in the early afternoon by taking a walk around the neighborhood, then I got the charcoal going after we got back. Joe did most of the grilling after I got the coals fired up. Emily and Caleb came over around 3:00, and we opened stockings soon after. Then we finished dinner prep and ate dinner fairly early. Christmas gift opening followed, it wasn't too bad. Ann seemed to like the things I got her. The evening wrapped up for us fairly early, Ann and I laid down while Joe and Laura watched a Christmas movie.

12-27-2014 Hike

Woke up (<>!) with the intention of having an easy exercise day. I ate some breakfast and did some cleaning, including the kitchen and its floors. During the day I watched a little college football. After lunch, I went for a hike through south end of the park to get my steps in. I also drove to Home Depot and bought some LED tube lights to replace the fluorescent lights in the kitchen, since they aren't available anymore. Also got Ann a couple of plants for Christmas. Other than that, it was a chill day. Ann made an ice cream pie and went to Mah Jongg in the afternoon. In the evening, we drove down to the airport and picked up Laura and Joe. Their flight was late touching down and very late to the gate. But we didn't have too much trouble weaving through the traffic to pick them up. Uneventful drive home.

12-26-2024 Swim/Ride

I slept pretty well and woke up feeling refreshed. The pain in my right lower back seemed to be less, which is a good thing. Ann made beignets, and that helped the mood. I got ready for a swim at the WWC and rode over. It was pretty chilly on the ride there, but the water felt nice when I got in. This time I put on a swimming cap, and that helped me acclimate to the water better. Swam 2000 yds in (maybe) my fastest time, at least the fastest in a while, under 38 minutes. There was another swimmer in the lane next to me who was swimming at a comparable pace, a little faster when she put on her swim fins, and that helped to motivate me to push a little harder. Kept a 19-21 stroke count throughout most of the swim, although I really had to concentrate to keep my stroke count up near the end. Here are the 500 splits: 9:16, 9:33, 9:30, 9:29. When I got home, it was time to start cleaning the house for Laura and Joe's visit. I started with the kitchen counters and the refrigerator, then I swept off the back patio. I took a break from chores for a while, and in the afternoon I went for an easy ride. Through the neighborhood after having to turn around and get my helmet. To RB Rd and then onto Dove Canyon Rd to ride over to Carmel Valley Rd. Fairly slow up the two climbs and over to Black Mountain Rd, where I turned left. Took it past the 56 and then turned right on Park Village Rd. I stayed on it all the way to the end before turning around and riding back to Camino del Sur. Up, slowly, to the 56 bike path, where I headed west to Carmel Valley Rd and turned there. Back to Camino del Sur, turning left there, and riding home the normal way via Camino San Bernardo and W Bernardo Dr. My legs didn't feel as strong as on other previous rides, maybe because of the swim. It was warmer on the ride than I thought it would be but never uncomfortable. Need to rewax my chain.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph. Total mileage = 30.7 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 15.4 mph

Avg power = 127 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W

Total elevation gain = 2010'

Avg heartrate = 124 bpm

Relative Effort = 53

Training Load = 102

Intensity = 69%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13197160641

When I got home, there was still time in the afternoon, so I wet-mopped the floors except for the kitchen. Watched some football after dinner, was a quiet evening.

12-25-2024 Entry

I got up maybe a little later than usual but still was on short sleep. Went for an hourlong walk around the neighborhood, had been a while since I'd done that. It was foggy on the walk but clear and cool. When I got back home, Ann was up, she made beignets, and we had them with coffee. She made a big batch, which was more than we could comfortably eat in one sitting. Lazy morning, I watched the first half of the Chiefs-Steelers game and made oatmeal cookies to take to the hospital. Had just a little lunch, then I rode over for a shortened volunteer shift. Kristine and Anna were the admins, Tina was also a nurse on the shift that I had seen once before. Mila came in later, she works evenings and I have seen her occasionally. Trevor is a med tech that I didn't remember meeting before. The shift started a little slow and was pretty busy for an hour and a half with cleaning rooms of people who had left. When I left around 3:15, there appeared to be a lull in the patients being discharged. Rode home, and it was kinda chilly on the scooter. I was pretty tired, so I had a little nap when I got back. Then I watched some TV, an entire episode of Endeavour, which is unusual. Ann made cabbage rolls for dinner, with mashed potatoes. They were excellent, a real surprise to me. The evening was quiet.

12-24-2024 Ride

Heartrate zone entries in Strava:
Z1    0-110

Z2    111-128

Z3    129-145

Z4    146-162

Z5    163+

I'm trying to match them up as closely as possible with the entries on my Wahoo.

Woke up (<>) after having gotten up in the night and watched some TV, trouble sleeping. I continued playing around with the riding analysis program, trying to figure out how to reanalyze a ride with new heartrate zone data. Rob sent out a message asking if others were interested in riding mid-morning, so I suited up and rode over to his place. Up Aguamiel Rd to Duenda Rd, then W Bernardo Dr to RB Rd. Right on Bernardo Center Dr, then left on Bernardo Heights Pkwy to Paseo Lucido. He was in the parking lot of his complex when I got there. We took Avenida Alcachofa and Calle Suacillo to the high school and waited for a couple of minutes to see if other riders showed up. Nope, so we took Paseo Lucido to Calle Pueblito, which dropped us down onto Bernardo Heights Pkwy. To Pomerado Rd, taking it to Stone Canyon Rd and heading up to Martincoit Rd. We took this descent to Espola Rd and then rode back to Pomerado Rd, turning right there and heading down to Highland Valley Rd. I was riding at his pace on this ride, steady but not searing. We took the first two Highland Valley Rd climbs up to Cordiano Winery. I got out ahead of him on the climbs a little bit but not too much. On the descent, I had my camera attached to the bike and took a cool video of him riding down to the flats. We rode back to Pomerado Rd and turned left. Around this time, the fog turned to mist and got heavier, so that we were getting wet as we rode. That caused me to decide to turn right on RB Rd and head back a little early. Home via Bernardo Center Dr and the normal way from there. The power numbers below must be off, probably because I need to change the battery in my power meter.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph. Total mileage = 26.5 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 15.4 mph

Avg power = 74. Weighted avg power = 157 W

Total elevation gain = 2220'

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 48

Training Load = 85

Intensity = 69%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13183771805

When I got home, I was wet but not yet soaked. Changed clothes and had a couple of little sandwiches for lunch. Also watched some TV. Later, I changed the power meter battery, and Ann and I set up and put out the luminaria. The day was misty, but it never turned into rain. The afternoon was quiet. In the evening we watched Conclave. It was a good movie, I knew just the barebones of the plot, so the whole story was a revelation. That helped us get through the evening, so we could stay up and go to the 11:00 service at FUMC. The service was generally nice, a little too long. Benjamin's solo was a little too self-aggrandizing for my taste, and some of the other music selections were fairly somber. Not sure why Benjamin's music preferences run that way. Pastor Lisa sang as part of her message, after she delivered the homily. Nice clear voice. It made for a long day and night for us.

12-23-2024 Ride

Woke up and got ready for a bike ride with Joe. It was a little warmer, mid-40s, than previous days, so I wasn't as cold at the start. Headed down by the park and then down to the lake. On this second descent, I hit a rock in the road and flatted my front tire, the one whose tube I had just replaced. The tube replacement went quickly, <10 minutes, and I continued across the freeway to meet Joe at the Park n Ride, just a little bit late. From there, we headed over to the path through Kit Carson Park to El Ku Ave and Escondido Blvd. Over to Centre City Pkwy, which we took up to Washington Ave. I was riding at a slower pace, trying not to get too far ahead of Joe on the climbs and staying with him on the flats. Over to Mission Ave, which we took up to Barham Dr and then stayed on this road until it turned into Discovery St. Over to San Marcos Blvd, turning left and heading out to Palomar Airport Rd. So far, the ride was pretty flat. There was that little dip after Rancho Santa Fe Rd, but after that it was flat again. We rode out to the Starbucks on the east end of the runway by Palomar Airport and had a coffee and nice conversation. Then we headed back to Melrose Dr, turning right and dropping again before a modest climb back to Rancho Santa Fe Rd. We continued straight on to San Elijo Rd, turning left and riding up into San Elijo Hills village. Then we took Elfin Forest Rd and Harmony Grove Rd back into west Escondido, taking Citracado Pkwy to Andreasen Dr and then Enterprise St. Right there, heading over to Hale Ave and then onto 11th Ave, which we took until it turned into Bernardo Ave, running to the west of I-15. We stayed on this road until it teed, turning left there onto Bernardo Ln, which brought us down to Via Rancho Pkwy. I don't think I've ridden down this road before, maybe up it back in the day with Dave. From there, it was back to our meet-up spot, where I picked up my backpack (had used it to transport cookies for Joe and Cathie) and rode home the normal way from there. Legs felt solid the entire ride, but I never really pushed myself.

Avg speed = 13.9 mph. Total mileage = 39.0 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 14.0 mph

Avg power = 113 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 2390'

Avg heartrate = 109 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 36

Training Load = 122

Intensity = 60%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13176573526

I had a quick shower when I got home, then Ann and I went to lunch at Rancho Viejo. Not great, probably going to cross this place off the list of decent restaurants. After we got back, Ann gave me a haircut, then I had a short break before riding over to the 4S Ranch shopping center to do some Christmas shopping for her stocking. Got some Mostra coffee, spice drops, and a Target gift card. I went in World Market, but their prices were quite high and the line was very long. So I rode over to Trader Joe's instead, where the lines were faster and the prices were lower. I think I'm basically done with my shopping now. The rest of the day was quiet. I worked on my riding analysis program to increase the number of bins for heartrate data, hoping that higher granularity will improved the ability to model how Relative Effort is calculated. We'll see soon.

12-22-2024 Swim/Hike

Slept pretty well and woke up well too (<>!). I had some cereal and a banana for breakfast, then got ready to go to the WWC for a swim. This time there were others there who were swimming, but I got a lane and got my 1500 yds in at 29 minutes with no trouble. Had a consistent 19-20 stroke pace throughout. Here are my 500 yd splits: 9:40, 9:40, 9:44. Went home after that and did some house chores. First, I got all of the loose screws, nuts and bolts out of the little plastic storage bins and did a first-pass sort, throwing away the ones that weren't useful. Then I fixed a flat in an inner tube, pulled the tape off the side garage door frame, and watched some football. In the afternoon, I started digging out a flat spot on the side hill in the back yard for a future planting of a citrus tree, as we had discussed with the guy at El Plantio. We will need to buy some retaining wall bricks to surround the flat space. Later in the afternoon, I went for a short hike over to the RB Community Park and back. Then I swapped out tubes on my new bike to put the patched one in. Ann and I made cookies in the evening for me to take to Joe on Monday morning.

12-21-2024 Ride

Was below 40 when I woke up, so I figured it would be a cold riding day. Bundled up more than usual and headed out through the neighborhood, then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood via Ralphs Ranch Rd. When I got to the 4S Target, James and Nel were there. Others started showing up, so that at the start of this ride we had: Nel, James, Rob, Ray, Jed, Fritz, and Arnold. We rode the same route as the one I had mapped out for 11-16 but didn't finish because I road back to the coast to meet Ann and the hiking group at Las Olas. Down Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd and then down the hill (it was cold) to El Apajo, turning right there and riding it and Via de Santa Fe up to Via de la Valle. Left turn there and a downhill ride to the flats before the little climb and descent to get to El Camino Real. We turned right there, taking it up (gradual first, then a little steep near the top) to Linea del Cielo, where we turned left. Fritz was pushing hard on this ride, and it was he and I who got to the top first. We all took Lomas Santa Fe down past the freeway and turned right on Solana Hills Dr, which climbed up to the entrance to the bike path that runs on the west side of I-5. Stayed on the bike path over the bridge (Romeo met us there from the other direction) and then up to Birmingham Dr, where again Fritz was right there with me. We rode down toward the coast here and turned right on San Elijo Ave, taking it into the outskirts of Encinitas. We used the path under the railroad tracks by the Self Realization Fellowship to get to PCH. On the last stretch to La Costa Ave, Fritz, Rob, and I got out in front and rode fast but not super fast. U-turn at La Costa Ave and a break at the normal 7-Eleven. It was foggy on this first half of the ride and still foggy and cold near the coast, so we didn't have as long a break as usual. From there, we took PCH back to Via de la Valle, then the usual way to get to Camino del Sur. On the flats on San Dieguito Rd, four of us - me, Jed, Ray, Fritz - formed a fast paceline and left the others behind. Another short break at the gas station, then up Three Witches. I led the way and wasn't pushing too hard, at slightly less than tempo pace. On the last climb, Fritz attacked and tried to get out in front, but I was able to hang on his wheel until he ran out of gas, then pass him and leave him behind. That gave me a PR on the third hill of Three Witches. We all gathered again at the turn, then rode back to Paseo del Sur, turning right and taking it to Del Sur Ridge Rd, where Fritz and I turned and took it to Garretson St and thus back to Target. I rode harder than I had originally planned, but when I put in a bigger effort my legs seemed really solid. Took it much easier on the ride home, following the now normal route.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 51.1 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 17.3 mph

Bisikleta route avg speed = 18.0 mph

Avg power = 160 W. Weighted avg power = 184 W

Total elevation gain = 2560'

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 94

Training Load = 227

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13163636036

Ann was gone when I got home, so I had some lunch, including leftover salad from the previous evening, and watched a little bit of TV. I did some blogging and then saw that the Texas-Clemson game was on TV, so I watched it from near the end of the first half. I also tried to figure out why it seems that my Wahoo and Strava both seem to underestimate my average speed. Couldn't really understand how the calculation is performed. Was a quiet evening. I debugged an error in my ride analysis program that was associated with fully resetting the parameters before starting a new file analysis, then did some back calculations of recent rides to see the differences between Strava and my average speed values. The rest of the evening was quiet.

I found the serial number for my Canyon bike on a sticker under the bottom bracket. The number is:
    R08101AC22E0072

12-20-2024 Entry

I woke up after a short sleep, went back for a short nap after waking up, then I got up after 7:00 and had a shave and a shower. Pat had taken Cooper out for his morning walk, and we had a little breakfast before we hit the road to drive home. Thankfully, Ann drove, so I was able to snooze for a bit during the ride back. Made it back with no traffic, so I had a little bit of time to chill before heading over to HP for the holiday lunch with Alberto's section. It was nice seeing and talking to a number of my former colleagues. They had catered the lunch with Thai food, which was tasty. I shared my sendoff slides for Blair with the section, and it went well, got some good laughs along the way. Blair enjoyed and appreciated it as well. It was a quiet afternoon. I did some trimming of the bushes in the front yard, then I finished painting the side garage door trim. I read some and tried to have a nap without much success. Ann pulled some greens arugula, mesclun) from our garden, including several radishes, and she made a salad for dinner that was tasty. Not much went on in the evening.

Catching up on books I've read recently. I finished John Scalzi's The Collapsing Empire, which was about human civilization in the future scattered across the galaxy and connected by The Flow. The Flow is breaking down, and this first book in the trilogy details the empire and its threatened existence. It was a good story. I am also now reading Space Oddities by Harry Cliff. The author is a PhD physicist who explores some of the frontier areas of fundamental physics that are testing the validity of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. It's well written and accessible in its description of some pretty esoteric particle behavior.

12-19-2024 Ride

We woke up early and got all packed up for the drive to Irvine. I took my bike as well, we were on the road a little after 6:30. We drove up to Mission Viejo and stopped for breakfast at a little café. It was a little too frou-frou for me, but my crepe was okay, maybe too much Nutella. Got to Pat's just after 8:30, and he and I were riding just after 9:00. I followed his lead on the route, didn't really know where we were or where we were going. Mostly gradual climbing out to mile 15, then a descent before we did another gradual climb up Santiago Canyon. We turned around about 2 miles in and rode a long gradual descent, seemed like it went on forever. We also had a stretch on a trail by a paved river bed that wasn't so great for riding. A little climb back up to his place, and we were done by 12:15 or so. Felt good at the end, legs were solid throughout the ride but there were times when I got tired for sustained high output. I forgot to wear my heartrate monitor, but it was a generally moderate workout, not as hard as I would have ridden solo, I think.

Avg speed =15.9 mph. Total mileage = 47.6 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 16.0 mph

Avg power = 134 W. Weighted avg power =164 W

Total elevation gain = 2800'

Training Load =165

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13150960019

Ann showed up shortly after, and we went to a Chinese food place for lunch after showering. Food was pretty good. Back to Pat's, we hung out for a bit and then took Cooper for a walk. Had dinner at this upscale (for us) place in Irvine, Solstice. It was okay, just one vegetarian entrée. We drove back after getting some gas, and around 9:15 I headed to Venice Beach to meet Oren Perets, who was in the LA area on business travel. I got there around 10:20, drove around and found a place to park on the street while I waited for him to show up. He got stuck at the Hertz car rental office and wasn't on the road until about 11:20. We met up shortly before midnight, then walked along the deserted boardwalk, talking about his new job and his family. Got back to the car a little after 1:00AM, and the drive back to Pat's house was a chore. I was tired, and it was periodically quite foggy. I made it back, was glad to get that done.

12-18-2024 Ride

I took my time getting up, thinking I wanted to wait until it warmed up. But we had Santa Ana conditions, so I ended up leaving around 7:30. This was going to be a short ride, knowing I was riding with Pat the following day. Through the neighborhood and then the extended way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to Camino del Sur. I took this road all the way to the 56 bike path, turning left onto the path and taking it past Black Mountain Rd to the next turnoff, which got me on a road that connected to Paseo Montalban. I then rode to Black Mountain Rd and headed toward home. Up to Carmel Valley Rd, staying on it to Bernardo Center Dr. To W Bernardo Dr and home the normal way from there. I rode at a faster pace than the previous day but was still relatively slow.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 23.2 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 16.4 mph

Avg power = 149 W. Weighted avg power = 178 W

Total elevation gain = 1540'

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 40

Training Load = 97

Intensity = 78%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13143175743

Got back home with time to relax before I needed to get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. It was warm and dry, so the ride over was nice. Quite busy in the ED, most beds were full, including the hallway beds. There was also a lot of turnover, so I cleaned up a bunch of rooms. It kept me busy, so the shift passed quickly. Home to an empty house, Ann was at Coronado. I ate dinner and snacked a lot, was very hungry. I watched the end of a movie, that was about it for the evening, other than packing for our short visit to Irvine. 

12-17-2024 Ride

I had trouble sleeping in the night, probably too much iced tea at lunch the previous day. Woke up (<>) and had a little breakfast, took it leisurely. I waited until it had warmed up somewhat, then I went out in the garage, changed my front tire, which was worn through, and went for a bike ride. Through the neighborhood a different way to W Bernardo Dr, then I rode up to the HP site and over to Camino del Norte. I was interested in getting miles in, not in speed on this day. Over to Carmel Mountain Rd, using it to get to Rancho Carmel Dr and taking this road to Sabre Springs Pkwy and thus to the bike path along Poway Rd. I took it up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and turned right to get on Mercy Rd, riding over to Black Mountain Rd. Stayed on this road until Kearny Villa Rd, taking it to Miramar Rd, where I turned left. Then it was the climb up to the top of Pomerado Rd, riding down the hill and eventually turning right on Metate Ln. Over to Community Rd, turning left and heading to Twin Peaks Rd, where I took a right. I rode up to Espola Rd and turned left there, taking the climb fairly slowly but doing pretty well on the long gradual downhill run back into RB. All the way to W Bernardo Dr, then home the normal way from there.

Avg speed = 15.1 mph. Total mileage = 32.1 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 15.3 mph

Avg power = 122 W. Weighted avg power = 150 W

Total elevation gain = 2010'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 37

Training Load = 99

Intensity = 66%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13137386956

Got home after noon, had some lunch, and Ann had baked chocolate kiss cookies, which were delicious as always. I was tired from not enough sleep, so I had a little nap after lunch, then Ann and I drove over to Kelly's Pub and played shuffleboard for a while. I was able to play the slant on the table better than she was. We got home around 5:00 and had another quiet evening at home. I did change out the rear tire on my bike with a new one, so I have a matched set again.

12-16-2024 Swim/Run

During the night, I kept thinking about where my Wahoo head unit could be if it was around the house. It was either here, or I had dropped it while transferring stuff into the car after the ride on Saturday. The last place in the car that it could be was around the passenger seat, so when I woke up I went down and looked around there. Found it under the passenger seat. What a relief!!! I probably would have ordered another one if I hadn't found it there. Hung out around the house in the morning, I painted most of the trim for the side garage door, just a little bit left to do. Then I rode over to Mama Cella's and had lunch with John, the Ravioli Special. He, Vivian, and Jayden are all taking piano lessons on Saturdays, sounds like a nice plan. Ann had a Mah-Jongg class in the afternoon, so I headed over to the WWC for a swim, 1500 yds in less than 30 minutes. Then I changed and went for a run using the 5k route I've done from there. First mile in 8:00, second in 7:25, third in 6:58. During the run I had my fastest mile time on Strava, 6:49. I felt really good about being able to run a sub-7 minute mile at age 64.

Avg pace = 7:24/mi

Total distance = 3.18 mi

Elapsed moving time = 23:36

Avg heartrate = 149 (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 31

https://www.strava.com/activities/13131006835

Got home from that and had a quiet rest of the day, watched a little TV.

12-15-2024 Ride

Well, this day had its major frustration, but it got off to a great start (<>!). I decided to go for a swim at the WWC, first time ever, I think, on a Sunday. I arrived before it opened, and I had the pool to myself for a while. No intentions of pushing hard on this day, just getting my distance in. My stroke count was 20-22 for the most part. Finished 2050 yds (I think) in 41:30. Then I rode home and noticed that my Wahoo head unit wasn't on the bike. I started looking for it and couldn't find it. Looked all around the house, in the garage, in the car, and no luck. I was really bummed out. Ann helped look for it as well, and she is a really good finder, it still didn't turn up. I swapped out my tires for the regular riding ones, then I rode my scooter over to Einstein Bagels on Pomerado Rd and had a coffee and bagel with Steve Horvath. He is doing well, is working as a staff engineer at UCSD in the nanoengineering department. He's responsible for supporting some of the labs where the PhD students work as well as teaching lab sections to undergraduates. Not sure if he has a long-term gig here, there is some indication that his position might go away. He also mentioned that Jan is scheduled for hip replacement surgery around the beginning of the year. We talked about parenting adult children and shared some common observations. It was a nice little get-together, we'll try to do it again before too long. I rode home and got ready for a bike ride with Joe, which was going to be a short one due to plans for later in the day. Over to the Via Rancho Park n Ride, where I met up with him. We rode on Beethoven Dr over to BVP and took it to Peet Ln, turning right there on an impulse to see where it leads. It dead-ends (maybe, but Strava indicates that there is a throughway), but there is a left turn onto Ranchito Dr that took us back to BVP. I decided to try to ride by the construction zone where they are building a new subdivision, and it was generally passable. We got to San Pasqual Valley Rd and turned left there, taking it up to Ash St and then turning right onto Valley Pkwy. We rode to Midland Dr and used it to get back to BVP to return to our meetup spot. There was a medium-sized group of riders that passed us around this point, so we rode behind them for a while until the downhill section, where we both passed them. I was pushing pretty hard on this stretch, and Joe wasn't too far back. We rode back to Beethoven Dr and then to the parking lot, where we split and I headed home the normal way. I was running a little bit late, so I kept my effort level fairly high. No power numbers below, since I logged the ride in Strava without my Wahoo.

Avg speed = 13.6 mph. Total mileage = 19.2 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my program) = 14.5 mph

Total elevation gain = 1180'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 20

https://www.strava.com/activities/13124391712

Got home and had a quick shower, then Ann and I drove downtown to see a free holiday show at the Rady Shell. We parked in the Gaslamp and walked over from there, stopped at a bar and had an expensive beer and glass of wine. There were a few lowrider cars and trucks parked in Jacobs Park that we walked by, a lot of Chevy Impala cars like Ann's mom used to have. Then we got in line and went into the Shell seating area, grabbing a spot near the waterfront side so we could watch the holiday boat parade after the concert. It was Mariachi Los Camparos, whom we have seen a couple of times in the past, along with Ballet Folklorico. They are a really tight group, and the music was good. Some of the singers were a little overwrought for my taste, and I couldn't really follow if there was a story that the dancers were trying to tell. Oh, and I was chilled from not having worn enough layers. The breeze coming off the bay didn't help. I never got really cold but couldn't stay comfortable. We had brought sandwiches and chips for dinner, and eating helped. They put on a fine show, and we stayed afterward to watch some of the boat parade. The boats were decked out with Christmas lights, and it was amusing for a while but eventually kinda repetitive to me. So we watched for a bit and then walked back to the car to drive home.

12-14-2024 Ride

Woke up just before my alarm went off, got ready for the Great Western Loop ride and cleaned the kitchen in preparation for Ann, Emily, and Caleb decorating cookies. I drove down to Charlie's house, got there right at 7:30, then others started trickling in. Not as big a turnout as previous times, I was surprised that we ended up with 7 riders: Charlie, Aaron, Zac, Jed, Rob, and Eric. We headed down the hills on Avocado Blvd and Fury Ln, it didn't seem as cold as in March. I was at the back, kept the bike under control the whole time. Then we rode through the shopping center and got onto Willow Glen Dr and the beginning of the GWL. We kept up a pretty good, well-formed pace line for quite a while, all the way to the first break at the gas station by Sycuan Casino. This was after the turn onto Dehesa Rd but before it started to climb. After the fairly short break, we continued. It stayed relatively flat until the Strava segment started just past a bridge. Aaron took off and I tried to stay with him but couldn't keep matching his pace without blowing up, so I backed off. After a while, Zac passed me, and I didn't even try to ride with him, I was already riding about as fast as I could. Ended up setting a PR on this segment up to the turn toward Japatul Rd (15:29, 248 W, 163 bpm), but I was probably 2 minutes slower than Aaron and a minute behind Zac. We all gathered at the turn, had a short break, then continued with a little more climbing before a long descent, 1.2 miles. Shortly after that descent, the Japatul Rd climb began. I was out in front when the climb started, and I fully expected to get passed by Aaron and Zac. I kept my pace steady and gapped the others, who were talking with each other. This climb is only steep by The Wall, and then not for a long distance. But it does seem to go on for quite a while. I ended up setting another PR on this section as well (25:04, 213 W, 158 bpm), and I got to the top just before Aaron, who caught up with me on the easier stretch just after The Wall. We waited for the others to show up. Zac came next and was dealing with a loose pedal on his left crank. Another break at the top, it was windy and I zipped up to get ready for the cool downhill after the sweaty climb. Zac figured out that his crank arm was stripped, so he couldn't get his pedal to fix onto the crank arm very well. We had a lot of downhill to go, so he decided to try and keep riding. Just before we were ready to take off, Jed fell onto his side, banged his knee, and got shaken up. He took about 5 minutes to recover, and he led us out of the break, with Charlie, then me, watching him to see if he was okay. Down the Lyons Valley Rd descent, which was pretty thrilling and interspersed with a couple of nasty little climbs. I was out in front with Jed, who got an adrenaline boost I guess, and Aaron wasn't too far back. We rode to the intersection with Skyline Truck Trail, then Aaron kept going to try and get home sooner. I waited for the others to show up, including Zac, who was in the back with Charlie. On the little stretch from there to the country store, Zac's pedal just gave out, and he was reduced to pedaling with only his right leg. Wow! We got to the next break stop, and he decided to keep going, thinking that we had mostly downhill to go back to Charlie's house. Carefully through the tight downhill turns after the country store for most of us. Zac had ridden ahead, and we caught him on a short steep uphill section of abou 1.3 miles. I rode ahead of the others and told them to keep riding as they passed, then I waited for Zac to show up walking his bike. He and I rode the rest of the GWL together, except for one more little climb up to a stop sign, where both of us got off and walked our bikes up. It was descents from there on, with some flattish sections. I was impressed that Zac was able to keep going. I stayed behind him watching to make sure he was okay. We completed the GWL circuit and headed back toward Charlie's house on Willow Glen Dr. Thankfully, it wasn't as far as I thought, and we were able to make it to the shopping center at Jamacha Rd. Zac stopped there and waited for somebody to come pick him up, while I finished off the ride with the last two climbs, up Fury Ln and then up Avocado Blvd. I was pretty wiped out, so I didn't set any PRs on this last portion of the ride. I caught Rob just at the turn onto Puebla Dr, he had a tough day as well, battling an aching shoulder. Am thankful that everybody made it back okay (Jed gave Zac a ride back to his car). Not as great a day on the bike as when I rode the GWL in March, but certainly a more eventful one.

Avg speed = 14.7 mph. Total mileage = 48.5 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 14.9 mph

Avg power = 146 W. Weighted avg power = 186 W

Total elevation gain = 4340'

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 152

Training Load = 241

Intensity = 81%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13116368506

After we got back to Charlie's house, he made hot dogs and we relaxed in his back yard. I had a couple of beers that were quite refreshing. Rob left early, needed to get home sooner. No vegetarian options, so it was chips, nuts, crackers, and cheese for me and Eric. Emily and Caleb were over at the house when I got home after 2:00. They had decorated the tree and helped Ann decorate gingerbread cookies. I had a shower and then chatted with them awhile. There was a little time to relax before driving down to Mom's Pizza for Blair's farewell (for now) dinner. Ann went with me, I was really happy she came along. Got the chance to talk with Blair a little bit, also Josep, Kyle, and his girlfriend, along with Shannon, Rob's new EA. Later, I talked some with Amanda and Justin, it was a nice, low-energy sendoff for Blair. 

12-13-2024 Entry

It was a leisurely morning for a change. No exercise in the morning, knowing that the next day's ride was going to be a strenuous one. I wrapped the gifts going to the kids in need and that was about it for anything useful. Later in the morning, Ann and I drove over to the new Amazon Fresh, where I dropped off a couple of return items (including the faulty rear view mirror and the Roku I originally intended as a white elephant gift) and we did some shopping. The store is unremarkable, but the coupon system is broken and it was a minor mess to get our discounts when checking out. We stopped at Staples while out and Ann dropped off her Amazon return package, then it was home. I showered and rode over to Charm Thai Kitchen to have lunch with Blair before he moves to Boise. He was positively bubbly about all of the good things that this move will enable. Not too much action on his house, and he had a minor issue with moving his pool table, but things generally appear to be going well. I'll certainly miss him after he moves, he's a good dude. Rode home, Ann was gone to play Mah-Jongg, so I had a quiet afternoon. I rode over to Karl Strauss a little after 3:00 and had a beer with the Brewskis. Talked a little bit with Avi, who is working through issues with his Mom and a recent hospitalization. I also talked with a nice guy, Mike, who is a retired machinist. It was a nice hour, then I stopped at the store, got some salsa, and rode home. When I got there, I realized that I still needed more steps, so I went out for an evening walk. When I got home, the rest of the evening was quiet.

12-12-2024 Swim/Ride

Woke up early and went down to have a roll and a banana for breakfast. Then I went back to bed and slept a little more (<>). When I got up, I didn't have a lot of motivation for swimming, so I did a little bit of photo cleanup and waited for about an hour before heading over to the WWC at around 9:00. I swam 1500 yds at a higher tempo, also was more consistent in the 3 500s: 9:26, 9:33, 9:35. Still feeling that my stroke is ragged and inconsistent, more continued focus on keeping it clean. In late morning, we drove over to Home Depot and picked up a Christmas tree, not too much fuss. I ate a light lunch when we got home, then I put the tree in the stand. Ann went to play Mah-Jongg after that, so I went for a bike ride. It was definitely cool on the ride, not cold but never warm. I headed down by the park and then over to Highland Valley Rd. Around this point, I decided to ride up to Ramona and back. Started slow and steady up the first climb but kept up a decent pace throughout the eastbound section and ended up setting a PR (56:25, 171 W, 135 bpm). My power output was lower on this stretch than in the past, I'm guessing that I took the climbs slower and rode the flats and downhills faster. I rode to the 67, benefiting I think from a little bit of a tailwind. When I turned around, it was a little tough on the flats but the headwind wasn't noticeable on the climbing sections. I ended up setting a PR on the return from Archie Moore Rd to Pomerado Rd (28:39, 164 W, 133 bpm). The downhills were thrilling as well, I really needed to stay focused on the turns. The ride on the flats after the descents was also pretty fast for me, although I could feel it in my legs. Powered up the last two little climbs and was glad to get home.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 30.7 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 16.4 mph

Avg power = 167 W. Weighted avg power = 194 W

Total elevation gain = 2530'

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 70

Training Load = 155

Intensity = 90%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13103429141

Was ready for a relaxing rest of the day. I changed out my tires on the Canyon in preparation for the GWL ride on Saturday. Not much else on this day, watched a little TV is all.

12-11-2024 Ride

Woke up, and it was cold and cloudy outside but forecast to warm up. I got ready for a bike ride, not too bundled up. Through the neighborhood, it was about 10 degrees warmer in 4S Ranch than it was at home when I left. I rode the straight shot to Camino del Sur, turning right there and heading toward the coast. Another moderate pace ride, not going all out but trying to stay consistent. I rode over to Carmel Valley Rd and turned right there, taking it to Del Mar Heights Rd, where I took another right. Up the gradual climb, then down to Carmel Canyon Rd, where I turned left and took it over to Carmel Country Rd, another left there to get to the 56 bike path. It was a little colder riding by the creek, down to the end of the bike path and then over to Carmel Valley Rd. I took it to PCH, turning left and intending to have a go at a PR on the inside route of Torrey Pines. But once I got started, I felt the effects of the longer run on the previous day and knew it wasn't going to be a fast climb. So I took it steady to the top and then rode down the outside route and back to Carmel Valley Rd. Returned to the 56 bike path and this time took it back to Camino del Sur, steady on the pace but not slowing down too much. From there, I rode to Paseo del Sur and turned right, taking this route through the Del Sur neighborhood to get back to Camino del Sur. Home the new normal way from there, my legs were feeling tired at the end.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 43.0 mi

Avg speed (calculated by my analysis program)  = 17.3 mph

Avg power = 153 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Total elevation gain = 2640'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo_

Relative Effort = 77

Training Load = 191

Intensity = 84%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13094898888

I got home with a little over an hour before I needed to head to the hospital. Had some lunch, took a break and a shower, then rode over. This shift was busier than usual, the pneumatic tubes for sending samples to the lab wasn't working, so I walked a lot of them over to the lab and logged them in. Also helped an old guy up to see his wife in the hospital and then back to his car in the parking garage. The ED is still messed up from the work on the supply room to repair the damage from the water leak. Rode home in the dusk and had a quiet evening.