Went for a shorter walk, about 45 minutes, in the morning, then got ready to go riding with John. I was worried about my brake pads, so I took my old bike off the trainer and set it up for riding. As soon as we got started, I noticed a couple of issues: couldn't shift into my lower chainring, front brake was loose, and I hadn't adjusted my saddle from when Audrey's friend Chris had borrowed it. We rode through the neighborhood to Matinal Circle and around to Matinal Rd, and I stopped to adjust the brake first. Then it was over to W Bernardo Dr, taking it up to RB Rd and then on to Pomerado Rd. No need for lower gears, so I didn't try that adjustment, which was going to be more tricky. John was putting in a bigger effort than usual, and my legs were feeling it from the previous day's ride. We rode all the way up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, turning left there. At the base of this climb, I stopped and manually dropped my chain onto the lower chainring. Then I caught up with John and passed him, eventually waiting at the top of the climb, where I had enough time to move my saddle height up a little bit. That felt better. We rode down to the turnoff for Sycamore Canyon Rd, and I was still in my lower chainring, so I rode up this generally gentle grade to the top and waited, not too long, for John to join me. Then we rode back down all the way to Garden Rd. That descent is fast. You don't need to brake, but I did before some of the gentle curves. Over Garden Rd to Poway Rd, turning left there and riding down to Community Rd. Right there and over to Twin Peaks Rd, where we took another right and rode up to Espola Rd. After the left turn there, I shifted manually to my lower chainring again and climbed to the top of this little grade. I found that I could get out of the saddle and pedal for quite a while longer than I have been able to in the past. John and I met up again at the top, then we rode down, fast, to RB Rd, turning right on Bernardo Center Dr and home the normal way from there. The ride was a little bit shorter than originally planned, but the weather was just about ideal at the end for riding.
Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 28.1 mi
Avg power = 134 W. Weighted avg power = 151 W
Total elevation gain = 1670'
Avg heartrate = 112 bpm
Also, I started reading Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas, by Jesse Cole and Don Yaeger. Cole, along with his wife, created this low minor league team and has infused it with a lot of off-the-wall promotions, gimmicks, and different game rules. The book is kinda over-the-top in optimism and telling the story of Cole. The baseball promotions are mildly interesting. Went in to volunteer at the hospital in the afternoon. Talked a little more with Frank (Med Tech). There is also Shane (Nurse) and Patty (Custodian). It was slow at the beginning but the second half of the shift had me busier, and time passed pretty quickly. I received my pension payout check from Unocal (through Chevron) and will deposit it into our Raymond James accounts.