Went for an hourlong walk in the early morning and then headed over to the WWC for a 2500 yd swim at a slower pace, about 57 min. Normal protocol for the first 2000 yds, then no pads or snorkel for the last 500 yds. I am paying close attention to how my shoulders are feeling while I'm swimming. Left shoulder was a little noticeable in the early stages, but it got better during the swim. Still, I didn't want to push it, so I didn't go for 3000 yds. Then I went home, hung out for a while, and went with Ann to REI to try and pick up a waterproof cycling jacket. The website seemed to indicate they had some reasonably priced ones in stock, but no. I was really frustrated. Don't think I'll be doing business with them anytime soon. We drove back to Stater Bros and got groceries for the Solvang trip, then got bagels at Ralphs and beer at Trader Joe's. I got home and unpacked the camping gear to sort the stuff we will need for the weekend. I also made the spaghetti sauce for Friday night's dinner. The sorting took longer than I expected, but I got it done, hoping the amount of stuff I'm bringing isn't too overwhelming. I packed up my cycling gear and clothing for the trip later in the afternoon, then in the evening I baked some cookies and organized the food a little more clearly. Hoping I don't forget anything critical.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
02-28-2024 Ride
It was pretty foggy when I left home to meet John at the Ted Williams Park n Ride. My ankle wasn't sore when I got up, just a little tender from rolling it the previous day. I loaded the proposed route from RidewithGPS, which is now synced to my Wahoo Elemnt app. Had to go into my Wahoo profile and enter the username and password (needed to change password as well) for RidewithGPS to make it work. Initially followed the time trial route to RB Rd but kept on Bernardo Center Dr up to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, taking it up to Paseo Lucido. Felt pretty steady on this little climb, pushing it a little bit but not a lot. I was running somewhat late to meet him, so I didn't slack off on pace. Paseo Lucido over to Carmel Mountain Rd, then a right on Rancho Carmel Dr to head down to the Park n Ride. I congratulated him in person on his engagement to Vivian. He looks pretty happy. We headed over the 56 bike path to Carmel Mountain Rd, turning right there and taking it over to Black Mountain Rd. I had thought we would need to climb that gradual grade next to the highway but we avoided it. We took Black Mountain Rd over to Carmel Valley Rd, then rode down to Camino del Sur. Typical route back toward RB, except we took Paseo del Sur. Then it was downhill the hill on RB Rd and over to Pomerado Rd. I slowed my climbing down here and tried to match John's pace on the ride up to the hospital and beyond. We turned right on Ted Williams Pkwy and took it up and then down back to our meet-up point. For my return home, I followed the end of the time trial route. Felt good on the ride, although I could tell that my legs are still in recovery mode from the weekend. No more significant riding before the big day on Saturday, I think.
Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 33.6 mi
Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W
Total elevation gain = 2370'
Avg heartrate = 119 bpm
In the afternoon, I did a volunteer shift at the hospital. Met Twisha (sp?), another med intern who's been around for about a year. There was a new nurse, Christopher (Chris), who is pretty high energy and a little strange. I also got the name of LeAnne, another nurse who was there before but whom I haven't formally met. She's a little standoffish. I was pretty busy the whole time I was there, a fair amount of talking to patients and their family members as well as preparing rooms are patient discharges.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
02-27-2024 Swim
Had a short, 30-minute walk before heading over to the WWC. As I was crossing the street on Aguamiel to get a closer look at the house with the fence around it for renovations, I rolled my ankle and went down. Thought for a short while that I'd really damaged it this time, and I felt foolish. I got up and hobbled along further down Aguamiel Rd, and the ankle loosened up, although I could feel it twinging. It was okay for the rest of the walk, and by the time I got home it felt good enough to head to the WWC. I did the 2000 yd swim (standard protocol) and completed it in under 40 minutes. Felt decent at times during the swim, and the last section was good. No discomfort in my shoulders while swimming, but I continue to pay attention to how they are feeling, both left and right. Recently, I have noticed the left side a little more than the right, but it was okay on this swim. When I got home, I had a quick breakfast and started getting ready to go on a bike ride. But Ben called about the situation with Mom, and we ended up talking for quite a while. So, no bike ride. I ordered a couple more bike things from AliExpress, then I met Jerry Chen for lunch at Pho Ca Dao. He's just back from visiting his dad in Shanghai, and he plans to go back at the end of March. I also talked to Mark in the afternoon about the current situation with Mom. From both of these conversations, it appears that Mom and Ross had an argument last night about Mom going into Ross's room and Mom not being happy with the current situation. Ross said he was going to move out and put some of his things by the front door. Mark saw her today, and she said that Ross had called to ask if she needed anything from the store. So it's unclear whether he is going to follow up on his statement and, if so, when. We'll learn more. Mom told Mark she didn't want to go and stay with Ben and Adri, and she didn't bring up the idea of selling the house and moving to a retirement facility. We're in a wait-and-see period for now. In the evening, we did Tuesday Night Snack Night and made chocolate chip cookies. I watched some TV in the evening, and my ankle was uncomfortable. Even when I got into bed, it took a while to find a comfortable position for it. Took a couple of Ibuprofen to help with the minor swelling.
An update on my TMJ. It appears to be resolving itself. I don't feel the discomfort any more, and it's only occasionally that I notice it. There is still some noise from the left side when I open my mouth, but I don't hear any clicking. Hoping it stays that way.
Monday, February 26, 2024
02-26-2024 Swim
A recovery day for me after a hard riding weekend. I went for an hourlong walk in the early morning, then headed over to the WWC for a swim when they opened. It was pretty crowded. Not at my full energy, but I did okay, swimming 2500 yds in a little under 51 minutes. Standard protocol, with last 20 lengths without snorkel or pads. Ann went off with Kay, so I had the opportunity to run some errands. I dropped off the propane hose at The UPS Store in RB, then went to Walmart to buy some CR2032 batteries. When I got home, I degreased my chain and put the new tires on the front and back wheels. I had lunch, then later in the afternoon placed an order with AliExpress for some bike stuff. Evening was quiet. I went through my cycling notes and made a list of all the organized rides I could remember, along with any training rides longer than 70 miles. List goes back to 2003, and I think it's fairly complete, although it might be missing longer rides from the earlier days (I don't think I did too many longer training rides prior to riding centuries back in the day, it was nice to be young and resilient).
Sunday, February 25, 2024
02-25-2024 Ride
Well, this was a long day in the saddle. I got my stuff ready and headed over to Joe's house to meet him around 8:45. I left early enough to give me plenty of time to get there, and I ended up using that time to put some more miles in. Over Lake Hodges via the pedestrian bridge, then on BVP up to Sunset Dr, turning left and taking it up to Juniper St. I stayed on this road all the way into town, turning right on 2nd Ave and taking it up to Ash St, where I turned left and rode through some neighborhoods to Lincoln Ave. Right there, riding up to El Norte Pkwy, where I turned left and rode down to Broadway. I could feel the effects of the previous day's ride, but my legs still felt pretty solid. On Broadway, I headed north and turned left onto Village Rd to climb up to Joe's place on Roundtree Glen. He was home, getting changed and ready for the ride. The weather was ideal for riding. I switched out my full-finger gloves and took my headband off here. Then we headed up and over to Country Club Ln to get to Centre City Pkwy. We rode up to Deer Springs Rd (Joe's idea), and I was watching my pace, keeping it steady but not pushing too hard. Then we rode down the hill and over to Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy. Joe wanted our pace to be "leisurely", so I didn't drive as hard on the slight downhill stretch as I otherwise might have. We turned right on Richmar Ave and used it to get over to Mission Rd via Marcos St. I could feel the headwind, but it wasn't a problem. We rode up to Las Posas Rd, turning left and heading over to San Marcos Blvd, turning right. Down the hill and up the little climb after that, then we turned right (Joe's suggestion) on Business Park Dr, then left on Lionshead Ave. Over to Melrose Dr, where we turned right and rode to Faraday Dr. This road roughly parallels Palomar Airport Rd but with lots less traffic. It does have a short stretch that's a pretty steep (9%) climb, but after powering over that, most of the rest of the road was flat or downhill all the way to Cannon Rd. We turned left there and had to climb for about half a mile to recover some of the elevation before descending to PCH. Then we headed south, keeping a steady pace but not one that was really stressing either of us. We rode together for the most part on this section. I was paying attention to how my legs were feeling, and I noticed a little bit of discomfort in my left quad. It never really amounted to anything and after a while I didn't notice it any more. When we got to South Carlsbad State Beach, Joe showed me a gate where we could get through to use the restroom. He also took the opportunity to adjust the insoles in his shoes so they were more comfortable. We talked about routes during this break and decided to ride toward Torrey Pines and allow the distance to go beyond his original target of 60 miles. So that's what we did. I got separation from him on the climbing sections and waited for him to catch up. This was the pattern through the coastal cities and into Del Mar. Then we dropped down to the coast and started climbing the outside route of Torrey Pines Rd. I was feeling better than I expected and had a pretty good climb (given that I was 40 miles into my ride), posting my second-fastest time of 8:10 (my current PR is 7:52). It took Joe a lot longer to get to the top, to the point where I was checking to see if he had had a mechanical or a flat. He got there eventually, then he really screamed down the hill, getting pretty far ahead of me. I caught up with him on the climb back to Carmel Valley Rd, where he was starting to show the effects of tired legs, just spinning at high cadence in low gear. We turned here and stopped at Bird Rock Roasters for coffees, a bagel (Joe), and a break. Throughout the ride, perhaps starting a little late, I was eating something fairly regularly. By this time, I had eaten a banana (in two separate stops) and a Clif Bar (at the top of the Torrey Pines climb). We continued on our ride after the break, heading up to the 56 bike path and taking it up to Carmel Valley Rd, turning left there. This route is easier, and both of us were looking for easier by this time. We stopped at the 7-Eleven not too far from Camino del Sur for Joe to use the restroom. I think this is where I had my Gu packet. Then we climbed up to Camino del Sur and turned left. My legs were still holding out pretty well on these little climbs. I wasn't pushing too hard, but I could count on them pushing me forward. Joe was slow but steady, falling behind now on all the stretches except the downhills. We followed the traditional route back to W Bernardo Dr. Before the RB Rd downhill, I stopped to wait for Joe and had my last food, an Aldi granola bar. Lots of downhill pretty much all the way to the freeway, and we again used the pedestrian bridge to get across Lake Hodges. We rode behind the mall and used the little trail through Kit Carson Park to get eventually to Escondido Blvd. Unfortunately, Joe lost his balance on the sharp turn off Beethoven Dr and fell onto his bad shoulder. He was hurting through the rest of the ride, but it didn't look like there was any structural damage. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Over to Citracado Pkwy to get onto Centre City Pkwy, then through Escondido, where Joe was really slow. I tried to dial my pace back some but couldn't slow down enough comfortably to match his speed. We made it back to Country Club Ln, then Joe decided to get up to 70 miles for his ride, so he rode up the little climb and so did I. My legs held out fine, but I slower on this climb than the first time. Then we turned around and rode back down to Country Club Ln and back to Joe's house the normal way. He talked me into staying for a beer and conversation, and that was pretty nice. Then I got back on the bike, rode down Village Rd to Iris Ln and over to Centre City Pkwy. Thankfully, the ride back through Escondido was either flat or slightly downhill. With that said, my legs still felt okay, although my stomach was telling me I needed more food. Home the normal way over the freeway from there, and the last two little climbs were slow but not painful. Was glad to get off the bike. My butt was sore from 150 miles of riding over the weekend. But my shoulder held out pretty well. It would complain a little bit every once in a while, but it was never more than a mild annoyance, and it didn't get worse late in the ride, as I had feared. My Fitbit lasted 84 of the 94 miles before the battery died, so the heartrate data aren't fully complete.
Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 94.2 mi
Avg power = 137 W. Weighted avg power = 159 W
Total elevation gain = 4320'
Avg heartrate = 128 bpm
Saturday, February 24, 2024
02-24-2024 Ride
Got up to get ready for the Bisikleta ride, deciding to put some extra miles in before joining the others. I rode through the neighborhood over to Matinal Rd, and then over to W Bernardo Dr. Up past HP, turning right on Bernardo Center Dr and taking it over to Camino del Norte, where I turned right again. Over to Camino San Bernardo, turning right there and riding to RB Rd. I turned right again, intending to head over to Alva Rd before I realized that it was west of me, so I made a U-turn and rode back to Alva Rd. Another right, following it the long way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, including riding up to the top of Camino San Tomas. I also rode up to the top of Four Gee Rd before turning around and taking Paseo del Sur into the Del Sur neighborhood. I turned at Kristen Glen, trying to get over to Casey Glen, but I couldn't locate that street and ended up meandering around that part of the neighborhood before making my way back to Paseo del Sur. Then I took Templeton St over to the 4S Target to meet up with the others. On this day at the start, there were: Perse, Eric, Charlie, Gio, Gideon, Kamal, Maher, Jamil, Imad (Jamil's friend, very fit, riding a mountain bike and intending to ride the BWR), Arnold, Fritz, Aaron, Nel, and Joey (no Zac, who is recovering from an infection). We headed down to San Dieguito Rd, I was intending to ride in the middle of the pack for most of the time on this ride. Down the hill to El Apajo and then over to Via de la Valle. I pushed myself a little bit on this climb but only near the top. Then it was Stud Loop over to Paseo Delicias, where I started back and caught up with everybody except Imad before the end. Over to El Camino del Norte, where I stayed among the leaders, although a group got out ahead of me, chasing another couple of riders. I eventually attached to the group and went full gas to stay with Imad up to the stop sign. Around this time, Aaron turned around to cut his ride short (he will be riding the TT tomorrow). We continued on Rancho Santa Fe Rd to get over to Olivenhain Rd, taking it down to El Camino Real. Right turn there, then a left on La Costa Ave to get over to PCH. I thought we were going to turn left, but we ended up turning right (all except Jamil and Imad, who started heading back). Charlie and I got out front and rode up, with several other riders, to Breakwater Rd before turning around and heading back to the 7-Eleven. Some of the other riders had already turned around, and eventually I caught up with them. A relatively (although not really) short break there before we continued riding, and the pace was a little more measured, as a number of riders were conserving their energy for the TT. Back the normal way to Via de la Valle, then up to El Camino Real and over to San Dieguito Rd, where we rode for a time in a decent pace line. We gathered everybody up at the gas station before 3 Witches, and it was a mercifully short break before we continued on. On the climb, I kept a steady pace and eventually got to the top first, followed closely by Eric and Fritz (maybe also Arnold). Another gathering time to wait for Maher and Perse, the former was hurting from not riding as much lately. The group spread out on the last stretch, some riders (Arnold, Gideon, and Charlie) were ahead of me. I kept a decent pace on the last climbs, legs felt good and my left shoulder was okay, just a little tweak now and then. Finished fairly strong, almost catching Charlie before he turned into the parking lot. The ride home was at a more measured pace, I took Camino del Norte up to Camino San Bernardo and then over to RB Rd, riding down to W Bernardo Dr and home the normal way from there. By this time, there was a tailwind helping me from the west. Felt fine at the end, I could have easily ridden more.
Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 63.0 mi
Bisikleta route avg speed = 17.8 mph
Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 173 W
Total elevation gain = 3150'
Avg heartrate = 127 bpm
When I got home, I took a short break and had something to eat, then I rode over to Von's to get a couple of bananas and some tortillas and beans. Got home and made a loaf of banana bread (since Ann was out with Caleb and Emily visiting the Getty) and, while it was baking, some rice and refried black beans. Then I ate a couple of burritos, they were okay but need some more spice to liven them up.
Friday, February 23, 2024
02-23-2024 Entry
We got up around 6:00 and got started on packing up the gear and eating a light breakfast. The packing went okay, although I should have remembered to check the oil before putting all the stuff in the car. As it was, I unloaded some of the things to get to the oil in the spare tire well, and I added a quart to the engine. The drive out of the park and out of the valley was uneventful, I took it slowly on the long climbs to get to the pass. Then it was generally downhill, including some long, very steep descents that overheated the brakes and caused me to pump them and be very cautious. We didn't have data on our phones, so I was navigating by following Google Maps. Ann was helpful here, she pointed out a turn I might not have made. We got really low on gas, <30 miles left in the tank, before we reached Trona and were able to refuel. I thought it would be okay as long as there were gas stations in Trona, but we cut it pretty close. We ended up taking a different route back that took us through parts of Ridgecrest, might have added some time to the drive. Then it was the featureless drive on the 395 back to Adelanto, where Google Maps had us take a detour and presumably save some time. A little slow traffic at the merge with the 60 and beyond, not terrible but unwelcome. On the 215 and the 15, the traffic going the other way was generally awful, glad we weren't having to deal with that. We got home in 6 hours driving time, with a couple of gas stops. Unpacked the car fairly quickly and efficiently and put the camping gear up. Then it was a quiet rest of the day and evening. I went for a short walk in the evening to finish getting my steps in.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
02-22-2024 Entry
Was a better day today that the previous one. We had steel cut oats and leftover apple crisp for breakfast, weren't so rushed on this day to get going. After breakfast, we drove to Dante's View, which I don't believe we've ever visited. It took about 40 minutes to get there, and the road up from the 190 was a steadily increasing climb, with the last 1/4 mile at 15% grade. It was cool at the top, above 5000' elevation. The skies were clear with clouds over the Panamint and Sierra Mountains. We hiked the short hike to Dante's Peak, took a bunch of pics. It wasn't clear if we could see Mt Whitney in the distance, but all of Death Valley to the west was visible. After this, we drove down to Zabriskie Point, which Ann remembers us visiting with the Unocal crew around sunrise many years ago. Then we hightail Ed it to the Harmony Borax Works for a ranger tour. It was Ben, the same ranger from the Golden Canyon tour. He told about Aaron and Rosie Winters, who were the first to spot borate minerals in Death Valley. The 20-mule teams were actually 18 mules and 2 horses right in front of the wagons. This works was only operational for 5-6 years in the 1880s before cheaper sources of borax were developed. After the tour, we headed back to the campsite and ate Indian curry for lunch. Then in the afternoon, we headed over to the Ranch at Death Valley to go swimming and take showers. The wait in the lobby was comically long, with one guy checking in for 5 rooms, some under other names. The swim was nice, pool temperature was ideal, and it wasn't too crowded, although there were a couple of boisterous kids and their dad. Then we showered, got ice at the general store, and came back to the campsite, where we made lasagna in the Dutch oven. It was pretty great. In the evening, we walked over to the Visitor Center for another ranger program, this one indoors. It was Ranger Annie talking about endangered species in Death Valley, focusing on the Pupfish (living in an extreme, fragile environment), Desert Bighorn (threatened by the incursion of burros, which are a non-native species), and Desert Tortoise (threatened by lots of ravens and by people in the park). The talk was somewhat interesting, a little pedantic, but it was a nice diversion for the evening. Then we headed back to camp, pumped up the air mattress, and went to sleep.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
02-21-2024 Entry
Not the greatest of days. My ankle was a little sore from rolling it the previous evening, and I was worried about the source of the water I saw the previous afternoon after we pulled into the campground. And I was just feeling down and generally irritated with Ann. Oh, and our new air mattress didn't hold air so well the previous night. So I got up early and went for a short walk around the campground to clear my head. It didn't work as well as I had hoped. I made pancakes for breakfast, then we headed over to Golden Canyon for a short ranger program and hike. Ranger Ben was our guide, and he mentioned several interesting things including the fact that this canyon was paved until a flood washed the road out in the mid-70s. Some traces of asphalt can still be seen. I took a couple of pictures of an area in the canyon where Star Wars scene featuring R2D2 and C3PO was filmed. The area was supposed to represent Tattooine from Episode 4. He talked about some of the geology as well, of minor interest. Afterward, we headed down to Badwater, the lowest point in North America at -282'. There was water here, lots more than the last two times we came to Death Valley. Some people were wading in it, but that didn't sound fun. The sign on the cliffside showing where seallevel was was interesting. We drove a little further down the road and walked out to get a better shot of the lake, with mountains and clouds reflected in it. There were a couple of kayakers out in Lake Manly, its historical name. The we headed on the road back toward Furnace Creek, stopping at Devil's Golf Course, where we hiked almost a mile into the salt flats for a couple of pics of questionable value. It wasn't steep, just long and kinda boring. On the way back I got ahead of Ann and, for a time, had some worry that our car had been stolen. It would have been highly improbable, but I couldn't see it from the trail. It was there, of course. Ann was driving, so she continued on to the turnoff for Natural Bridge, which had a really rough 1.5 mile road to get to the parking lot. She drove it too slowly, so we felt every one of the washboard sections. That was a tough ride. The hike was fairly short to get to the bridge, and it was mundane compared to the arches we saw at Arches NP. We hiked back out, then I drove back to the highway, much quicker and smoother this time. Our final section was the Artist's Canyon drive, which was nice but not spectacular, very similar to when we saw it last time. We were both tired. I hiked a little at the first stop to a vista point, while Ann stayed back a ways. Then she drove further, stopping briefly at an overlook for Artist's Palette and both getting out to see it. Then it was back to the highway through some winding gulches, and returning to our campsite. Dinner was quiet, we were both tired and I was feeling down. Food was good, Indian curry and apple crisp in the Dutch oven. The latter was excellent, a trip highlight for food. Then I got ready for sleep and turned in early after refilling the mattress with the battery-powered pump. Thankfully, it worked because the mattress would not be easy to blow up with my mouth.
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
02-20-2024 Entry
Travel day to Death Valley. The weather was overcast, foggy, and alternately misting and raining pretty much all the way up to the Cajon Pass. It was exhausting to drive and keep focus on this stretch. We ran into some traffic at the interchange between the 215 and the 60, and Google Maps rerouted us through Riverside to get to the 91. It was longer and had more traffic lights, but there weren't any significant stoppages this way, and on the 91 it was free-going back to the 215. We stopped for gas in Adelanto, then I kept driving until it was a little less than 4 hours, before turning it over to Ann to finish it off. The drive was through generally featureless terrain, except for going up the pass to lead into Death Valley. It was a long, gradual descent into Death Valley, entering the park near Stovepipe Wells. The valley drive was desolate, although the surrounding mountains were (and are) beautiful. We had a 10-minute traffic stop due to road cleaning and repairs, then we got to Furnace Creek Campground a little before 2:30. Set up camp fairly efficiently, but I wasn't in the mood to drive further (I don't think Ann was either). We did walk over to the Visitor Center and look around, including the nature and history displays. Somewhat interesting, especially the historical sections. For dinner, we made Impossible burgers, and I made the mistake of eating two full burgers, which gave me a stomach ache. So it was hard to move around in the evening while getting ready to go to sleep. We made a fire, and it actually caught and was nice for a while, but I still turned in early. I was feeling down, couldn't shake the malaise. On a trip in the evening to put things in the car, I turned my left ankle and, for a time, thought I had really screwed it up. It was funny because I had just been thinking about what would happen if I turned my ankle. It turned out not to be a big deal, it hurt to walk on that night and was sore while I was trying to get in a comfortable sleeping position. But it could have been much worse.
Monday, February 19, 2024
02-19-2024 Swim/Virtual Ride
Went for a walk in the morning, a little over an hour, before heading over to the WWC for a swim, 2000 yds in 40:12 following the usual protocol. I thought I would be faster, but I was happy that my shoulders didn't bother me during the swim. Later in the morning, we got out all the camping gear and checked it off the list, then in the afternoon I packed the car with the non-perishable items. After dinner, I set up MyWhoosh on my phone (it took a while, as it had to download a bunch of route map data) and selected a 24 km route, mostly flat with a couple of little hill sections, supposedly in Belgium. I saved the data into a .FIT file in MyWhoosh and, afterward, set up MyWhoosh to upload automatically to Strava, let's see if it works. I also downloaded a nice little free app, GPXSee, that allows me to view the data in .FIT files.
Avg speed = 19.1 mph. Total mileage = 15.0 mi
Avg power = 184 W
Total elevation gain = 460'
In the evening, I talked to Joe about arrangements for camping during Solvang Century weekend. I'm concerned that we won't be able to get all the bikes loaded onto his truck, so Joe is going to check with him. Another rider, Jason Stood, who Joe and Mike camped with last summer, is also joining us from Chicago.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
02-18-2024 Ride
Went out for a ride in the morning, not intending to push the pace hard. So I rode basically the reverse extended time trial loop, with a little jaunt on Oak Knoll Rd to get onto Pomerado Rd. This direction appears to have shorter, steeper climbs than the reverse, although it's not consistent. Weather was cool but not cold, overcast, so almost ideal for riding. At the light at Pomerado and RB Rd, another rider caught up with me, and we exchanged pleasantries. We ended up riding together the rest of the way down Pomerado Rd and up the little climb to the park. His name was Brian, and he was a serious rider, regularly riding significant distances. I picked up my pace a little bit to keep with him, and we had a nice conversation. So it didn't turn out to be as slow and easy as I thought, but it was still a good ride, not super strenuous.
Avg speed = 16.4 mph. Total mileage = 20.6 mi
Avg power = 156 W. Weighted avg power = 178 W
Total elevation gain = 1230'
Avg heartrate = 126 bpm
In the late morning, I went for a shorter walk to get some steps in, listening to a podcast about a guy in a marriage who had to find his happiness in ways other than just doing things with his wife. Then Ann and I went to a Jason Mraz benefit concert at the Escondido Center for the Performing Arts in the afternoon with the guys, and had dinner at a Nepalese restaurant in San Marcos.
Saturday, February 17, 2024
02-17-2024 Ride
Got geared up and rode over to Gideon's house, following the usual route, to meet him and then ride via straight shot to the 4S Target. There was a heavy marine layer, and the roads were wet, but it wasn't raining. Some riders needed convincing to ride, but we eventually all went. On this day, there were: Perse, Ray, Jed, Eric, Charlie, Nel, Fritz, Kamal, Cam, and Gideon. Ray proposed a more steady pace for this ride to try and keep more riders together, so I tried to follow this guideline and not push the pace so much. On Camino del Sur, less than a mile after we all started, the road was dry, and it generally stayed that way for most of the ride, with occasional wet patches. Over to San Dieguito Rd, turning right and heading down to El Apajo, where we turned right, gathered back up, and rode over to Via de Santa Fe and up to Via de la Valle. We took a measured pace up this little climb, with me, Jed, and Cam in the lead, Eric not too far behind. Then it was a steady pace on Del Dios, including a pace on the climbing section where a number of riders were able to stick together. To the top, with a bio break there before continuing on. Gideon turned off at Via Rancho Pkwy, but we kept going up to Citracado Pkwy, where we turned left and headed over to Harmony Grove Rd. I was in the lead here and tried to set a steady pace for all of us. Eventually, Jed sped by and was really pushing, so I jumped on his wheel and kept up with him. Some others followed. We rode downhill, fast, to the turn onto Elfin Forest Rd, where the climbing started. Again, I got out in front and tried to set an aggressive but not killing pace. A group of us stayed together, and at the top of this climb we saw Romeo coming the other way to meet us. He turned around and promptly pushed really hard on our pace. I kept up with him, but this broke up the group and spread us out on the road. I stayed with Romeo all the way into San Elijo Hills. We gathered back up, then rode down San Elijo Rd to Rancho Santa Fe Rd. There's a little climb after turning onto this road, then it's a nice downhill. Again, Romeo went full gas on the descent, and I stayed with him, along with a group of other riders. We got down to the turn to stay on Rancho Santa Fe Rd and turned left, riding up and over to El Camino del Norte. Turned left here and took this gradual climb as a group, pacing ourselves in the front and staying together. Up to Lago Linda, turning right there and using it to get over to El Montevideo. Then it was back to Paseo Delicias and down to Via de la Valle. Romeo split off here while the rest of us turned left and rode it down to Calzada del Bosque, turning left there to get back to El Apajo. We retraced our route back to the start from there. Short break before turning onto San Dieguito Rd, then again I tried to set the pace for the climb back to Camino del Sur. We split the group until it was just me, Jed, Fritz, Eric, and Cam, and I broke away from several others near the top who went into sprint mode. We stayed together on the stretch back to Target, but eventually Cam fell back, while the other four of us pretty much stayed together. I hung around until the other riders made it back, then I rode home at a slower pace, feeling the effects of the effort to stay near the lead on this ride.
Avg speed = 16.7 mph. Total mileage = 52.7 mi
Bisikleta section avg speed = 17.2 mph
Avg power = 158 W. Weighted avg power = 187 W
Total elevation gain = 3550'
Avg heartrate = 131 bpm
In the evening, Caleb and Emily came over for dinner to celebrate her birthday and their engagement. I grilled the chicken and vegetables, they turned out okay. The yellow cake with butter cream frosting was delicious, although the frosting was a little runny and stuck to the aluminum foil. Both of them were happy, and they are still trying to figure out the logistics and timing of the wedding.
Friday, February 16, 2024
02-16-2024 Swim/Ride
Went for a swim at the WWC when it opened, 3000 yds (I think, may have been 2950) in 59:50. This was pretty close to my near-term goal of being able to swim this distance in under an hour. So it's either done or doable. I swam the last 1000 yds without pads or snorkel, the first 2000 with standard protocol. My left shoulder was bothering me when I was swimming with swim pads, so I didn't want to overstress it. I talked to Kevin, one of the other regular swimmers, when I finished, and he complimented me on my ability to swim steadily for an hour. He said we should go ocean swimming in the summer, sounds like it could be an interesting experience. I'll need a lot more practice and some individual sessions in the ocean before I go out there with him and others. Had a little nap when I got home, and then Ann and I drove down to Mission Bay with our cruisers, had a quick picnic lunch, and rode along the coast down to PB (and a little beyond) and back, then a short stretch on the bay side.
Total mileage = 6.8 mi
Total elevation gain = 40'
After we got home and I unloaded the bikes, I saw that the replacement propane hose had arrived, so I went into the garage and set it up. It didn't work, which caused me to check the propane tank fitting, which was somewhat loose. Once I tightened that fitting up, it worked, as did the original hose. So that was probably the issue all along. In any case, we are back in business, it looks like. Later in the afternoon, I went for an hourlong walk to get my steps in.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
02-15-2024 Swim/Ride
Went for a swim in the morning at the WWC as it opened. Swam 2500 yds, the first 2000 yds following the normal protocol, finishing in 39:50 (I think). Last 500 were done without pads or snorkel, and my final time was 50:10. I left home a little before 11:00 for a shorter bike ride, heading over the pedestrian bridge to get to BVP, then the back way behind the mall to get over to Escondido Blvd and then to Centre City Pkwy. Through town and up past Country Club Ln, doing the little climb past there at a modest pace. In fact, my intent, largely successful, was to keep this ride at slower speed. When I did push the pace a little bit, I definitely felt the results of Tuesday's ride in my legs. Over to Mesa Rock Rd, turning left there and climbing more than I thought I was going to have to climb. I stopped at the AM/PM by Deer Springs Rd to get a paper towel to clean grease off my hands from when I had to put my chain back on, but the dispensers weren't stocked. Down the hill, which is actually kinda sketchy, given the road conditions and lack of a bike lane for a while. I got through it and turned onto Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy, stopping just a little bit after for a quick break and a fruit bar. The ride down this road was fast, I had a little bit of a helping wind, and it's generally downhill. Over to Barham Dr, turning left there and again having the benefit of a tailwind, this one more generous. I took it over to Mission Ave, turning right there and riding back into Escondido, turning right on Quince St, then getting onto Centre City Pkwy via 13th Ave. Home the normal way across the freeway from there. The wind was a little whippy going over the freeway, so I was extra cautious. Somewhat slow on the last two climbs, but my legs felt okay at the end.
Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 31.3 mi
Avg power = 138 W. Weighted avg power = 162 W
Total elevation gain = 1340'
Avg heartrate =116 bpm
I finished Under the Banner of Heaven. It is a fine book that delves into the challenge of people reconciling what their faith (and the leaders of that faith) tell them and what is either acceptable or legal. It focused on some FLDS extremists, including polygamists and men who murdered a young woman and her child because they felt she was apostate. I have started Neil Stephenson's Termination Shock, which appears to be about global warming and has a central theme taking place in and around Houston and southeast Texas. It was a little slow moving at the start, but there have been a couple of good passages about Indonesia just after WWII and about New Orleans that were better.
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
02-14-2024 Entry
Valentine's Day! I went for an early morning hourlong walk. The previous evenint, I had found a Groupon for Milton's Deli in Del Mar and we went there for breakfast. Got there before it opened, so there weren't any large crowds to deal with. The food was decent, Ann liked the corned beef hash, and I had a jalapeno omelette. I found I'd left my CDL at home, so Ann drove back. I diagnosed the problem (at least, I though I did) with the propane stove not getting enough fuel as a bad transfer hose, and I ordered a replacement from Amazon. Then I left a little early for my hospital volunteer shift, intending to stop at the post office to pick up a package. I went to the retail office first but was redirected to the other one, where the mail carrier distribution is centralized. It was the Tibetan prayer wheel, sent from Nepal. Then I went to the hospital, where it was a fairly light day, a number of the beds were not filled. I was still able to keep myself busy enough. Anton, the young volunteer who works on Wednesday evenings, got there early, and so I ended up leaving around 3:30. Mert, an intern who is getting ready for medical school, was there as well, and I met him. The others were people whom I have met before. In the late afternoon, Emily sent the family a text saying that Caleb had proposed to her. She was very excited. We called them both after dinner, and it was fun to hear how happy they sounded.
I've also been fooling around with the home alarm system, trying to get all of the sensors to work. I have an idea about using a Cell2Jack device to allow the system to hear a dialtone and to be able to call our numbers in the event of trouble or a break-in using a crude Bluetooth-based VoIP. Will see if it works.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
02-13-2024 Swim/Ride
Went for a swim at the WWC when it opened, 2250 yds. For the first 2000 yds (standard protocol), I finished in 38:54, I think it's the fastest I have swum this distance. Finished in 44:06, last 10 lengths were without pads or snorkel. Then I noodled around the house a little bit before getting ready for a long bike ride. Initially planned on doing about 60 miles, with repeats of Torrey Pines mixed in. Headed through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd, then over to W Bernardo Dr, turning right there and then right on RB Rd to get up to Dove Canyon Rd. Left there, over to Carmel Valley Rd, taking a right. I knew I was going to be climbing a lot, so I took it easy on the first little climb. An older female rider passed me in between climbs, so I kicked it up a notch and pushed past her on the second climb. Down to Camino del Sur, turning left and heading over to the 56 bike path. I took this path down to El Camino Real, passed the same lady rider along the way (she had taken a different route to get onto the path), and we chatted for a bit after riding through pretty deep water under the bridge on the path. Over to Carmel Valley Rd, taking it to PCH and turning left to head over to the inside route of Torrey Pines. I did the loop 10 times, spending most of my time in my lowest gear on the section before it flattens out. As Jed had recommended, I just ground it out, not looking to spin too fast or ride too hard. It was a nice day, got a little cloudy near the end, and I was glad, especially on the downhills, to have an underlayer. The wind was a little swirly going downhill, but I didn't have any major problems with it. While doing the repeats, I had a banana, a GU gel, and a Clif bar. In hindsight, I probably could have eaten more. My lower back held out really well on these repeats and on the ride home as well. My left shoulder was a little achy by my neck, not sure what is causing this discomfort. The ride back was pretty slow, but my legs felt pretty good. I was hungry, so that was the signal that I hadn't fueled up enough. Headed back the same way until I got to Carmel Valley Rd, where I turned left and took it to Camino del Sur. Really enjoyed the benefit of a steady tailwind coming from the west. My legs had push in them, but I used it selectively. Turned left onto Camino del Sur and did the gradual climb, grinding it out. I stayed on Camino del Norte up to Dove Canyon Rd, turning left there to get over to RB Rd. Home via the usual W Bernardo Dr route. This was a pretty good day on the bike. It has been a while since I've done this much climbing, and the high-intensity intervals should help get me ready for Solvang in less than 3 weeks.
Avg speed = 14.5 mph. Total mileage = 72.1 mi
Avg power = 148 W. Weighted avg power = 178 W
Total elevation gain = 6450'
Avg heartrate = 133 bpm
Monday, February 12, 2024
02-12-2024 Swim
Posted several months afterward. I got up early and went for a walk down to the pedestrian bridge by Lake Hodges, over it, and then back the same way. Then I got ready and rode my scooter over to the WWC for a swim, 2000 yds following the normal protocol. Finished in a little over 40 minutes. In the afternoon, Ann and I drove over to Escondido to fill up the propane tank for the Death Valley trip (note: it wasn't completely empty like I thought. Later on, during the trip, I noticed that the hose connection to the tank needed to be fully screwed in before gas would flow. Lesson learned, and I was able to return the new propane hose that I had bought, thinking it was at fault).
Sunday, February 11, 2024
02-11-2024 Ride
Got a pretty good night's sleep after the big exertion on the previous day. I rode my bike downtown to Townie Bagels and picked up a half dozen. Legs felt okay, but there was no way they were going to let me ride hard for an extended time. It did feel good to stretch out the leg muscles.
Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 9.2 mi
Avg power = 160 W. Weighted avg power = 168 W
Total elevation gain = 60'
Avg heartrate -= 110 bpm
Got back and had breakfast, then we packed up our stuff and all headed out about the same time. An alarming thing I discovered was that either I hadn't fully screwed in my front through-axle, or it had loosened during the century ride. Will need to be extra careful on future rides to check both through-axles. No real traffic to speak of on the drive back, just a little slowing on the 60 before we turned onto the 215. Ann took over driving duties when we got to Perris, and I had a little nap in the car. Unpacked all of our gear and supplies when we got home, then we cleaned up the downstairs under the possibility of Rob and Isabelle coming over to watch the Super Bowl. They ended up not coming over, which worked out okay, as I was fine with just watching it with Ann. We had snacks, and the game itself was quite thrilling, great defense on both sides, with the nod going to the Chief's DC Steve Spagnolo. And Patrick Mahomes was simply magnificent in the OT. After the game, I went for a short walk to get up to 10k steps.
Saturday, February 10, 2024
2024 Tour de Palm Springs Century
It was an inauspicious start to the big day. I just felt slightly out of sync as soon as I got up. Couldn't find some of the things I wanted for the ride, and I ran out of time to try and recenter my front disc brakes. But I didn't forget anything important for the ride, and Leslie took me and Charlie over to near the starting point. We got geared up and met the others near the starting point. On this ride in the group I started with, there were: Perse, Jed, Rob, Charlie, Nel, Gio, Francis, Aaron, Jhonar, Eric, Arnold, and Abie. The latter two riders started off and rode at their own pace, while Aaron and Jhonar sprinted ahead, as Aaron was looking to set a PR for a century ride. I was a little cold at the start, since I opted for short-finger gloves and no jacket. But it warmed up fairly quickly, and it wasn't a problem. I tried to stay out in front and set a strong pace but not one that caused the others to fall out of the line. Even still, Charlie slowed down and fell back. We made good time, having the benefit of a tailwind and slight downhill gradient. We skipped the first sag stop, which made for a long ride without a significant pause, since the next rest stop was around mile 31. That made the time at this sag stop too long for my taste. But we met up with Jhonar, who had fallen back from trying to stay with Aaron. I also saw Mer Gatchalian and Darryl Anunciado there, they were riding with a Barkada group. On the stretch leading into this stop, we encountered the first taste of what the wind was going to be like, and it wasn't pretty. It was coming from the northwest, so riding north and/or west put us either into a headwind or a crosswind. The crosswind really wreaked havoc on my bike, with its large lateral cross-section. From there, it was a little less than 20 miles to the turnaround point at 49 miles. We had another long stop here, and I fueled up pretty well, I think. Legs were feeling fine, but I wasn't looking forward to battling the winds on the way back. The return route was an exact replica of the outbound route. Mike, a rider who lives north of LA and has ridden with us on Gideon's charity rides, joined us, as did Jerry, an Adobe Velo rider who rode all the way with us last year. Riding back, we initially had some southbound sections where the wind effect wasn't so bad. I was in the front and was riding with some other fast riders. We separated from the Bisikleta group, and for a while it was me and three other riders trading leads and pushing each other to go fast. I got back to the next rest stop, at mile 67, a couple of minutes ahead of the next group of Bisikleta riders, and the others came in afterwards. Rob was feeling the effects of our effort and the wind, and he was slowing down. I felt good on that stretch but in hindsight didn't eat enough food at this stop, and I should have had my second GU gel here (I thought I had lost it from my pocket but found it later). So the combination of the high output, not enough replacement calories, and battling cross- and headwinds all the way back put me in the red zone around mile 75-80. I kept at the front of the Bisikleta lead group through this time but wasn't consistently leading. Between mile 81 and 87, I was really struggling, with no push in my legs and dealing with wind and some mild elevation gain. Eric, Gio, and Gideon got ahead of me and made it to the last rest stop before I did by maybe a minute. I was really glad to have the break and the opportunity to get some more food in me. Had my last GU, ate some pasta, and PB&J, and a banana, and got some diluted Gatorade for my water bottle. Gideon recommended that we slow the pace down and ride more generally together for the last segment. We started that way, and I set the pace for a while but when I got some break from the wind, I increased my cadence and got ahead again. Not too long after the stop, I had some cramping in my groin, but I stretched it out and it didn't become an issue. Aaron joined us with about 4 miles to go, and I was generally with the group before he got there. But then I pushed it a little harder and got separation from them. I waited for the group with about 3 miles left, then got in my rhythm and finished it off pretty much at the pace I could ride. Ann and Isabelle were there at the finish line, and they saw me coming through and cheered. That was pretty great. There were a lot of people there, which also made for a good experience. Finished in under 5:30, which made me feel good, given the wind we had to deal with. We took a lot of finish line photos, then Ann and I headed over to where Leslie had parked her Jeep to get a ride back to the AirBnB.
Avg speed = 18.0 mph. Total mileage = 98.4 mi
Avg power = 164 W. Weighted avg power = 173 W
Total elevation gain = 1240'
Avg heartrate = 130 bpm
When we got back, I had a beer, which tasted wonderful, and then I sat in the hot tub with Charlie, Leslie, and Rob and had another beer. Then the three riders went in the pool and swam around for a while. I cleaned up afterwards, and we headed over to where most of the other Bisikleta riders were staying, at a place in Indio that was very similar to the place they stayed in last year. Andy and Roya were there, they completed the 50-mile route, which was a big accomplishment for her. Abie tried to complete the century but had three flats, and she and Arnold ended up getting an Uber back after mile 63 or so. She looked wiped out when I saw here. It was a nice potluck, very low-key. We went with Rob and Isabelle, but we didn't stay too long. Was a fairly quiet night after that, but a very good day overall.
Friday, February 9, 2024
02-09-2024 Ride
Went for an hourlong walk in the morning, wore my rain jacket but only got sprinkled on a couple of times. Then I started packing up my stuff for the weekend trip and helped Ann make the Quiche Lorraine that we will bring to the party on Saturday evening. We left around 11:50 to get up to Palm Springs, stopped in Escondido to get gas as well. Waze had us going up the 215 to the 60, which probably wasn't the best option traffic-wise. Maybe it was better for driving in the rain, and we got some showers on the way there. Arrived around 2:15 in PS, the AirBnB was nice but not as spectacular inside at last year's place. This one had a very nice backyard, with a warmed pool and a hot tub. The others arrived not too long afterward. Once I got there, I put on my bike stuff and went for a ride into downtown Palm Springs, just to limber up the legs. The weather held, cloudy but no rain. We were staying at 3071 North Farrell Drive while in Palm Springs.
Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 8.2 mi
Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W
Total elevation gain = 120'
Avg heartrate = 109 bpm
We had a potluck dinner, with us making enchiladas, Rob making nachos, and Leslie making pesto gnocchi. So it was a carbfest. Ann and I went in the hot tub for a while, then swam around the pool as well, and finally back into the hot tub before getting out.
Thursday, February 8, 2024
02-08-2024 Swim
Went for a swim in the morning at the WWC. Weather was overcast, but I got over there, swam, and returned home without seeing anything more than a light sprinkle. Swam 3000 yds for the first time in a while and had my best time here, 1:01:35. I finished the first 2000 yds (standard protocol) in 39:15, so I was slower in the last third. That last third was a repeat of the first third, and my stroke was kinda ragged for the last 20 lengths with the swim pads. I replaced the tires on my bike with new ones for the century. I had thought about going for a bike ride in the early afternoon, but Ann suggested that we do something together instead, so we drove down to North Park and had lunch at Urbn Pizza (eggplant parmesan pizza, ok but not fantastic, she liked it more than I did). Then we walked up and down University Ave, seeing the little place where Emily, Caleb, and I did the beer/cheese tasting. It was a little chilly, but we didn't get rained on. Central North Park looks like it is struggling a bit, lots of coffee places, bars, restaurants, and ice cream shops, but not a lot of retail and a number of vacant storefronts. We stopped and got groceries at Stater Bros in CMR on the way home. After we got back, I gave my bike a good wash and made sure that the derailleur batteries were fully charged. Then I went for a short walk in the late afternoon, saw some sprinkles but no real rain. In the evening, we got the enchilada dish prepped to bake for the Friday evening potluck with Charlie, Leslie, Rob, and Isabelle.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
02-07-2024 Virtual Ride
Tried out one of the Wahoo interval training workouts for 50:00 min. Lots of low-intensity warm-up, followed by a moderate intensity session, then a couple of sessions with alternating high and moderate effort levels. Didn't seem that the Kickr resistance level was very high, and I had to spin at a high cadence to get up to the designated power levels. Forgot to strap my watch to my ankle, so I didn't get the full benefit of the workout translated into steps.
Avg speed = 33.2 mph. Total mileage = 28.4 mi
Avg power = 132 W. Weighted avg power = 149 W
Total elevation gain = 250'
Later, I did my volunteer shift at the hospital, easily filling out my target number of steps. Some names of the staff: Marlo (mail, ultrasound tech), Del (female RN, perhaps Filipino), Mike (RN, has brown hair and glasses), Megan (RN, moon-faced, very nice). I drove to the hospital because it was raining just before I left, but the weather was fine, no heavy rain on either the drive over or the return. Then, Emily and I went to dinner (my birthday present) at Casa Lahori, the Pakistani food restaurant by Von's in RB. Food was good, we ate a lot, and we had a good conversation. She and Caleb may be going camping in June, perhaps near Convict Lake, as his birthday present.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
02-06-2024 Swim
Weather was constant rain throughout the evening, but in the morning it stopped, under overcast skies. I rode to the WWC and swam 2000 yds in 39:02, getting home before the rain started again. Ann and I went just before noon to swap out our old damaged recycle bin for a new, smaller one, it went smoothly. Then we stopped at H Mart and got some vegetables and prepared Asian food. I went for an hourlong walk after we got home, again was able to dodge getting rained on.
Monday, February 5, 2024
02-05-2024 Swim
Woke up early enough to walk for about an hour before heading over to the WWC. No rain, although the sky was gray. Had a good swim day, 2500 yds (48:56) using the normal protocol for the first 2000 yds (38:54) and unaided freestyle for the last 500 yds. This was the first time, at this distance, that I had a 100 yd time <2:00, and I finished the last 500 yds in right around 10 minutes. I cleaned out and organized the pantry in the morning, then later we went to Target and I got some hangars to hang up my cycling jerseys. Then I worked on my bike to adjust the front brake pads position so they wouldn't rub. I had success, at least when the bike was on the stand. In the afternoon, I made some modifications to the GPX file decoder Python code I've written. I scrubbed out all speed values under 1 mph and noticed that I wasn't accurately calculating the moving average speed for the Bisikleta segment, so I figured out how to do that and coded it in. The numbers are now larger and seem to make a little more sense, after Saturday's ride, where I led for almost the whole way and had a lower apparent average speed than several other riders (Rob and Arnold). I'm not sure how Strava calculates its moving average speed, but my code shows a higher value, and I tend to believe it more.
Sunday, February 4, 2024
02-04-2024 Ride
Went for a walk for a little over an hour in the morning, then took it easy the rest of the morning, including having a little nap. I went for a ride, heading over the freeway to BVP and then, on a whim, taking a right onto Beethoven Dr. This road is steep at the top, going into double digit grade. I turned left onto Sierra Linda Dr and rode it down (it's also quite steep) to San Pasqual Rd, where I took a left and got back to BVP. A fairly short ride until I turned left onto Royal Crest Dr, which also has several quite steep sections, approaching 10% at times. This dumped me onto Sunset Dr, which I used to get over to Juniper St. Out to 9th Ave, where I turned left and climbed the little bump over to Escondido Blvd. Then I turned left and rode, into a pretty stiff headwind, back toward the mall. Through Kit Carson Park to Beethoven Dr, then over to the Park n Ride, where I met Joe right at 1:00. We rode down to Via Rancho Pkwy and then up to Felicita Rd, taking it up to Gamble Ln. Left turn there, then a right onto Bernardo Ave, which runs parallel to the freeway just on the west side. It's a gradual climb and a steep descent to Del Dios Rd, where we turned left and then right onto Avenida del Diablo. Over to Citracado Pkwy from here, then Harmony Grove Village Pkwy to get to Country Club Dr. We had the benefit of a tailwind on this stretch of road back to Auto Pkwy, where we turned left and then left again onto Mission Ave. Over to Bennett Ave, turning right there and taking some little climbs to get over to El Norte Pkwy. Right there, and we had a tailwind pushing us most of the way up to Valley Pkwy. Then we turned into the wind, taking a right there and then a left onto BVP. The headwind was significant, and it slowed me down a fair amount. But I wasn't out for speed on this ride, so I settled in and dealt with it. Right on Grand Ave to avoid the poor road conditions further down BVP, and we took it into town, again riding into the wind, until we turned left on Juniper St. We rode to Vermont Ave, taking a right there to get over to Escondido Blvd. Followed the same way back to the starting point, and I was pretty tired by the time Joe and I parted. Because of the wind, I decided not to ride across the freeway, so I headed over to Sunset Dr behind the gas stations and took the pedestrian bridge across the lake. Very slow going up the last two climbs to home. Legs were definitely tired, and so was I from battling the headwind.
Avg speed = 13.8 mph. Total mileage = 38.7 mi
Avg power = 122 W. Weighted avg power = 151 W
Total elevation gain = 2450'
Avg heartrate = 120 bpm
Saturday, February 3, 2024
02-03-2024 Ride
Checked my bike before riding to meet the others. I couldn't feel any drag from the brakes, but they were definitely noisy, so there was some friction between the rotors and pads. Headed over to Gideon's house and dropped off the hydraulic brake service stuff he let me borrow, then we rode over via a straight shot to the 4S Target. We had some very light sprinkles on the way, but they cleared up and never were an issue on this day. The riders were: Perse, Ray, Gideon, Fritz, Zac, Joey, Rob, Jed, a new Jed (he met the group during the memorial ride for Manny last weekend), Eric, Charlie, Sassan, Gio, Nel, Arnold, and Jhonar. It took a while to get started with such a large group. I was the designated pacemaker, so I ended up riding near or in the front the whole ride, trying to set a pace that most riders could follow without dropping. So I managed my effort consciously as well. Fairly simple route, down Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd. Then to El Apajo and over to Via de la Valle. Up that little climb, then Stud Loop over to Paseo Delicias, where we turned left and took it to Linea Cielo and then Lomas Santa Fe. The occasional attacks while I was trying to set the pace were frustrating, so I would let the leaders know to moderate their pace to keep us all more or less together. Down to the coast, turning right and heading north to Oceanside, with no rest stops along the way (fantastic!). We did a decent job managing the pace on the coast for the most part. Once we got into Oceanside, we rode over to Jed's house and stopped there for a break. He was a great host, with lots of snacks and drinks. As we were getting ready to leave, Eric discovered that he had a flat and found out that the tube he was carrying didn't have a long enough stem. Again, frustrating. He eventually got it repaired, and we retraced our route back to PCH and headed south. By this time, Joey, Zac, Sassan, and Fritz had already taken off, so our group size was reduced. Better control of the pace by me on the return leg, perhaps because the riders were a little more tired in the second half. When we got to Encinitas, we found out that Eric had had another flat, so Jhonar and Charlie had ridden back to help him out. The rest of us continued on, since it was getting late. We took a brief pit stop at Swami's Beach for bathroom breaks before continuing on. We stayed on PCH through Del Mar, turning left onto Carmel Valley Rd and heading over to the 56 bike path. Again, no breaks. Up the path to Camino del Sur and back to the starting point from there. Several riders stayed with the leaders the whole way, including me and Arnold in front with Gio not too far behind, then Ray and Jed. Gio is definitely getting to be a strong rider, he has improved quite a bit in the last several months. Later, we found out that Eric had yet another flat and had to abandon, so Charlie and Jhonar were riding back to the starting point (they hadn't yet made it by the time we finished), and Charlie was going to pick up Eric's car and go get him. Frustrating day for Eric, for sure, but we have all had those days. Gideon and I rode back, not super fast, still trying to maintain the steady pace that I used in the rest of the ride. I kept going on RB Rd when he turned, and I took the W Bernardo Dr route home. My legs were fine at the end, I still had gas left in the tank. Think I'm fairly ready for next Saturday.
Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 74.4 mi
Bisikleta route avg speed = 17.2 mph
Avg power = 159 W. Weighted avg power = 177 W
Total elevation gain = 3390'
Avg heartrate = 123 bpm
In the late afternoon, we drove down to Alexandras Mexican Restaurant in Carlsbad for happy hour. It was underwhelming. Then we headed into downtown Carlsbad and had dinner at the Coyote Bar & Grill after walking around the village a little bit. There was an R&B band playing, they were decent but needed a guitarist. We danced for quite a while after dinner, until the band went on their first break, then we drove home.
Friday, February 2, 2024
02-02-2024 Swim
Went for an hourlong walk in the early morning when it had just stopped raining. During the walk, there were a couple of times when the rain came back fairly vigorously, so I was quite wet by the end. Got home, had a little yogurt and made coffee, then rode the scooter (the weather looked like it was clearing) over to the WWC for a swim. Again, it was more crowded than I would have expected, with Cathy, Kevin, and Blaine all there at the start. Swam for 2250 yds, finishing in about 46 min. Last 250 yds were without pads or snorkel. The weather clouded over while I was swimming, and it was raining steadily by the time I finished. I changed in the locker room and almost texted John and Gary to say I wouldn't be joining them for coffee, but I decided to tough it out. The rain let up to a sprinkle for the ride over to HP, and I had a nice conversation with them and Brooke (she's going with Stephen and her family to Costa Rica at the end of the month). It rained briefly and heavily while I was there, but I got home during a lull in the storm, not so wet as the previous day. Then I continued working on the front disc brake pad replacement, which I had begun the previous evening. I was able to lubricate the pistons and get them to retract fairly well, but it took a number of tries. Based on this success, I went back to the rear brake and decided to try the same lubrication strategy. This was probably a mistake, since it was working okay (not fully spinning freely, but pretty close). Lubricating the pistons seemed to work, and it looked like they were fully retracted, but when I put the wheel on the pads were still rubbing against the rotor. Later in the afternoon, I removed the pads and inserted the spacer I borrowed from Gideon, along with a couple of extra plastic strips to try and push the pistons in a little further. That seemed to help a little bit, but the wheel is still not fully rotating. I'll try it out in the morning to decide if it's rideable for the Bisikleta ride, which will be a long one.
I finished Banana Ball and started Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, which is about the FLDS church and involves a gruesome murder of a wife and her baby right at the start. Banana Ball was a little better toward the end, as the author talked in more general terms about what fostering a creative atmosphere looks like and what his grand plans are for making this type of baseball more popular.
Thursday, February 1, 2024
02-01-2024 Swim
This day had its frustrations. It was lightly sprinkling in the morning when I rode my scooter over to the WWC for a swim. By the time I got there, it was raining. I was surprised at the number of others who braved the rain to go swimming, including Ken and Howard. Swam for 2000 yds following the usual protocol, finished in about 39 minutes (didn't want to leave my stopwatch out in the rain). Then I grabbed a quick shower, changed, and rode over to the credit union to drop off my Unocal pension rollover check to Brett and Jeff. I was pretty wet by the time I got home. Later in the morning, I drove the car over to Bike Bling and picked up two sets of hydraulic brake pads for my bike. I watched a couple of videos on how to replace them but didn't really understand the system at first. When I got home and started working on the back brakes, I couldn't get the pistons to retract, so I borrowed some tools from Gideon and kept working at it, off and on (taking time when I got frustrated to walk away from the problem and try to figure out a better solution). Eventually, I was able, in the evening, to push the pistons back and install the brakes without too much friction between the pads and the rotor. I still needed steps when I was done, so I went for a walk around the neighborhood a little before 9:30, walking for about 40 minutes. Thankfully, there was a lull in the rain, so my walk was mostly dry.
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