10-31-2024 Swim/Ride

Woke up early and rode over to Von's to exchange the milk Ann bought yesterday, which was sour, for a new gallon. On the way, I stopped and filled the scooter's gas tank. Then I went home and had some breakfast before riding over to the WWC for a swim. It was brisk on these early morning scooter rides, with the temperature in the high 40s. I swam for 2050 yards, slowly, it didn't take too long without swimming to lose some of my pace and stroke form. When I got home, Ann was gone, having driven to Escondido to help paint a mural on the wall of a downtown building. So I climbed over the back fence and cleared out the growth by the smelly plants, was glad to be done with this little task when it was finished. There is another session in this back area waiting for me, perhaps next week. I showered and then rode into Escondido to have lunch with Earl at Cuscatlan (it was my turn to pick the place and pay). We both had pupusas, and they were simple but very good. We had a fine, extended conversation ranging across a number of topics, including the extremism in right-wing politics, Elon Musk, the nature of the validity/completeness of our current understanding of the physical laws that govern the universe, and summaries of our recent travels. I got home around 2:40 and tried a couple of ideas to fix the issue with the ignitor clicking on our gas stove. I slowed the clicking down but haven't figured the root cause out yet. Also wrote a short note to Kaye to include with the letter to her that Mom wrote. Then I got ready for a bike ride with Blair, the last one for this season due to the upcoming time change. I wanted to put a few extra miles in, so I left early and rode through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd and then to W Bernardo Dr. Up to RB Rd, taking this little climb and feeling the effects of the previous day's hard ride on my legs. I rode through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, heading up Alva Rd to Hunters Ridge Pl and turning left there, then another left on Hunters Ridge Rd to get to Ralphs Ranch Rd, which I took back to RB Rd. From there, it was the normal way to the back parking lot at HP, where I met Blair and talked briefly with Bor-Jiunn. We headed out Bernardo Center Dr to Carmel Valley Rd, into a fairly stiff headwind on the outbound part of our ride. Took it all the way to the 56 bike path, where we turned and had the benefit of a tailwind. Blair wasn't feeling so strong on this day, so our pace was modest as we rode back to Black Mountain Rd before turning left. We took it back to Carmel Valley Rd, then up and down the hill before turning left onto Dove Canyon Rd. By this time, the sun was either down or almost there, and the shadows were dominant. Back to RB Rd and then up to Via del Campo, where I kept going straight and Blair turned. I rode home through the neighborhood, and it was definitely dusky, with some early trick-or-treaters already out and on the sidewalks.

Avg speed = 14.5 mph. Total mileage = 29.3 mi

Avg power = 126 W. Weighted avg power = 155 W

Total elevation gain = 1940

Avg heartrate = 118 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 39

Training Load = 102

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12793543173

Made it home fine, had some dinner and finished watching the PBS Masterpiece Mystery series Moonflower Murders. It was entertaining, a little convoluted in the descriptions of who carried out the murders, but clever nonetheless. The acting was uneven, with some of the characters playing their roles fairly broadly.

A few words about what I've been reading. I restarted Isaacson's Elon Musk biography, since it will be a book club selection. I'm also reading Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson, a science fiction book set in a future world where there is a city with a dome and privileged citizens and a small city outside the walls that is ruled by an emperor who uses force to impose his will. The protagonist is one of the emperor's runners, or enforcers. It's decent, not great.

10-30-2024 Ride

Unexpected wake-up call (<>!), then I got ready for a longer bike ride. It was in the mid-40s when I left the house, I wore warmer gear than normal. But it warmed up fairly quickly as I rode up through the neighborhood. Never got hot, so I was generally comfortable. Extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, including riding up to the water tower. I was regularly pushing the pace on this ride and felt pretty good, probably because my legs were nice and fresh from not riding so much in the last week. Over to Camino del Sur, turning right and riding to Carmel Valley Rd. I rode steadily on the little ascent there, not scorching it. Then I rode down to the 56 bike path, dealing with a fair amount of traffic, particularly by the highway. Took the bike path all the way to its end and then back over to Carmel Valley Rd to get to PCH, where I turned left. The day was really pretty by now, decent temperature. I rode up the inside route of Torrey Pines, going pretty much full gas on this first climb but ending up with a slightly disappointing time. I kept going on the sidewalk past the top to the next stoplight before turning around and riding back downhill. Then I rode up a second time, this time at a slower pace but continuing to the second stoplight like before. I had a short break here and ate half a protein bar. Down the hill and back up a third time, turning around at the first stoplight to head back down the hill. I retraced my route back to the 56 bike path and this time stayed on it to Camino del Sur, where I turned left. I would describe my pace on this stretch as just a little harder than moderate, with a big push near the end to get through the pain and finish strong. Rode back over to Carmel Valley Rd and turned right there, another very short break after the turn before climbing up to Black Mountain Rd and then down the hill to Dove Canyon Rd. By this time, my legs were tiring out, so I was slower on this last notable climb for the day. Over to RB Rd and home from there via W Bernardo Dr. Legs didn't cramp, but I was feeling calorie-deprived by the end of the ride.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 50.9 mi

Avg power = 163 W. Weighted avg power = 200 W

Total elevation gain = 3720'

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm

Relative Effort = 127

Training Load = 252

Intensity = 87%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12783188667

There wasn't much to eat in the house, but I made do with some chips and a couple of cheese sandwiches for lunch. Then I got ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. It was generally uneventful, but the ED was absolutely hopping, with every available bed full by the time I left. Was a little slow at the start but it got busy and generally stayed busy throughout. I talked to Ben when I got home about Ross's latest blow-up regarding the WF bank statements not getting to the PO Box. Then it was a blessedly quiet rest of the evening.

10-29-2024 Run

Travel day, but it was a busy one before our flight. I went for a run to get some steps in and have a workout. I ran over to Lincoln Park and then ran around it 6 times, it's a little less than 0.5 miles around. I ran a pretty good pace around the park, it was fairly unobstructed and I didn't have to stop and wait for lights. Finished my third mile in just over 7:00, which is fast for me. Then I ran back to the flat at a slightly lower pace since it was through the neighborhood and harder to run consistently. 

Avg pace = 7:36/mi

Total distance = 3.18 mi

Elapsed running time = 24:15

https://www.strava.com/activities/12772891303

We had rice and beefless bulgogi for breakfast, then cleaned up the flat before we left around 11:00, Sherry was a really good host, maybe the best one we've had. We walked over to Eastern Market, then took the Metro out to the expanded air & space museum by Dulles Airport. This was a cool museum, lots of airplanes and space stuff, including some famous items. I was really into it, Ann not so much. We walked together a little bit, then she sat down and I walked through it a little more before we ate a light lunch at the onsite Shake Shack. I walked through some of the commercial aviation wing. Highlights included the space shuttle Discovery, the Enola Gay, a WWII German rocket plane, the Gossamer Albatross, and the plane that Jenna Yeager and Dick Rutan flew nonstop around the world. There were a lot of other cool military planes as well. Then we headed over to the bus stop to catch the bus to the airport. It was a much longer ride than I thought, then we had a little bit of an adventure in walking from the bus stop to the departures area. But we made it in good time. I had a middle seat because we were among the last to board and I didn't want to be in the back of the plane. Flew to Denver, I continued arranging photos on my phone, still more to do there. A longer layover in Denver than I would have hoped, but the flight back to San Diego was less crowded and we sat together in an exit row. Amazingly (I don't think this has ever happened before), the SDAP shuttle was waiting at the shuttle stop for us when we got out there, so we were home less than 45 minutes after getting off the plane.

10-28-2024 Entry

Nice wake-up call (<>), after which we had some breakfast and got ready for heading out. We decided to visit Mt Vernon, and we used a ride-sharing app called Empower, which is local to this area, better for the drivers, and cheaper than Uber or Lyft. Weren't sure how it would work, but it was fine. The driver picked us right up and took us directly to the entrance to Mt Vernon. Car was a little run-down, but it got us there. The visit was pretty interesting. The mansion is not as ostentatious as I thought it would be, and it was pretty small. Washington married into money when he married the widow Martha Custus. He had about 200 slaves on his property, and he was an avid and creative farmer after he left the presidency. The grounds were better to walk around than the mansion, nicely landscaped and maintained, including flower, vegetable, grain, and tree garden areas.We got a ride back into DC using the same app, we were dropped off at the Wharf area, where we had a mediocre and expensive lunch. Then we took a free shuttle over to the National Mall and had a quick visit to the Hirshhorn Museum. It featured more modern art and had an installation by Laurie Anderson that was pretty cool. We got on the Metro and took it out to East Falls Church to meet a friend of Ann's, Liz Denman, who she knew from our time in Israel. We had dinner at a really good, and authentic, Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant, then we walked around the little array of Vietnamese shops and chatted. There were a surprisingly large number of Trump posters in the shops. Then it was the Metro back to Eastern Market and the walk to the flat. It was a long day and a good one. 

10-27-2024 Entry

I woke up late, having stayed up the previous night to watch the end of a college football game. We got ready to head over to Liz's place in Arlington, stopping at Trader Joe's to get some flowers first. Took the Metro there from East Market, it was a 15-20 minute walk from the station. We had a nice brunch and catch-up conversation. She's still connected with Dan, is close to Katie, Joe, and their kids, a little less so with David, who lives in Denver. Dan moves around a lot, has a girlfriend who's a little strange. Liz bought a birthday cake for Ann, a nice touch. She has a nice little dog, Mario. After the brunch we walked back toward the Rosslyn Metro station, but because of the marathon the area was super crowded. So we walked over to the Court House station and got on the train, no problem. Curiously, there weren't many people getting on at the next stop, not sure how the crowds were cleared up. We walked back through the Eastern Market, Ann walked back to Trader Joe’s while I went directly to the flat. Some downtime before we walked back to the Eastern Market area for a birthday dinner out at a Spanish food restaurant. Ann liked her food, mine was meh. Good conversation over dinner about friend circles, then we walked back to the flat for a quiet rest of the evening.

10-26-2024 Rides

This was a full day. We got up and had some breakfast before walking over to a bike share station and getting a couple of city bikes. We rode through the neighborhood over to the Capitol building and then down onto the southern side of the National Mall. We initially rode to the Metro station by the Washington Monument and dropped off the bikes. Around this time, Kaye called, and we arranged to meet her by the rugby field where her breast cancer awareness walk was supposed to end. So we got two bikes and rode over there, then dropped them off and met her by the bandstand. Decided to get coffee, so we started walking across the mall to the Museum of American History, hoping to find an open café. We did, the cafeteria in the basement of the museum, but we had to wait until it opened at 11. Ann and I had a snack and Kaye had a salad, and we had a nice conversation. She is close to her three grandchildren and to Leslie, but she is estranged from Laura. She's a front store manager at Walmart, was lonely after Bill died. She seemed to like her job but a little restless about her life. Still, it was good to see her and catch up. We walked with her back to the Metro station and said our farewells, then Ann and I rode over by the White House to have lunch, grilled cheese sandwiches, at GCDC. Then we walked through the Renwick Gallery, where the focus of the exhibition was craft art. It's a small museum, so our visit was nice and short. From there, we rode over to the Lincoln Memorial and walked up to see the statue. It was time to start heading back, so we rode by the Korean War Memorial and the WW II Memorial on our way back up the National Mall toward the Capitol building. We ran out of time on our bikes and had to drop them off. Ann wanted to walk up the hill rather than ride, which was quite frustrating, since there weren't any bike stations close by after we crested the little climb. We walked to the nearest station and rode bikes a short distance back to near the Airbnb.

Avg speed = 3.8 mph. Total mileage = 3.4 mi

Total elevation gain = 40'

https://www.strava.com/activities/12750805336

Avg speed = 4.2 mph. Total mileage = 6.0 mi

Total elevation gain = 180'

https://www.strava.com/activities/12751990722

There was enough time for us to make pizza for dinner, and it turned out pretty well. Then we walked to the bus stop and caught the first bus to our destination, the improv show POTUS Among Us. The second bus was delayed by about 25 minutes, which was also frustrating. It made us arrive at the theater right at the starting time. Luckily, we found two seats together. The show itself was mildly funny, a couple of the cast members were experienced at riffing, but the comedy was definitely uneven. It took Ann a while to locate a suitable bus route home, but we got one. There were a couple of characters in the back of the bus who argued about famous NFL quarterbacks, then complained about all of the holidays (including Summer Day) that re basically a money grab. It was funnier than the improv show. Got back okay, it didn't get too cold for the walk back. 

10-25-2024 Run

Got up while Ann was still asleep and had some breakfast. Then I read in bed for a little bit (<>) before going out for a shorter run (not a lot of time) around the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Avg pace = 8:08/mi

Total distance = 2.39 mi

Elapsed running time = 19:29

https://www.strava.com/activities/12741456230

Had a shower and some coffee when I got back, before we walked over to Eastern Market and took the Metro down to the National Mall. We walked over to the National Monument and waited until our tour slot at 11:00. The visit was concise, up to the top for a short walk around the viewing area, a quick look at the information on the monument, then back down. We were done in <40 minutes. Walked over for a quick look at the entertainment wing in the Museum of American History (Archie Bunker's chair, Dorothy's ruby slippers, etc.), then we headed to the Museum of African American History. This is a very information-dense museum, particularly on the floors explaining the origins of slavery and the time up to Reconstruction. We ate lunch in the cafeteria, it was decent but, as expected, a little pricey. Then we did a shorter walk-through of the cultural and artistic sections, which had some interesting areas. Ann was ready to be done by then and I wasn't too far behind her. So we left and took the Metro back to Eastern Market area, stopping to get some more groceries from Trader Joe’s. Then we walked back to the flat and had a quiet evening.

10-24-2024 Ride

Got up while Ann was still asleep and ate some breakfast, then gathered my gear for the bike ride. She was up before I left, around 8:10. Walked to the bus stop and didn't wait long until it showed up. I got off an exit before I should have but still got to the shop, Unlimited Biking, around 8:45. Had to wait a little bit, then I couldn't get the pedals off the bike, so Alex found another 56 cm bike for me. I changed out the front wheel because the new bike had a flat, and she had enough Allen wrenches to allow me to install my head unit holder as well. I was rolling around 9:20. Headed over to Pennsylvania Ave and took it to 15th Ave, where I turned left and rode out of town and over the Potomac River, following the bike path to where it connected with the Mt Vernon bike trail. I then rode this path all the way to the entrance to Washington's Mt Vernon estate, with a couple of missed turns on the way there. The path frequently had leaves and some cracks, and there were wooden plank bridges over the waterways. Somewhere along the way, I must have hit something on the path because I had a slow leak by the time I got to Mt Vernon. No tire levers, so I decided to pump up the tire and see how far I could get. Followed basically the same route back until I got close to DC. I stopped by the Jefferson Memorial and ended up riding around it, then taking surface streets and sidewalks over to the National Mall. I rode down to the Lincoln Memorial, but it wasn't a good picture spot, so I kept going along the north side of the mall until I got back to 15th Ave. Ended up riding around the White House but there wasn't a good photo op from the north side. So I rode to the south side and got a pic from further away before riding back to the rental place and dropping it off.

Avg speed = 13.2 mph. Total mileage = 41.8 mi

Avg power = 118 W. Weighted avg power = 138 W

Total elevation gain = 1410'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 57

Training Load = 133

Intensity = 60%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12735422068

I walked back to where I could catch the bus and looked for a place to grab a bite but didn't find a place. I waited a bit for the bus to arrive and, when it did, lol and behold Ann was on it! We rode back to the bus stop and then walked back to the flat. I ate some cheese and crackers for lunch and drank a beer, then took a short nap. Ann found an interesting event for the late afternoon, an open house event at the Library of Congress. We walked over there and had the opportunity to see the research room, which is normally closed to visitors. They also had a Gutenberg Bible, along with a shammy exhibit of iconic photos. That exhibit could have been larger. We looked at some interesting items in the other wing, including some fun short home videos, featuring Charlie Chaplin and Liza Minelli. Iwas pretty tired and hungry by this time, so we walked back to the Airbnb and had some dinner and a quiet evening.

10-23-2024 Entry

Woke up (<>) and had some breakfast from the stuff we got at the little market the previous evening. Then we showered and got ready for a day of sightseeing. I checked out the bus lines and found the one that would get us to the National Cathedral. Was surprised at how far away this was from the main part of the city, it took us almost an hour on the bus to get there, lots of stops. The cathedral was interesting, Helen Keller and Mathew Shepard are buried there, as is Woodrow Wilson. There is a stained glass window with a piece of moon rock in it, as well as a gargoyle with Darth Vader's helmet (too high up to see it). They are building  Lego version of the cathedral inside as well. It's a curious mix of church (Episcopal), national, and military traditions, somewhat unsettling for this reason. The views from the top tower were touted to be spectacular, but they were merely interesting. DC is a flat city in a generally flat part of the country, used to be marsh land. After that, we took a bus over to near the Scottish Rite Temple and  had a good lunch at an Ethiopian food restaurant. We walked from there to the Temple and had a tour by the young docent. Lots of fascinating trivia and minutiae about the freemason guild and famous members, most of which I'm sure I will forget. They are much more open to new members than they used to be, including different faiths and people of color, still no women in the main guild. Ann got us on a bus back toward our Airbnb but it chose the wrong street address and we ended up by the National Mall and the Natural History Museum. We went in and looked at the gems and minerals, lots of tourists and school groups. Then we walked down the mall on this beautiful war day down to the Capitol and, from there, back to the Airbnb. It was a longish walk and, by the end, an was done walking for the day. I took a short break and then walked about 20 minutes to the grocery store and got some stuff for a couple of days to eat in the flat. By the time I walked back, my feet were telling me it was time to quit, so I made some seasoned rice for dinner and watched basketball. This Airbnb has cable, which is a welcome little perk. Long and generally good day. 

10-22-2024 Virtual Ride

Was awoken at 4:00 by Ann's alarm for our travel, so I decided to ride on the trainer for half an hour. It took a while to set up, including putting the pedals back on after charging them. I tried several times to get MyWhoosh to work but it kept crashing, frustrating. So I just used my Wahoo Elemnt at Level 0 and 1 to spin. Started out with a number of stops while I was trying to connect to MyWhoosh, then I got in a rhythm at 18-18.5 mph. Rode for about 35 minutes, almost got to 10 miles, and I was soaked through at the end.

Avg speed = 15.8 mph. Total mileage = 9.5 mi.

Avg power = 162 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Training Load = 36

Intensity = 78%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12716312764

Had a shower and finished putting things in my bags, including bike stuff, then I did a final kitchen clean and ate some breakfast before we left the house around 5:50. No traffic heading down to parking lot, and we got to the airport and through security without issues. First flight was on time, second one out of Phoenix had to pull back to the gate because of a sick passenger. That delayed us by 35 minutes or so, then we were airborne. Flight was uneventful, listened to music for the most part and worked on ordering and selecting old photos to keep stored on the MicroSD card on my phone. It's mindless and ideal to do while traveling. We flew into Dulles and, with the help of a Metro employee, bought two weeklong passes for trains and busses. It was a long ride into the city, about an hour, and we stopped for Asian fast food (a good place called ChiKo) before getting a small stock of groceries from a little market and walking from there to the Airbnb. This is a really nice one, Sherry is the host (therapist with relatable personality and ties to Houston and California). It's well laid out and well stocked, particularly the food in the kitchen. Looks lived in, but that might just be the accumulated stuff items that Sherry has put in it over the 7 years she's been hosting. I watched a little basketball in TV, then we went to sleep.

10-21-2024 Ride

Woke up fairly leisurely, got ready for a bike ride at moderate pace, not overdoing it. Headed through the neighborhood, staying on Matinal Circle all the way until a right turn on Matinal Rd to W Bernardo Dr. Up to RB Rd, turning right and riding up the hill, heading over to Dove Canyon Rd and turning left. Down the hill to Carmel Valley Rd, turning right and taking the little climbs at decent pace. I turned onto Black Mountain Rd. It had been chilly at home but by this time it was comfortable riding weather. I rode over to the 56 and then down the hill before climbing back up. I thought I would try something different and stay on Black Mountain Rd to Miramar Rd, but I couldn't get the Walk sign to trigger, so I ended up riding on the sidewalk to Kearny Villa Rd and turning left there. The ride up Pomerado Rd was fast at times but my legs still felt tired. To the top, then down the hill and over to Oak Knoll Rd, where I turned right. Took it to Carriage Rd, trying to get enough miles to make it to 30. Stayed on Carriage Rd past Poway Rd, where it climbs steeply for a short bit before flattening out. Road turns into Palisades Dr, and I took it to Silverset St, which got me to Twin Peaks Rd. I rode back to Pomerado Rd and took it to RB Rd. Was feeling a little better by this time. I turned left and rode up to W Bernardo Dr, turning right. I still needed miles, so I rode down to the park and turned left to take the access road and return the same way. Then it was home the normal way from there. Felt fine at the end, was glad to meet the mileage target.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 30.8 mi

Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 175 W

Total elevation gain = 2070'

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm

Relative Effort = 40

Training Load = 126

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12709760638

The rest of the day was pretty chill. I packed up my stuff for the trip, went to CVS to pick up a prescription for an ointment to put on the rash on my right wrist. We cleaned up the place as well in advance of Emily staying here. That's about all I remember.

10-20-2024 Ride

Well, this was a slow ride day. It started out okay but I didn't have any energy for the second half, which was generally uphill. Through the neighborhood, then through the short route of the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to Camino del Sur. Down to San Dieguito Rd, turning right there and taking it to El Camino Real. I did fine on the flats there. Over to Via de la Valle, then I rode over to the coast. There were a bunch of MS charity riders on PCH, heading south, the same direction I headed. Up through Del Mar and over to Carmel Valley Rd, where I stopped for a short break to enjoy the sounds of the surf and eat a banana. This is where I slowed down. I rode over to the 56 bike path and took it up to Carmel Valley Rd, then took this road back to Camino del Sur and turned left. I was slowing down even more from here, rode up to Paseo del Sur and started looking for ways to add mileage to get above 40 mi (I was really ready to be done). Left on Haaland Glen, then right on Paseo Montenero. I then took Kristen Glen back to Paseo del Sur and followed it until turning right onto Potomac Ridge Rd, then right again on Nicole Ridge Rd. This got me to Camino San Bernardo, and I turned here and plodded along on this generally climbing road all the way back to RB Rd. Up to Via del Campo, turning right there and riding back toward HP, with another right turn on W Bernardo Dr. Took a left on Bernardo Center Dr and rode down through the village before heading home via Duenda Rd. Was really glad to be done with this ride, just no energy on the day.

Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 40.6 mi

Avg power = 130 W. Weighted avg power = 155 W

Total elevation gain = 2190'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 37 (!)

Training Load = 122

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12703314827

The rest of the day was fairly easy. I replaced the garage light bulb so that both sides illuminate with the same intensity, then I replaced the batteries in my rear bike light. Ordered and sent a digital Target gift card to Rebecca and Amber to celebrate Wesley's birth. I wet mopped and vacuumed the hard floors downstairs except for the entryway, which I'll do after the roofers finish their work on Monday. And I fixed a number of drip sprinkler leaks and faults in the bed near the back side of the house. Am guessing that they were damaged when the house was tented. Oh, and I started the process of cleaning up my Google Photos folder to free up space, while creating a separate photo space on the microSD card on my phone. Just before dinner, I changed the air filter on the car. It was a quiet evening, watching some football.

10-19-2024 Ride

Had a bonus when getting up (<>) and getting ready for the bike ride. It was actually chilly (<50) when I left the house, the first time this fall. I rode through the neighborhood and then through the extended route of the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Target. On this day, there were: Kamal (he planned the route), Ray, Perse, Eric, Fritz, Charlie, Jamil (he was last to arrive), and Rob (we met him on the way). We headed east on Camino del Sur to Camino del Norte and stayed on it until Pomerado Rd. Rob joined us at the Carmel Mountain Rd intersection. Kamal and I were in the lead, I had loaded the route into my Wahoo and knew the roads we were riding on. We headed south on Pomerado Rd but turned right onto Ted Williams Pkwy to ride to Sabre Springs Pkwy (I guess Kamal added some of these little jigs to extend the miles). Down to Poway Rd, where we got onto the bike path that runs east of I-15 and took it into Scripps Ranch to Erma Rd. On this little climb up, I put in a fairly big effort, and Fritz wasn't too far back. We gathered up at the turn onto Scripps Ranch Blvd, then continued on to Carroll Canyon Rd (bad road conditions) to get over to Black Mountain Rd, where we turned left. Up to Kearny Villa Rd, where past Miramar Rd we formed a very loose pace line and I ended up setting a PR for this flattish stretch (9:50, 142 W, 131 bpm). We made the turn (going off Kamal's originally planned route) to stay on Kearny Villa Rd and rode over to Clairemont Mesa Blvd, turning left there. It has a gradual climb but nothing too bad, and we rode all the way to its dead-end into Mission Trails Regional Park before turning around and taking a left onto Rueda Dr. John and I had ridden these roads in the reverse direction many times before, but this was a first for me in this direction. Left on Calle de Vida to get to Colina Dorada Dr. I got out ahead of the others before this turn, then kicked in the jets on the downhill and passed everybody. It helped that I knew the road and what was coming. Down to the bottom, where we turned left onto Tierrasanta Blvd and took a short climb up to a gas station, where we stopped for a break. We then continued on until turning left onto Santo Rd, taking it over to Aero Dr, where the downhill was sketchy because of the poor road conditions. We climbed back to Ruffin Rd, Jamil put in a big effort to stay with me in the front but we almost missed our turn. I kept the power going after making the right turn and left the others behind. For a while, I thought I had gotten off the route they were taking, but they showed up. We rode to the 163 and then waited for the others to show up before continuing. Eric got way out in front of the others, so Perse, Ray, and I worked to catch up with him. I got out in front for a while but the others eventually caught up, and we then caught up with Eric. They had burned a lot of energy to catch up with me and Eric, and I still had something left, so I powered out in front of them to Miramar Rd, setting a PR on this northbound section (10:33, 171 W, 150 bpm) and working harder than on the southbound route. After we crossed Miramar Rd, we waited for Jamil and Charlie, but Charlie had gotten a flat, so I turned around and rode back to see if they needed help. Eric rode back too, but I didn't know it. They got the flat fixed before I got to them, so I turned around when they were passing me and caught up to them near Miramar Rd. We all then rode to Black Mountain Rd and down the hill, where Arnold and Abie passed us in their car and took some video. Up the first part of the Black Mountain Rd climb, turning left onto Park Village Rd. I was first up this climb as well, but Fritz wasn't too far back. Waited for everybody to make it, which left me at the back of the group. I powered up again and caught everybody before the turn onto Camino del Sur and the gradual climb back toward the 56. Fritz needed water, so he stopped at the gas station at the corner there, as did Ray and Charlie. The others kept going. We probably gave them a 4-5 minute head start, and I decided to try and catch up with them. So it was a bigger effort than I would have normal exerted on the Camino del Sur return. For a long time, I didn't see them in the distance, but I kept up a strong pace and eventually caught up with them around Bing Crosby Dr. Eric was ahead of the others, so I kept going and caught him not too long before we got back to the parking lot. Had a short rest there while waiting for Fritz, Ray, and Charlie to get back, then I rode home via the RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr route. Legs felt fine at the end, but I was tired.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph (my analysis program). Total mileage = 59.4 mi

Bisikleta route avg speed = 17.1 mph

Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power = 179 W

Total elevation gain = 3580'

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 128

Training Load = 271

Intensity = 79%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12695325701

I ate a little bit when I got home and watched a little football. Took it easy, worked a little on the computer, then showered and drove over to a get-together in honor of Perse's dad who passed away recently, which Perse had invited me to. It was in Rancho Penasquitos. I talked with Perse and Fritz mainly, along with Perse's two sons a little bit. Ate some food as well, although there weren't any vegetarian options (I had to pick the meat out of a dish of mixed vegetables). Quiet later afternoon and evening when I got home, I made ginger snaps for Ann since she had cut my hair the previous afternoon.

10-18-2024 Run

This was a mildly frustrating day. I went for a longer, slower run in the morning, intending to do some more exercising later in the day. This was a sustainable pace for me, I could run for longer distances at this pace if I built up my leg muscle endurance.

Avg pace = 9:38/mi

Total distance = 5.14 mi

Elapsed running time = 49:35

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12685358384

Here is where the frustration started. The garage entry door installer was supposed to be here between 8:00 and 10:00, so I stayed around the house waiting for him to show up. I cleaned some of the stuff around my work bench and washed my bike. No sign of the installer. Tried to call the installer's manager without success, so I left him a message and then emailed him as well. I called Home Depot to try and find out what was going on, but they weren't much help. Eventually, the manager got back to me and said there was an issue with the door. I called Home Depot in CMR and asked the guy whether that was true, and it wasn't. The door was ready for the installation. So, we will have to wait until after we get back for the installation to occur. Urgh! In the afternoon, I rode over for a dermatologist appointment with Mark Vierra. He looked at the rash on my right wrist and prescribed some ointment to treat it. In the evening, we went to Old Poway Park and saw a folk trio, Red Luck Trio, perform. It was a fiddle (Devon Gardner), mandolin (Moriah Ozberkmen), and guitar (Ian Alistair) trio, and they were very good musicians, decent vocalists. The guitar player we had seen before with Gregory Page, it's his nephew. Page was there for the first half of the concert, sitting by his mother. It was an enjoyable concert, could have been a little bit shorter in my opinion, but we still liked it.

10-17-2024 Swim/Ride

Woke up nicely (<>) and got ready to head over to the WWC for a swim when it opened. I brewed some coffee and took it with me. Swam for only 1000 yds in a little over 20 minutes, then I went for a short walk around the local neighborhood before heading over to HP for coffee with John and Brooke. She is remodeling a bathroom and sounds like she really knows her way around home repair and remodeling. I was only back home for a short while before heading over to Best Pizza & Brew to meet up with some HP folks for lunch. Blair, James, Dan, and Kyle were there, along with Kyle's girlfriend and some of the HP LEP techs. It was a nice little lunch, I talked basketball with them quite a bit and just a little about the HP site move. Ann was gone when I got home, so I took a short break before going for a bike ride. Down by the park and then over to Highland Valley Rd, where I benefited from a tailwind on the way out and up the first climb. Curiously, the Strava segment covering this first climb appears to have vanished from Strava, not sure what happened there. I did set a PR (8:19, 250 W, 146 bpm) on the Strava segment that covers the first climb and goes until the Bandy Canyon Rd intersection, probably because I didn't stop at the top of the climb and kept riding. I kept going up to Bandy Canyon Rd and turned left there, riding around the bend and taking the private road up to its end before turning around and retracing my route home.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph. Total mileage = 13.3 mi

Avg power = 170 W. Weighted avg power = 202 W

Total elevation gain = 990'

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12680714510

When I got home, I reconnected my SRAM derailleur to my Wahoo Elemnt, it had probably gotten disconnected on the ride when I switched out my rear derailleur battery. I also looked into how to patch a large section of drywall, since there is a hole cut into the drywall in the front bedroom closet that needs to be closed up. Also took a look at my cycling mileage to date this year, I still have a shot at hitting 8000 miles but it's going to involve a couple of big months in November and December. In the evening, we drove down to Old Town, had drinks, and then attended The Rocky Horror Show at the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. It was really good, the lead character was excellent and the other characters were decent to good. Lots of familiar music in a campy setting, and the audience was into it, which made the experience more enjoyable.

10-16-2024 Ride

Woke up early to get ready for a ride over to John's house. I was a little delayed, so didn't get started until around 6:45. I kept up a pretty steady pace to get over there and was able to be there around 7:25. Standard route there, although I took the Alpine turn and rode up to the top of Briarleaf way before getting to his house. We headed up the hill to Angelique St but turned left onto Candy Rose Way, which gave us an alternative route to get to Cypress Canyon Park Dr. Left on that road, then another left onto Cypress Woods Dr to ride through the neighborhood (right on Swan Canyon Rd, right on Legacy Rd to get over to Pomerado Rd, where we turned right. Rode up to Stonebridge Pkwy and took this general climb up to the top. I pushed pretty hard on this climb and set a new PR from Pomerado Rd to the top (14:02, 222 W, 144 bpm), but that effort took a lot out of me. When I got to the top, I turned around and rode down to where John was still coming up, then rode back up again. We then rode on Via Santa Pradera to its end and took the access road down to Beeler Canyon Rd. I had intended to find a road to climb back up to Stonebridge Pkwy, but the one I picked looked like it was private, and very steep! So we continued on Creek Rd back to Pomerado Rd. We rode down to Stowe Dr and took it up to Community Rd, where we turned left and rode to Twin Peaks Rd. A right turn there up to Espola Rd, taking this little climb up and past the high school. John and I really pushed the pace on the downhill run to Pomerado Rd, then we stayed on RB Rd until turning left onto W Bernardo Dr. We followed the reverse of the time trial loop for a while then, including another hard push on the slight downhill section on Rancho Carmel Dr and Sabre Springs Pkwy. All the way over to Springhurst Dr, where we climbed back to his house the normal way. Smoothies after this ride, which for me was a challenge after the push on Stonebridge Pkwy. I also kept a pretty high pace on the return home, following the normal route (other than taking the Alpine turn on the way back) home, including the turn onto Bernardo Center Dr.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 50.8 mi

Avg power = 151 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Total elevation gain = 3420'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12671403346

When I got back, I had time to eat some breakfast, then shave and shower before eating an early lunch and heading over to the hospital for my volunteer shift. Nothing remarkable about the shift, I did see Leticia Jarvis from HP in the ED, she had some chest pains that she was getting checked out. The ED was full throughout my shift, but I wasn't crazy busy the whole time. It did get busy at the end and I stayed late to finish up some work before heading home. Nothing noteworthy about the evening, it was a quiet one.

I ran out of time on Pandora's Star and placed a hold on it, restarting Vaclav Smil's How the World Really Works, which I've been working on for a fairly long time. I'm near the end, it seems.

10-15-2024 Ride/Hike

Woke up early and well (<>!), then I got ready to take the car over to Jesco to have them diagnose the warning light that came on on Monday. I drove over there with my bike in the back and got there around 7:45. Waited until a little after 8:00, when one of the mechanics opened the office and left me drop the key off. Then I got my bike out and went for a ride. Headed north on Escondido Blvd until I turned left onto Valley Pkwy to get to Centre City Pkwy. I started this ride at a modest pace and determined not to go hard. Rode up to Country Club Ln and used it to get over to El Norte Pkwy. Then I rode east and turned right at Rose Ranch Rd, with a couple of little climbs before I turned right onto Mulberry Dr and took it over to Olive St. Left turn to get over to Twin Oaks Valley Rd, where I turned left and then turned left again soon after to stay on N Twin Oaks Valley Rd. I think this road was recently paved because it's in good shape is is a nice road to ride on. It has a gradual climb of about 1.5 mile, then a really sweet, sweeping downhill for another 1.5 mile. I was hoping I could get over to Gopher Canyon via this route but no luck. There was a gate across the road by a rock quarry and no easy way to bypass the gate. So I turned around and rode back up the climb and then down the more gradual descent to Twin Oaks Valley Rd. I stayed on it (had a short break where I ate a granola bar), slightly downhill and nice pace, until I got to Borden Rd, where I turned right to get some more miles in. Up the climb behind Palomar College, then a short descent to Las Posas Rd, which has another slight descent to get to Mission Rd. I turned left and had the benefit of a tailwind helping me, or at least it felt that way. Was feeling good on the bike in this section. Back to Washington Ave, taking this turnoff and then using Tulip St to get over to Valley Pkwy. I rode up to Quince St and took a right, riding to 13th Ave and using it to get back to Centre City Pkwy. Home the regular way from there, again it seemed like I had a tailwind helping me along as I was heading south. I made really good time on the last section.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph. Total mileage = 36.1 mi

Avg power = 138 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W

Total elevation gain = 1670'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/12662973130

Relative Effort = 42

Training Load = 130

Intensity = 75%

I had some coffee and coffee cake when I got home, took a little bit of a breather, then I walked around the yard looking for damage to the drip sprinklers from all of the recent work on the house. I repositioned some of the lines in the back, spliced two lines together than had gotten cut, and put some drip buttons back on the lines. In the front yard, next to the house, there were at least four lines that were damaged and which I replaced with the adjustable sprayers. I did some weeding out in the front yard as well, then called it a day for yard work. I still have to take a look at the sprinklers in the back beds near the house, so probably more work will be needed. In the late afternoon, Emily stopped by and gave me a ride to Kit Carson Park, where we met Caleb and went for a 2-mile hike around the park. Nice discussion, a lot of talking about cats, including Max's continuing issues with crystal formation in his urine. Then Emily dropped me off at Jesco so I could pick up the car and drive it home. I ate some dinner when I got home and called it an evening.

10-14-2024 Swim

Woke up, thought about going for a run but decided to have a walk instead. Walked around the neighborhood for a little over 45 minutes, then got ready for a swim at the WWC when I got home. It was really overcast in the morning, so only two swimmers at the start. I did 2000 yds, the first 500 with swim pads. I intended to do the last 500 using my pull buoy, but I only did the first 250 of the last 500 before finishing. The swim pads slowed me down, I think. No swim snorkel, and I noticed in the last 250 that my stroke was pretty ragged, probably because I haven't been swimming distances uninterrupted as much as in the past. Still, I finished in a little under 39 minutes, felt decent about that time. When I got home, I took a short break, had a cup of coffee, then changed the light bulb in the garage door opener. That was an easy one, followed by the harder task of painting the front gate. I used the eggshell paint left over from what the painters used on the wood trim. It was steady work for a couple of hours, took longer than I thought it would. Still, it looked decent when I finished it. I also replaced all of the plastic top caps with new ones I had purchased a while back. I ate a very light lunch after that, then Ann and I went to Target to pick up a couple of items. Watched some TV when I got home from that, then I changed the oil in my scooter, it had been about 800 miles since the last oil change. No issues there, should be good for at least another 6 months. In the evening, I cleaned up around the gate, the rode my scooter over to Los Panchos to have dinner with Earl, Paul Lorson, Gary Beckman, Marty Colling, and Steve Palmer. Conversation was decent, perhaps a little too focused on fishing for my taste. The ride home in the dark was a little unnerving, as the scooter doesn't have a very powerful headlight. But I made it home safely. 

10-13-2024 Ride

Woke up and got ready for a long bike ride, since I had missed the Saturday ride. Through the neighborhood, via Capilla Rd, then the extended way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Camino del Sur. From there, it was the normal way (San Dieguito/El Camino Real/Via de la Valle) to PCH. I made decent time on the flats on my way over to the coast and had a decent outbound ride up the coast. Went into the southern part of Oceanside, stopped at a donut shop, and ate two donuts while I read The Reader. I retraced my route heading back, rode steadily but not flat-out, and stopped for a brief food break at the turn back onto Via de la Valle. The climb up Three Witches was slow, I was out of the saddle on the three little climbing sections but couldn't generate much sustained power. I benefited from a tailwind on the way back, and it was clear that my legs were worn out. My left glute didn't give me any significant trouble, and I didn't have any muscle cramping, they were just tired and a little sore from the exertion. Even with the donut shop break, I set a Strava PR for riding 100 km.

Avg speed = 17.8 mph. Total mileage = 63.7 mi

Avg power = 158 W. Weighted avg power = 177 W

Total elevation gain = 2290'

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12648081313

After the ride and some food, it was time to start working on painting the front gate. I first sanded down the rust spots and irregular paint areas, then I removed the plastic caps with the intention of replacing them with the new ones I bought. We had some stain blocker primer paint in the garage, so I mixed it up and used it to paint over the discolored and sanded areas. It went pretty well, but solvent-based paints don't interact kindly with sponge paint brushes. After the cleaning and painting was done, I left it to dry and had a quiet rest of the afternoon, doing some reading and taking a short nap.I did a little data collection and analysis for my Strava cycling results, and other than that, it was a quiet evening as well.

10-12-2024 Ride

First time in a while that I didn't ride with the group on a Saturday when we were in town. I needed to hang around the house for Kris Nielson to show up (he ended up getting here after noon, which was frustrating). I took the time to set up my trainer in the garage with the monitor and my phone screen mirrored to it via Google Home. That part worked okay, although it took a while to get everything in place and started (one false start when I tried to switch from MyWhoosh to get some music going and the app closed down and forced me to start my ride over). It was good at the beginning, I had decent power and pretty quickly got into a rhythm. The course was in Australia, and it had a long climb in it that really dropped my average speed. The way I had MyWhoosh set up, it didn't increase the resistance on my Kickr when I was climbing, instead my average speed just dropped. But that route would be a killer if the resistance increased, since there were regular gradients in the 10-15% range. Because my average speed was so low, I ended up having to ride for almost an hour and a half to get to about 20 miles, and I was wiped out at the end. High average heartrate, and I was soaked, both indicating a really hard workout, even though it wasn't reflected in my average speed or distance.

Avg speed = 13.5 mph. Total mileage = 19.8 mi

Avg power = 152 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W

Total elevation gain = 1920'

Avg heartrate = 146 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/12638803488

After I was done, it took me a while to recover. I pulled my left glute muscle during the ride, and that made it hard to sit down. I read a little bit, watched some college football, ate some lunch. I also had a longish nap. In the afternoon I used ChatGPT to try and create a linear least squares model relating Strava's Relative Effort metric and my heartrate zone data. The fit was not great, so I still must be missing some component of the modeling. We met Rob and Isabelle at MexicanBar, a restaurant in Poway near Poway Rd and Pomerado Rd, for dinner, and the food was pretty good. It was a nice evening and it ended fairly early.

10-11-2024 Swim/Run

Woke up with a nice greeting to the morning (<>) and got ready to head over to the WWC for a swim and subsequent run. Avi met me there, and we initially had the pool to ourselves until several others showed up. Started with a warm-up 250, followed by 5 100s at about 1:45 pace on a 2:00 schedule. Then we did some swim stroke lengthening exercises followed by some exercises for me to practice breathing on the right side. Finished up with an easy 250. I was pretty tired out from the workout, so my subsequent 5k run was at a more modest pace, although each mile was faster than the previous.

Avg pace = 8:25/mi

Total distance = 3.15 mi

Elapsed moving time = 26:31

Avg heartrate = 145 bpm (Fitbit)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12630411036

Ann left for the beach shortly after I got home, so it was a relaxed quiet time around the house, which was nice after such a busy week. I decided to go get some lunch while the painters were on their lunch break, and this is when the trouble started. While I was at the restaurant in 4S Ranch, Ann texted me and said Kris was on his way to the house to look at the damage by the skylight. Since I wasn't there, she got upset because she had asked me to stay around the house. We argued about it when she got home from the beach, I made my points and she made hers. I had done the house painting inspection before the painters left and gave it the clearance, which allowed her to text the roofers and let them know the house was clear for finishing up their work next week. So, it was a particularly quiet afternoon and evening. I cleaned out the garage before Ann came home and went to have a beer in the late afternoon at Karl Strauss with Avi. We talked about some of the program management dynamics at Oura, he shared some of his frustrations, and I offered some advice and observations. I was able to get home before it got too dark.

10-10-2024 Run/Ride

I got up after Ann had woken up (rare) and got dressed to go for a run. Down by the park and around twice before running back. I was at tempo pace and had a couple of fast miles in a row before slowing down on the climb back up to the house. Still, I was pleased with my run. Calf was a little achy at the end but not a problem.

Avg pace = 7:27/mi

Total distance = 3.23 mi

Elapsed moving time = 24:05

https://www.strava.com/activities/12621595938

When I got home, I had a little second breakfast and then did some blog updating before turning the water off and taking the bathtub faucet valve out to inspect it. I tried cleaning it and blowing out any debris, soaking it in hot water, but it still leaked when I reinstalled it. So I went to get a replacement cartridge in Escondido, ending up at Reece Plumbing Supply on Auto Pkwy. Scotty, one of the employees, recommended that I purge the water lines before installing the new cartridge, so when I got home I tried it out after running cold water through the pipes, then installing the old cartridge. It still leaked, so I turned the water on and decided to wait for the plumber from Zech Plumbing to replace the water heater before repeating these steps. He showed up around noon and got to work, asking good questions and not trying to upsell anything to us. He finished the installation, and then I tried out the new cartridge. On the first try, it kept leaking, and when I took it out I discovered that one of the O-rings from the old cartridge was stuck inside the brass enclosure. After removing it and putting everything back together, I tried it again, and it didn't leak. Success! I put it all back together, also had some time to reposition the aero bars on my old bike before I got ready for my afternoon ride with Blair. Over to HP the original, shortest way, meeting him in the back parking lot. We then headed over to Camino del Norte and took it up to Carmel Mountain Rd, turning right there and then right again onto Rancho Carmel Dr. We stayed on this road until it turned into Sabre Springs Pkwy, taking it to its end and turning right on Springhurst Dr to ride up the little climb to Springbrook Dr and then to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. We then rode down to Pomerado Rd and turned left there, taking it to Metate Ln and turning right. All this time I was riding at Blair's pace, legs were feeling it from the previous day and the earlier run. We rode up to Community Rd and turned left to get back to Poway Rd, where we turned left again and rode to Pomerado Rd. A right turn there and a stretch of road that I don't remember much about, taking us to Twin Peaks Rd, where we turned left and rode back to HP the normal way from there. I got out in front of Blair a little bit on these climbs but not too much. It was dusky when we got back to the parking lot, and I rode home the normal way from there.

Avg speed = 14.6 mph. Total mileage = 22.7 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 147 W

Total elevation gain = 1460'

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12625820885

Ann was gone to bunko by the time I got home, so I heated up leftovers for dinner and watched just a little bit of football before tackling all the dishes in the kitchen. Then I had a shower and read in bed for the evening.

10-09-2024 Ride

Woke up early to get ready for a bike ride with John. Before I left, I also checked whether the hot water heater tank was completely empty by opening the drain valve using a screwdriver. Rode through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd, then over to W Bernardo Dr and on to RB Rd. From there, it was the usual way to his place until I got to Alpine Terrace on the little climb, where I turned and took this route. It was pretty foggy on the way over. Jayden counted us down as we started, then we rode up to the top of Pomerado Rd. I rode through heavy fog all the way to the top of Angelique Dr before turning back and meeting John at the turn to Cypress Canyon Park Dr. We took care going down Pomerado Rd, especially near the top where it was quite foggy. Down to Kearny Villa Rd, where it was overcast but the fog was dissipated. We turned left, and I pushed a harder pace on this flat stretch until I gapped John, then I slowed down. We stayed on Kearny Villa Rd at the turn and took it down to Balboa Ave, turning right there. They have paved this section of the road out to about Genesee Ave, but it is sketchy west of there. I got separation from John on the little climb up to Clairemont Mesa Blvd, so I waited for him just before the turn onto Soledad Mountain Rd. Initially, I wasn't sure I would push hard on this climb, but I decided to give it an effort and was rewarded with a PR on the climb up to the cross (16:16, 253 W, 157 bpm). Did a lap around the cross when I got there, then I waited for John to show up. I passed a guy on an ElliptiGo going up, and he rode to the cross as well, which is an accomplishment on that vehicle. After a short break when John got to the top, we rode down Via Capri to Torrey Pines Rd, taking this gradual climb up to La Jolla Village Dr. This climb suits my style, and I usually do pretty well going up it. A right turn, and we rode past UTC over to Miramar Rd. I gapped John again and waited for him to catch up by Eastgate Mall. From there, it was the usual way back to his house. I dialed it way back on the Pomerado Rd climb, riding with John and waiting when I got out in front. I was running a little late and didn't stay for smoothies this time, instead riding home the normal way via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. I kept a higher pace than usual on the way home, looking to increase my average speed (successful). Legs felt fine after, but I could feel the effects of a ride where I pushed myself at times.

Avg speed = 16.7 mph. Total mileage = 56.6 mi

Avg power = 151 W. Weighted avg power = 179 W

Total elevation gain = 3510'

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/12615817337

I didn't have a lot of time after I got back before my volunteer shift at the hospital. Shaved, had a sponge batch (still no hot water), ate a little bit for lunch, and talked to a plumber who gave us a quote of $3800 (!!!) for replacing our water heater. That was a shocker. The painters started painting the house, working on the east side and the back of the house before getting to the west side. At the hospital, I met Madison, a new med tech that I hadn't worked with. Also cleaned up a room after somebody had died in it (he was 91), which was sobering. It was pretty busy throughout the shift. I stopped at Sprouts on the way home, then it was pretty quiet in the evening. I was hungry throughout the evening, even woke up in the night and had a bowl of cereal.

10-08-2024 Ride

We both got up early to get ready for heading back home after our stay in PB while the house was tented. Yogurt and coffee for breakfast, then we got Yofi into the carrier much more easily than the previous time, even though it was very stressful for us and traumatic for her. Packed up the car and we were on our way a little after 8:00. Traffic to get to I-8, then it was smooth sailing home. We were happy to see the tent down when we got home, and the house was fully cleared for entry. Unpacked our stuff, then I set about turning the water back on. When I did, the water heater started leaking again, so I had to figure out how to turn the cold water supply to the heater off (valve on the water line at the top of the tank). I vacuumed up and swept out the water that had leaked onto the garage floor. Kept the fans on to dry the area out. Kris Nielson from the painters eventually showed up and was initially freaked out about the guys working on the roof, but I talked him down from the ledge, and his workers spent the day power washing and taping off areas in preparation for painting. Then Ann and I tackled putting the food back. I had the refrigerator, and I cleaned the shelves off as I went. Glad to have that task done, I took a nap in the early afternoon. Ann went to the store to get some more groceries. I rearranged some stuff in the garage, still work to do to get items back in place after the new water heater is installed. When I turned the water back on, we noticed that the faucet in the other upstairs bathroom was leaking. I knew I had to turn the water off and buy some new Price Pfister cartridge parts, so I put this job off until I would have the time and the water could be turned off (Thursday). In the late afternoon, I went for a bike ride, easy pace and relatively flat. Headed down by the park and then over to Highland Valley Rd, taking the flats and up the beginning of the first climb before turning around and riding back to Pomerado Rd. Turned left there and rode up to Twin Peaks Rd, where I turned right and rode up to the continuation of the time trial route, following it home. It was a nice temperature to ride, a little warm but not hot. The roofers finished replacing all of the rotted or infested wood and were done with Phase 1 of the roofing job by mid-afternoon.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph. Total mileage = 18.3 mph

Avg power = 123 W. Weighted avg power = 148 W

Total elevation gain = 1030'

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 16

Training Load = 61

Intensity = 69%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12610051797

A note here about my SRAM settings. I had been playing around with the microadjustment settings, going from the original setting to 8 down to 4, then trying different values between these two numbers. I'm currently at a setting of 6, and the shifting seems okay. We ate dinner when I got home, and then it was a quiet evening.

10-07-2024 Ride

Got up slowly (<>!) and got ready to go riding. Intent was to practice time trial mode, so I rode to Pacific Beach Dr and used it to get to Mission Bay. Rode over to Fiesta Island at pace but not super fast. Once I got there, I dialed up the speed and rode three laps around the island. I was able to keep in the aero drops for most of the time, and I thought I had a good TT. Later, when I saw the time, I was a little disappointed in the time, but my average power was also down, which suggests that I have the capacity to ride harder. Then I rode back to Pacific Beach Dr and over to Olney St, taking it to Balboa Ave. Turned right there and rode to Soledad Mountain Rd, where I turned left. This was not going to be a PR day, I took it nice and easy on the climb, just pushing it a little bit on the steeper sections. I rode to the top by the cross and took a short break there before turning around and starting down La Jolla Scenic Dr. I saw that there was a potential new downhill that I hadn't ridden before, by turning left onto Cardeno Dr. This road is shorter and steeper than Soledad Mountain Rd, but it's not as bad as Via Capri, probably similar to Nautilus Rd. This road turns into Fanuel St, which would have taken me directly into PB, but I didn't know that, so I ended up turning right onto Turquoise St and taking it to Mission Blvd. Then I rode through downtown PB to Pacific Beach Dr and used it to get back to our AirBnb. On this ride, my biggest effort was on the time trial section, then I took it pretty easy for the rest of the ride.

Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 29.8 mi

Avg power = 152 W. Weighted avg power = 172 W

Total elevation gain = 970'

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/12599131562

After I got back, we talked about things to do during the day. Decided to walk to PB and have lunch at a pizza place, then go play pinball at the Aero / Dyno Bar over by the airport. Of course, the pizza place was closed (note on the door said it was opening later than usual), but we ended up finding a good place for Mexican food, Mission Taco, which also had homemade horchata that was really tasty but a little gritty. The Dyno Bar experience was okay, we got there at Happy Hour and that was decent, but the number of pinball machines and other video games was a little limited. Ann was the Pinball Queen on this day, beating me almost every time. I did get to enter my initials for a high score on a wacky PacMan game that we played. Back to PB, stopping at Ralph's for some dinner food that could be microwaved, then it was a quiet evening.

10-06-2024 Ride

Had to get up early to drive over to the vineyards at The Succulent Cellar, where I had volunteered to help pick grapes. It was foggy until I climbed above the marine layer while driving up Highland Valley Rd. Got there around 6:50, and I was picking grapes by about 7:05. Morning was generally cool, and the grape picking went pretty smoothly and quickly. We finished around 10:00, and Michelle made mimosas for the pickers. It was heating up by then, so I was glad we stopped. Drove back to the PB Airbnb, had a nap, then in the afternoon Ann and I walked to the bay and then over to PB Ice Cream Co on Grand Ave. It was tasty. We then walked to the beach and headed down the sidewalk for a bit before turning in and walking back to the bayside. Then it was back to the Airbnb and a short break, watching a little football, before I did an afternoon ride. I rode over to Pacific Beach Dr and took it to Mission Bay, where the streets are really good for riding in the aero position. I had adjusted my aero bars, they are currently quite low, but my back seemed to handle it well. Took park roads over to Fiesta Island, where I did one full loop and one short loop. The wind was brisk, which slowed me up while riding into it. But riding with the wind at my back was exhilarating. After that, I rode over to Belmont Park, then turned around and rode along some other roads until finally finding Ingraham St and getting back to the starting point. I'm feeling fairly comfortable in the aero drops, except in turns, when I put at least one hand on the handlebars.

Avg speed = 19.1 mph. Total mileage = 18.6 mi

Avg power = 168 W. Weighted avg power = 185 W

Total elevation gain = 310'

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 42

Training Load = 78

Intensity = 86%

https://www.strava.com/activities/12594242307

After the ride, we ate a light dinner and spent the evening quietly. 

10-05-2024 Ride

Got up pretty early, after Yofi sat with me in the night, still nervous but some progress. I got ready for my ride in the dark, waited a little bit after I was ready for it to get lighter. Headed solo back toward home, riding up Ingraham St to Pacific Beach Dr, where I turned right and took it over to the Rose Canyon Bike Path. I was riding my Fuji bike with aero handlebars and took the opportunity to practice being in the aero drops. Not much traffic on the bike path, but I took it carefully until the new section, when I got in the drops and powered up to Gilman Dr. Set a PR on this long stretch (11:48, 183 W, 143 bpm), but there are some really fast times on this stretch from other Bisikleta riders. I took Gilman Dr up the hill and through UCSD campus to Pepper Canyon Dr. I also did well in the aero drops on this section, a mild climb. Turned left and took it over to the bike path that parallels I-5 on the west side. Fast in the drops on the way down, got over to Sorrento Valley Rd, which I took over to the 56 bike path. This road is rough, impossible to ride in the aero drops. When I got to the bike path, I decided to keep going and ended up taking it to Camino del Sur. I waited about 10 minutes for the group to come down Camino del Sur. On this day, the riders were: Gideon, Andy, Rob, James, Sid (old guy, pretty fast for his age), Kamal, Zac, Fritz, Eric, Jed, and Charlie. I turned around, and we rode back down the bike path to El Camino Real, where I suggested, after talking to Rob, an alternate route. Unfortunately, Gideon and Fritz kept riding on the bike path, so I had to chase them down and get them back on the new route. We took El Camino Real up to Carmel Mountain Rd, turning right there and then left onto Vista Sorrento Pkwy. I was pulling hard to try and catch up with the others, succeeding right as we got to the turn onto Sorrento Valley Blvd. We rode over to the base of the bike path climbing up the west side of I-5, and I started out in the lead. I wasn't pushing it overly hard until Zac passed me near the top of the first section, then I kicked it into high gear in the aero drops and passed him before the top. I dialed it back for the second, shorter section back to Pepper Canyon Dr, riding with Rob. We retraced my earlier route back to campus, then Zac led us to a break point (we stopped but nobody got water or used the restroom). It was pretty foggy here, in fact the ride alternated between clear, overcast, and foggy, with not so many clear sections. We rode on Gilman Dr to Theatre District Dr and used it to ride over to N Torrey Pines Rd. It was really foggy here. Turned right and took it to Torrey Pines Rd, turning left there. I got in the aero drops here and pushed a hard pace to the start of the descent. Pretty fast down the hill, trying to match Jed's pace as he looked to catch up to Zac in the lead. I caught up with them near the bottom and let them know I was turning back. I waved to the others as they came by, then headed back up the inside route, slowly. I was feeling drained by the earlier high-intensity efforts. Rode up and then down Genesee Ave to get to the bike path that parallels I-5. Back on this route, this time retracing my earlier route all the way back to Ingraham St. It looked to be short for 50 miles, so I continued on Pacific Beach Dr all the way to the coast. That's when I saw Ann's message about a water heater leak at the house (ugh!). I rode back to the Airbnb from there to finish the ride. Smaller difference between the power values below (and higher average heartrate) is a testament to my efforts to keep pedaling more on flats and descents. 

Avg speed = 16.7 mph. Total mileage = 51.8 mi

Avg power = 151 W. Weighted avg power = 169 W

Total elevation gain = 2660'

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12582778239

When I got back, I had a short break, then showered before we drove home to assess the situation. Ann had bought me a cinnamon roll, which I ate on the way to replace some calories. At home, they let us in the house after it had been tented. It was eery. We took all the house fans and aimed them at the area by the water heater to dry it out, then pushed the standing water in the garage out to the driveway. Moved  the boxes by the wet areas away. Shouldn't be a huge deal, but we will need a new water heater. We hung around the Airbnb on Saturday afternoon until we drove to UTC at 4:30 to meet Joe and Cathie for dinner at Tender Greens. That mall is really busy. The restaurant was okay. After dinner, we walked around trying to find Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt, since Cathie had some gift cards. We found it eventually after wandering around, which gave me and Joe time to chat and catch up with each other. Done around 6:30, headed back to the Airbnb for a quiet evening. <>

10-04-2024 Swim

Woke up around 5:30 and lazed around until heading out for an hour long walk through the neighborhood. I got back, had a quick breakfast, then headed over to the WWC for a swim. It was fairly busy, but I got my own lane. I started with a 250 wearing swim pads, then I did 5 100s at speed, resting up to the 2:00 mark before the next one. I did the first and last in about 1:40, but it was a challenge. I followed this with a 500 at tempo, finishing in about 9:20 (maybe earlier). Then I wrapped it up with another 250, slower pace, with the pull buoy and swim pads. Got gas before heading home, then it was work time to get the house ready for tenting. I taped the bags up, it took a lot longer than I thought. Then I packed my stuff, including important documents. Had a light lunch, wasn't so hungry. I put the aero bars on my old bike, it's always a chore to align the bolts into the holes. There was a lot of little things that needed to get done before we left, and I was getting tired. Finally the car was packed up, including my bike, and we had to get the cat in the carrier. It was awful, she scratched and bit my wrist. But we got her in on the second try and drove to Pacific Beach, where our Airbnb was. It's a studio on Ingraham St, lots of street noise but otherwise OK in a pinch. We'll be here until Tuesday, when the house should be cleared to return. In the evening, after an eventful day, we drove to a trolley station and took the Blue Line to UCSD, walking from the station (after a walk around the campus) to the Epstein Family Amphitheater. We saw Aiofe O'Donovan perform live with her trio and the La Jolla Symphony and San Diego Youth Choir. It's a nice venue, we had great seats for the price we paid. The acoustics weren't great for this combination, had some trouble making out her lyrics. The concert was nice, not great but a good evening that ended by 9:00, which was a plus on this long day. 

10-03-2024 Run/Swim/Ride

Woke up and got ready for a run. Down by the park and back for the typical 5k route. I ran faster than on Monday but didn't go all out. Not as much muscle soreness in my left calf, although I could feel it. I did increase my pace successively throughout the run, was pushing pretty hard on the climb back up to the house.

Avg pace = 7:50/mi

Total distance = 3.24 mi

Elapsed moving time = 25:24

Avg heartrate = 162 bpm (Fitbit)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12564786790

When I got home, I had enough time to eat some breakfast before getting ready to go to the WWC for a swim. This was intended to be 2000 yds at a fairly leisurely pace. I skipped the swim pads and used the snorkel for the second half. It seemed to me that swimming with the snorkel was slower than free swimming, and I don't think it was just because it was the second half. Finished in about 41 minutes, it was also hard for me to keep track of both my swim stroke and the number of lengths I swam. Later in the morning, I drove into Escondido, got gas, and then drove to the hospital to get my flu shot and to find out that I only need a TB test every four years. Then I drove home and had a light lunch. Was tired from waking up early (about 4:30) and exercising, so I had a nap before getting ready to head over to my dental cleaning. The appointment start was delayed about 20 minutes, but the hygienist was fairly quick and businesslike. I was out of there around 4:00, stopped at Stater Bros to get some wine, then headed to the HP back parking lot to meet Blair for a ride. I was a little late but not too bad. We headed down Bernardo Center Dr to Carmel Valley Rd, taking it up to Black Mountain Rd. I was slow for most of the ride, tired and trying to stay with Blair. We turned left and rode over to Park Village Dr, turning right there. I dropped my chain but got it back on quickly and caught up with Blair. We rode to Camino del Sur and turned right, taking the gradual climb slowly, up to the 56 bike path. We headed west there to Salmon River Rd, using it to get back to Carmel Valley Rd. Then we took this back to Camino del Sur and turned left, riding at modest pace back to Paseo del Sur. Through that neighborhood, then Camino del Sur to RB Rd. Back to HP using Via del Campo, and Blair was definitely done at the end of this ride.

Avg speed = 14.4 mph. Total mileage =21.4 mi

Avg power =112 W. Weighted avg power = 139 W

Total elevation gain = 1360'

Avg heartrate =107 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/12569736376

I was happy not to have to ride home. Drove back, had a little dinner, then I headed over to Gideon's house to hang out while others tried the Eliel bike kits on. Jhonar was there, along with other Decision Board members. Gideon has a nice setup for entertaining in his back yard, and they grilled a lot of meat. I ate cheese and kimchi, had some shots of tequila and some rye whisky. The others dithered a lot about the kit fit, and I left a little before 10:00. It was a long day.

10-02-2024 Ride

Was awake early (<>), had some breakfast before getting ready to ride over to John's house. I rode up Aguamiel Rd and then over to W Bernardo Dr, taking it to RB Rd. From there, it was the usual way to his place. I had a little bit of a late start, so I kept a fairly fast pace and got over there just before 7:30. From there, we headed back down the hill and over Sabre Springs Pkwy to the 56 bike path. We took it all the way to its end, then over to Carmel Valley Rd. Fairly early on the path, we met another guy who was riding at about our pace, and we traded leads with him all the way down. We took Carmel Valley Rd up to PCH, turning left and then riding up the inside route for Torrey Pines. I was at medium speed on the first steep section, waited for John near the top of the climb, then we rode together on the shallower section back over to Torrey Pines Rd. We took John Jay Hopkins Dr to get to Genesee Ave, then rode toward UTC, turning left onto Eastgate Mall and using it to get to Miramar Rd. For a time, I rode a little faster, getting out ahead of him, then I slowed down and waited for him to catch up. We rode back to his house the normal way up Pomerado Rd. I hit the green light at Scripps-Poway Pkwy at speed and almost had a collision with a car coming from the other direction and making a left turn. Was a little scary but not too much. Smoothies when we got back to his place, then I rode home the normal way from there, including turning right on Bernardo Center Dr. Legs felt fine on the ride, I was more tired than usual, probably because of the longer bike ride on the previous day.

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 53.2 mi

Avg power = 135 W. Weighted avg power = 159 W

Total elevation gain = 2790'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/12558598931

I didn't have a lot of time when I got home to get ready for my volunteer shift. Ate some lunch, had a shave and a shower, and it was time to leave. Nothing really noteworthy during the shift, which started slowly and was really busy at the end. I did see, for the first time, a patient getting shocked with the paddles. That was quite intense. In the evening, Ann and I spent more than an hour packing our food into the plastic bags to protect it from the tenting process scheduled for the weekend. I was pretty wiped out at the end of this day.

10-01-2024 Ride/Swim

Woke up as it was starting to get light and got ready for a bike ride while the day was still cool. When I left the house, it was foggy, even a little misty at times. I rode through the neighborhood, taking Matinal Circle all the way around and then riding on W Bernardo Dr up to RB Rd. Turned right and rode up to the 4S Ranch neighborhood, where I took the extended route, including the climb up to the water tower, where I was above the fog layer. Then it was back down and over to Camino del Sur, taking it up to Carmel Valley Rd. I was riding at a lower effort level overall, intent to get some miles in but not to overdo it. There was a fair amount of work and school traffic on Carmel Valley Rd as it got closer to the 56, but I turned right onto Del Mar Heights Rd, taking it down to Carmel Canyon Rd and using this road to get over to Carmel Country Rd. I decided to take this climb, having never ridden it in this direction. It's about a mile at the steeper gradient (7% in general), not too tough, then it levels out a bit up to Carmel Mountain Rd. A right turn there, and a general downhill all the way to the entrance to the 56 bike path, where I turned to take it to its western end. I stopped by the Park n Ride there and ate a banana before getting over to Carmel Valley Rd and taking it back to El Camino Real. Headed up, fairly slowly, into Del Mar Heights, then down into the flats and over to San Dieguito Rd. I kept up a pretty decent pace on this section, not too fast but not slow either. I was slower on the Three Witches climb back to Camino del Sur, had thought about pushing the pace there but ultimately decided not to. From there, it was home via the traditional RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr route. I ended up putting in a few more miles than originally envisioned, need to keep this up in order to have a shot at reaching 8k riding miles for the year.

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 40.6 mi

Avg power = 135 W. Weighted avg power = 172 W

Total elevation gain = 2400'

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/12549423014

I was hungry when I got home, so I had some cereal, then hung around in late morning. I talked Ann into going over to the WWC in the early afternoon. We worked out in the gym, it was good to see her on the exercise machines. I think we can make this a more regular occurrence, to our mutual benefit. I focused on arm strength, mainly for improving my swimming. After that, we played a couple of games of pool in the rec room, the table is decent but the pool cues are terrible. Then we swam in the pool. Ann just dipped in while I swam two 500s at about 9:30 pace, the second one with the pull buoy to allow me to focus on my stroke length. It actually wasn't too bad in the first 500. I just need more arm strength and endurance to keep that stroke going over a long period. Not much else happened when we got home, it was a quiet later afternoon and evening. I did finish Rings of Fire and started Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton. I think I found this book on a recommended SF reading list, will see how it is.