01-31-2025 Ride

Got up around 7:00, not normal for me. It was cold but warming up pretty quickly. I dressed for the warming weather and suffered a little bit at the start. Rode down to the park and met Paula. She and I discussed the route, and she convinced me (correctly) to do a loop rather than an out-and-back. So we headed back up W Bernardo Dr, slowly at her pace, to RB Rd, then took that climb as well pretty slowly. That warmed us up quickly. We headed over to Camino del Sur, turning right and taking it down to San Dieguito Rd, where we turned and took the downhill into Fairbanks Ranch. A left on El Apajo, then another left onto Calzada del Bosque. We had some miles to include, so I decided to ride through the RSF neighborhood. We rode up to Los Arboles and turned there, taking it up to Via de Alba and taking a right there. Over to La Gracia, where I turned us right. But it dead-ended into Via de la Valle, so we turned around and went the other way, which brought us, after a little climb, into downtown RSF, where the street was named La Flecha. We stayed on this road until it connected with Paseo Delicias. A right turn there, and we were on our way to the Del Dios Hwy climb. I got out ahead before the climb, then I waited for Paula to catch up and rode behind her up the first part of the climb. I got out ahead again and rode to the top, waited for her, then we descended to Rancho Dr, turning there and taking this road down by the lake. It's really nice, but the climb on Lake Dr back to Via Rancho Pkwy is a little less than a mile and pretty steep. I waited for her at the intersection, then we continued up the more gradual climb before descending quickly down to Felicita Ave. She was properly cautious on this descent, which is a fast one. Down to the freeway from there, then over Lake Hodges via the bike path under the freeway and the pedestrian bridge. From there, it was just the final little climb up to the park before we were finished with the ride. My average speed was down, but I didn't want to push too hard anyway, with a Saturday Bisikleta ride to deal with. I rode home the normal way from there. This ride had a little more climbing in it than my usual 30-mile rides.

Avg speed = 13.6 mph. Total mileage = 30.5 mi

Avg power = 113 W. Weighted avg power = 142 W

Total elevation gain = 2160'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 37

Training Load = 104

Intensity = 63%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13503435635

After I got home, after 11:00, I had something to eat, and I took a break. Then Ann helped me paint the patched areas up by the skylight. I used the paint in the half-full can of White Shadow Eggshell paint. The tint didn't match exactly, and it became more apparent as it dried. So, more work needed to be done. The rest of the day was quiet for me. I read a fair amount, and in the evening, before and after dinner, I modified my route analysis program to include total elevation gain. Interestingly, my program tends to output higher numbers than are reported in Strava, not sure why. I tried to figure out the reason for the differences but to no avail. I also modified the batch file processing program to include this metric and to fix some other bugs, then I ran it as well. Watched some TV, and that was the day.

01-30-2025 Swim/Run

Woke up after having some stress dreams related to our conversation with Laura the previous evening. I'm so glad I'm not working any more. Cleaned the kitchen and then got ready for a swim at the WWC. I tried out a stroke style of holding my trailing hand back while I pushed with my leading hand. It felt smoother, and I was able to reduce my stroke count, but it is definitely more of a cardio workout to follow this stroke. I couldn't keep it going consistently, tried using it at times throughout the swim. Here are my splits for 3 500s, a 150, and a 250 (with the push buoy): 9:13, 9:45, 9:54, 2:50, 4:34. I did take a short break before the last 250. Think I need weight training to build my upper body strength for a more consistently powerful stroke, but I'm not a fan of the weight room. When I got home, Ann was working out the current state of our finances. I watched a little TV, had some lunch, and worked on cleaning up the archived photo files on my phone. Ann went to play Mah-Jongg in the afternoon, and I went to Home Depot to pick up a couple of small paint rollers for painting around the skylight. Later, I went for a run down by the park. Walked down the hill and started running when it flattened out. I ran to the park and then did three laps around it before running back to Aguamiel Rd and its flat section. Felt good, each mile was faster than the previous one. I walked up the hill to the house.

Avg pace = 7:32/mi

Total distance = 3.72 mi

Elapsed moving time = 28:03

Avg heartrate = 149 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 38

https://www.strava.com/activities/13496944041

Not much done after I got home. Ann was still gone. Read some more. After dinner, we watched a couple of hours of the FireAid concert. Joni Mitchell's performance was sweet; her voice is gone, but her intonation is still rich. The other old performers were mostly cringey, John Mayer's set was good, as was P1nk. Earth, Wind & Fire was also decent but on the ragged edge with their voices.

01-29-2025 Ride

Woke up around 6 (<!>) and had some breakfast. Just as I was starting to get ready for a bike ride, I got a call from Ben, and we talked for about 45 minutes about Mom and the situation with Ross. Once I got off the phone, I got ready and headed out on my bike. Down by the park and then over the freeway to BVP, heading to Beethoven Dr and taking a right there. This road is pretty steep for about a mile and then deadends into Sierra Linda Dr. I turned right there and started heading east but stopped as the road descended, then turned around. Sierra Linda Dr the other way drops down to San Pasqual Rd, where I turned right and road into the valley. This road is sketchy, particularly so on this day, with traffic and a swirling wind to deal with. I rode down to Old Milky Way and turned right there, taking it over to the 78, where I turned left and rode by the Wild Animal Park. Down to Cloverdale Rd, where on a whim I turned right and took it all the way to its practical end, at a gated community. It has a couple of climbs and descents, with a gradual descent back to the 78. I turned right here and took this climb really slowly, in first gear most of the way, just keeping a steady cadence and not thinking about the effort too much. I stayed on San Pasqual Valley Rd through the light at BVP, then turned left on Felicita Ave, climbing that little hill before descending into south Escondido. I stayed on Felicita Ave, riding past the park and over to Via Rancho Pkwy, where I turned left. Down to the freeway and over, then home via W Bernardo Dr up to Duenda Rd and the normal way from there. Was slower on this day but included more climbing than usual as well.

Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 25.2 mi

Avg power = 146 W. Weighted avg power = 183 W

Total elevation gain = 1800'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 48

Training Load = 133

Intensity = 90%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13485956912

When I got home, I got back up on the ladder and sanded down the rough spots on the plaster patches that I had applied the previous day. It looks just okay, not great. Am hoping that, once it's painted, it isn't so noticeable. Then it was time for lunch and getting ready to go to the hospital for my volunteer shift. Nothing special during the shift, and it was a quiet evening after I got home. We talked to Laura, she's feeling a lot of stress these days, along with Joe and Zach.

I finished Deacon King Kong (really like the character development here, and the story had a satisfying ending that included a little bit of suspension of disbelief, but not too much) and started a book by Timothy Zahn, Deadman Switch. It has a far-fetched premise about using zombies as pilots to a particular planet. We'll see how the story progresses.

01-28-2025 Ride

It was cold, mid-30s, when I woke up, but I got ready for a morning ride anyway. Bundled up, triple gloves in this case to try and keep my hands warmer. I headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd and stayed on it to Camino del Sur, then rode a common Bisikleta route down into Fairbanks Ranch and over to the coast via El Camino Real and Via de la Valle. Was applying moderate tempo but not overdoing it. I could feel the modest effects of the longer run from the previous day. When I got to PCH, I turned right and rode up to Cardiff before turning around and heading south. Stayed on PCH through Del Mar and then turned onto Carmel Valley Rd. To the 56 bike path, which I took up to Camino del Sur before turning there. From that point, it was home the straight way via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. Around 2/3 of the way through, I was a little surprised that my average speed wasn't higher, but I didn't give up and kept a pretty decent output up to the end.

Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 42.9 mi

Avg power = 162 W. Weighted avg power = 189 W

Total elevation gain = 2130'

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm

Relative Effort = 92

Training Load = 226

Intensity = 93%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13476522109

When I got home it was mid-morning, so I had a little time to relax before showering and heading over to Best Pizza & Brew to meet John for lunch. We had a nice conversation, pizza was decent but the crust was a little too soggy for my taste. I rode home after that and read for a while before Ann came back from a walk with Kay. Once she was home, we set up the extension ladder on the stairs landing, and I climbed up there to apply the spackling to the areas where it had fallen off during the roof repairs. Was a little dicey, since I was high up on the ladder, but I took my time and held on to the ladder at all times with one hand. But I got it done and down off the ladder with no mishaps. The rest of the day and evening was quiet.

01-27-2025 Swim/Run

It rained in the night, so I wasn't planning on riding in the morning. Instead, I rode over to the WWC and planned on a swim and a run afterwards. My intent was to swim 2500 yds, so I started off at an easier pace than usual. I didn't slow down as much during the swim, but I kept losing track of my laps, and there were a lot of other swimmers in the pool that added a minor distraction, so I ended up swimming 2800 yds, the longest distance for me in quite a while. Finished in under 56 minutes, so an old goal of mine of swimming 3000 yds in under an hour is well within reach. Here are the 500 yd splits, last one was 300 yds: 9:44, 9:45, 9:57, 9:54, 10:09, 5:59. It was overcast during the swim but I don't think it rained. I changed into my running clothes and ran the 5k loop twice. I got sprinkled on for about the first 2.5k, then it stopped. Again, I started out at a slower pace, saving energy for the longer distance. That energy helped me run the second half significantly faster than the first half. Legs held up, no muscle pain, but I need some running socks with more cushion when I do these longer distances.

Total distance = 6.27 mi

Avg pace = 8:33/mi

Elapsed running time = 53:55

Avg heartrate = 139 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/13467637073

When I got back home, I was hungry but waited a little bit and had lunch later. In the early afternoon, I rode my scooter over to Home Depot and picked up some fresh, heavyweight spackling compound as well as wall texture spray for the repair to the plaster by the skylight. Ann and I had picked up an extension ladder from Jim over the weekend, so the next step is to apply the patch, then paint. I also swapped out a patched inner tube for an unpatched one on my new bike, all went well. Evening was quiet.

01-26-2025 Walk/Basketball

Woke up after a somewhat fistful sleep (<>!) and had a chill morning. It was either raining or wet, so I decided no bike ride. Late in the morning, I filled up my basketball with air and walked in intermittent drizzle over to the WWC. I shot baskets for a while, was really rusty and didn't feel like I had a good stroke. I walked back, and it was still sprinkling a little bit. Got home and had a quiet rest of the day. I read a little bit, had a nap, watched Bill's-Chiefs, and waxed my new bike chain after cleaning it with solvents.

01-25-2025 Ride

Emily's 33rd birthday! I got up, it was pretty cold, 36 on the thermometer, so I bundled up with four layers on my chest and three layers on my feet. Hands were still cold, as usual, but the rest of me was warm enough. Through the neighborhood, taking Capilla Rd to see if Gideon was riding (no), then the short route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. On this day, there were the following riders: Ray (almost didn't show because he had had a rough night), Perse, Arnold, Jed, Fritz, James, Charlie, Eli (Perse's co-worker), Zac, and Joey. I had mapped out the route, and Zac suggested a modification. We rode over to Paseo del Sur and took it down to Camino del Sur, staying on this road until we turned onto Carmel Valley Rd. On the initial parts of this ride, I was consistently in the front, trying to set and control the pace. Zac was also near the front, as were Arnold and Fritz. Throughout the ride, Fritz was consistently near the front, the others wandered in their position in the group. We took Carmel Valley Rd to Del Mar Heights Rd, turning there and riding down to Carmel Canyon Rd, where we took a left, then another left onto Carmel Country Rd to get to the 56 bike path. It had warmed up a little bit on the ride until we had to ride by the creek, and it got cold again for a while. We got onto El Camino Real and headed south, up to Carmel Mountain Rd to get over to Vista Sorrento Pkwy, which we took over to Mira Sorrento Pl, turning left there and riding up to Scranton Rd. This road allowed us to cross Mira Mesa Blvd and get over to Carroll Canyon Rd, where we turned and started a modest climb up Carroll Rd before getting to Camino Santa Fe and turning left here. This was Zac's mod. We rode over to the neighborhood by his and Joey's place, stopping there for our mid-ride break. It's a nice little complex they live in. After the break, we took surface streets through the neighborhood to a newly opened section of Carroll Canyon Rd, where there was good road and little traffic. Up to Camino Ruiz, where I think I had originally planned to get over to Miramar Rd. Instead, we turned on Activity Rd and took it up to Black Mountain Rd. Fritz wanted to turn left there, but the route had us going right and getting over to Pomerado Rd, so we went that way. Up to Scripps Ranch Blvd, turning there and staying on it past the turn to get up to Erma Rd. Around this time, Eli started cramping, so he and Perse slowed way down. We rode to the bike path that parallels the freeway and took it to Poway Rd and then rode up to Sabre Springs Pkwy.  Up to Rancho Carmel Rd, staying on it past the post office. Interspersed throughout were stops for everybody to regroup. Around this time, I decided to hang back with Perse and Eli while the rest of the riders went ahead. We turned onto Carmel Mountain Rd and took it to Paseo Lucido, staying on it through the light at Bernardo Heights Pkwy and then riding down the hill through that neighborhood to get back to Bernardo Heights Pkwy and then to Bernardo Center Dr. We were riding quite slowly by this time, Eli was really suffering but wanted to finish the original route. Up to Duenda Rd and then down to W Bernardo Dr, turning left there and taking it back to RB Rd. We turned right and took the straight route back to the starting point. We were able to make it up the last climb, but it was slow and kinda agonizing to watch Eli suffer here. Some of the others were still waiting for us when we got back, and Zac and Joey shared cupcakes that they had made, pretty tasty after a long ride. I took the normal way home from there via Camino San Bernardo and W Bernardo Dr. A note about the wind. It generally appeared to be coming from the southwest, so in the later part of the ride it helped us more than hindered us. I really appreciated the help on the way home from Target.

Avg speed = 14.5 mph. Total mileage = 51.1 mi

Avg power = 127 W. Weighted avg power = 165 W

Total elevation gain = 3450'

Avg heartrate = 121 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 79

Training Load = 203

Intensity = 69%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13451559339

I was really hungry when I got home, didn't fuel up enough during the ride. Had some lunch and then a very relaxing afternoon, doing not much of anything. I did talk to Ross about some stuff involving Mom and her requests for care and support around the house, then I talked to Mom as well. She was a little down at the beginning but in a better mood (I think) at the end of the call. Ann made gumbo for dinner, it was nice and spicy but a little too salty for me. Watched a movie in the evening.

01-24-2025 Swim/Walk

Woke up and had a leisurely time getting ready to go over to the WWC for a swim. It wasn't as windy as the previous day, and it was a little cooler. I had the pool to myself for roughly the first third of my swim, and it was never crowded. Swam 1500 yds, with the following splits:

    500    9:07

    50      0:54

    100    1:40

    100    1:42

    100    1:41

    100    1:43

    100    1:44

    500    9:14

I rested between these intervals as well. Could definitely feel my arms getting tired in the last couple of 100s, and my form was poor in the second 500, where I used my push buoy and struggled to keep a 20-stroke pace. On the earlier intervals, it was easier. Next time I try similar intervals, I'll try swimming 200s instead. That should be a challenge. I rode home and had something to eat, then worked some more on computer file cleanup and elimination of duplicates. I can start to see the finish line here. Next step will be to include more organization in the file folders, particularly the photos and my own files. In mid-afternoon, I went for an extended walk, an hour and ten minutes, to get my steps in, since I hadn't been moving around the house very much. Ann played Mah-Jongg in the afternoon. The rest of the day was a quiet one, nothing much else to report.

01-23-2025 Swim/Ride

Got up, it wasn't as cold as previous days due to Santa Ana conditions. I was up early enough to eat some breakfast, have coffee, and change the tubes on the tires of my old bike with the ones I had repaired. Then I got ready for a swim at the WWC. They have a big project going on there, digging up water lines for some reason. Pool was sparsely occupied, so I had no trouble picking a lane. Got off to a strong start, finished my first 500 in under 9 minutes, which is a first for me, at least as long as I have been tracking the splits individually. That comes to 5 1:47 100s in a row; I would love to be able to keep up this pace for a longer distance, but on this day my form steadily degraded throughout the swim. Here are the splits for the 4 500s, along with the last 50 (I miscounted laps): 8:55, 9:17, 9:34, 9:42, 0:56. So I swam 2050 yds in 38 and a half minutes. When I got back, I had a little bit of time to chill before getting ready to head over to Stone Brewery in Escondido for lunch with the Four Amigos (Ross paid). Lunch was okay, conversation was great. Ross and Kenda are thinking about splitting their time 50:50 between California and Ponte Vedra, FL, where they have a place on the beach, as soon as Kenda's challenged daughter Alex is set up in some kind of group home with plenty of support. Dennis is going to Hawaii with Sam and his family, after they won a settlement against their home insurer for water damage coverage. I headed home after lunch and got ready for a ride with Andy and Paula, meeting them down by RB Community Park. It was very windy, and so I picked a route that would be relatively forgiving for the wind. We headed down the hill and over to Pomerado Rd, starting the mild climb up it. I got out ahead of the others at the start, then I waited for them and rode behind them to keep it from happening again. We rode up to RB Rd and turned left there, following the old time trial route on Espola Rd and Poway Rd. Andy turned around at Lake Poway to get back home in time to drive to Roya's place. Paula was fast on the descents and slow on the climbs, but I stayed at her pace on the climbs and trailed on the descents. My bike was wobbling in the wind, particularly at higher speeds, so I kept it under control. Over to Sabre Springs Pkwy, where we switched to the new time trial route and rode back toward the starting point. Down W Bernardo Dr and back to the park. This was a slow ride for me, but it went just fine.

Avg speed = 12.8 mph. Total mileage = 25.9 mi

Avg power = 105 W. Weighted avg power = 127 W

Total elevation gain = 1720'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 26

Training Load = 66

Intensity = 53%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13436012946

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. After dinner, I tackled file cleanup on the PC, focusing on music files I didn't need as well as reconciling all the files in Ann's, Laura's, and Emily's folders. Was able to free up quite a bit of space, still more work to do. I watched some basketball in the evening before heading to bed.

01-22-2025 Ride

This ride was intended to be at a higher pace than some recent mid-week rides. It wasn't as cold as previous days early in the morning, so I was rolling at 7:20. Up through the neighborhood, hitting Westwood Elementary right when all the kids were showing up, so that slowed me down. I then rode through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, the extended route. All of this was on my new bike, which performed quite well during the ride, shifting and staying in gear with no problems. Over to Camino del Sur, turning left there and taking it all the way over to the 56 bike path. Not super fast up the little climbs, but I didn't let up either. I took the 56 bike path to El Camino Real and then took this road up to Carmel Mountain Rd, where I turned right. Had a short stop here to change music, then I continued on Vista Sorrento Pkwy, which has a couple of little climbs before getting to Mira Mesa Blvd. The light at this intersection doesn't favor bikes, especially if there aren't any cars wanting to turn left. I ended up waiting a while before continuing. On the plus side, this road is in decent shape, and the climb out of Sorrento Valley is gradual. There is a slight uphill gradient all the way to I-15, and I continued beyond that (this is another sketchy intersection for bikes) to get to Scripps Ranch Blvd, turning left and riding the short distance up to Erma Rd. Left turn there, then down the hill to the entrance to the bike path that runs on the east side of I-15 down to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. I could see smoke from a fire in the distance, looked to be on the west side of the freeway and fairly close to our house. Stayed on the bike path until I got to Poway Rd, where I took it up to Sabre Springs Pkwy, turning left there. I was still trying to keep up a tempo pace, but it was getting more difficult to push hard. Up to Carmel Mountain Rd, turning right there and then riding on it and Paseo Lucido over to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, where I turned left. Up and then down to Bernardo Center Dr, turning right and staying on it to Duenda Rd. I rode down the hill on W Bernardo Dr before heading home via Aguamiel Rd. Legs felt fine at the end, but they were tired for the rest of the day.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph. Total mileage = 40.1 mi

Avg power = 161 W. Weighted avg power = 186 W

Total elevation gain = 2400'

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 81

Training Load = 165

Intensity = 78%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13424947113

I got back home with enough time to relax a little bit before needing to get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. Talked to Gideon a little bit about his bike issues with the chain slipping, ate a light lunch, then rode over to the hospital. It was quiet for much of the shift, while the last hour was pretty busy. Madison and Mario were the med techs, other nurses were the usual mix of folks I've worked with before. My evening after that was quiet, which was nice after a busy day.

01-21-2025 Ride

I intended to sleep in late but ended up getting up early (<>!). Was not motivated to get over to the WWC for a swim, not sure why. No ride for me either, so I did some file cleanup work on the computer until a little after 11:00, when I headed over to Poway Bicycle to drop off a bike chain for the mechanic to install and test out the drivetrain. Drove home, then Ann took the car to go shopping. I hung around the house, watched a little TV, and ate some lunch. Once she got back, I drove back to the bike shop to pick up my bike, after the chain was swapped out, and take it for a spin to see how it rode. I took it up to near the hospital, turned on a side street and climbed a little bit to put the drivetrain under load. All worked well, I'm happy to report. I reversed my route and rode back to the car. About 3 miles in total. Drove home and got ready for a longer bike ride at a slow pace. The wind was quite brisk on this ride, had some times when the crosswind pushed at my bike and made it a little unsteady. Headed from home down the hill and over to Pomerado Rd, taking it up to Paseo del Verano, turning left there and taking the loop up, then back down to Pomerado Rd. Bike was a little squirrely on the ride back down. I turned left and kept going up to Ted Williams Pkwy, deciding to turn right there and start heading back. Over to Rancho Carmel Dr, turning right and from there taking the time trial route home. I was in cruising mode, no fast times on this day. The wind didn't turn out to be a big factor, although it was nice when it was pushing me along at times.

Avg speed = 14.4 mph. Total mileage = 17.9 mi

Avg power = 124 W. Weighted avg power = 160 W

Total elevation gain = 1300'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 27

Training Load = 63

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13418927972

Ann was making batter for hush puppies when I got home. I fried them up, and they were nice and light, although a little too greasy to eat a lot of them. In the evening, I put in another bit of time working on file cleanup and consolidation before calling it quits and watching the end of an Endeavour episode. Then it was off to bed.

01-20-2025 Walk/Run

Travel day. It was cold outside during the night, but Kathy had the heat turned up, so I slept well. I bundled up for my morning walk, including tights and double socks. I ended up splitting my time between walking and jogging roughly 50:50. I generally looped around the neighborhood, adding a little segment to lengthen the distance. My Fitbit battery ran out, probably near the end of the jog.

Total distance = 4.34 mi

Avg pace = 12:46/mi

Elapsed moving time = 55:27

https://www.strava.com/activities/13405779313

When I got back, I had some breakfast and chatted, first with Ann, then with Kathy and Heather. Had a shower and packed some of my stuff up. We went out to lunch at a Thai food restaurant not too far away. It was decent. The weather was blustery. Stopped to get some snacks at a Walgreen's before heading back to Kathy's house. We hung around the house until around 4:30, when we left for the airport. I was a little worried that the car was running low on battery power, but we ended up getting back to the rental car center, no problem. Got to the airport and gate with plenty of time to spare, maybe too much time. The flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 8:10, and it was delayed because there were some deadheading pilots who were late to board. We left after 8:30, and there was some worry that we wouldn't be able to land at Orange County due to a flight curfew. But it worked out okay. I had a middle seat between two pretty big guys, the guy in front of me fully reclined my seat, and I couldn't recline mine. So it was a squeezed 3.5 hours that I had to endure. Not so great. The flight landed fine, although it was quite bumpy on the final descent. We walked over to where the hotel shuttle was, and we were fortunate to get on, since it was their last shuttle of the night. We made it with just a couple of minutes to spare. Back to the hotel, where picking up the car was smooth, as was the drive home. I was tired but not in too bad a shape, it was tedious to make the drive after such a long day. All went well, and we were home a little after midnight.

01-19-2025 Run

Slept pretty late (<>) and then went down for a short breakfast conversation before dressing to go out for a run. It was 30 and windy, so I put on double socks and tights, also wore my Oilers warmup jacket. I picked a route that was into the wind, and it was definitely cold on my face. My hands were also a little cold. I ran north on a Mason Rd for a while until I got close to 2 miles, then I turned around and ran back toward Kathy's house, running around the block to get up to 4 miles. Felt much better on the way back with a tailwind, I even took my gloves off.

Total distance = 4.06 mi

Avg pace = 8:12/mi

Elapsed running time = 33:20

https://www.strava.com/activities/13398446429

I ate a little when I got back, had some coffee, then took a shower. We went over to see the new rental house that Ben and Melody have fixed up, the went to their house to check their two dogs were doing okay. We had lunch at a decent Tex-Mex restaurant near Kathy's house, I ate too much. After lunch, we drove over to the nearby open-air outlet mall and walked around. It was kinda boring, but I appreciated the walk. I had a little nap after we got back, then I read for a bit. Watched the first half of the Bills-Ravens game, then I ate a light dinner with Kathy and Heather and watched the fourth quarter of the game. It was a quiet evening.

Update on reading. I finished The Mercy of Gods. It was a good read, had some promise near the end of future good outcomes for mankind, although currently they are subjugated by the Carryx race. I started reading Deacon King Kong, by James Mcbride. It takes place in the New York City projects and centers around a character, Sportcoat, who is a ne'er-do-well in a richly described landscape of other characters and actions.

01-18-2025 Entry

Woke up after a little better sleep, went for a 1+ hour long walk around the neighborhood. I had a shower when I got back, then got ready for the meeting with Mom. All the brothers were there, thankfully. Ann went out while we had the discussion. Mom was weepy at the beginning, but we helped her through it, then used a combination of seriousness, directness, and wit to get to a new path forward. Now we'll see if we can make it happen. The discussion went a little less than 2 hours. Ann and I had some lunch afterwards, chatted with Mom some more before heading over to Kathy's house in the afternoon. We chatted with her and Heather, had dinner, then talked some more. It was a quiet evening.

01-17-2025 Run

Slept somewhat restlessly, that mattress is a blight. I got up around the same time as Ann, and we went to get donuts at Shipley's. It's more of a tradition. The first bite of a donut is good, but they're really rich. We chatted when we got home, then I went for a 5-mile run around the neighborhood. Temperature was great for running, just a little breeze from the southeast. No stitches in my side this time, my left calf was a little sore near the end.

Total distance = 4.92 mi

Avg pace = 8:5/mi

Elapsed running time = 39:50

https://www.strava.com/activities/13379953737

After I got back, I had another donut. We talked with Mom, who was in good spirits until she went back and washed up. That wore her out, and she wasn't the same. We left the house around 12:30 to get to Carrie's memorial service in Klein. It took us a while to take the 1960 across town, but we arrived in plenty of time. Sat by Mark. The service was more religious than either Ann or I had expected. Matthew and Rebecca both spoke, and a childhood friend of Carrie's played the guitar and sang a song. It was a nice service, Ross made it as well, which was a really good thing. The drive back was slow, lots of traffic to deal with. We stopped at H.E.B. to get stuff to make tacos for dinner. Mom ate again pretty well, and it was a quiet evening. I went to sleep and woke up to get a drink a little before 11:00. Ross came in then, and we ended up talking about Mom's situation for an hour and a half. He was definitely on the edge, but our conversation was mostly cordial. I had some trouble getting to sleep after that. 

01-16-2025 Entry

Woke up when Ann's alarm went off at 3:00. No breakfast to speak of, had a shower and got stuff ready for the trip. We left at 3:45 and got to the hotel where we parked our car at about 5:05. There were a lot of people waiting for the shuttle to the airport, but we got on early because we could carry our backpacks into the van. Getting to the gate went fairly smoothly, and the plane left the gate on time. The flight itself was uneventful, I had a middle seat, which was not ideal but bearable. We had to wait after touchdown for the gate to clear, but the biggest wait was in the line for the Budget rental car. It was strange, since all of the other agencies were just walk-up. Eventually, we got a Genesis G80, the first all-electric car I've driven. It's pretty plush, much more than we need. We stopped at the store on the way to the lake house and got stuff to make spaghetti. Mom was glad to see us and in good form, we saw Ross briefly before he had to head home and work on a water leak at his place. I went for a 45 minute walk before dinner, helped Ann with the cooking first. Mom ate well, and we talked for a while after dinner. I was getting pretty sleepy from the long day with an early start, so I turned in around 8:30.

01-15-2025 Ride

Woke up early (<>), temperature was 35. So it was going to be a cold start to the bike ride. I bundled up, ended up staying pretty warm except for my fingers, which were cold for the first 15 minutes or so. Over to Pomerado Rd via RB Rd, then to John's house the normal way from there. Before I left, I was delayed by having to fix a rear tire flat, could be that the tube I'd used the previous day was faulty. It warmed up by about 10 degrees on the ride there. Jayden and Vivian were out front with him when I got there. We headed up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and turned right, taking it down to the freeway. I dropped my chain there and got behind John, who kept going. He waited for me at the left turn onto Black Mountain Rd, where we headed up to Mira Mesa Blvd. I stayed at his pace. Right turn here, and there was a lot of traffic to deal with. Just before Westonhill Rd, he was in front, hit a patch of water near the curb, and went down hard on his right shoulder. Luckily, no cars hit him. Was pretty shaken up from the fall, I got him off the road and sitting by the sidewalk. His bike wasn't too damaged, but I wasn't going to let him ride, so he called Vivian and waited for her to come pick him up. Shoulder started to feel a little better with time, but I'm guessing it's going to be sore for a while. I waited with him and got his bike into the car, then I rode on Westonhill Rd over to Capricorn Way, near Blair's old house, turning right to get back to Black Mountain Rd. No motivation to ride hard on the way home, I took it easy up the climb to the 56 bike path and then to Carmel Valley Rd, where I got some extra miles in by turning left. Down to Camino del Sur and turning for home. I took Paseo del Sur as well, then the original way home through the neighborhood. It's so easy to lose focus for an instant, and if something happens while you're not paying attention, you're going to have a problem.

Avg speed = 15.0 mph. Total mileage = 31.9 mi
Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W
Total elevation gain = 2070'
Avg heartrate = 118 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 39
Training Load =101
Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13363698374

When I got home, I had a little time before heading to the hospital for my volunteer shift. Had some lunch, cleaned a little, and did a little more packing. The ED was really busy when I got there, but there wasn't a lot to do at first. Then I got busy with cleaning rooms and other little tasks. I was really busy near the end of the shift, didn't get away until about 4:45. I rode over to Phil's BBQ and met Avi for a beer. He's doing well, a little frustrated with changing decisions at work, but it seems manageable. We talked about triathlon training a little bit as well as our mothers' situations. Then I rode home, did some final cleaning and packing, and waited until meeting up with Raia for a late dinner. We went to BJ's, it was fine. She's in her new house, still some work to be done but it's going along okay. Her son Barry is driving now, will have some time off before his military service, he'll likely work electrical construction. Daughter Rita is also doing fine. We talked about some of the changes to her directorate. Eytan Cohen now reports to her, and she's trying to figure out how to integrate his team's capabilities into Indigo futures work. Adi Mann moved to Quality R&D, and Eyal Negreanu took her place. It was a nice evening and good conversation. I dropped her back at the hotel and went home to get some sleep before the early wake-up call.

01-14-2025 Swim/Ride

Got up and got ready for a swim at the WWC. Was cold on the ride over but not as cold as the previous day. There wasn't anybody else in the pool when I started, and only a couple of swimmers were in while I was swimming. Kept a 20-stroke cadence throughout the 1500 yds, here are my splits: 9:18, 9:43, 9:29. Camera ran out of battery power right near the end, but I had checked the clock at the pool to determine my total time. After I got home, I had a little time to eat breakfast and get ready to meet Hongwei at HP, where we talked about polymer and dispersion technology collaboration possibilities between her group and Indigo. After our chat, Linda came by the Oasis, and we got caught up a little bit. She's still in treatment for her breast cancer, not sure what she will do for work moving forward, since her job is moving to Vancouver and Gregory's job won't let him work remotely from there. Eytan is out of college and living with them, Amit is married (!), and Adi is doing well (in high school). After my chat with Linda, I also got the chance to catch up in a short walk with Emilio. He's feeling the pressure from the job he was given, it wasn't his choice. His next job option with HP would be in Corvallis, but the job is undefined. He has his green card, so my guess is that he will start looking here in San Diego, since the family is enjoying living here. I rode home after these talks and ate some lunch. Then I went for a bike ride at easy pace. Headed through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd and then over to W Bernardo Dr. I took it up by the HP campus and then turned on Bernardo Center Dr. It was a breezy day, and I couldn't figure out which direction the wind was consistently coming from. But on the downhill on Carmel Valley Rd, it seemed to be a tailwind. Rode up to Black Mountain Rd and turned there, taking it to Paseo Montalban, where I turned left. I rode up to Salmon River Rd and turned right to see where it would take me. It ended up taking me on a loop, with the road turning into Kestrel St and heading to Adolphia St. I turned the wrong way when I got to this road and ended up back at Salmon River Rd, so I turned around and found out that it connects with Black Mountain Rd, turning into Park Village Rd, which I've been on many times. I followed this road, again with an aiding tailwind, to Camino del Sur and took it up to the 56 bike path, where I headed west. Still benefiting from the wind helping me as I rode to Carmel Valley Rd and then started back home. Going back east, I didn't feel too much headwind, was surprised at that. I rode back to Camino del Sur and, from there, took the standard way home via Camino San Bernardo and W Bernardo Dr. Really didn't suffer too much from headwinds, but I was going pretty slowly. On the RB Rd downhill, I hit something in the bike lane and flatted my rear tire, bummer, so I had to change the tube before continuing home. It went okay, those tires and rims are easier to get off and on than the ones on my new bike.

Avg speed = 15.1 mph. Total mileage = 30.5 mi

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

Total elevation gain = 2130'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 44

Training Load = 105

Intensity = 68%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13357321557

Talked to Ross and Mom, watched a little TV, cleaned the floors and the kitchen. The evening was pretty quiet, started packing my stuff for the Houston trip and read for a bit.

01-13-2025 Swim/Run

Woke up (<>!), and it was cold outside, about 38. I got ready for a swim at the WWC and took my running stuff as well, intending to go for a run afterwards. I ended up swimming 2050 yds in 39:24, here are my 500 yd splits: 9:21, 9:40, 9:41, 9:47, 0:55. Stroke count was consistently 20 strokes until the very end, when my arms got tired and I added an extra stroke. But I felt a little better than my 2000+ yd swim the previous week, so more similar workouts should help. I was going to run then but noticed that I'd forgotten my phone, so I rode home and dropped some stuff off, then headed over to RB Community Park. There, I noticed I still hadn't picked up my phone (!), so I rode back and got it, then back to the park. I did a little more than 5 loops around the park until I got to 5 miles, then ran back to where the scooter was parked to add a little more distance. First mile was slow, second was faster, then the succeeding miles were progressively slower. I had a minor stitch in my side that developed around mile 3.5, but it didn't bother me too much. Heartrate was also down a little bit from the faster run last week. Legs felt okay at this distance and pace, but I wasn't ready to add another mile yet. Maybe in Houston, depending on weather.

Total distance = 5.20 mi

Avg pace = 8:23/mi

Elapsed running time = 43:10

Avg heartrate = 137 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 24

https://www.strava.com/activities/13345112536

When I got home, Ann was still on hold with the IRS, trying to talk to a live person and explain that we have made our latest estimated payment. No luck, and she is pretty frustrated. I drove my Canyon bike over to Poway Bicycle around 11:00 to have them take a look at the chain-skipping issue that I haven't been able to fix. The shop owner Mikey is a nice guy, and he said that he will have his mechanic Vinnie take a look at it and get back to me, hopefully tomorrow. Light afternoon, then Ann drove me over to Los Panchos to have dinner with the UMM while she went to the Leah Circle at the church. It was me, Earl, Paul L., Ben L., Gary, and Marty. Was a nice dinner and a decent conversation, but Paul L. tended to dominate the talking.

01-12-2025 Ride

Slept longer than usual, cleaned the kitchen and ate breakfast when I got up. Did some file cleanup before getting ready to go to church with Ann. I took my bike and stuff as well. Ben Camp preached, and he's a pretty good preacher, if you like a Bible focus. After church, we talked to John and Mary Bowman for a bit, then I changed for the ride. I headed up Broadway to Grand Ave and used it to get to Centre City Pkwy. Rode up to Iris Ln and turned right there to head over to Country Club Ln, which I used to get back to Broadway. Then it was up to Jesmond Dene Rd, which I took back to Centre City Pkwy. I took the last little climb slow. Rode up to Deer Springs Rd and down the hill in steady traffic. That descent was sketchy, not sure I want to do that again soon. I headed over to Buena Creek Rd and turned there. The little climb wasn't too bad, and I enjoyed the descent to Santa Fe Ave. Normal way back into Escondido via Mission Rd, aided by a tailwind. I rode home the normal way across the freeway, using Quince St and not driving too hard. I did work a little harder on the last little climbs to keep my average speed up.

Avg speed = 17.5 mph. Total mileage = 29.4 mi

Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power =169 W

Total elevation gain = 1120'

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 32

Training Load = 92

Intensity = 70%

When I got home, I had some enchiladas for lunch and then didn't do much for the rest of the day. I tried to call Mom without success, watched some TV, and read for a bit. Then I continued the file cleanup, this time going back to the stack of old CDs and DVDs to capture files not in our archives. Watched football after dinner.

01-11-2025 Ride

Was cold when I got up, so I bundled up with four layers on top and double layers for hands and feet. Wasn't too cold on the way over, through the neighborhood and then the short way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. On this ride at the start, there were: Ray, Perse, Arnold, Jed, Gideon, Jhonar, Zac, Joey, Gio, Cam, and Eric. We headed down Camino del Sur to Carmel Valley Rd. I was keeping a steady pace but not pushing really hard, waiting for others when I got to turns first, then riding to catch up. We turned right there and rode down to the 56 bike path. Rode to the west end of the path and then over to Carmel Valley Rd, which we took to the coast. At this point, the group decided to take the inside route up Torrey Pines. We stopped for a short break at the bottom and then headed up. Zac and I were pushing each other on the climb, but neither of us was going full gas. Still, we gapped the others to the top. Another short break at the top, then we continued on Torrey Pines Rd past UCSD to La Jolla Village Dr, down the hill to Gilman Dr, where we exited and took a left. Through the campus to Pepper Canyon Dr, where we turned left and headed over to the bike path on the west side of I-5. On the descent, Zac kicked it up a notch and I followed, eventually catching and passing him. We all stopped by a bike store down at the bottom of the hill for a break, and the bike store owner opened his shop for us to use his bathroom. Decided to take Vista Sorrento Pkwy up to Carmel Mountain Rd, since the road was in the better shape. Then over to El Camino Real and back down to the 56 bike path. There was a little separation among the riders on the way up to Carmel Valley Rd. We stayed on the path and kept together in a pace line all the way to Camino del Sur. I led the last section of the pace line to manage our speed and keep us together, successfully. Then it was over to Carmel Valley Rd, I led the way up this little climb and took pictures of the riders as they made the right turn. Iwas behind all the riders when I started this climb and worked pretty hard to get to the front, where Gio was leading the way. I rode ahead and then powered down the hill to Dove Canyon Rd. Waited again for all the riders to make the turn, then I rode with Cam and Eric, who were behind the others. We rode fairly slowly up to Camino San Bernardo and turned left there, taking it to Nicole Ridge Rd and then over to Potomac Ridge Rd. Back to the Target parking lot via Paseo del Sur. I stopped briefly and chatted with the other riders before heading home, fairly slowly, via the RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr route. Legs felt solid on this ride, and there were a couple of times when I pushed hard. But it wasn't an all-out effort on this day.

Avg speed = 15.9 mph. Total mileage = 47.7 mi

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

Total elevation gain = 2890'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 92

Training Load = 208

Intensity = 76

https://www.strava.com/activities/13327897130

When I got home, I made the potato salad for the party that Zac and Joey were hosting. Had a quick shower, then we headed over to their apartment complex after stopping at the store. The Bisikleta party was nice, laid back. A number of riders showed up, but only Ann among the spouses. We stayed for about an hour and a half, then drove home. I was exhausted and had a short nap. Not much else done on this day, just watched some TV and read.

01-10-2025 Swim/Run

Woke up and got ready for a swim at the WWC. But I was slow in getting ready, so I decided to wait a bit and head over around 9:00. Did some work file transfer stuff before riding over, and it was decidedly warmer when I went. I swam a 500 pretty fast, in about 9:05, then I swam 5 100s at tempo. The first one felt good, about 1:35. The others were in the 1:40 to 1:45 range, but I could tell that my form was significantly degrading. After that exercise, I swam another 500, but my arms were tired and, again, form was ragged. Stroke count was 20-21 for most of the last 500. On this day, I didn't dive as deep on the pushoffs, got up and stroking faster. Finished the last 500 in about 9:30, I think. Then I changed into running shorts and did the reverse of the 5k route I've mapped from the WWC. Started out faster than I expected I would be, so I kept the pace going (second mile was a tad slower). This route has the opportunity for a faster finish, and my last mile was the fastest.

Total distance = 3.17 mi

Avg pace = 7:32/mi

Elapsed running time = 23:54

Avg heartrate = 144 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/13318198740

When I got home, it was another easy planned day. I spent a lot of time organizing work files for the transfer to their new HDD home. I also cleaned and waxed my new chain for the Fuji bike, since I don't think the initial waxing job was complete. Talked to both Ben and Mark in the afternoon about the situation with Mom. That was about it for useful activities during the day. We went to a pizza place, Bongiorno's, in Poway for dinner, it was pretty good. Then we had a beer at the Hop Stop before watching Gregory Page in concert at the Templar's Hall. He put on a good show. We got there super early to stake out good seats and had the chance to talk with him just a little bit. Also chatted with Dick Jay, the emcee for these SD Folk Heritage Society concerts. Home before 10:00, which is much preferred on a Friday night.

01-09-2025 Swim/Ride

Woke up after getting up in the night, reading, and watching some TV (<>!). I got ready for a swim at the WWC and made some coffee to take along. I ended up swimming 2050 yds, here are the splits: 9:36, 9:50, 9:54, 9:45, 0:57. So, I finished the 2000 yds in 39:10. Then I swam an additional 250 with the push buoy in 4:34. I felt decent about my stroke count, but my push-off style is too variable and I can have trouble getting my stroke started. Took a shower there, dressed, and had a quick conversation with Howard D. Then I rode over to HP and had coffee with John, Gary, and Brooke. I hadn't seen any of them since before the holidays, so we caught each other up on what we did for Christmas and New Year's Eve. Then I rode home and had something to eat, was pretty hungry. Watched a little TV and spoke briefly to Ben about Carrie's memorial service. I also started transferring work files to the HDD that will be my sole storage medium for them. Had some lunch, then after lunch, when Ann went to play Mah-Jongg, I got ready for a ride, still using my old bike. It was warm and windy from Santa Ana conditions. Headed through the neighborhood to the end of Matinal Cir and turned right onto Matinal Rd to get to W Bernardo Dr. Up to RB Rd and then up the hill toward 4S Ranch. I took the short route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood and turned right onto Camino del Sur. Out and over to San Dieguito Rd, taking it down into Fairbanks Ranch and turning on El Apajo. Over to Via de Santa Fe, then left onto Calzada del Bosque. I rode over to Via de la Valle and took it up to Paseo Delicias, was slower than usual on this little climb. I turned right and rode up to El Montevideo, turning left there and taking it up to Lago Lindo. Right turn, following this road up to El Camino del Norte, with another right turn to get me to Del Dios Hwy. The wind was coming generally from the west, so it helped me along a little bit on this section. It had been a while since I did this climb, and I set a PR on the climb to the top (10:45, 202 W, 146 bpm). I could have gone harder but still did pretty well, was a little surprised that it was a PR. I also PR'ed the climb to Via Rancho Pkwy and beyond (5:51, 211 W, 147 bpm).  Continued home the normal way from there, over the freeway and taking the last two climbs a little harder than usual to try and keep my average speed up. Felt fine at the end, legs still strong. But the dry air was really noticeable on this ride.

Avg speed = 16.6 mph. Total mileage = 29.1 mph

Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 178 W

Total elevation gain = 1850'

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 58

Training Load = 109

Intensity = 78%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13312070284

Ann was still gone when I got home, so I hung out for a bit and then took the Christmas tree outside to cut it into pieces that fit into the green waste bin. She got home around this time, and I let her know about the date for Carrie's memorial service. Then I booked the airfare (from John Wayne Airport, it was much cheaper), arranged for offsite airport parking as well as car rental while in Houston. I'm really glad that she is coming along, it will be good to see Kathy and the gang while we are there. Evening was fairly quiet, I had to restart the file transfer because the computer unexpectedly shut off. During the late afternoon, my throat was dry and scratchy, and I was worried that I was coming down with something. I felt a little worse, even a bit feverish, in the evening, but it cleared up before I went to sleep, and I woke up in the night feeling fine but thirsty. Glad to not have to deal with illness right now. Also in the evening, I did a quick internet search about how to repair broken zippers and found a useful link. By using pliers to press the top and bottom of the zipping element together, I was able to restore its function. Great! Hoping it will be a lasting fix. I also tried the same technique, with similar success, on a zipper for one of my old travel bags.

01-08-2025 Entry

It was our 42nd wedding anniversary. We woke up, and I started breaking down the camp while Ann made a light breakfast. The wind in the night was occasionally very strong, but the tent and rain fly held up fine. Just one tiedown line got separated from the stake. I forgot to mention that we had a problem with one of the zippers for the tent opening not functioning. The other one works, but it's a worrisome problem because of the potential for the other one to fail. Will take a look and see what our options are here. The drive back home was uneventful. I took it easy on the climbs out of the valley. When we got home, we both worked to unpack the car and put the camping gear away, so it went fairly quickly. The rest of the day was very relaxed, not much done around the house.

I finished reading the book about Aaron Hernandez and started reading the new James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) book, The Mercy of Gods, which is the first in a trilogy called The Captive's War. It is about a technologically superior alien race, the Carryx, who subjugate a colony of humans with advanced skills and knowledge. The start is quite grim, we'll see just how well the humans are able to respond to this subjugation.

01-07-2025 Hike/Ride

Slept okay during the first night camping, Ann was restless and didn't get as much sleep (<>). So we slept in and then got up for a leisurely breakfast of steel-cut oats and berry camping cake. After that, we went for a hike up the Panorama Trail by the campground. It wasn't long, but the trail was fairly steep and quite rocky. Ann had her hiking poles and was very cautious on the way up, then even more so on the way down. She didn't make it up to the summit, which had decent views of the campground and surrounding valley. After we hiked down, we walked on the trail over to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center and looked around. We also watched a 15-minute video about a family, led by Marshall South, that lived for a time on Ghost Mountain in the 30s and 40s. It was pretty interesting, the home they built was about as remote as you could get, no water well, so he devised a system to catch rainwater. Eventually, he split from the family and moved down to Julian, so not a happy ending. After the video, we walked back to the campsite and ate some lunch. Then I got ready for a bike ride. Originally, I had planned on riding up the Montezuma grade, but it was really windy, and I was concerned about handling the bike on the descent. So I ended up staying in the valley and riding on roads leading out of Borrego Springs. I rode into town and then headed north on Borrego Springs Rd, right into the teeth of the wind. It had to be 20+ mph, and I was working hard just to make headway. This took me by the metal sculptures that we had seen a couple of years back. To Henderson Canyon Rd, where I had a little reprieve from the headwind turning into a crosswind. Then I got to Di Giorgio Rd and headed south. That stretch was fun, slightly downhill with a strong tailwind. I averaged 29 mph and posted the 6th fastest Strava time on this segment, granted it was significantly wind-aided. I turned left onto Palm Canyon Dr and rode out to the airport, which was desolate, nobody there. When I turned around, I had to deal with a little bit of a quartering wind. Back into town, then I headed south for a bit on Borrego Springs Rd before turning right and riding into the wind again on Country Club Rd. Past Palm Canyon Dr, I took Ocotillo Cir through a nice small neighborhood and looped back. Then I retraced my route back to the campsite. It had been a while since I had ridden in wind this strong, maybe when I was in Amsterdam. I forgot to bring my heartrate monitor, so it didn't get recorded. This ride was a lot harder than the numbers below would suggest.

Avg speed = 15.4 mph. Total mileage = 22.0 mi

Avg power = 134 W. Weighted avg power = 149 W

Total elevation gain = 570'

Training Load = 61

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13308541754

When I got back to camp, Ann was resting in the tent. I got in and read for a little bit. She was talking about packing up and driving home due to the expected high winds coming, but I convinced her to stick it out. I took down the vestibule and staked the rain flap tiedowns to make it more secure. We chilled out until it was time to start dinner, using the Dutch oven to make The Thing. Got the charcoal started with no problem, and the cooking went smoothly. It ended up tasting really good, I ate a lot after a fairly vigorous day. Ann made another fire, but I didn't stick around too long. Was ready to get in the tent and read for a bit before sleep.

01-06-2025 Run/Swim

Woke up after the sun came up, kinda unusual. I got ready for a slow-paced run in the low 40s. Hoodie, hat, and gloves. Down to the park and 2 loops around before heading back. I ran about 9-minute miles, felt fine, but I don't think I could have run a lot faster.

Total distance = 3.23 mi

Avg pace = 9:10/mi

Elapsed moving time = 29:38

https://www.strava.com/activities/13281783768

When I got home, I had just enough time to get ready for a swim at the WWC. Water was a little cooler than I expected. First 500 went okay, but I slowed down quite a bit after that. I kept losing track of my laps, so I ended up swimming 2200 yds in right at 44 minutes. Here are my splits: 9:38, 9:58, 10:13, 10:13, 4:01. Stroke length was decent 19-20 for most of the time, but my form was really ragged in the last half. Arms got tired, I hadn't swum that far in quite a while. When I got home, it was time to pack up the camping gear, including my own stuff. Got it all loaded into the car fairly efficiently. Had a shower and did a little computer stuff, then it was time to leave. I did turn the water off to the sprinklers. The drive to the campsite in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was uneventful, and we got the camp set up really quickly. Was a nice temperature in the late afternoon. We grilled hamburgers for dinner and had them with homemade applesauce. Then we set up the Dutch oven for berry camping cake. The charcoal started up quickly, and we still had coals from the grilling, so the baking went fairly quickly. This was one of the better batches we've made, very tasty. We sat by the fire afterward, then it was to sleep.

01-05-2025 Ride

Well, this ride turned out to be more than I expected. It was under 40 when I started. I headed downhill to the lake, and the descent was cold. Riding across the freeway was even colder, and my fingers were numb, even with double long-finger gloves. Rest of my body was okay, chilled but bearable. I rode over to Beethoven Dr and then took the back way through Kit Carson Park to get over to Escondido Blvd and then to Centre City Pkwy. Took it all the way through town and out to Iris Ln, where I turned right and rode to Village Dr, a left turn there to get to Roundtree Glen by Joe's place, where I stopped and waited for Mike Law to show up. He was about 5 minutes late in arriving, and so we got started riding together about 8:10. I had mapped out a route but didn't really pay much attention to how Strava had routed me. We ended up taking Village Dr to Broadway, turning right and riding up to El Norte Pkwy. Mike and I were riding alongside each other, and he was telling me about all of the difficulties associated with the new place that he and Jen are in the middle of moving into. Remodel of kitchen (they found mold) and bathroom as well as new flooring. We kept talking on the ride up El Norte Pkwy to Valley Pkwy, turning left there and heading up to Valley Center. Mike and I rode together at the beginning of this climb and even when it started to get steeper, but I pulled ahead as the climb continued. Waited for him at the top, and he told me then that the route I had sent him had us turning around and riding back down and up again, at least partway. We didn't do that, but it was critical to a future ride decision. Kept going out Valley Center Rd to Lilac Rd, turning there. Initially, the road was a little crowded with cars, but the traffic thinned out as we went further northwest. Turned onto W Lilac Rd, and the traffic was even less. This is a really pretty section of road to ride, with little winding climbs and descents. Very enjoyable. I had also forgotten about the nice gradual 2-mile descent on Lilac Rd. More nice winding roads to come until we dropped down to cross the arch bridge over I-15. Stopped on the other side for a food break and short rest before continuing on the 395. It was here that Mike suggested riding up Mountain Meadow, and I said okay. We took the descent (wasn't as scary as I thought it would be) and then the gradual climb toward Lawrence Welk Resort. Climbing up Champagne Blvd, it was the same thing. Mike and I rode together for about 2/3 of the climb, then I got a little ahead and finished just in front. Another short break at the intersection, then we turned left onto Mountain Meadow Rd. This climb was brutal, a real leg-breaker, about a mile at over 9%. It was also on tired legs for me. Mike got out ahead and just powered up, and it wasn't until near the top of the climb, when the gradient lessened a little bit, that I was able to close the gap and pass him. That's the toughest climbing I've done since going up Refugio Rd. We turned onto Hidden Meadows Rd and took it until it turned into Mountain Meadows Rd. There were a couple of minor uphill sections, and my legs felt like they were going to start cramping. Thankfully, the rest from the following descent helped out, and they ended up feeling tired but functional. A right onto Meadow Glen Way, where we started to descend, then onto Cougar Pass Rd, which was unpaved and unimproved. Lots of sand and washboard, and it was steep too, so I rode the brakes pretty much all the way down, about 2 miles of jarring, slippery riding that wore me out. It connected onto Broadway, and I was thinking we were almost done, but Mike had us turn onto Jesmond Dene Rd and ride back up to Centre City Pkwy. I would have shortened the ride by this point, but I went along with his suggestion. I powered up Jesmond Dene, that last short steep part was really painful, and I was glad to be done with it. The ride back to Joe's place from there was straightforward and mostly downhill, thankfully. We chatted a little bit at the end, Mike took a pic of us, then I was on my way home, back the way I came. At Citracado Pkwy, I stopped and pushed the button for the Walk sign but couldn't unclip fast enough, and I lost my balance and fell. Nothing serious, just a scraped knee and some embarrassment. When the Walk signal came on, I started across, and a lady in an SUV cut right in front of me. I was still a little distracted from having fallen, and this really amped me up. Was truly grateful that I didn't get hit because it could easily have happened. Back over to behind the mall and then to BVP, taking it to Del Lago Blvd, where I turned right and rode up to the light before taking a U-turn and heading back to the freeway onramp. Legs were definitely feeling tired by this point, so I just churned across the freeway and up, slowly, the climb to the park. I was also in my lowest gear on the last little climb to the house, was really glad to finish this ride of unexpected distance and elevation. But I was happy to log a metric century for the month, would be nice to have at least one of this each month for the entire year.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph. Total mileage = 62.5 mi

Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 166 W

Total elevation gain = 3830'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 121

Training Load = 236

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13275805996

I had some spaghetti for lunch and felt calorie-deprived from the ride. Kept eating throughout the afternoon. I pulled the camping gear down from storage and stacked it in the garage, and later on, after Ann got back from shopping, we went through the list. In the afternoon, I pulled the rear cassette off my new bike and took a close look at it. I couldn't see any obvious evidence of wear. When I looked at the derailleur, I noticed that the cage has a lot of play in it, so I'm worried that I may need to buy a new one. Will take it into Poway Bicycle and let them diagnose what could be going wrong before I make that purchase. I watched the first half of the Vikings-Lions game, then finished consolidating all of the different work file backups that I had saved on several drives. Next step there is to go through the consolidated file folders and clean them up, but that's not a high priority, since I think I can fit all of the data onto a 500 GB HDD.

01-04-2025 Ride

It was a little warmer than expected when I got up, still below 50 but not by a lot. I went into the garage and loosened the links on the new chain for my old bike that I had waxed the previous day. Then I put the chain on the bike. I wore triple layers on top and shoe covers, and I wasn't that cold during the entire ride, just my hands were a little chilled. Over to the 4S Target through the neighborhood and then through 4S Ranch neighborhood via Ralphs Ranch Rd. On this day, there were the following Bisikleta riders: Perse, Fritz, Gideon, James, Zac, Joey, Arnold, and Charlie. A number of the riders hadn't been putting in many (or any) miles in a while, so it was more of a moderate-paced ride. I had decided to ride in the middle and back of the pack, trying to match Perse's pace. Standard roads on this ride, down Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd, and over the flats to El Camino Real. We had a decent pace line that held together here, everybody was there at the end, with James coming in a little late. We rode to Via de la Valle and took it down to PCH. A short wait at the turn there until everybody showed up, then it was north. James wanted to take it jacket off but told us to go ahead, several others waited for him. During this stretch, I caught up with the lead riders and hung with them for a while. We waited by Swami's Beach for the others to catch up. Not too long after this stop, James, who was riding his 1984 Tommasini bike, blew out his rear tire at Encinitas Blvd. Some of the riders stopped, briefly, and I stayed with him while he tried to patch the blown-out tire with a dollar bill. He started heading back after that, while I rode up to where the others were, at the usual 7-Eleven. Fritz was having some gastric issues, and as we were getting ready to start heading back, Arnold realized that he couldn't find his car key. He looked around the parking lot for it to no avail, so we rolled south. Down to Encinitas, where a small group of us rode to Moonlight Beach, took a pic, and then pushed up that steep hill by the parking lot. We met up with Zac and Joey by the Self Realization Fellowship and kept going, all staying pretty much together and not riding too fast. Not too long after that, we saw James on the side of the road waiting for Dylene to come pick him up. We stayed on PCH through Del Mar, again at common pace, and then turned onto Carmel Valley Rd. Over to the 56 bike path from there, with me and Zac getting out in front a little bit. On the bike path, I dialed it back a little, and we had a decent pace line again on the stretch up to Camino del Sur. The pace line broke apart just at the end, and I sprinted ahead of Fritz to burn a little energy. As we made the turn here, I was at the back watching Perse and Joey, who had not been riding recently. Perse was slowing down, and he started cramping on the little climb up to Carmel Valley Rd. I stayed with him while the others kept going, and the two of us rode at his slow pace back to the meet-up point. I stayed there just a little bit, then rode home the new normal way. Legs felt solid on this ride, and I was tired at the end but not sore. The new chain performed well, no real complaints, although the shifting at times was just a little bit off.

Avg speed = 16.4 mph. Total mileage = 55.6 mi

Bisikleta route avg speed = 16.8 mph

Avg speed (from my ride analysis program) = 16.5 mph

Avg power = 132 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 2420'

Avg heartrate = 124 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 85

Training Load = 180

Intensity = 68%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13266945752

It was a quiet rest of the day for me. I ate some lunch when I got home, watched just a little TV, then had a short nap in the early afternoon. After that, I worked some more on consolidating all of my work PC files into a single structure, it's a big job.

01-03-2025 Entry

Went for an hourlong walk around the neighborhood when I woke up. This was going to be an easy exercise day, nothing else planned. During the day, I went to Home Depot to get some mineral spirits, cleaned the new (Shimano CN-6701) bicycle chain for my Fuji bike using the mineral spirits and an acetone rinse, then waxed the chain, letting it sit in the wax bath for a longer time than usual. I watched some TV and read as well, nothing else much done. Also worked on file cleanup, this time focusing on consolidating all of my work-related files into a single HDD. Still more needs to be done there. In the evening, we went to a San Diego Folk Heritage concert at Templar's Hall in Poway. It was Tyler Grant, an excellent flat-picking guitar player with an average voice and songwriting skills. The opening act was Travis Oliver, a local techie who is also a pretty good flat-picker himself. The place was packed, and the show was enjoyable, especially the non-vocal pieces, where they let themselves go all-out on the guitar. We also stopped at Aldi before the show to get some dry goods.

01-02-2025 Swim/Run/Ride

Woke up after sleeping a little fitfully and then sleeping in a little bit (<>). I got ready for a swim at the WWC, it was 40F when I left the house, so the ride over was chilly. The pool was warm, however, and I got a lane before the New Year's resolution swimmers showed up. Swam 1500 yds in under 29 minutes, and here were my split times: 9:21, 9:37, 9:39. My stroke count was solidly 18-20, swimming in lane 3 seemed to be much faster than in lane 1 from Sunday. After the swim, I went for a run, taking the 5k route from the WWC. As usual, I finished stronger than I started, didn't push it too hard on this day.

Total distance = 3.11 mi

Avg pace = 7:56/mi

Elapsed running time = 24:43

Avg heartrate = 142 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/13248026259

I rode home in much warmer weather, although it was 7-8 degrees colder at home than at the WWC, due to the lake effect. Had some breakfast, then continued working on cleaning up PC files. This is a tedious job. I got a call from Ben about his visit with Mom to the orthopedic doctor; he handled it well, but Mom was in rare form. He also updated me on Carrie's condition, which is definitely not good. Ann went to the beach around this time. I had some lunch and then afterward decided to go for a short bike ride. Went out into the garage and found that the rear tire on my Fuji bike was flat, so I fixed it fairly quickly. I thought about skipping the ride but pushed ahead. Rode down by the park and then over to Highland Valley Rd, taking it up past the first bend and turning around at 5 miles. I rode back to Pomerado Rd and turned left. Took it up to Rios Rd and turned right there. Over to Bernardo Oaks Dr, turning left and heading up to Lomica Dr. I followed this road to Bernardo Center Dr and then rode home the normal way from there. The weather was comfortably warm, a change from some of my recent rides. I kept a decent pace on this ride but slowed down near the end.

Avg speed = 16.7 mph. Total mileage = 14.2 mi

Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power = 174 W

Total elevation gain = 810'

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 32

Training Load = 51

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13250350081

Ann was still gone when I got home, so I watched half of a new Doctor Who episode, then went upstairs to read and have a little nap. I finished the episode before dinner and had a quiet evening, again working on PC file cleanup.

01-01-2025 Ride

I woke up early and took Joe and Emily to the airport. It was quite foggy at times but clear when we got downtown, which boded well for their flights leaving ontime. I dropped them off and drove home. It was a quiet morning, not much going on. I wasn't going in to the hospital, so I took it easy. In the early afternoon, I went for the first bike ride of the new year, following the original time trial route, including the little loop by Dave's old house on the way home. Throughout the ride, I kept up a pretty steady pace. The headwind coming down Poway Rd was noticeable, but it didn't appear to slow me down too much. I set some notable PRs, including the little stretch on Bernardo Center Dr after the turn from RB Rd (2:41, 229 W, 147 bpm) and the small climb on Ted Williams Pkwy after turning off Sabre Springs Pkwy (2:24, 230 W, 152 bpm). I wasn't thinking about pushing it hard on these climbs, so that was surprising.

Avg speed = 17.4 mph. Total mileage = 22.8 mi

Avg power = 174 W. Weighted avg power = 195 W

Total elevation gain = 1400'

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm

Relative Effort = 45

Training Load = 100

Intensity = 85%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13242013416

It was a quiet rest of the day and evening after that. I sorted the bookcase shelves in the office and made a pile of electronics to get rid of, then I started going through all the old CDs and DVDs to determine what needed to stay and what could go. This is going to take some time to organize and pare down.

A word on recent reading. I finished up the Joe Scalzi trilogy ending with The Last Emperox. The books were a fairly quick read and enjoyable. Started reading a paper book, for a change, Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc, by Hugh Aldersey-Williams. It presents a survey of atomic elements of note, featuring some of their history and importance. So far, it's a fun read. Gary Larson lent me the book awhile back, so I need to finish it and return it to him. I also started All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, by James Patterson and Alex Abramovitch. This book is chilling in its portrayal of a supremely gifted athlete who couldn't overcome his demons and upbringing.