02-28-2025 Walks

Woke up and finished packing and cleaning before we walked to get the train to Tokyo station. We accidentally went in and out of the station for our shortest ride (😊) then got on a train crowded with morning commuters. At the station, we got our paper tickets (they need to be used along with the Suica card) and then found some food for the train ride, along with coffee and pastries. Was something of a mistake, since it made us walk around with hands full. But we got through the gate to the train platform okay, but with not a lot of time to spare. On the bullet train, the fastest speed I clocked was a little over 170 mph, but most of it was at about 130 mph. The ride was super smooth, and the pastry was delicious but messy. The 1:45 hour train ride went by quickly. We got off the train at Nagano station and bought a 2-day pass for traveling around the city. Then we took a train to see the Zenkoji Temple after putting our stuff in a locker at the station. The walk took us through a commercial area of Nagano, the first part was pretty dead. More people were walking on the main road to the temple. Nothing super special about the temple. We walked behind it, where there was a pagoda that wasn't so impressive. Sat at a bench there and ate lunch before starting to walk back. One of the shrines nearby had a giant rotating prayer wheel that counted for building your goodwill with the deities, and another had a gong you could ring for the forgiveness of sins. We walked back to the station we had come from but missed the train going to the printing museum by about 1 minute. So we walked back into the city center, where Ann found a nice supermarket for us to get some food for dinner and beyond. Then it was into the station to retrieve our bags from the locker and get on the train to get us closer to our onsen. Was about a 45-minute ride to Yudanaka, where we got off and then took a local bus up to near the ryokan where we were staying. Ann had found a great deal on a 2-day transit pass that included entry to the Snow Monkey Park. We got to the ryokan just fine, it is set up more like a traditional Japanese inn, with thin mattresses on tatami mats and a low table for eating. We rested for a bit, had a little snack, then headed out to the nearby onsen hot baths. We ended up going to 3 of them. First one was pretty hot, second was just too hot. I put my feet in and they were burning. The last one was a little less hot. I got fully on all 3 but just briefly on the hottest one. We then walked back to our room and had a light dinner, then went to the single-sex onsen in the ryokan (the private one was occupied). It was cold in the room, only a little space heater, so we went there to warm up before going to bed. Water there was nice, just a little hotter than a hot bath. That was enough for the evening, we went back and tucked in.

02-27-2025 Run/Walks

Woke up and went out for an early run in Ueno Park. I intended to run 6+ miles, so I started with a much slower pace than the previous day. Ended up doing 8 laps around the perimeter of the pond, generally slowing down with each succeeding mile after mile 2 but picking up the pace to finish stronger in the last 1.5 miles (last two laps). I could feel the effects of the previous day's hard run, mostly in my feet but also in my leg muscles. Could have run faster in hindsight, it's going to take time for me to train up to a faster pace for longer distances.

Avg pace = 8:35/mi

Total distance = 6.49 mi

Elapsed running time = 55:45

https://www.strava.com/activities/13736608149

I wore my heartrate monitor but unintentionally had Bluetooth turned off on my phone, dangit. We spent a quiet morning hanging around the Airbnb, doing laundry and cleaning the place up. I got a pizza from Summit for lunch, it was decent. After lunch, we took a couple of subway trains down to the Shinjuku area to see a show at The Samurai Restaurant. What can I say? It was about as kitschy a show as I have ever seen. The sound and costumes were over the top. It consisted of a number of acts interspersed with intermissions that were at least as long as the acts themselves. Maybe there was a storyline to some of the later acts, but I couldn't follow it, other than themes of good and evil, magic, fighting, and incongruous singing and drumming (lots of that). We started with a toast of sake that was bubbly and sweet, then ended with macha tea. At least we had a couple of drinks to make it more fun(ny). Ann kinda felt gipped from the paucity of actual theatrical content, I enjoyed the absurdity more. Afterwards, we saw the Godzilla statue and the 3-D cat display, both somewhat meh. We headed over to a nearby park with gardens that Ann wanted to see, but closed for visitors at 4:00. So we walked around the shopping and dining areas, eventually having dinner at an Indian food restaurant that was surprisingly good, especially the naan. Ann was fading, all the activities of the previous days (and no coffee in the morning) caught up with her. After dinner, we walked over to Shinjuku station, after going into the wrong station next to it and took a JR train to Shibuya. We were in rush hour, and the trains and stations were quite crowded. The Shibuya Scramble Crossing was something to see, thousands of people crossing the roads at the same time. We walked around this area to soak some of it in, then took the subway back to the Airbnb. Packed up most of our stuff and cleaned up the flat, then went to sleep. This was the most tired I've been at the end of a day on this trip.

02-26-2025 Run/Walks

Woke up after a sleep that featured some anxiety dreams, probably from the down day I had on Tuesday (<>). Ate a light breakfast, then walked over to Ueno Park for a run. It was significantly warmer on this day, so I ran in a long-sleeved shirt and shorts. Got a fairly fast start, then I improved on each subsequent mile up to mile 5, where I slowed down some. I picked a route around the park that was about 1.5 miles and ran it 3 times, continuing on after that until I got to 5. I believe this was easily my fastest 5 miles in many years, weather was close to ideal and route was flat. 

Avg pace = 7:16/mi

Total distance =5.01 mi

Elapsed running time = 36:27

Avg heartrate = 154 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 62

https://www.strava.com/activities/13727908843

The shoes helped cushion a lot of the pounding, so my legs didn't ache at the end, although I was temporarily light-headed (got over it quickly). I then walked/jogged over to Café Veloce to meet Ann for a coffee and a waffle, both very good. We walked from there back to the Airbnb and took a little break before heading over to Ochanomizu Origami Kaikan, a little museum, shop, and paper-dyeing house that was a great find, close to where we were staying. We went upstairs to the gift shop and got a real treat. One of the ladies made some origami figures for us while another translated. It was excellent! I bought some more paper and a wooden smoothing knife for Ross. Some of the origami creations were beyond belief, quite fabulous and intricate. All in all, a very fun visit. On the way back, we stopped at the Kanda Myoujin Shrine, which was much more spectacular that I thought it was from my brief visit on Saturday night. So, also fun. Got some money and egg salad sandwiches from a 7-Eleven nearby and ate them at the flat, quite tasty. Another little break before heading back out. This afternoon trip started with an attempt to fix our Suica cards at Tokyo Station. The underground tunnels connecting different subways down in the business district are amazing. It was easy to get lost, and we didn't really know where to go for the fix. We talked to a rep on the intercom, but that wasn't helpful. I finally remembered to look for the location of a JR office, then used Google Maps to direct us there. Success, helped by using Google Translate to explain our issue to the agent, who fixed the cards right away. From Tokyo Station, said to be modeled after Amsterdam Centraal, we walked over to the Imperial Palace grounds, but entrance to the gardens was closed for the day. We tried to walk around to get the Imperial Palace in full view but ran out of time and a little patience. I found a little restaurant in the underground tunnels by the business, it was the only one open for dinner, and the food was decent and not too expensive. They left the pork out of my dish and added extra eggplant, the blend of flavors was quite good. We walked from there to the subway station and took the subway to the one nearest the Digital Art Museum, where we experienced TeamLab Borderless, and collection of light-inspired digital installations with a variety of themes, many of which were connected to each other. Many of the installations were interactive, including one where sea creatures that Ann and I colored in were scanned and displayed swimming around it a room. There were processions of animals and crazy-looking people characters that were fun to watch. The main central room constantly changed, and we sat in there a couple of times. They were also playing ethereal music throughout the venue and blowing in some pretty strong floral scents. We were there for a couple of hours, and time passed very quickly. Took the subway back afterwards, no issues, but it was surprisingly full of people coming from work after 9:00. Another full day, the best one so far for me.

A update on my reading. I finished A Gentleman in Moscow. It was a good read, something of a modern fairy tale where mainly good things happen to the lead characters, including a storybook ending. Still, it was well written and the characters were interesting. Better for me than the other Amor Towles book I read. I started an anthology of Ursula K. LeGuin with The Lathe of Heaven. It didn't take me long to recognize this book as one I've recently read, so I skipped to the next one, The Eye of the Heron. It takes place in the future on another planet with several groups of people from Earth who relocated there. One group consists of city-dwellers, who attempt to subjugate the second group, who model themselves after Gandhi and King. The narrative was good at the beginning, but I was let down by the climactic clash between them and the resigned tone af the village survivors. Not sure what the moral of this story was supposed to be. I've just started The Beginning Place, which features another parallel world that can be selectively accessed by individuals coming from a humdrum existence. 

02-25-2025 Walks

Had another decent night's sleep, perhaps not as good as the previous night but still good enough to function. We ate a light breakfast, then walked over to the subway stop for the Ginza line to take it to Asakusa. All went well, then we transferred to a fancy-looking private train, Spacia X, to take us up to Nikko. I didn't pay much attention to the sights on the way up, worked on cleaning up WhatsApp pics. The trip was a littler longer than I expected but not too bad. We arrived on time and then walked the short distance to the stop for the World Heritage bus to take us up to the shrine area. I was feeling a little down, not in the mood for more shrines and temples. We walked up to the Hondo Main Hall, Ann ended up buying tickets to go in, and I thought it was for a short visit, after which we would either walk or take the bus to the next stop. Nope. She ended up going through all the themes and shrines, while I walked around a bit and sat a lot. It was mildly interesting people watching but too long to wait eventually. After she was done, we took the bus back to the initial stop and then walked up to a pancake shop. I thought it would be more substantial for lunch but was mistaken. We walked back to the stop and took the bus back up the hill, intending to get close to the Kanman-ga-fuchi Abyss trail. Ann was navigating, and it took us longer than expected to get to the trailhead, which was snowy and icy. Thankfully, we didn't have to navigate through the snow much before finding a safer path. There were a lot of stone sculptures of a Buddhist deity, Jizu, all decorated with red caps and shirt fronts. It was kinda cool. We walked to the end of that trail, then took a service road back to the start, followed by neighborhood streets back to a place where we could pick up the bus back into the city center. Waited about 40 minutes for our train to arrive. The ride back was uneventful, I paid more attention to the scenery this time. It was interesting in seeing the difference between the countryside, the suburbs, and the city. After we got to the station, we had a problem. We must have accidentally used our Suica cards when we were trying to get through the gate to the Spacia X train, and it rendered the cards invalid. We tried to get the problem fixed but to no avail, since there wasn't a JR office at this station. We bought single fares for the ride back to the Airbnb. Ann was moving really slowly and not thinking so clearly, but we made it back eventually. We had planned on a late return, so there was no need to stop at the store. I made pasta for dinner, was mediocre but serviceable for us. Then it was to a blessed sleep.

02-24-2025 Run/Walks

Had a pretty good night's rest, jet lag not much of a problem so far. We ate some curry and eggs for breakfast, along with yogurt and rolls. Not fancy but tasty enough. Then I bundled up for a run, two long-sleeved shirts, tights, headband, and a jacket. I walked over to the entrance to Ueno Park and started my run there. Over to the temple, then north along the northwest side until I found a cross street to get to the east side. Back to the shrine and around the paths until I turned and ran up the steps to the east part of the park. Headed north again, by the ballfield and then up to the large building near the north end, which I think is the Tokyo National Museum. Started heading back from this point, on nice wide running paths, back down the stairs and past the shrine once more, then south along the west side and out of the park back to the Airbnb. Felt good on the run, I didn't push it, and the new shoes worked fine.

Avg pace = 8:09/mi

Total distance = 3.66 mi

Elapsed running time = 29:49

Avg heartrate = 166 bpm (Fitbit)

https://www.strava.com/activities/13727908843

I got back early enough to cool down and relax before showering and heading out for the day. We stopped at Zehn Coffee nearby and had coffee and toast, both very good with excellent service. Then we walked over to catch the Ginza line subway, a little confusion about which station to enter but figured out quickly. Several stops on the subway to Asakusa Station, where we got off and walked toward the Senso-ji Shrine. It was still fairly early, but crowds were building. We headed by the shops, it became quite familiar as I continued walking, since we'd gone here in 2019 on the business trip. Walked up to the shrine and the pagoda, looked around and stood in a line for Ann to get a stamp with calligraphy. Then we walked over to the nearby mall of shops, where I bought some origami paper (was mildly annoying to have to carry it the rest of the day, as it wouldn't fit in a pocket). We kept walking around the shopping area for a bit until it was time for lunch. Ann had found a place by the river with vegetarian options, and it was pretty decent. We walked across the river afterwards, but there wasn't much to see. Back through the big crowds to the station, where we followed confusing signs to get to the train station adjacent. Our intent was to go to the Yanaka neighborhood, supposed to contain more traditional houses. It was a chore figuring out what we had to do to pay for the train ride with our Suiza cards, but I figured it out, with minor help from the train conductor, who showed us how to validate the fares by touching the cards to the sensors above our seats. A short ride, pretty expensive for the distance traveled, then we had to find our way out of the Nippori train station, which wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. Got out eventually and we walked onto the main shopping street which was moderately crowded, filled with mom-and-pop stores. I think we saw three stores dedicated to cat-related items, and I took a video of these two old guys playing a spinning top game that was cool. It got breezy and we ran out of shops, so we walked directly back to the station and we were able to take the Chiyoda line directly back the Yushima station right by our Airbnb. Another break before we walked to an upscale outdoor sportswear store and got some pricey gloves. While out, we stopped at Summit and got some stuff for dinner. Bread, cheese, and tofu for me, sushi and salad for Ann. Wasn't great but was good enough after a longish day. I watched some Netflix and then read before going to sleep.

02-23-2025 Walks

Woke up in the very early morning after getting about 6 hours of decent sleep (<!>). I dozed off and on until around 5:00, then we got up and had a light breakfast before heading out for a walk through Ueno Park. There was ice on the water, and it was pretty chilly in the shade. We walked around the water, saw the shrine, the walked over to where the Buddhist temple was, along with some museums. Here is when we started to look for a coffee shop, but the directions were convoluted by the proximity of Ueno Station. Eventually, I got us to a place with coffee and traditional Japanese breakfast, but there was a long line to get in, so I found another shop nearby. Coffee was decent, and warmth inside was better. From there, we walked back to the Airbnb to plot out the rest of the day's activities. We hung out there for a while, then walked to the Yushima subway station to head down to the Meiji Shrine and Harajuku area. When we go there, no issues with the subway, we walked to Afuri, a little ramen place nearby, seating 16 people at a I-shaped counter. The ramen was good, could have been a tad hotter for temperature, but still good and efficiently run. Then we walked down Takeshita St, extremely crowded and full of youth-and young People-oriented ships and restaurants. Saw places where you could interact with cats, dogs, dwarf pigs, even otters. Lots of sweets shops as well. After that, we walked on a nice wooded path to the Meiji Shrine, which was frankly a little disappointing. The grounds were impressive, but the shrine was more of a gathering place for people, not so grand in and of itself. We walked from there over to Yoyogi Park, hoping to see some cherry blossoms. There were just a few trees blossoming, none in the big grove, where I'm guessing it is pretty spectacular when in bloom. We sat and people watched for a while there, lots of girls in short skirts and platform shoes, dogs with jackets either on a leash or in a stroller. There were two groups of 50's-style dancers dancing to music on a PA system, it was a little odd but they looked to be having fun. We then walked back to the station and took the same train back to our Airbnb neighborhood. With these two excursions, we walked over 20k steps. We walked back to our Airbnb for a break, resting and taking it easy until it was time to get stuff for dinner. I thought I had located a bigger better discount market toward Ueno Park, so we walked over there. It was discount alright, but the food selection was poor, very little fresh food. We got some odds and ends and walked back, where I made green curry tofu and mushrooms for dinner, with rice. It was fine, filling. Then we had a quiet evening before turning in.

02-22-2025 Walk

This was a day shortened by travel to Tokyo. We landed at Narita a little before 2:00 and got through customs and onto the train into Tokyo by 3:15. Not too much thrash in finding our way through the airport. The train ride was a little less than an hour, and thankfully my phone worked well to direct us to our Airbnb in the Bunkyo City neighborhood. We got settled in and the walked to a nearby market to get some stuff for a light dinner. Ann was tired from the flight, she didn't sleep much, so she went to bed early, while I walked to the Yushima Shrine and then the Kanda Myoujin Shrine. The first was lit up and had some people walking around, the second was dark and deserted. I walked from there over to an area southeast of Ueno Park where there were restaurants and bars. It looked busy but I wasn't as close to the heart of the shopping area nearby as I thought I was. Looped around and then back to the Airbnb. It was cold on the walk but not super cold. Was tired when I got back, so I went to sleep before 8:30.

02-21-2025 Walk

Travel day. I knew it was going to be a long time on the plane, so I got up at 2:15 and went for an extended walk to get most of my steps in. It was really foggy in the neighborhood. Got home a little before 3:30 and had a shower before doing a final cleaning of the dishes and putting my stuff in the car. The drive up to the Embassy Suites near LAX, where we parked our car, was uneventful, but the first 10 minutes or so we're nerve-wracking due to the heavy fog. Thankfully, it lifted as we drove past the mall, and I only had to deal with a milder fog as we got close to the coast. No troubles on the drive, just a little traffic slowing as we got within about 10 miles of the airport. Parked and we're able to walk right on to an airport shuttle, although I forgot my second pair of reading glasses in the car. Minor detail. Both Ann and I titrated the weight of our backpacks up to the 7 kg limit, but we got checked in just fine. Got to the gate 2.5 hours before the flight boarded, but better to be on the early side. Flight was pretty full, but the seats were comfortable enough and not too cramped. We brought a fair amount of food onto the plan for the 10+ hour flight. I had several naps on the plane, finished up the Baby Reindeer series (weird, the lead character was definitely not stable or funny) and watched Emilia Perez. Now that was an unconventional movie, with musical interludes on a storyline about a drug lord who has a sex change operation and becomes benevolent, at least on the outside. Then we took a train into the city and then a subway to the Ueno Park area. Walked about 10 minutes to the Airbnb, which was fairly close to Ueno Park. We found a Fresco market somewhat close to us, so we walked over there and got some groceries for our stay, including stuff for dinner. Made dinner in the flat and had a quiet evening after a long travel experience.

02-20-2025 Swim/Ride

Had a decent night's sleep. Started cleaning the dishes when I got up and had a little breakfast before getting ready to go to the WWC for a quick swim. I swam 1600 yds, kept up a 20-stroke pace and tried at times not to swing my arms out so far before the catch. That adjustment will take time to implement, but I hope it will shorten my stroke and allow me to increase stroke frequency. On this day, I didn't really feel smooth in the water, it was more of a chore workout. Here are my split times: 9:06, 9:16, 9:21, 1:50. When I got home, I finished up the dishes and had some coffee, then scrubbed the sink to try and get the stains out. Then I packed my stuff into my backpack and did a preliminary weighing. Had noodles for lunch, then I went for my last road bike ride in a while. Headed through the neighborhood, taking the Capilla Rd route, then the extended route through 4S Ranch to get to Camino del Sur. This was a mileage ride, not a speed ride, so I took it easy out to the 56 bike path, turning right there. Rode to the exit for Rancho Santa Fe Farms, then used that road to get over to Carmel Valley Rd. There was a significant offshore breeze, so when I started heading east it was a big help. I stayed on this road through the climb up to Black Mountain Rd and then after it turned into Bernardo Center Dr. Up that last climb slowly, then home via W Bernardo Dr. It was warm at times on this ride, overall very nice temperatures for riding.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph (15.7 mph). Total mileage = 24.4 mi

Avg power = 128 W. Weighted avg power = 162 W

Total elevation gain = 1640' (1760')

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 27 (28)

Training Load = 89

Intensity = 74%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13682448403

I ate a snack when I got home. Throughout the day, I also worked on cleaning up my folder of WhatsApp pics, will also be something to occupy my time on the plane. The evening was a quiet one, got all packed up and went to bed early.

02-19-2025 Ride

Woke up (<>) and took a little time to get ready for a bike ride. This was planned to be a ~20 mile ride at easy pace. I initially rode the time trial route until I got to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, where I continued straight and rode up Pomerado Rd until turning onto Stonebridge Pkwy. I was intentionally slow on the climb up to this turn, then slow on the climbs up to the top of the road. Legs were definitely tired from the previous day's long ride. The downhill section was fun, but the last little climbs on the Stonebridge Pkwy return were kinda painful. I made pretty good time on the Poway Rd return, maybe helped by a slight tailwind. Back to RB Rd, then home via the W Bernardo Dr route.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph (15.4 mph). Total mileage = 26.2 mi

Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 164 W

Total elevation gain = 2160' (2260')

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 29 (29)

Training Load = 102

Intensity = 75%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13671367568

I was home early enough to have a little time to rest, and get my hair cut, before I headed over to do my volunteer shift at the hospital. On the way over, I stopped at Unicorn Jewelry and picked up my ring. They did a good job on it, it looks nice and shiny. Will keep it more as an heirloom and wear it for special occasions. The hospital shift was fairly busy throughout. At one point, I helped Johnny try to insert an NG tube down a lady's throat, but two tries were unsuccessful. It was intense there for a bit. The rest of the shift was normal tasks. I did talk for a while with a guy who was in the ED, he was paraplegic, and it underscored for me the thin line between a good life and one that is quickly upended. Got home and started laying out my stuff to pack up. Watched a little TV in the evening, but I was pretty tired from the day.

02-18-2025 Ride

Woke up and cleaned the kitchen, then started getting ready for a longer bike ride. My intention was to ride down to the visitor center at Camp Pendleton and get a pass allowing me to ride my bike through the camp. I took my passport as well, along with enough other items that I ended up wearing a fanny pack to carry them. Headed down by the park and over the freeway. As I was crossing Lake Hodges, I hit something in the road and it made a big noise as my rear tire rode over it. I thought I had flatted the tire for sure, but amazingly it held up. So, it was going to be my lucky day. Turned on Via Rancho Pkwy and rode up that little climb at a decent pace, was surprised that there wasn't more traffic on this road. Down and over to Del Dios Hwy, turning right there, since I decided to take the Elfin Forest route. I rode up to Citracado Pkwy and turned left there, saw a little traffic around this point. Then it was a left on Harmony Grove Village Pkwy, taking this down to Harmony Grove Rd, where I took another left. I kept a decent pace on this general gradual descent, not scorching it but not letting up much either. Similar on the Elfin Forest Rd climb, where I wasn't out to set a PR but also wanted to keep my average speed up. It was busy with traffic in San Elijo Hills, but I made it through okay and rode down San Elijo Rd to get to Rancho Santa Fe Rd, where I took a left. After the little climb beyond the turn, I was ready for some downhill riding, and that's what I got, down to La Costa Ave and then down to the flats before the little climb by the freeway. Over to PCH, where I turned right and made pretty good time (I might have had a little bit of a tailwind) into Carlsbad. Through that village and on into Oceanside, turning left on Vista Way to get to Broadway St. Left on Cassidy St and then right on Myers St, which fed via Morse St into Pacific St, the road that Jed's house is on. I stayed on this road past the Oceanside Pier and crossed the bridge over the San Luis Rey River before turning right onto Harbor Dr. Followed this around the harbor and then up the little climb to get to the freeway. The south gate for Camp Pendleton was just beyond the freeway, and I rode over to the visitor center. Didn't have long to wait before a guy took my information and then printed out a photo id pass that will allow me onto the base to ride my bike, for one year. The whole process took <20 minutes, then I was back riding home, following basically the same route back through Oceanside, except for turning on Eaton St to get back to PCH. The ride back south was something of a grind. I had pushed pretty hard on the outbound segment because I didn't want to get stuck in a big line at the visitor center. In the end, I got there just after 9:00, was pretty pleased with my effort but at something of a cost. Nothing special about the return route, I followed the normal way back to Via de la Valle. On the coast, I kept my speed around 18-20 mph on the flats and got up the little climbs without pushing hard. There was a coastal breeze that helped me on Via de la Valle to El Camino Real, which I took over to San Dieguito Rd. I didn't notice the benefit of the breeze as much while riding on the flats here over to the bottom of Three Witches. This was going to be a slow climb for me, I probably could have taken in more calories during the ride. Up to Camino del Sur and then back toward the 4S Target. I noticed that I needed a couple of additional miles to get to 70, so I ended up riding the reverse of the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, then rode home via the W Bernardo Dr route. Legs were fine at the end, still a lot of riding I could have done, but I was pretty tired.

Avg speed = 17.6 mph (17.7 mph). Total mileage = 70.4 mi

Avg power = 162 W. Weighted avg power = 186 W

Total elevation gain = 3300' (3870')

Avg heartrate = 133 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 160 (156)

Training Load = 298

Intensity = 83%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13663335110

When I got home, it felt really good to just sit down and chill with some light snacks. After a while, I ate some soup for lunch. I watched some more of the SNL 50 show, then it was time for house work. Wet mopped all the hard floors downstairs, then I vacuumed our bedroom upstairs as well as the stairs and the two area rugs downstairs. That should be it for the chores for the day. Ann ran some errands and then had lunch with Kay. Ann started to pack her stuff up, and I started thinking about what I was going to bring to wear during the trip. In the late afternoon, I rode over to Miguel's Cocina to meet some HP and ex-HP folks who worked for the Indigo business. We had a good turnout: James, Minedys, Linda, Jack, Avi, Mark, Jerry, Dave S., Andre, Evgeny, Stan, Pedro, Kyle, John G., and Hongwei. I got the chance to talk with a number of folks, all are doing pretty well. Jerry's daughter is getting married soon, as is Dave S. and Andre's younger son. Minedys is pursuing an online Master's degree that is more biotech-focused. John is going to Abu Dhabi, and Linda is going soon to Japan, after us. Ride home was pretty chilly. Not a fan of riding my scooter in the dark, especially when it's cold.

02-17-2025 Swim/Walk

Slept longer than usual, got up around 6:30 and had a little breakfast, tidied up the kitchen and did some little chores around the house until it was time to get ready for a swim at the WWC. Was clearer and colder than previous days, since there is a correlation between these factors. I was the only one in the pool at the start, but it was fully occupied by the time I was done. Originally intended to swim 2500 yds, but I wasn't feeling so strong around the 1500 yd mark. Still, I pushed through it and made it the full distance, although the last 500 yds were a struggle. I lengthened my stroke and kicked more in this last 500, but I could still feel it in my shoulders when I was done. Here are the 500 splits: 9:02, 9:17, 9:21, 9:36, 9:37. I also got my new wedding ring in the mail along with a pair of wireless earbuds that I'd ordered. Both are just fine. Later in the morning, I headed over to Home Depot in Escondido and got some stakes to hold the ground cloth down in the back yard. After that, I walked over to Dumplings n More to meet Earl for lunch. I was a little early, and it turns out that Earl thought we were meeting at noon, so I ended up being a lot early. Food there was meh, but the conversation was good, as usual. I got gas for the scooter on the way home, then in the afternoon I staked the ground cloth down and spread the wood chips on it. Need at least another bag of wood chips to get complete coverage. I went for a walk after that down to the park and around before returning. That was the end of my activities. I did vacuum the upstairs in the evening, but it was light duty.

02-16-2025 Ride

Woke up a little early (<>) and had a leisurely time of it before getting ready to go to church. It had been a while since I had gone, and Ann was the liturgist. Emily sang with the choir, and after church we talked to a number of folks on the patio before heading home (got gas on the way). I had some lunch, kicked around the house a little bit, and put some old cleats on my new cycling shoes. In the early afternoon, I headed out for a bike ride. Down by the park, then over to Highland Valley Rd. I was tired from the previous day and kept my effort level down. Still, I rode up the first climb and then up to Bandy Canyon Rd, turning there and riding around the turn, then up the dead-end road until turning around and riding back down and over to Pomerado Rd. I turned left and took it up past the hospital a couple of stoplights before turning around and riding back to RB Rd. Home the normal way via W Bernardo Dr from there. It was nice and warm on this afternoon, for a change. The new shoes worked okay. The cleats don't click in a cleanly as they normally do, and I need to adjust the cleats so that the shoes aren't too close to the crank arms.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph (15.8 mph). Total mileage = 20.4 mi

Avg power = 145 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W

Total elevation gain = 1340' (1470')

Avg heartrate = 121 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 27 (29)

Training Load = 82

Intensity = 78%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13646774871

When I got home, I had a very short break, then Ann and I went out in the back yard and laid down the ground cloth by the west gate. I ran out of stakes to hold it down, so more work still needs to be done there. I did lay down the flagstones to make a walking path to the gate. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I had a little nap in the afternoon and read some, otherwise nothing productive to report.

02-15-2025 Ride

Ray had planned a big ride for us on this day, to help Arnold prepare for his planned ride up Haleakala when he goes to Maui in early March. It was colder at the start than previous days, but I wore the right number of layers. I tried to use my new cheap road shoes, but the cleats they came with are for Look pedals. I headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then took the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. As usual, we were late starting, Francis and Gio were both pretty late. Rob showed up, not to ride but to give Fritz his jersey and to take his picture with us. He is a ways off from riding with us again. On this day, there were the following riders at the start: Ray, Arnold, Jed, Fritz, Francis, Gio, and Cam. We headed over to Paseo del Sur and took it to Del Sur Ridge Rd, turning left there and then right onto Nicole Ridge Rd to get to Camino San Bernardo. I was leading the way for most of the first part of this ride. We rode over to Dove Canyon Rd and took it down to Carmel Valley Rd. I pushed the pace a little bit on the climb up to Black Mountain Rd, and only Cam could stay with me. We rode down to Camino del Sur and waited there for the others to catch up. Then it was to the 56 bike path, with me leading out for most of the way. I trailed on the 56 bike path segment, following the others to get to El Camino Real. Originally, Ray had us riding up Carmel Country Rd, but I was worried that we were already including a lot more elevation gain on this ride than usual, so we took an easier, shorter route to get to Carmel Mountain Rd, turning right there and then left onto Vista Sorrento Pkwy, riding downhill to Sorrento Valley Blvd. We used this road to get over to the bike path along the west of I-5. Here, I started up the climb at a slower pace, and Cam and Fritz led out. I followed them up and we all raced to the top of the first climb. It was a slower pace on the second bit, taking it up to Pepper Canyon Dr and using this road to get to Gilman Dr. Francis and I were out in front here for a bit, then I dropped the hammer and pulled away, pushing harder than usual on the downhill section taking us to the top of the Rose Canyon bike path. I stayed in the middle of the pack on this next stretch, and Arnold was pushing pretty hard here. We rode to Balboa Ave, but I missed the turnoff on the bike path and had to stop and turn around. This dropped us right around Soledad Mountain Rd, which is what I thought we were climbing. But Ray had us on Pico St and Pacifica Dr instead. I hadn't been on this route, and it was really steep, with sustained sections of >15% and up to 18%. I powered up the climb, which dropped near the top to "only" 12% gradients for the last little bit. Up to the top and then down to where the next turn was going to be. I turned around and rode back up to the top to wait for everybody to get there. We turned on Amity St, losing a fair amount of the elevation we had gained. Left on Middleton Rd, then right on Middleton Way and left on Soledad Rancho Rd to get to Soledad Mountain Rd, where we were maybe a third of the way to the top. I just settled in to grind it out to the top, not putting in a huge effort but still gapping the rest of the riders. I stopped at the top to capture videos of the other riders finishing the climb and turning onto La Jolla Scenic Dr to get up to the cross on Mt Soledad. I waited for Gio to get there, then he and I rode up to meet the others for a break. This was our long break, since there were porta-potties and water. Romeo met us here and rode with us for a while. We headed back down the hill using Via Capri, not my favorite road. I rode the brakes for most of the way to Hidden Valley Rd, taking this down to Torrey Pines Rd, where we turned left, then right onto La Jolla Shores Rd (a quick stop there for some). We rode up to Calle de Oro, which Zac had shown us on a previous ride, turning right there. It has a fairly steep but short climb, and I set a PR here (4:28, 265 W, 148 bpm), getting out in front of the others again. After it flattened out and I got to an intersection, I waited for Fritz and Cam to get there, then the three of us rode together up to Torrey Pines Rd, where we waited for the others. After we gathered up, we rode up to the next intersection and stayed on Torrey Pines Rd. On this stretch, it was mostly me and Romeo setting the pace, and he was pushing it. I was able to keep up, but it was an effort. We stayed on Torrey Pines Rd, riding by the golf course, where there was a tournament going on (Genesis Invitational), meaning a lot of pedestrians and cars looking for parking. Fast down the hill and then up to Carmel Valley Rd. Ray's route had us continuing up, but we were in the process of turning, so we ended up taking Carmel Valley Rd over to El Camino Real, then climbing it into Del Mar Heights before descending onto the flats and getting over to San Dieguito Rd. Romeo had split from us by this time. Ray and Arnold took the descent pretty fast, and I had to push to catch up with them. On San Dieguito Rd, I organized a decent pace line, which held with all of the riders for the entire stretch. We kept going without stopping at the gas station, and got onto Three Witches. I started out at modest pace, intending to ride with the others, but they were all pretty gassed. There was another rider who paced me up the first climb, then I passed him and caught up with another couple of riders ahead of me. On the third climb, one of the riders hung with me, and we were pushing each other. Eventually, he ran out of gas and couldn't keep up when I accelerated near the top and left him behind. On this day, after the climbs we had done, I was pretty happy with my effort here, far from my PR but still respectable. I waited for the others to make the turn onto Camino del Sur. Cam and Arnold went ahead, while the rest of us started out together but strung out again based on the status of our legs. I was feeling fine and got out ahead without riding too hard. Still, I was happy to get back to Target, where I took a short break before heading home the new normal way, benefiting from an offshore breeze that helped push me along. Legs were fine at the end, tired and a little sore but no cramping.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph (16.2 mph from my program). Total mileage = 62.9 mi

Bisikleta route avg speed = 16.2 mph

Avg power = 157 W. Weighted avg power = 185 W

Total elevation gain = 4350' (4760' from my program)

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 141 (145 from my program)

Training Load = 328

Intensity = 84%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13636688537

Ann was at the Chocolate Festival when I got home. I was pretty hungry but felt better after eating a small lunch and snacking on some salty snacks. I watched a little TV and then fixed a minor issue with my cycling analysis program before inputting this blog entry. Quiet evening.

02-14-2025 Swim/Run

Had a good last few hours of sleep, woke up a little after 6:00 and got up in a bit to do the dishes and catch up on blogging. After that, I got ready for a swim at the WWC. The weather looked like it might be clearing, but I got sprinkled on as I rode over, and it was drizzling while I waited for the gates to be opened. I had the pool to myself for a while and swam in the rain for a bit. Had set up my camera with a platform so it wouldn't fall over, and that ended up working out well. This was a fast swim, I think it's the first time I was able to swim 2000 yds in under 37 minutes. I did a really bad job, however, of keeping track of laps, so I ended up swimming an extra 200 yds beyond what I had planned. Here are the splits for the 4 500s and the last 200: 8:58, 9:15, 9:18, 9:25, 3:42. It's starting to feel like I can hold my pace a little more consistently, at least after the first, faster 500. Was generally able to keep a 20-stroke pace, but I had to think about lengthening my stroke all the time, and I could tell my arms were tiring out in the latter part of the workout. After I was done, I went into the locker room and changed into running clothes, then did the reverse of the normal 5k route from the WWC. I was intentionally monitoring how my right ankle was feeling, since it had bothered me a little bit over the last 2 weeks (since I moved the bricks into the back yard). It felt fine during the run. I was faster than I expected in the first mile, but it was flat, and I slowed down in the second mile and then had more of a downhill finish to speed up a bit at the end. My ankle was just a little tender after the run, will pay attention to it over the next couple of days.

Avg pace = 8:02/mi

Total distance = 3.13 mi

Elapsed running time = 25:10

Avg heartrate = 164 bpm (Fitbit)

https://www.strava.com/activities/13626616498

After I got home, I did some computer coding while Ann was running errands, then we went to Milton's Deli for lunch. It was actually pretty good although a little pricey. We got a couple of pieces of candy at See's afterward, were waited on by a lady who had worked for See's since 1979. Amazing! After we got home, I hung around for a bit then went to mail Mark's jersey to him. While I was out, I also got a greeting card for Ann and bought some new running shoes that offer better cushioning and tread for different terrain. Called Mom in the late afternoon, she sounded pretty good after complaining about her health. I told her about Kaye's recent medical problems. It was a nice quiet evening spent with my Valentine's sweetheart.

02-13-2025 Swim/Virtual Ride/Walk

Slept pretty well, the previous day was a busy one for me (<!>). I got ready for a swim at the WWC and rode over, in misty conditions again, on my scooter. There was an additional brave soul swimming at the start. I swam 1600 yds in less than 30 minutes, had my camera set up to track my laps but the camera fell over early on, so my time and distance are an estimate. Ann had made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, so I had some, along with coffee, when I got home. I wasn't too active during the rest of the morning, did some computer stuff and went to Aldi to get some cereal and snacks for the upcoming plane trip. Ann went to play Mah-Jongg in the afternoon, so I set myself up for a shorter ride on the indoor trainer. I picked a very flat route around Bruge and did a little less than 2 laps before turning off. The turnoff led me to a climb, but I wasn't in the mood, so I shut it down there. For some reason, my heartrate monitor didn't register on MyWhoosh when I set it up. Will need to add that to my indoor trainer checklist for next time.

Avg speed = 21.0 mph. Total mileage = 12.9 mi

Avg power = 195 W. Weighted avg power = 200 W

Total elevation gain = 20'

Training Load = 50

Intensity = 91%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13620888103

As soon as I finished, I realized that I hadn't set my watch up to count the pedal strokes as steps, so that meant going out for a walk in the rain. Thankfully, it wasn't raining hard, just a slow, persistent drizzle. I walked through the neighborhood for about 50 minutes, got a little wet but not soaked. Ann was home when I got back, did a little more computer coding (cleaning up the code for the most part) and watched some basketball before and after dinner. Rest of the evening was quiet.

02-12-2025 Virtual Ride

Woke up feeling pretty much recovered from my COVID shot. I had a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and took my time getting ready for a ride on the indoor trainer. I got it all set up and the MyWhoosh app loaded with the latest set of routes, then picked a relatively flat one to ride, in Hegra, a city in Saudi Arabia. I thought I was going to do about 2 loops around this city but the route had an unexpected short steep climb that I had to power through. It dropped my average speed quite a bit, so I spent the most of the rest of the ride trying to get back to a 20 mph average, got close but started that climb again at the end and was slowed down. The trainer setup worked well, although I dropped my chain a couple of times during the workout and had to stop to put it back on. Held over 200 W on average for the entire hour I rode.

Avg speed = 19.7 mph. Total mileage = 20.0 mi

Avg power = 202 W. Weighted avg power = 203 W

Total elevation gain = 760'

Avg heartrate = 136 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 39

Training Load = 85

Intensity = 92%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13610438695

I wore my new Bisikleta jersey on the workout. It's well made but I would have preferred that it be a little longer. Should work with bib shorts okay. Was pretty drenched with sweat at the end of the workout, but I had some time to relax before getting ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. On the ride over there on my scooter, it was misting and lightly drizzling, and I chose the wrong jacket to wear. The jacket was pretty wet and some of it soaked through to my shirt, pants were a little damp as well. Luckily, my shoes didn't get too wet, and I dried out fairly quickly once I got there. The shift was steadily busy for me, with a lot of patients in the ED. One of the nurses had a little crying fit, not sure what that was all about, but it was weird. It was similarly misting when I rode home, but I didn't get quite as wet. Ann and I went to dinner at Sapphire Indian Restaurant in the RB Town Square shopping center. Food was good, service was a little slow, given that it was just us and another table in our dining area. Still, we may go back, I might try the lunch buffet sometime.

02-11-2025 Walk/Ride

Had something of a restless night sleeping, probably because of too much caffeine during the day and evening. I woke up after midnight, couldn't get back to sleep, so I went downstairs and watched a Doctor Who episode. Back to sleep after that, later on I woke up and read some. In the early morning, I started feeling the effects of my COVID shot from the previous day. When I got up, I went out for a walk around the neighborhood for a little less than an hour. Legs felt fine, but my arms were sore and I had a little congestion. Had some cereal when I got home and felt a little better. I decided to take it easy for the rest of the morning, worked on code and data setup for testing my latest version of the model for calculating Relative Effort, this time based on HR Zone bins. It took a while to get the dataset input, but the results, when they came out, were really great. The coefficients for the different HR Zones make sense, and I think I'm close to ready to use this model for reporting my own Relative Effort number. I have a set of route data in Strava with different entries for the HR Zones, and I will use that dataset to see if I can generalize my understanding of the model to take account of these different Zones. In the early afternoon, I drove over to the Starbucks on Dove Canyon Rd and met Paula for a relatively short, easy-paced ride. I was still feeling a little under the weather but getting better. We met at the shopping center by Donut Touch and headed down Dove Canyon Rd to Camino San Bernardo, turning right there and taking it to 4S Ranch Pkwy. We took a left and rode down the hill to Dove Creek Rd, using it to get back to Dove Canyon Rd. Down to Carmel Valley Rd and up the two little climbs, slowly for me and a little more slowly for Paula. We then turned left onto Black Mountain Rd and took it into PQ, turning left on Paseo Montalban and riding up to Salmon River Rd to take a left. Across the 56 and down the hill until we turned right onto Adolphia St which continued down, with speed bumps, until a tiny climb back up to Black Mountain Rd. We continued straight onto Park Village Rd, Paula likes this kind of road, not so much traffic and a separate bike lane. A little climb then the nice gradual descent to Camino del Sur, where there was a lot of traffic around the elementary school. We took Camino del Sur back up to the 56, then down and up to Paseo del Sur. I dialed my pace back quite a bit but still got ahead of Paula on the longer climbs. We took the Paseo del Sur loop through the Del Sur neighborhood and back to Camino del Sur, turning right there and riding back up to Dove Canyon Rd and to our starting point. Although it wasn't cold, it was chilly on this ride whenever the sun wasn't out, which was most of the time. We had the benefit of a tailwind on the way back, which was really nice.

Avg speed = 12.8 mph. Total mileage = 17.7 mi

Avg power = 106 W. Weighted avg power = 129 W

Total elevation gain = 1290' (1400' from my program)

Avg heartrate = 106 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 16

Training Load = 58

Intensity = 59%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13604051226

I stopped at Ralphs on the way home and picked up some milk, got home a little after 4:00. I watched some NBA basketball before dinner and made more progress on the HR Zone calculation of Relative Effort.

02-10-2025 Swim/Ride

Woke up after a somewhat fitful sleep in the middle of the night, but early morning sleep was fine. I adjusted my 401(k) holdings after discussions with Ann and having seen Brett Everhart the previous week. Then I got ready for a swim at the WWC, trying to psyche myself into swimming 3000 yds for the first time in quite a while. It was overcast but not raining when I got there. I got off to a fast start on my first 500, which could have been concerning, but I had the stamina to not let my pace drop off in the subsequent 500s. Did an okay job keeping track of laps, I gained one on one 500 and lost one on another. Just to be sure I had enough distance, I swam an extra 50 at the end. For the first time, I broke an hour in swimming the 3000 yds, and it wasn't even close. My stroke count was consistently 20 for the first 2000 yds but got a little ragged, closer to 21, especially in the last 500. Here are the splits for this workout, the last one being the last 50: 9:04, 9:19, 9:24, 9:25, 9:32, 9:26, 0:54. I am trying to increase the efficiency of my pull and glide in the water, but it is easy for my form to revert to old habits when I get tired. I took a little break, then got ready, fairly slowly, for a bike ride. Intent here was to do a shorter, harder route, mission accomplished. I rode down by the park and then up Pomerado Rd all the way to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, where I turned left. This is where the challenge was concentrated. That ride up to the top of Scripps-Poway Pkwy is always difficult. I could feel in my legs that they weren't in ideal shape, but still I pushed myself on the Purple Monster climb, posting my second fastest time up it, a little less than 30 seconds slower. On the descent, I was really cautious, with a quartering wind that seemed to be buffeting my bike. Back to Stowe Dr, where I turned right and rode down to Community Rd, turning right there as well. This little descent is quite steep and fast, had me on my toes. I then rode over to Aubrey St to get to Midland Rd, taking it up to Twin Peaks Rd and turning right there. I enjoyed a tailwind pushing me up to Espola Rd, where I turned left and took this little climb easier. Wind was aiding me a little bit here too. I pushed harder on the descent, taking it to RB Rd and then turning onto Bernardo Center Dr. Home the normal way from there.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph (16.5 mph from my program). Total mileage = 31.8 mi

Avg power = 155 W. Weighted avg power = 184 W

Total elevation gain = 2170' (2330' from my program)

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 75

Training Load = 147

Intensity = 84%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13593561098

I got home a little earlier than I thought I would, had some time to chill before heading out on errands. I took Dad's old ring that I had been wearing as a wedding band to Unicorn Jewelers to have them reshape and reinforce it, then I stopped at the CVS on Duenda Rd and got a COVID booster. Watched a little TV when I got home and ate a little something as well, then I worked on computer coding in the afternoon and early evening, trying to improve my ability to model the Relative Effort metric that Strava uses. I got really good agreement between my model and the actual data by using a more granular set of heartrate data, every 5 bpm. However, the coefficients in the model don't follow the expected monotonic increase with increasing heartrate that I expect. So, more work needs to be done. I traded a cool set of texts with Laura about the modeling work as well as her current efforts to secure more funding for her department. I ran out of time with the modeling, then headed over (through terrible traffic, wow I'm glad I don't have to deal with that day-to-day any more) to Los Panchos for dinner with the Leos. This time, there were: Earl, Ben, J.C., Paul L., Gary, Scott Moris, and Doug Paulson (who showed up later). Talked quite a bit with Gary and Scott, who were down at my end of the table.

02-09-2025 Ride

Woke up, getting a little extra sleep after the cat woke me up early (<>). I ate some cereal and then got ready for a morning bike ride while Ann was at church. I rode up Aguamiel Rd and took Duenda Rd to Escala Rd, taking it down and then up to Pomerado Rd. That climb is short but steep. I rode down to Highland Valley Rd and took it on the flats out and back, keeping a slower pace. When I got back to Pomerado Rd, I turned left and rode up to Greens East Rd, turning there and riding through the RB Inn parking lot to get to Bernardo Oaks Dr. I rode through the retirement neighborhood all the way to Lomica Dr, turning left and riding over to Higa Pl and then up to Pomerado Rd. I crossed over to Ave Valencia. Up to Del Norte, turning right and riding up to Stone Canyon Rd, which I took back down to Pomerado Rd. Up to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, then slowly up this little climb to Paseo Lucido. I turned left and rode over to Camino del Norte. Up and down to the freeway, staying on this road until I got to Dove Canyon Rd. Back home through the neighborhood, for an easy-paced Sunday ride.

Avg speed = 14.4 mph. Total mileage = 20.9 mi

Avg power = 121 W. Weighted avg power = 153 W

Total elevation gain = 1470'

Avg heartrate = 109 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 18

Training Load = 70

Intensity = 68%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13584963253

When I got home I glued the nosepiece of my sunglasses, then I placed a Temu order for some bike stuff. Went in the back yard and did some backyard cleanup of the ground by the west gate. I raked up the wood chips, put them in a trash bin, then turned over the earth (which is quite moist) to get rid of the weeds. Also moved out the paving stones that serve as a walkway between the path and the gate. My intention is to cover this area with ground cloth, then put the pavers and wood chips back over it. Later, I found a way to watch the Super Bowl, on Tubi. The game wasn't very good, the Chiefs were clearly outmatched and, surprisingly, outcoached. I watched the first half, saw Kendrick Perkins in the halftime show (not my kind of music), and watched a little bit of the second half before it became clear that this was not going to be a competitive game. I quit watching then and did some computer code fixing instead.

Update on reading. I finished the book Deadman Switch by Timothy Zahn, it wasn't super great but was mildly enjoyable. Then I started reading Three Ring Circus, by Jeff Pearlman, about the early years of Kobe Bryant's time with the Lakers, including when Shaq and Phil Jackson were there. It's an entertaining read.

02-08-2025 Ride

Was cool but not really cold when I woke up. I dressed appropriately and got ready for the Bisikleta ride. Headed through the neighborhood and then took the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. On this day, there were the following riders: Aaron, Ray, Jed, Cam, James, Arnold, Fritz, Sid (we had ridden with him once before, met him during a ride). Aaron was riding his gravel bike with big tires and recovering from a cold, so we all had a chance of staying with him. I intended to stay in the middle to end of the pack and serve as sweeper. Headed down Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd, taking it down into Fairbanks Ranch. Sid is 73 but really in good cycling shape. He had no problems staying with us. We had a pace line over to El Camino Real, it broke up near the end when a couple of us, including me, pushed the pace pretty hard. We turned right there and rode over to Via de la Valle, turning right there as well, then left to get back onto El Camino Real. Everybody regrouped here, then we took this modest climb up and then down and over to La Bajada. The roads still had damp patches, so I was really careful on the descents, didn't want to hit a slick patch or a pothole. Left on La Bajada, taking it down to Rancho Santa Fe Rd and turning left there. We rode up to the corner and stopped for a relatively short break at the 7-Eleven there before continuing on Rancho Santa Fe Rd. I was definitely sweeping by this time, hanging out in back and waiting at the turns to make sure everybody stayed on course. We took this road over to Olivenhain Rd, turned left, and rode back down to El Camino Real, the third section. Right turn, then a fairly fast stretch for me down to La Costa Ave, where I split with the group and turned left while they kept going straight. I wanted to get back earlier to take some stuff over to a hazardous waste dropoff site. So I took La Costa Ave, pretty fast, over to PCH and turned left there. On PCH, I made pretty good time, didn't stop as much as on Tuesday, when I rode a similar route from here. I did take the side street in Encinitas, I think it's generally a better way to get through that downtown area. From there, it was the normal way home: Via de la Valle, El Camino Real, San Dieguito Rd up Three Witches, then Camino del Sur and back via Camino San Bernardo and W Bernardo Dr. I didn't let up that much on this return route, kept trying to push myself, only backing off when I started feeling overloaded. Not very fast going up Three Witches but faster than on Tuesday. Was tired when I got home, legs were a little sore but recovered quickly.

Avg speed = 17.6 mph. Total mileage = 53.1 mi

Avg speed from my analysis program = 17.7 mph

Avg power = 163 W. Weighted avg power = 187 W

Total elevation gain = 2610' (3000' from my program)

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 112

Training Load = 232

Intensity = 83%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13575534714

I changed quickly when I got home, then gathered up the old fluorescent tubes, motor oil, mineral oil, and household batteries to take over to the hazardous waste dropoff site at Miramar College. It went smoothly, they were very well prepared, and the wait wasn't long. I did get stuck at a broken traffic light at Westview Pkwy on the way home, but thankfully I was able to move over to the left turn lane and get out of the jam. Ate a relatively light lunch when I got home, it's funny that I am not more hungry after big rides. Then I read for a bit and relaxed upstairs. In the afternoon, I worked on updating my blog and fixing some problems with the ride analysis programs, both the regular and batch versions. I added in the calculation and storage of weighted HR Zone data into the batch program but ran into an error that I didn't have time to track down. We then got ready to go over to Linda and Gregory's house for dinner. Saw Adi there (she's now in 7th grade), and after dinner Eytan stopped in as well. Amit is married and living near Dallas, it's hard on both of them. Dinner was good, conversation was great, around family updates and what's going on in Israel, from a number of angles. The evening there finished early, and we drove home.

02-07-2025 Walk

This was a light exercise day. I had a leisurely early morning, ate some breakfast and later went out for a 1+ hour walk around the neighborhood. I was watching out for my right foot, which had been sore since I ran at the beginning of the week. It seems to be feeling better but still not quite normal. After I got back home, I got ready to go to the movies with Ann. We went to see A Complete Unknown at Angelika. I enjoyed it, was a little surprised that Ann did too. She liked the origin story of Bob Dylan, which was dramatized quite a bit but still had a fundamental truth. The day was kinda nasty, misty and overcast. We stopped at Sprouts after the movie, and then I returned most of the unused retaining wall blocks to Home Depot. Our evening was quiet.

02-06-2025 Swim/Ride

Woke up a little after 6:00 and had some breakfast before getting ready for a swim at the WWC. I slept well, although I had some vivid dreams. Woke up feeling fine, no ill effects from how I felt the previous afternoon. It was overcast and had rained a little in the night, so the streets were slick. I was the only one in the pool at the start, but others joined as I was swimming. Swam 2150 yds (lost count of laps a couple of times), trying to keep a steady but not scorching pace as well as maintaining a 20-stroke count. I was largely successful in both efforts. Here are my splits for the 500s and the last 150: 9:17, 9:34, 9:43, 9:42, 2:45. I also felt like I had a little stronger finish than usual, although as usual my first 500 was much faster than the others. After the swim, I headed over to the HP Cafe to have coffee with Brooke and others (I don't remember who all showed up). In the early afternoon, I rode over to RB Community Park and met Paula for a bike ride. We headed down to Lake Hodges and got onto Pomerado Rd, which we took all the way to the top of the hill before turning on Cypress Canyon Park Dr and riding down to Angelique St. Stopped at that intersection for a picture, then we continued down the hill on Springbrook Dr until we got to Sabre Springs Pkwy, turning left and staying on it to Rancho Carmel Dr and eventually turning left onto Carmel Mountain Rd. We stayed on it through the light and took Paseo Lucido to Avenida Venusto, turning left and riding through this neighborhood down to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, taking this down to Bernardo Center Dr. A right turn there, then another right onto Lomica Dr, which we followed to Bernardo Oaks Dr, turning left there. Over to Rios Rd, turning right and following it to its end before looping back to it via Cedar Tree Way, Pinefield Rd, and Summerfield Ln. Then we took Rios Rd back to Callado Rd and turned right onto Acena Dr to get over to RB Rd. Back to the park via Bernardo Center Dr, Duenda Rd, and W Bernardo Dr. Was nice to finish this ride with a downhill section. Pace was slower than usual, generally riding at Paula's pace and including a fair amount of elevation gain.

Avg speed = 13.3 mph. Total mileage = 29.4 mi

Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 136 W

Total elevation gain = 2150'

Avg heartrate = 110 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 29

Training Load = 123

Intensity = 68%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13560582505

The ride took most of the afternoon, and the rest of the day was a quiet one.

02-05-2025 Ride

Slept pretty well, woke up and had a leisurely time getting ready for a bike ride. It wasn't too cold, with overcast skies, so I decided to start earlier than originally planned. Headed down by the park and then over the pedestrian bridge to the bike path leading to BVP. Up BVP to Sunset Dr, there was fairly heavy traffic here and elsewhere on this ride, taken during prime morning commute time. I rode up to Juniper St, turned there and took it to Felicita Ave. Left turn, riding over to the freeway and, on a whim, turning right onto Gamble Ln. I stayed on this road, which has 15% grades at the top of its little climb, until I got to the gate across it, walked around the gate and then took Scenic Trail Way to get to Citracado Pkwy. Down this road, turning left onto Harmony Grove Village Pkwy and taking it to the turn onto Country Club Dr. I wasn't sure which way to go here, so I ended up going straight (also Country Club Dr), which took me back to Harmony Grove Rd. So, not the right choice. I rode back to Harmony Grove Village Pkwy and turned right off it onto Country Club Dr this time. This was the road I remembered, but its condition, once you get out of Harmony Grove Village, is pretty rough. It took me to Auto Park Way, which I used to get to Mission Rd and a left turn toward San Marcos. My pace during this ride was a little bit higher than casual, trying to stay in high Zone 2 for heartrate. I turned right onto Woodland Pkwy and took it over to El Norte Pkwy. At the turn there, I noticed that there was an 800' climb in a couple of miles if I had continued straight. Will have to try that one in the future, it looks intense. Back toward Escondido, I stayed on El Norte Pkwy all the way to Conway Dr, turning right there and heading into downtown Escondido. Another right turn onto Kent Ave and then a left onto Ash St, which I followed to Grand Ave. Right turn there and into downtown, where I stopped at Bike Bling and picked up a couple of sets of tire levers, one for the bike and the other for the bench. They are completely remaking Grand Ave, looks like no cars will be allowed in the central area. I headed over to Kalmia St and took it to 4th Ave, by the church and over Broadway and 5th Ave to get to Centre City Pkwy. Home the normal way over the freeway from there, finally benefiting from some downhill sections to raise my average speed above 15 mph.

Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 29.4 mi

Avg power = 127 W. Weighted avg power = 151 W

Total elevation gain = 1450'

Avg heartrate = 113 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 25

Training Load = 94

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13548480610

Made some coffee when I got home and relaxed a little bit before getting ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. It was pretty busy at the start of the shift, several rooms needed to be cleaned, and I talked to a couple of visitors in the rooms. Then Emily C., who was the charge nurse, gave me a big cart of supplies to restock, and that took a while to do, even though there were supplies that I couldn't find spots for. I had a little bit of a lull in the middle of the shift, then it got busy again at the end. I left a little bit after 4:30 and rode home, feeling a little off my normal self, almost like something was coming on. My right ankle hurt some as well, probably from all the walking and standing at the hospital. It was better in the evening, which was a quiet one. I didn't feel any worse, and putting my feet up helped.

02-04-2025 Swim/Ride

Was awake in the middle of the night, probably because of the afternoon nap I took. Still, I woke up early (<!>) but had time to get ready for a swim at the WWC. This was going to be interval training. It was overcast and therefore not too cold on the ride over. I swam a 500, then 3 200s, another 500 with the push buoy, and a final easy 150. Here are the split times: 9:05, 3:30, 3:35, 3:25, 9:01, 2:56. My elapsed swimming time was about 31:30, but I took breaks in between the intervals. Got home and lazed around the house for a while before getting ready for a late-morning bike ride. It was cool, long-sleeve weather but other than that nice. I headed down by the park and over the freeway to BVP, then to Beethoven Dr to get to the path through Kit Carson Park. Up El Ku Ave to Escondido Blvd, then over to Centre City Pkwy via Citracado Pkwy. I rode through Escondido, and I think I hit every light. Turned left on Washington Ave and took it over to Mission Rd, heading west. The wind was coming from the south, so I felt pretty strong on the way through Escondido. Just past Auto Pkwy, I got a rear tire flat, not sure what I hit in the road, I couldn't find any evidence of the reason for the flat. I had a terrible time trying to get my tire back on the rim, even broke a tire lever. I eventually took everything off, put it back on, and put the tire bead in the rim up by where the valve was, it was easier there. It took me almost half an hour to repair the flat and get moving again. I was tentative as well, not wanting to flat again. Headed to Barham Dr and took it to Discovery St, which is nice to ride on in its new stretch. I turned right on Bent Ave and rode over to San Marcos Blvd, turning left there. Through San Marcos and onto Palomar Airport Rd, keeping a decent pace but not pushing too hard. The generally downhill run past the airport and into Carlsbad went fine and pretty fast. I rode to Avenida Encinas, turned right and started looking for the Canyon bike store. I rode by it, it is not marked on the road. Eventually I realized I'd gone too far, so I turned Google Maps on and backtracked to it. I asked a guy there if they had any plugs for my handlebar fork-tightening access port, but no luck. He was really nice, tried to find one but couldn't. So I headed south on Avenida Encinas, past Palomar Airport Rd and taking it all the way to Poinsettia Ln, using that road to get over to PCH. The wind was a little bit in my face going south, but it wasn't too bad. My legs were more tired than I thought they would be by this time. I took PCH straight back to Via de la Valle, stopping at an electric bike shop in Encinitas to fill up my rear tire, then at the park just south of the Self Realization Fellowship to take a pee. I rode home the normal way from there, had a little bit of an offshore breeze that seemed to help a bit. Was slow up Three Witches, tried to push a little bit harder once I got onto Camino del Sur, but my legs would only give me so much. Home via the Camino San Bernardo and W Bernardo Dr route. This ride ended up taking a lot longer than I thought, but at least my legs didn't give out.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 51.4 mi

Avg power = 153 W. Weighted avg power = 170 W

Total elevation gain = 2030'

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 94

Training Load = 198

Intensity = 78%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13541901508

I had let Ann know I would be on a long ride, got home around 3:15. I ate a little bit, was too late to eat lunch. Then I had a very short nap, relaxed upstairs, and watched some NBA before dinner. It was a quiet evening.

02-03-2025 Run

Woke up and got ready for a run. I ran around the neighborhood, approximately following my old 5k+ neighborhood route. As usual, I was faster as the run progressed. Felt fine during the run. I forgot to wear my heartrate band, so no Relative Effort or heartrate data are available.

Avg pace = 8:14/mi

Total distance = 3.47 mi

Elapsed running time = 28:37

https://www.strava.com/activities/13529312301

When I got home, I helped Ann take the curtains in our bedroom down for cleaning and noticed that one of the curtain rod holders had pulled away from the wall. So I went into my handy collection of organized screws and found a couple to tie the holder into a stud. All went well. Then Ann and I went over to Home Depot and picked up 60 retaining wall bricks for me to build a wall around the area on our west slope where we plan to plant a citrus tree. We had to wait until they pulled down a new pallet of bricks, and I got a workout moving bricks from one place to another. Drove home, and I used the wheelbarrow to transport the bricks to the back yard and built the wall 10 bricks at a time. I ended up using about 50 of the bricks, will keep a couple as spares the return the rest. That exercise was something of a workout for me, arms were okay but my right ankle was sore later in the day and in the evening. Will have to watch that, I don't want to aggravate this old injury from many sprained ankles. I had planned on going for a ride but decided not to on this day. I was pretty tired, had a nap in the afternoon and didn't do too much activity the rest of the day. Instead, I worked on a VBA routine to automate the generation of swimming split times from the cue data pulled off the videos. It went fairly smoothly and now works well. I also fixed my cycling data analysis routines, where the formatting of the date generation columns needed to be modified to allow the sort routine to function in the batch program. I also fixed a minor bug related to capture of heartrate data in bins from 50-180 bpm, so that now works. And I needed to make a minor adjustment to the regular program to reflect the addition of elevation data. All appears to be working well now.

02-02-2025 Swim/Hike

Not a huge motivation for exercise when I woke up. Still, I ate some breakfast and got ready for a swim at the WWC. Headed over there in cool weather, and I had the pool to myself for a bit before other swimmers showed up. My legs felt tired from the previous day, but my stroke was marginally more stable for longer into the swim than previous times. I kept a stroke count of 19-20 strokes for the entire swim, with just a couple of lengths needing to add additional stroke. Even though I didn't feel like this was a very fast swim, it actually was, for this distance. Finished 2050 yds in a little over 38:30, which has to be close to my record for a 2000 yd distance. Here are my splits for the 500s and last 50: 9:19, 9:29, 9:32, 9:26, 0:52. I was particularly happy that my last 500 wasn't my slowest, which is what usually happens. Ann was at church when I got home, so I decided to replace the motor oil on my scooter, since it was due. It all went smoothly, although I need to buy more oil now and drop off the used oil. I debated going out for a ride in the afternoon but decided not to. Instead, I went for a walk/hike down to the park and on some of the trails before getting back to the sidewalk. I walked a little extra to make sure I would have my steps in for the day. We decided to go see a San Diego Folk Heritage Society concert at Pilgrim UCC in the afternoon, so we headed over there around 3:00. It was Four Shillings Short, a husband-wife duo who played stringed instruments, flutes, and recorders. She played the strings, including a hammer dulcimer, mandolin, mandola, banjo, sitar, and psaltery. She was proficient but not excellent, in my opinion, although I can't really comment on the sitar playing, which wasn't to my taste anyway. His voice (he is from Ireland) was pretty rough, and his flute and recorder playing was ragged. Still, it was mildly enjoyable. I hadn't eaten much during the day, so we drove down to Solana Beach (further than I figured to get there) to eat at Micheline's Pita House. The food was good, but the restaurant was really cold. Home through the fog, and I had trouble seeing when oncoming cars were present on the winding 2-lane roads we took.

02-01-2025 Ride

Woke up early on this morning (<>) and got ready for the Bisikleta ride. It was cool but over 40, so I was hoping to see more riders show up. In the end, there were only four of us: Arnold, Jed, and Zac. This wasn't going to be a slow day with these riders. Zac had a rear tire with low pressure, so we decided to stop by our house on the way and fill it up. Over to RB Rd, then down to W Bernardo Dr and home the normal way from there. Zac filled up his tire, Arnold and Jed took bathroom breaks, and I dropped off my second pair of full-fingered gloves. We were off then, heading down by the park and then over the pedestrian bridge and through the mall parking lot to Beethoven Dr, turning left there and getting over to El Ku Ave via the paths in Kit Carson Park. Up to Escondido Blvd, taking it to Citracado Pkwy, where we turned left and took that short, very steep (I didn't remember it being this steep) climb and fast descent down to the freeway. We rode through to Gamble Ln, taking it to Bernardo Ave and turning right. Another little climb and descent to get us to the road riding parallel to I-15 on the west side. It's a gradual climb up to 11th Ave, then a sharp descent to a left turn onto Del Dios Rd. I was leading the others all the way up to this point, since I had mapped out the route. Right turn onto Avenida del Diablo, taking it (poor road condition) over to Citracado Pkwy, where we turned right, then left onto Harmony Grove Village Pkwy. Around here is where Romeo joined up with us, and the pace of the ride kicked up a notch. We turned left onto Harmony Grove Rd, and he and Zac were off the front, racing each other. I had turned my camera on, hoping to get some video of the ride through this nice area, so I rode at the back to capture the others in action. At some point, I put in a big effort to pass the other riders but couldn't hold the lead for long, with Zac and Romeo getting out ahead again. I was at the back again as we turned onto Elfin Forest Rd, but I took my time, working to get up to the lead riders, who were Romeo and Arnold at this point. Arnold dropped off, then Zac joined us as we three raced up this road to get to the village at San Elijo Hills. On the flatter sections after the climbs, Romeo would get out in front, then we would track him down. Zac then made a push for the lead near the top of the last climb before the descent into the village, and I had enough left to pass him and create a gap. Romeo rode up to me after that, but I pushed a little harder to finish in front, setting a PR for this stretch up Elfin Forest Rd (9:43, 241 W, 162 bpm). That was as hard as I've ridden in quite a while, not sure I could have gone any faster. I waited for Arnold and Jed to get to the village, then we took a break at the gas station there. It was shorter than usual, and then we were riding down San Elijo Ave to Rancho Santa Fe Rd, turning left there. Up the little climb, then the fast descent to La Costa Ave, where Romeo split off to head home and we continued straight. We turned to stay on Rancho Santa Fe Rd and dialed the pace back a bit as Zac and I chatted at the front. Over to El Camino del Norte, turning left and taking this road in the reverse direction to our normal route. I was out front, and Zac was on my rear wheel. I ended up setting another PR on the modest climb up to Via de Fortuna (4:49, 238 W, 152 W). I didn't let up on the pedaling, which was a hallmark of my riding on this day. We turned right there and took it to El Montevideo, turning left and riding down, then up, to Paseo Delicias. Zac and I waited for Arnold and Jed, then we rode Stud Loop in reverse. Zac was on a mission, I could tell from the start. There was no way I was going to stay on his wheel, and I basically succeeded in keeping him in sight, setting a PR in the process (7:28, 218 W, 157 bpm). Again, not sure I could have put more effort into this segment than I did on this day, legs were starting to feel it. We rode back to Via de la Valle, turned left, then took it down to Via de Santa Fe and El Apajo. Zac and I gapped the others a little bit, so that at the turn onto San Dieguito Rd we were in front. I decided to keep riding, and Zac was right behind me for a bit. Again, on the climb, I chose a cadence and pushed as hard as I could all the way through. I finished in front but only because Zac stopped when he noticed somebody's phone with DL and credit cards in the bike lane. I didn't see it at all, was probably in tunnel vision mode. We waited for the others at the turn onto Camino del Sur, then I dialed the pace back again, sitting on Arnold's wheel for a while until just before Paseo del Sur. We stayed on the road, and it was Zac and I matching each other for pace and pushing the other. We finished together, that last section was pretty fast for both of us at the end of this somewhat challenging ride. Arnold and Jed were both pretty wiped out, so it was definitely a group workout on this day. I rode home via Camino San Bernardo and then through the neighborhood, legs were fine at the end, but I could definitely feel the effects of the effort on this day.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 48.4 mi

Avg speed from my analysis program = 16.7 mph

Bisikleta route avg speed = 17.1 mph

Avg power = 162 W. Weighted avg power = 192 W

Total elevation gain = 3550' (3840' from my program)

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 134

Training Load = 243

Intensity = 85%

https://www.strava.com/activities/13512855906

When I got home, I had some lunch, then laid out the tarps for the more extensive painting of the skylight area. I used the short and long handles for the large paint roller, and it was a challenge to get the angles and forces necessary to cover the surfaces on all four sides of the skylight area. Was eventually able to get it done, and it looks much better than it did. I cleaned everything up, then did the dishes in the kitchen and vacuumed the dining and living rooms before wet-vacuuming the kitchen. After that, I needed a break, so I watched a little TV and then got caught up on my blogging. I helped with the dinner by making the mashed potatoes, then Emily came over for her belated birthday celebration. She liked the card I made for her, which included a couple of her creative literary inventions from her school days. Dinner was good, lots of conversation afterward about cats. Caleb was still recovering from a cold and having to work through it.