05-31-2025 Ride

Was able to get to sleep the previous night after the concert pretty quickly, so I ended up waking up and getting up early. Had some breakfast (no cereal), got ready for the ride, opened the package containing the new security cameras and set one of them up, including putting the microSD card in it. It is now in the upstairs hallway, with a view toward the front doors and the living room windows. Initial setup was easy. Rode over to the 4S Target through the neighborhood and then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. Perse, Ray, Fritz, and Nel were there when I arrived, and others showed up, including Arnold, James, Joey (no Zac), and Jed (last, as usual). Zac had injured his hand in a crash the previous week and was waiting for it to heal. I'd planned the route, so I was at or near the front for much of the day, especially on the unfamiliar roads. Down CdS to San Dieguito Rd (SDR, from now on), and then down to El Apajo. Over to Via de Santa Fe, then onto Calzada del Bosque to get to Los Arboles, taking it to Via del Alba and turning right. I was waiting at the major turns for everybody, including James, to show up, then pushing hard to get back toward the front. Left on La Gracia, some climbing, then a right on La Flecha to get to Avenida de Acacias, which we stayed on for a while. Eventually turned right onto San Elijo Ave and took it to El Montevideo, turning left there and riding up to Via de Fortuna. Another left turn, a nice downhill, then a right turn onto El Mirlo, which has a really nice downhill. I am pretty sure I waited for James at this turn, but perhaps he didn't see me and missed the turn. I flew down the hill and caught up with Joey ahead of me before turning right onto Rancho Santa Fe Rd to get up to Manchester Ave, where I caught up with Nel in front. We stayed on Manchester past the turn and around this point saw Romeo riding in the opposite direction to meet us. Past I-5, then we turned right onto the bike path on its west side and rode up to Birmingham Dr. Waited there for everybody to gather, but James didn't show up. He sent a text saying he'd missed a turn and was trying to find us, and I replied that we would wait for him at the rest stop at Cancun. We took Birmingham Dr down to San Elijo Ave, that's not a great descent, road condition is too sketchy, turned left there and then right onto Chesterfield Dr to get to PCH. From here, it was common roads for us, pushing pretty hard to get to La Costa Ave and then a U-turn to stop at the 7-Eleven/Cancun. We were there longer than usual, waiting for James and chatting. I gathered everybody up and got us ready to roll again right around the time that James arrived. So we started back south on PCH, initially slower in pace but picking it up as we went. Followed the usual way back (Via de la Valle, El Camino Real, SDR, CdS). I tried to organize a slower pace line on the flats but it was only partially successful. A short break at the gas station before Three Witches, and James and Joey kept riding. After we started climbing, Ray was really pushing hard initially, and I put in the effort to stay with him. Eventually he slowed down, after the second climb, and I continued. Fritz was behind me and tried to pass me near the summit, but I had a little extra left while he didn't. I caught Joey before we got to the turn onto CdS, but it was a struggle. Was warm and muggy on the ride by this point, so I decided to dial back my pace on the last stretch. Me, Fritz, and Arnold were out in front, and when they attacked near the end I couldn't respond. Need to work on my burst efforts more, I guess. Ann met us in the parking lot when we got back, and Zac was there. We decided to have lunch at Mendocino Farms as a going-away celebration for Zac and Joey, as well as celebrating Zac's birthday the previous day. I rode over there and met them.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph (17.2 mph). Total mileage = 50.2 mi

Bisikleta Route avg speed = 17.8 mph

Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power = 176 W

Total elevation gain = 2510' (2910')

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 87 (91)

Training Load = 227

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14654816705

Lunch was nice, all of the riders stayed. Joey is also starting a new job, at a startup in downtown San Francisco, so they will have to figure out where they'll live (Zac's job is in San Jose). Jhonar and Gideon showed up and said hi as well. Ann drove home after lunch, and I took a short nap and did some reading before going into the front yard and tackling the pea gravel path for a while. I watched a little TV in the mid-afternoon. Talked to both Ross and Ben (again) in the evening, trying to get their perspectives on Mom's recent decision about no home care on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I think we are all okay there. Between the calls, Ross stirred things up with a snarky text on our group chat, but I think everybody eventually settled down.

 

05-30-2025 Run

Had a truly restless night, don't quite know why, and still I woke up early (<>). I decided to go for a longer, flat run, so I rode my scooter down to the park and ran the loop around it. I tried to extend the loop to make it a mile, still couldn't quite get there. First mile was, as usual, my slowest, then I settled in to an 8-minute groove for the next 4 miles. I upped the tempo on the last mile and change to get to 10k distance and an 8-minute average pace.

Avg pace = 8:00/mi

Total distance = 6.28 mi

Elapsed moving time = 50:15

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 26

https://www.strava.com/activities/14642244016

Was starting to get hot by the end, so I rode home without a jacket, to cool down. Got home and ate some cereal for breakfast, entering my run into Fitbit since I forgot to wear it on the run. The rest of the morning and early afternoon was light duty. I then got ready to go to the viewing for Anna Lagman's mother-in-law. Ann ended up driving me down there and dropping me off. Gideon was there, and later Andy, Roya, Perse, Lovely, and Jed showed up. It was a nice setting, got the chance to talk with Anna and express my condolences directly. Ann was waiting for me in the parking lot, and we drove to this small Middle Eastern restaurant in an industrial area of El Cajon for dinner. We were the only ones in the place, falafel was unremarkable for me, good for her. We drove from there to La Jolla for a concert at the Athenaeum, three acts: Ashley E Norton, Jeff Berkley, and Tim Flannery. Was emceed by Jefferson Jay, who is a flamboyant, kinda strange local character in the SD music scene. Berkley was the best of the bunch, a good songwriter, decent storyteller, and fine guitar player. He accompanied Flannery in the last set, which was also entertaining. It was a good evening of music recommended by Ann. We were also fairly lucky in finding street parking not too far away, looking in a neighborhood that she suggested. Apparently, Perse and Lovely were having dinner nearby because he took a picture of us walking to the concert. Funny coincidence.

05/29/2025 Swim/Ride

Woke up with no motivation for exercising, so I decided to delay it until later. Worked on the path in the front yard for a little bit, then had some breakfast and chilled out. After Ann left for the beach, I rode to the WWC for a swim. Arms were really tired, so I did two 500s, with a short break in between, and called it a day. Here are the splits for the two 500s: 9:29, 9:16. Got a bean and cheese burrito from Cotijas and had it for lunch while watching TV. Then I went out and looked at the spa to see how easy it was to remove the jets. Turns out it's pretty easy. There are five styles, but on the Cal Spas website I couldn't see which replacement parts would work. Also, most of the jets seem to be in decent shape, except for the ones that are supposed to have a directional nozzle. More research needed. Heard back from Big Agnes about our tent, and they reported they couldn't fix the zipper because the teeth were damaged. We will need to decide whether to buy a replacement tent body from them, I think we will do that. I watched a little more TV and read some in the afternoon before heading over to RB Community Park to meet Paula for a late afternoon ride. She was about 10 minutes late, and she brought jerseys and shorts to try on for the charity ride kit in August, so we didn't get started until about 4:50. It was our first ride together after her accident, and it was a slow one. Down the hill and over to Highland Valley Rd, taking the flats out and back before then turning left onto Pomerado Rd and riding up to Paseo del Verano Norte, where we turned left and climbed that little hill, following the road to Bernardo Winery. I had mapped out a route in Strava beforehand but didn't know where the connector was between this neighborhood and the Valle Verde neighborhood. We eventually found it as a sidewalk next to the winery and took it to Old Winery Rd. Another climb here, again not a long one, to get us to Valle Verde Rd, where we turned right. This is a pretty fancy neighborhood, some more little climbs before a nice descent to Espola Rd, where we turned left. Rode up to Bridlewood Rd and used it to get to Summer Sage Rd (another little climb, she was slowing down more on each one). We followed this to Lake Poway Rd, turned right there and then left onto Riparian Rd to get to Titan Way, then back to Espola Rd near its top. Another nice descent to Twin Peaks Rd, turning right there and staying on it and Camino del Norte up to Paseo Lucido. With the little bumps on Twin Peaks Rd, Paula was really slowing down, and that gave me the feeling that we would cut the route short. There was a group of kids on e-bikes with a deflated basketball on Camino del Norte, and Paula almost hit the basketball as it came into the road, which was scary for her. Stayed on Paseo Lucido all the way to its bottom, then turned right onto Bernardo Heights Pkwy and right again on Bernardo Center Dr. We stopped at the Carl's Jr so she could use the restroom, and it was here that I proposed cutting the route. From here, it was the normal way back to W Bernardo Dr, then the nice downhill and finish by the park. Was a nice, easy ride, with very good riding temperatures.

Avg speed = 12.7 mph (13.0 mph). Total mileage = 26.1 mi

Avg power = 100 W. Weighted avg power = 124 W

Total elevation gain = 1720' (1920')

Avg heartrate = 100 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 19 (18)

Training Load = 77

Intensity = 56%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14637159169

Had a bowl of stew for dinner when I got home, watched some TV and snacked to get some extra calories in before heading off to bed.

05-28-2025 Ride/Swim/Run

Woke up early and decided to get a fast ride in before going for a swim. I wore my trisuit to see how it was on the bike (it was fine), and I had a jacket on over it for the pockets. Down by the park and then up Pomerado Rd, trying to keep a fast tempo as much as possible, training for the sprint tri distance and working to keep my power level consistently high, even on the flats and downhills. I got onto the time trial route and followed it home, with the exception of turning right at Carmel Mountain Rd. Toward the end, it was a chore pushing hard in the saddle on the last little climbs, so I got out of the saddle and tried to keep my power output high. Felt pretty good at the finish, legs held up pretty well but cardio was a little weak. There's room to push harder, looking at my average heartrate for the ride.

Avg speed = 18.6 mph (18.8 mph). Total mileage = 19.5 mi

Avg power = 193 W. Weighted avg power = 208 W

Total elevation gain = 1090' (1200')

Avg heartrate = 137 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 52 (48)

Training Load = 98

Intensity = 95%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14620973426

When I got home, I actually had more time to relax than I thought I would (did the dishes, shaved, and brushed my teeth), before heading over to the WWC. This was the busiest I've seen it at its opening in quite a while, summer is fast approaching. I split a lane with another guy for the first 500+, was in lane 4, which has a slightly different feel to it than my usual lane 3. My stroke count was consistently at 19 or 20. I ended up swimming 1650 yds freestyle, then added another 250 with the pull buoy. Here are my split times for the 3 500s, the 150, and the last 250: 9:39, 9:48, 9:47, 2:47, 4:30. I felt pretty good at times during this swim, even though it was fairly crowded in the pool. Got home and had some coffee and a light breakfast. Plenty of time to take it easy before my volunteer shift. I spent some of it working on the path in the front yard, which is slow going indeed. I think we are going to need more pea gravel to fill in the path. Not sure how so much of it got buried in the dirt. I showered and headed over early to use my food coupon (fries, Pepsi, ice cream sandwich). The shift started out slow and got busy about halfway through, stayed that way until the end. Near the end of the shift I organized the tangle of spare patient monitor cables in the drawer, hope it stays relatively organized. I hurried home, changed, and then rode over to Kit Carson Park to meet Emily and Caleb for a C25k workout. But when I got there, I saw Emily's message that she couldn't make it, due to a crisis at work that she needed to handle. So I decided to run anyway, went two times around the park following the route that we usually take. My first mile was slow, the second faster, and the third and fourth even faster still. I had to run to Eagle Scout Lake to get to four miles, then I turned around and walked back. It seemed more challenging to run in the afternoon, especially after a pretty busy day. So I was glad to be able to keep increasing my pace throughout the run.

Avg pace = 7:39/mi

Total distance = 4.02 mi

Elapsed moving time = 30:44

Avg heartrate = 140 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 24

https://www.strava.com/activities/14626252010

Was pretty sweaty at the end of the run, so riding home in the cool, overcast weather felt really good. Had dinner when I got there, then watched a little TV for a quiet evening.

05-27-2025 Walk

Woke up, had some vivid dreams during the night, likely from a rich dinner (<!>). Couldn't get motivated to go exercise, so I worked in the front yard on the pea gravel path. After I needed a break from that, I went in back and mapped out how to put up the shade cover over the first garden bed. Setting the posts and attaching the eye bolts went okay, not perfect but I think good enough. After that was done, I took a break, had some food. Later, one of the posts broke at a weak point by a knot in the wood, so I patched it back together. During this task, I talked for an extended time with Ben, who is getting medical insurance (great!) and considering retiring so he can draw his Social Security. Mom doesn't want to have home aide coverage on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we will see how that plays out. I talked to Mark and Ross about the situation as well, that took several hours. In the evening, after dinner, I walked to CVS and bought some toothpaste. Watched TV in the evening, which was quiet.

05-26-2025 Swim/Run

Woke up fairly early, still got a good night's sleep (<!>). I spent a little time looking at security camera reviews to try and decide which brand to buy and what types. Ate a banana and fixed three drip sprinklers in the back yard before heading over to the WWC. Nobody was waiting to get in when I arrived, and I had the pool to myself for the first 5 lengths or so. Then folks started showing up, so that after my first 500 there was a guy swimming right next to me, and he wasn't so experienced. I just settled in and got my 1550 yds in, slower than I wanted but done. I had to resist the urge after 1000 yds to get out and call it a day, but I kept going. Here are the splits for the 3 500s and the last 50: 9:47, 9:54, 9:49, 0:54. As I said, pretty slow. When I got out, I went into the locker room and changed for a slow run on the 5k course from the WWC. First two miles were slower than I've run in quite a while, and I picked up the pace a little on the last mile+. Heartrate was lower on this run, as expected by my slower pace.

Avg pace = 8:26/mi

Total distance = 3.13 mi

Elapsed moving time = 26:26

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 7

https://www.strava.com/activities/14601472950

When I got home, it was time for breakfast, so I ate some cereal and then cleaned the dishes for the first time on this day. It was a relatively quiet afternoon. I swapped back my bike tires and got my newer chain, rewaxed, packed to be ready to use when needed. I also cleared out several patches of the pea gravel path, sifting the dirt from the gravel so it can be cleaned and put back in. In the later afternoon I grilled up the chicken and vegetables, then showered before dinner. John, Vivian, Brooke, and Stephen came over for dinner, and we had a nice conversation and meal.

05-25-2025 Ride

Got up early for an earlier than usual start to a group bike ride. Rode through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd to meet Aaron and Sid Redner at Phil's BBQ for a ride that Aaron planned. Sid is this physicist who retired from Boston U and moved to Santa Fe to work on basic research at a private lab. He's 73, but judging from how he rides, he was quite the cyclist back in the day. We took W Bernardo Dr up past the HP site and turned right onto Bernardo Center Dr, taking it and Carmel Valley Rd all the way down to Del Mar Heights Rd, where we turned right and then left onto Old Carmel Valley Rd. This dropped us down to the cul-de-sac where we picked up the 56 bike path and headed west to Carmel Country Rd. Then it was the climb up to Carmel Mountain Rd, taking a left there for a change and riding up into Del Mar Mesa, this was a first time on these roads for me. It's a nice neighborhood and good roads to ride on. Left on Del Mar Mesa Rd, which was fun to ride and took us back to Carmel Country Rd. We took a right turn there and rode across the 56, turning right onto Carmel Mission Rd and then left ont Carmel Center Rd. Took this to McGuire Dr, turning left there and then right to get back onto Carmel Country Rd. This turned into Hartfield Ave, which we used to get to Half Mile Dr, turning left there and riding over to El Camino Real. Down the hill and into the flats, taking it to Via de la Valle, where we turned right. Up and over the little bump, then a left turn onto Las Planideras, which I'd also never been on. It took us up to Linea del Cielo, which we stayed on briefly until turning right onto Puerta del Sol, where there is a nice downhill that we took until turning left onto Via del Alba. Over to Calzada del Bosque, turning right and then left onto Los Arboles, to get back to Via del Alba, turning right there. A left onto La Gracia, which took us to La Flecha and a left turn onto Avenida de Acacias. We were in downtown RSF, turning right on Paseo Delicias and then right again on La Granada, which merged into Via de Santa Fe. From there, it was the usual way to San Dieguito Rd and the bottom of Three Witches. We started the climb, and Aaron got out in front of us. I was riding with Sid for a while and then passed him, trying to catch up with Aaron, who it turns out was riding at the top of his Zone 2. He would get away from me at times, then I would put in a little more effort and catch up with him. This pattern repeated all the way to the turn onto CdS. We waited briefly for Sid to catch up, then rode to Paseo del Sur and turned there. Through that neighborhood to Potomac Ridge Rd, where we stopped briefly at Aaron's house for him to get some fuel and take a leak. Then it was Nicole Ridge Rd over to Camino San Bernardo, taking that all the way back to RB Rd. Up the last little climb and then down RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr, where we turned left. I rode with Aaron and Sid down the hill to Aguamiel Rd and turned there to head home, while Sid rode to the north end of Pomerado Rd to his girlfriend's place and Aaron was off to Oceanside to see his son's soccer game. This was a challenging ride for me, pace wasn't too hard (thanks, Aaron) but it had a lot of climbing in it, including many punchy little climbs. My legs held up pretty well considering the previous day's epic ride. Anyway, it felt harder than the stats below might indicate.

Avg speed = 14.8 mph (14.9 mph). Total mileage = 40.0 mi

Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 170 W

Total elevation gain = 3030' (3220')

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 49 (51)

Training Load = 172

Intensity = 77%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14592516537

Ann was at church when I got home, so I had a little something to eat and a brief rest before going out in the front yard and picking the little weeds out of the cracks between the pavers in the driveway (not a favorite task of mine). Then I trimmed the two bushes on either side of the garage. I took another break after this yardwork, then when Ann started cleaning the downstairs I went out on the back patio and swept it up thoroughly, including picking more weeks out from between the pavers. I also wiped the lawn furniture down, but it will need another cleaning before the guests arrive on Monday. A little lunch and another break before we drove to Home Depot and got some supplies to help put up a shade cover over the garden. I think this task is going to be more complex than Ann realizes. Some quiet time before dinner, then after dinner I connected the new garage door remote to the garage door, so we again have a spare. Then I installed replacement hinges (kinda cheap) on our cooler, so it is once again operational. Also watched some TV, but it was a relaxing evening.

05-24-2025 Ride

Woke up a little early, before my alarm went off, to get ready for the big Palomar ride. I had all my stuff organized pretty well. Ate some breakfast (skipped the milk), trying to build up some calories to burn. Ray showed up a little after 6:30, we loaded the bike, and away we were. Had a nice talk on the way to Harrah's, and we were the first to arrive. On this ride, it was a smaller group than past Palomar climbs. We had: Arnold, Ray, Aaron, Nel, Perse, and Kamal. I stayed with everybody until the roundabout that signals the start of the climb. Initially, I planned on riding with Arnold and Ray, but they were pretty slow from the beginning, so I found my comfortable pace and rode ahead. It was a different ride from last year, when I was in much better shape. I made it up the first half of the climb, on the 76, and I was a little surprised at the places where the grade was higher than I remembered. Made it up to the turn onto South Grade Rd, and I settled in for the steeper climb. I was worried that my lower back was going to start giving me problems. Stayed in my lowest gear for most of this climb, only shifting higher when I got up out of the saddle or when the grade lessened a little bit. This second half wasn't as steep as I remembered, there were some spots where I was able to recover a little bit. Still, I was measurably slower than last year, as expected, but I had good legs all the way to the top and didn't run out of gas. Aaron started the climb about 15 minutes after we did and passed us all, me when I was about 2 miles into the South Grade climb. I got up to the top second, after him, and we waited and chatted for a bit until he had to start heading back down. I stayed there and took videos of some of the riders finishing the climb. We gathered at Mother's Kitchen, took a break, and while we were waiting Jamil showed up in his car. Arnold, Kamal, and I decided to ride up to Boucher Lookout. Legs were a little sore at the start but I settled in okay. Arnold and I gapped Kamal on the way to the State Park entrance. Arnold had caught up with me and pulled ahead on the initial part of the climb up to Boucher Lookout. I kept my cadence and pace and passed him after a bit. Nice views of the Pauma Valley below when we got to the top. We didn't stay there very long after Kamal showed up. I had a good ride from there back to Mother's Kitchen, setting a PR for this segment. Again, we weren't at that stop long before starting to head down the hill. Jamil took off in his car, and we followed. I found myself out front and it stayed that way all the way down the hill, surprising because both Arnold and Ray are faster descenders than I am. Pushed the pace all the way down, and my bike handled well this time on the long curving descents on the 76. I had PR on the descent. Back to the parking lot, safe and sound.

Avg speed = 12.5 mph (12.5 mph). Total mileage = 35.3 mi

Avg power = 166 W. Weighted avg power = 189 W

Total elevation gain = 5450' (5490')

Avg heartrate = 133 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 117 (109)

Training Load = 222

Intensity = 86%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14583235181

After the ride, Ray, Arnold, Nel, and I had lunch at Jilberto's, by the roundabout. Food was good. Arnold had cold beer in his car, and those beers tasted fine indeed. Then I rode home with Ray and had a very light afternoon. Took a nap (<>) and talked to my Mom in the early evening. She was more upbeat at the end of the call than at the beginning. I also talked to Laura, who is flying to a conference this week, then meeting Joe in St Louis to drive down to Palm Beach with him. Wishing him the best in his transition to a very different job. Apparently, he was upset about the relatively sparse communications from other chemistry department faculty members when it was announced that he was leaving.Went to bed early.

05-23-2025 Walk/Swim

It had been a while since I went out for a walk, so I got up and going fairly early, walking on familiar streets through the neighborhood for a little less than an hour. I ate some cereal and a banana for breakfast before I left. When I got back, I had just a little time to get ready for a swim at the WWC. Originally intended for it to be a longer swim, but when I got there I shortened the workout and increased the effort. Started off with a 550 to warm up, then I swam 5 100s at higher pace. Took breaks between to catch my breath. Finished up with two 250s, one without and the second with a pull buoy. My stroke count was decent throughout, usually in the 18-20 range, but I'm still not feeling so comfortable with my swimming. That will be the focus of my workouts next week. Here are the split times for these intervals: 10:33, 1:44, 1:45, 1:45, 1:42, 1:42, 4:37, 4:28. Time for more yardwork when I got home. I finished clearing growth from around the furthest sprinkler head in the upper bed, and I worked for a little bit on sifting and clearing the gravel path in the front yard. This is one of my least favorite tasks that requires regular doing. I tried the sprinkler line that I had repaired the previous day and found another huge crack in the drip line. This time, I cut out a larger section, taking the time to cut out the couplings and slowly remove the plastic tubing from them so they could be reused. I buried this section of the drip line to reduce its exposure to direct sunlight. Watched a little TV as a break and ate a light lunch. In the afternoon, I took it easy., had a longer nap. After a carb-loading dinner, we drove down to University Heights to see Casey Abrams at Lou Lou's Club. It was stressful finding a parking spot on the street, but I eventually found one. The show was more to Ann's liking than mine. I was tired and not in the mood for average music. Ann drove home, and I was ready to go to sleep, thankful it wasn't a late night.

05-22-2025 Swim/Run

Had a long, good sleep after a fairly tiring previous day (<>). I had to rush a little bit  after I got up, making coffee and packing everything into my backpack for a swim and a run from the WWC. The swim went pretty well, given that I hadn't been in the pool for a week. After I got out, I found that my camera had stopped recording since it ran out of memory. So I got the splits for the first 2 500s but only an estimate of the split for the third: 9:32. 9:46, 9:45. After I finished with the swim, I changed for a run and left from the WWC. Slow first mile, faster second mile, and still faster third mile. I was moving pretty well at the end of the run.

Avg pace = 7:46/mi

Total distance = 3.14 mi

Elapsed moving time = 24:26

Avg heartrate = 141 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 19

https://www.strava.com/activities/14561903399

When I got home, it was time to put more effort into the back yard. Ann had found additional sprinkler issues there, so I worked on those. Replaced a section of drip line by the spa that had a big hole in it. It was starting to warm up, so I switched duties to working in the garage. Swapped out the tires on my bike to the ones I save for special rides, then I worked on lubricating my rear hub. This turned out to be stressful. I had a little trouble separating my cassette from the hub body, but a light tap with a hammer did the trick. Paid close attention to the orientation of the elements in the hub while cleaning out the old dirty grease. At one point, I brought the wheel up onto my workbench and thought I had lost the spring that goes in the hub. I was frantic and upset with myself that I didn't pay more attention. It turned out that the spring was still in the hub assembly, as I discovered after 5 minutes of looking. Lubricated the pawls with the special DT Swiss grease, then put everything back together (twice, as I didn't have the elements all lined up properly the first time). Then I gave my bike a thorough cleaning and checked the disc brake pads while I had the wheels off. All looks good for the ride on Saturday, fingers crossed that I put everything back together correctly. While in the garage, I also organized the irrigation supplies, using a couple of shoe boxes to separate out the larger PVC pipe pieces from the smaller ones (including sprinkler heads). During the day, I reinstalled the one working security camera so it views the front door from the inside. Later in the afternoon and evening, I continued chopping back the growth in the upper beds, to expose the sprinklers and look for evidence of leaks. It is a chore working up there on the slippery slope. Got all the sprinkler heads exposed by clearing out the growth around them. I also laid out the soaker hose lines in the new vegetable garden bed. That went pretty smoothly. After dinner, I added an extender to one of the sprinkler heads near the corner in the upper bed, as it was really buried by the rosemary bush growing nearby. That was enough for one day.

05-21-2025 Ride

Woke up really early when the cat got antsy and wanted to be fed and petted. Couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to head out for my bike ride even earlier than planned. This was going to be a moderate effort day, not pushing hard but not letting up too much either. Through the neighborhood and then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood, including taking Four Gee Rd to its end and back. To CdS, turning right there and taking it to San Dieguito Rd. As I made the turn, I got into fairly heavy morning marine layer, and it stayed that way for a while. Down the hill into Fairbanks Ranch, then across the flats to El Camino Real, turning left there and riding up the hill, slowly but steadily, into Del Mar Heights, Then it was down to the 56 bike path on newly paved road, pretty nice. Once I got on the bike path, there was another cyclist of similar ability ahead of me, so I tried to catch him. Had some traffic on the path, and he got out ahead. I kept at it, getting close and then separated by lights or other riders and runners. I eventually caught up with him, and passed him, on the last little climb before turning onto CdS. I followed the standard route home from here, including Camino San Bernardo and W Bernardo Dr. Legs on this ride were definitely feeling the effects of the previous day's ride.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph (16.3 mph). Total mileage = 37.0 mi

Avg power = 137 W. Weighted avg power = 166 W

Total elevation gain = 2100' (2340')

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 38 (41)

Training Load = 139

Intensity = 75%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14551262452

After the ride, I made some coffee at home and had toast for breakfast. Then I went out in the raised bed in the back yard and started chopping back the growth next to the fence line, in order to expose the sprinklers so I could look for damage. This was harder work than I thought it would be, worked on it for an hour and cleared about 10'. I put a new, slow-closing toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom. Had a shower, shave, and small lunch before I rode over to the hospital for my volunteer shift. It was a busy one, fairly steady with patient discharges from the ED, and I also put stickers on a bunch of discharge folders when there was nothing else that needed to be done. It slowed up in the last hour or so. Home and a quiet evening, watching some of the Eastern Conference finals on Max. Thought about working some more in the back yard, but it can wait until tomorrow.

05-20-2025 Ride/Run-Walk

Woke up after a good night's sleep (<!>) and got ready for a long bike ride, with climbing, to prepare for Saturday. It was going to be a hot day, so I tried to get going early. I followed the time trial path to Poway Rd and kept going to the top of Pomerado Rd, taking this climb at a slightly less than hard pace. Then it was down the hill, with lots of car traffic, to get to Kearney Villa Rd, turning left. This next stretch was pretty fast, staying on it to Ruffin Rd and turning left onto Claremont Mesa Blvd. This road has just a modest climb to Santo Rd, where I turned left and took it to the bike path that parallels the 52 on its north side. This path has a 2-mile gradual climb, then a 2+ mile gradual descent. What made the climb harder was the westbound morning traffic, which created a headwind that was significant. I kept pushing on the descent, then got on Mast Blvd and took it (I remembered it as more up and down) to Cuyamaca St, turning left there to get to El Nopal, where I turned right. Generally downhill on this residential street, which I took to Riverford Rd and then left on Riverside Dr. Lots of road construction on this next stretch, and I missed the turn I should have taken. It turned into Lakeside Ave and then Channel Rd, which I followed into Lakeside. I turned left on Woodside Ave and left again on Maine Ave, which took me through downtown to Mapleview St, by the rodeo grounds. I knew, kinda, where I was, so I joined a lit of northbound traffic on the 67. It took longer than I remembered to get to the base of the limb out of Lakeside, and it was definitely warm by this time. I stopped near the bottom and ate a granola bar, then headed up the climb. It was not as fun or as seemingly easy as the last time I rode it, although I had a tailwind helping me. Eventually made it up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and turned there, taking it all the way down to Pomerado Rd and enjoying the descent against a noticeable headwind. From here I retracted my route all the way back to W Bernardo Dr, turning right there and heading home via Aguamiel Rd. That last little climb was pretty slow, my legs and body were worn out by this ride.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph (16.1 mph). Total mileage = 55.4 mi

Avg power = 142 W. Weighted avg power = 169 W

Total elevation gain = 3580' (3900')

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 126 (124)

Training Load = 224

Intensity = 77%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14541989878

I wasn't particularly hungry when I got home, ate a little food and watched a little TV. Later, I went out in the back yard and fixed a section of black sprinkler tubing that had a hole in it. Then I diagnosed the problem of the failed lawn sprinkler zone to a failed valve, so I headed to Home Depot to get a new one, along with returning extra dripper line, buying more adhesive foam tape and a new toilet lid for the downstairs bathroom. I put the valve in when I got home, and I checked the sprinkler line for the raised beds. It's drawing a lot of water, needs a walk along the entire line and more troubleshooting. I also checked the sprinkler line repair I made last week, it appears to be holding, so I filled the hole in. Adjusted the drip lines by the peach tree, they weren't the cause of the high water flow on this line. Gave Ross a quick call, he updated me on Mom (getting a new aide to replace Vita, minor concern about some phantom noises Mom was hearing recently). Then I rushed to Kit Carson Park to meet Emily and Caleb for our next installment of Couch 2 5k. It went okay, Emily was bothered by the heat. Got gas on the way home and had a quiet evening, dinner and some TV. I also placed a rather large Amazon order.

05-19-2025 Run

Woke up after a pretty good night's sleep, although my right arm is quite uncomfortable. It was 40 outside, but I went for a run anyway. East on McMillan Rd, hands were cold but not too bad. I ran to Eagle Rd and headed north to Chinden Rd and turned there. This stretch of the run was the toughest, although I wasn't having any trouble maintaining an 8-minute pace. Legs felt okay even on the third consecutive day of running. I stopped at Nazca Coffee and had an extended coffee break. Ran back through the neighborhood to Blair's house. I had originally planned on 8:30 to 9:00 minute miles, so my pace was fine. 

Avg pace = 8:09/mi

Total distance = 5.04 mi

Elapsed moving time = 41:07

Avg heartrate = 133 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 16

https://www.strava.com/activities/14528792331

I was already almost all packed, so I shaved and showered and then finished up. We left the house a little after 9:00 and stopped to get bagels before heading into his office. Other folks stopped by his cube, so I got to meet Michal Shaviv, Steve, and Samuel (new EE). Eric and Barry stopped by when they got in, and they shared some of the details of a cool little wind tunnel they are designing for an air management project. After that, Blair showed the latest design of Beskar BID, which has a single replaceable module for cleaner and squeegee rollers instead of the dual design we worked on. He drove me to the airport around 11:00. Plenty of time to make the flight to LAX, which was uneventful. I watched an episode and a half of Ozark on the relatively short flight. Got back to SD, Ann picked me up, and we had dinner at Nonna in Little Italy. My dish was pretty standard, not great, she liked hers better. Drove home after that, I unpacked and had a quiet evening.

05-18-2025 Run/Ride

This day started out with a different kind of run. Blair was going to play Warframe with Taryn, so I headed east on McMillan Rd to Linden Ave, where there was a Dutch Bros coffee shop. Day was cloudless and cooler, and I was running into a noticeable headwind, not too bad. I found the shop and ordered my coffee, and a lady at the drive-through paid for it, which was a surprising, kind thing to do. Sat at an outside table and leisurely drank my coffee, then ran over to a breakfast restaurant by the corner of Linden and McMillan. Had a forgettable pumpkin waffle, again in no hurry, then I ran back to Blair's house. The breeze had picked up by this time, and my return pace was significantly faster than my outbound pace. Legs felt good running closer to a 7-minute pace, but I was breathing hard.

Avg pace = 7:45/mi

Total distance = 3.37 mi

Elapsed moving time = 26:10

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 13

https://www.strava.com/activities/14520228257

Blair was playing computer games with Taryn when I got back, so I hung out upstairs until he was done. We had a little time before we needed to get to the bike store, so we chatted, then drove into old town Boise where he dropped me off by the store and I went in to get the bike. The guy there was really helpful installed my pedals and headset and did the first adjustment of seat height. I rode from there to a nearby park, where I met Blair and did a second seat adjustment that fit better. We headed generally northwest on surface streets, which had us fighting a noticeable headwind. Blair was doing a good job keeping up with my reduced pace, although he was in his lower chair ring nearly the whole time. Eventually we got to a turnaround point and took paths on the Boise greenbelt back into town. This path was slowed by lots of turns, some pedestrians, and bumpy pavement due to tree roots. But we had a tailwind that helped us along. It was a pretty ride, all told, and the air temperature was just about ideal.

Avg speed = 14.2 mph (14.3 mph). Total mileage = 24.5 mi

Avg power = 115 W. Weighted avg power = 123 W

Total elevation gain = 390' (820')

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 22 (23)

Training Load = 61

Intensity = 56%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14523996372

Back to the park, where we continued on to a collection of shops and stores and stopped to have a post-ride beer. I rode back to the car with him, picked up my backpack the rode to the bike shop to drop the bike off. That went smoothly, and we were on our way back to his house. Got back and got cleaned up, then we were both really hungry from the ride, so we headed to a ramen restaurant for dinner. It was decent. Back to his place after that, where we watched a couple more episodes of Andor in the evening before I went to bed.

05-17-2025 Run

This was a signature day, for accidental reasons. I got up a little before 6:00, slept okay for unfamiliar bed and lots of caffeine the previous day. Decided to go for a run and used Strava to help map out a 6-mile distance. The main streets in this area are on a rectangular grid, so I picked a grid rectangle and set off. Should have known as I was running the first leg west on McMillan Rd that it seemed long until I turned onto Linden Ave. I ran the first two miles at 8-minute pace, headed north to Chinden Blvd and turned right there. It was on this stretch that the leg seemed never to end. I was also running into a mild headwind, but I was steadily improving my pace with each mile, which was the target. Down to Eagle Rd, turning right and running on the east side of the road where there was a sidewalk (it was kinda curvy). Here is when I knew I would be over 6 miles. I was settled into a pace around 7:45 and kept it up until past mile 7 and the turn back onto McMillan Rd. The tail wind helped here as I was running a distance I hadn't run in a very long time, maybe since cross-country days. I was really looking forward to seeing the turn into Blair's neighborhood, and it came at mile 8. Felt surprisingly good to not poop out beyond mile 6, and my legs and feet weren't feeling any particular soreness at the finish.

Avg pace = 7:48/mi

Total distance = 8.03 mi

Elapsed moving time = 1:02:38

Avg heartrate = 142 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 55

https://www.strava.com/activities/14508470511

When I got back, Blair made breakfast burritos, which were pretty good. I had a shower and then we headed into Boise for some car sightseeing. We drove to a downtown farmer's market, it was lightly raining and there wasn't much to see, was more of a vendor's market. Then he attempted to drive to the capitol, but we got hilariously misdirected and ended up at the entrance to a mall in the industrial outskirts where there was an Apple (Apple = Capitol?) store. We redirected and retracted our route back downtown and by the state Capitol building, then drove to verify the location of the bike rental shop, which was nearby. From there we drove to the downtown Trader Joe's and had another humorous series of attempts to get into the parking lot. Got supplies for making pizza and then headed back to his house. The afternoon was quiet (had a little nap), rain wasn't intense but was steady, so we decided not to go out on the recumbent bikes. Made the pizza instead, it was okay but the crust stuck to the pans. Watched the first two episodes of Andor in the evening, which required figuring out how to cast my phone screen to his TV. I'm still not fully sure how we figured out how to get it to work. Then it was time to read a little bit and go to sleep.

05/16/2025 Walks

Travel day. I needed to be at the airport by 5:20 or so, and I wasn't going to get much chance for walking. I got up at 3:30 and walked around the neighborhood for about 45 minutes, then ate a quick breakfast and had a shower before leaving home. Was a little worried when I saw the line going through security at the airport, but it went quickly, and I was at the gate with plenty of time to spare. Short hop up to LAX, then about 2 hours before my flight to Boise left. The coffee and food at the airport were ridiculously expensive, so I bought a Coke instead. Flight to Boise was uneventful, got there ahead of schedule, but Blair was waiting. We drove to a Thai food restaurant near the HP campus, it was okay. Spent some time visiting the site and seeing the labs, along with Eric, Guangjin, and Brad Dransfield. Then we met Guangjin for drinks at a bar not too far from the HP campus. Nice conversation catching up, GJ and his wife bought a brand new house here. His older son is working as a quality engineer for Dexcom in Mesa, AZ, while his younger son is back east, working for Capital One. He sounds happy, would like for there to be more Asians in the area but is okay with that. After drinks and appetizers Blair and I drove to his new place, and he proudly showed me all around the house. We went for a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood and sat out on the back porch talking and drinking. A nice evening, I was tired from a long day and went to bed shortly after. 

05-15-2025 Swim/Ride/Hike

Woke up after a pretty good night's sleep, had some time, so I cleaned out a number of videos in my Google Drive folder, trying to figure out where all the storage space was allocated. Then I started laying out the stuff to take on my trip to Boise, including taking my pedals off the old bike. I also attached the coupling to the sprinkler line that had the leak and tested it. It was leaking until I tightened up the gaskets on the coupling, now it appears to be holding, including the tee fitting that I removed and glued back in. After that it was time to get ready for a swim at the WWC. Was overcast when I rode over, there were more people at the start than last time, including Linda (Ken's wife). She and I were the only swimmers initially. I swam 2050 yds, still not feeling in great shape, and I took a short break before the last 500 (counted in the time). Here are the splits for the 4 500s and the last 50: 9:31, 9:45, 9:42, 10:04, 0:56. When I got home, I ate some breakfast and then called Tri Town Bicycles in Boise to change my bike reservation to a Sunday pickup around noon. I gathered more items to take with me on the trip. Ann went to run some errands, so I watched a little TV before eating lunch and getting ready for a ride. Went through the neighborhood and then took the shorter route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to CdS. They were finishing repaving this road, so there was some traffic to deal with as lanes were closed. I wasn't pushing the pace on this ride, generally took it easy. There was a breeze to deal with, generally coming from the west. I rode down to the 56, took the U-turn and got on the 56 bike path heading east. The wind was helping me here as I rode up the little climb before Black Mountain Rd slowly. Kept on the bike path until I got off at Salmon River Rd and used it to get to Paseo Montalban. To Black Mountain Rd, turning right and taking it up to Carmel Valley Rd. Another right turn, then up that little climb and a thrilling descent with a tail wind to help me along. I stayed on this road to Bernardo Center Dr and went up this last climb, again fairly slowly. Then it was home the normal way on W Bernardo Dr.

Avg speed =14.8 mph (14.9 mph). Total mileage = 21.7 mi

Avg power = 124 W. Weighted avg power = 157 W

Total elevation gain = 1550' (1660')

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 23 (23)

Training Load = 78

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14492578845

Ann was at mah-jongg when I got home, so it was quiet. I had about an hour to relax, took a short nap, then had to rush a bit to get ready for a hike with Paula at RB Community Park. I met her around 3:25, and we initially hiked a short loop by the lake before heading on the trail over to the little waterfall. Retraced our route back to the start from there, and I got home at 5:00. I watched some TV before dinner, then after dinner started packing my stuff into my backpack. It was a leisurely evening (<>) before getting to sleep.

05-14-2025 Ride/Run-Walk

Got up early to get over to John's house for a ride. I wrote Linda a short note on a sympathy card and mailed it on the way. Through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd and then to W Bernardo Dr to get to RB Rd. I didn't have much margin for time to get there, so I turned right on Bernardo Oaks Dr to get to Rios Rd and thus to Pomerado Rd. From there it was the normal way to his place, other than riding to the top of Briarleaf Way. Jayden was out front, and Vivian came out as well to see us off. We rode to Springbrook Dr and turned right, taking it downhill to Sabre Springs Pkwy. From there we rode to the 56 bike path, then took it to Salmon River Rd and then to Adolphia St. These roads were new to John. We rode up to Park Village Rd and took it up, and then down, to Camino del Sur. We took this road back to the 56 bike path, turned left, then rode to Carmel Valley Rd, where we started heading back. To Camino del Sur, turning right and heading back to the 56 bike path, this time turning east. We rode a short distance to the path that got us to Carmel Mountain Rd, turning there and the riding until the road turned into Rancho Penasquitos Blvd and then Poway Rd. Back to Springhurst Dr and the normal way to John's house, again riding to the end of Briarleaf Way. I stayed and had a smoothie that Vivian made, and she came out and chatted about their summer trip plans. Legs were a little sore from this ride and the previous day's ride as well, so I wasn't that fast on the return ride home, taking the normal route.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph (15.6 mph). Total mileage = 43.7 mi

Avg power = 133 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 2680' (2990')

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 39 (41)

Training Load = 161

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14480205157

I had about an hour before I went to the hospital for my volunteer shift. Cleaned the kitchen, showered and shaved, and ate some lunch before riding over early enough to eat some food in the cafeteria (fries, an ice cream bar, and a Pepsi). The shift was quiet initially, got busier toward the end. A guy came in in full cardiac arrest, he didn't make it, and that was sad. Another guy came in with symptoms of alcohol poisoning. I left at 4:30 and hurried home to change clothes for a run-walk with Emily and Caleb at Kit Carson Park. We are making progress in our training but slowly. I was ready for a quiet evening, had some homemade pizza and watched TV.

05-13-2025 Ride

Woke up after a decent night's sleep and got ready for a early ride toward Ramona. At the last minute, I decided to reverse the loop, heading down by the park and then up Pomerado Rd to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, where the more intense climbing began. Up to Kirkham Way, turning right and continuing the climb past Community Rd. Then it was a slight downhill to Danielson St, which I took to get back to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. Down the hill and then the Purple Monster, where I started slower and finished pretty strong. I hoped to do it faster but was okay with the effort. Up to the 67, heading north and taking a couple of smaller climbs up to the pass near Mt Woodson. The descent into the outskirts of Ramona was fast, with a tail wind. I ate a granola bar at the turn onto Highland Valley Rd. Here I was riding into a head wind, which was a challenge until I got to the climb, when the wind didn't make much difference. Took the descent fairly fast and stayed fairly intense in effort on the flats back to Pomerado Rd. Last two climbs were okay, legs held up and I felt fine at the end of the ride.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph (16.4 mph). Total mileage = 39.8 mi

Avg power = 153 W. Weighted avg power = 183 W

Total elevation gain = 2930' (3190')

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 59 (66)

Training Load = 177

Intensity = 83%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14468193086

Once I got home, it was chore time. I went out in the back yard and worked on the sprinkler line repair, cutting the PVC pipe segment and gluing it into the tee. Left it to dry, and Ann and I went to Home Depot and picked up the first batch of large retaining wall blocks for the second garden bed. I also got some sprinkler parts and chain saw oil. When we got home I  needed a break, it had been a busy morning. Had some lunch, fairly light. Then I moved the blocks into the back yard and built the wall, designed to be two courses of blocks. After that, I needed another break, so I chilled for a while, had a little nap. Then I drove back to Home Depot and got the second load of blocks. I had to hustle when I got home to move the blocks and finish building the wall before I took a shower and got ready to meet Avi at Phil's BBQ. We had a good conversation, talked a lot about camping. Evening was quiet, watched some TV, including some NBA.

05-12-2025 Swim

Well, this was a rollercoaster day. Woke up early (<!>) and had some coffee, then got ready for a swim at the WWC. In the pool, I just felt slow and couldn't sustain a decent stroke length. Swam that way for 250 yds, then paused to catch my breath and reconsider my workout. I swam another 250 aty a slower pace, focusing on gliding in the water to lengthen my strokes. After that, I swam a 500 with paddles and pull buoy, focusing on pulling myself through the water with my arms. Then I ditched the paddles and swam a 250 with the pull buoy before finishing off with a final 250 without the pull buoy. Here are the splits: 4:45, 5:03, 9:33, 4:47, 4:50. It was kinda depressing, but at least my stroke felt more normal at the end, although I was slower. When I got home, Ann had left a couple of messages about sprinkler leaks, so I changed, went in the back yard, and fixed the first one, relatively small and easy. The second was underground in an area with a ton of roots as well as numerous irrigation lines. It took me about an hour to dig around the area and eventually locate the source of the leak, a failed connection at a tee. I went to an irrigation supply place in Escondido to get supplies and advice. Supplies were expensive, and the guy wasn't really helpful at all. I also had to go to Home Depot to get some shorter pipe sections, so I decided to try my own solution first. Finished digging around the leak, but I had to wait for the water in the lines to empty and for the area to dry. While I was waiting, I thought I would do some more hacking away at the sumac stumps behind the fence. Used the chain saw (I retensioned the chain), the bow saw (a little bit), and the axe (with the hammer to pound it in). I was making some progress when Ann came out and told me the car had a flat. So I climbed over the fence and showed her how to use the air compressor to put air in the tire. There was a screw embedded in the tire, and you could hear it leaking. We filled the tire up past its recommended pressure and carefully drove over to the Firestone store on W Bernardo Dr. They put the tire repair in the queue, and we walked over to 7-Eleven, had a Slurpee, then walked through the RB Town Center shops, eventually stopping at an odd little Indian food store that's opened there. I got the call that the car was ready, so I quick-walked back to the store while Ann waited in the parking lot by the Indian food store. Got the car, picked Ann up, then drove home. I worked a little more on trimming the growth areas from a sumac stump, then stopped for the day. It was time to get ready for the Leos dinner at Los Panchos. I rode my scooter over there, it was only a little sketchy. Was a big turnout this time: Andy, Steve, Ben, Gary, Marty, Scott, Earl, Paul L., Doug, Alfonso. I talked mostly to Andy, a little to Gary and Scott. Was able to get home before it got dark, but it was chilly. Quiet rest of the evening.

05-11-2025 Run

Got up early and went for a slower run, down to the park and taking the loop around it. I originally planned on doing two loops but added a third, then ran back home. As usual, the run up Aguamiel Rd was a workout but not as hard as the last time.

Avg pace = 8:50/mi

Total distance = 4.18 mi

Elapsed moving time = 36:57

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 10

https://www.strava.com/activities/14446728189

When I got home, I had some breakfast, including coffee, then shaved and showered. I went to church on Mother's Day with Ann, probably was a mistake. It was nice to chat with folks after church and have lunch (Panya Thai) with Ann and Emily, but I got stuck in a meeting to discuss a proposed children's music program during the summer that they are going to be involved with. Doesn't look like I will be in the mix there. We had coffee at Esco Gelato while waiting until the end of the Rise service, was a little warm sitting outside in the sun. In the afternoon, I got the chain saw out and used it to cut one of the sumac stumps below the ground. I thought it would be easier work, instead it was hot, dirty, and difficult. Clearing away the other, larger stumps using this method is going to take a long time, but I'll be patient and chip away at the job. I talked to Mom in the early evening, she was in good spirits after a visit by the three brothers, along with Ben's home crew. Adri is improving, which is very good news. Watched some TV in the evening, my stomach was a little upset from the spicy lunch, so I had trouble getting to sleep.

05-10-2025 Ride

Woke up super early and was glad I did (<!>). I got ready for the Bisikleta bike ride, which promised to be a hot one. Still, I wore long sleeves to protect my arms from the sun because of the ongoing skin treatment. I rode through the neighborhood and, because I was early, the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to the 4S Target. It was Ray's birthday, and he was already there, along with Perse, Arnold, and guest rider Audrey. Others started showing up, earlier than usual, so that we had, at the start: Perse, Arnold, Jed, Audrey, Nel, Aaron, Kamal, James, Ray, Zac, and Joey. We were rolling by about 7:40, early for us (Audrey had a flat on her tubeless rear wheel from the bike Gideon let her borrow) but still room for improvement. Headed out CdS to San Dieguito Rd, everybody was riding pretty slow at the beginning. We rode down into Fairbanks Ranch and turned on El Apajo, taking it and VdSF up to VdlV. Again, nobody pushed hard on that little climb, and Arnold and I were out in front, waiting for the others to show after the turn. We rode up the Del Dios Hwy climb from here, pretty fast pace from the lead group of Zac, Aaron, and Audrey, with Arnold there until the early part of the climb. I hung onto Zac's wheel as he rode up the first part of the climb by the dam, passing him near the top and leading out for a while until the others passed me. Zac and Aaron were pushing particularly hard, and I couldn't catch them, but I put in a bigger effort and passed Audrey before the summit. After we started descending, Zac kept going but I stopped to wait for the others, who came in over time. No James, so I told the others to go on and I would wait for him. I then saw he had left a text saying he had a flat. It took a while before he showed up, then we both kept riding up to Valley Pkwy, turning left on Citracado Pkwy. It was warm by this time. James and I rode over to Harmony Grove Village Pkwy to get to Harmony Grove Rd, slowing down to try and keep pace with James. That lasted through the descent until the turn onto Elfin Forest Rd, where I powered up the first climb but slowed down for the rest of the ascent into San Elijo Hills. Turned onto San Elijo Rd and stopped at the gas station in the village, where the others were waiting. James rolled in about 5 minutes after, and we had a longer break on account of the high temperature. I bought a couple of bottles of Gatorade, they were necessary on a day like this. From here, we rode down the hill and turned left onto Rancho Santa Fe Rd. On the little climb after the turn, Audrey and I were out in front and the others were nowhere to be seen. We rode pretty fast down to the turn to stay on Rancho Santa Fe Rd and waited for them after the turn, in the shade. Turns out that Nel had a flat, and the others stayed to help him fix it. After a while, they showed up and we continued. It was here that I noticed that my right shifter wasn't working, so I nursed it along for a bit. Up and then down to El Camino del Norte, turning right there (James had apparently gotten ahead and was waiting for us there). I stopped to make sure he was okay, then pushed hard to catch up with the others, passing most of them before we turned onto Via de Fortuna. Since I was ahead of a couple riders, I changed the battery out on my shifter, then rode to catch up with them. Unfortunately, the battery I installed was also bad, so I rode without being able to shift down through RSF. Left onto El Montevideo, with a nice little downhill before a minor climb to get to a right turn on San Elijo Ave. I had gotten out in front, but Arnold was even further in front and waiting for us at that turn. We all turned and rode to Avenida de Acacias, turning left there, then left again on La Granada to get into RSF village. Through the village, connecting up with VdSF and going downhill faster than I could pedal, given the gear I was in. I pedaled at high cadence all the way to where El Apajo teed into San Dieguito Rd, where I stopped and changed the battery again, this time successfully. I didn't go super fast up the Three Witches climb, but I wasn't as slow as the previous week. Everybody was gathered at the turn onto CdS, and we rode back to the starting point via Paseo del Sur. Aaron, Audrey, and I got out in front (after I pushed hard to catch up to them from the back of the group), then Aaron kicked it into high gear on the little steeper section by Haaland Glen. I tried to match his pace for about 5 seconds, then Audrey and I laughed about how fruitless that was. Still, I pushed a little harder and caught up to him after he slowed down and was waiting for us. Audrey wasn't too far behind. Was glad to get to the parking lot, where Nel had already made it (he kept going after we turned onto CdS). Didn't stay too long, just wished Audrey luck and then rode home via the RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr route. Legs held up fine on this ride, and I felt pretty good, given the high temperatures and some occasional big efforts.

Avg speed = 16.7 mph (16.8 mph). Total mileage = 53.2 mi

Avg power = 146 W. Weighted avg power = 175 W

Total elevation gain = 3670' (3920')

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 101 (111)

Training Load = 240

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14439074310

Nothing much requiring significant effort was going to get done in the afternoon. I had enchiladas for lunch and was thirsty throughout the afternoon. Checked out the inner tubes I had repaired, one of them was successful, so I swapped it out with the one on the front wheel of my bike. Also registered for the Sprint Triathlon on June 22, took the plunge and now I'll have to follow through. Added some SRAM PowerLock chain connectors to the ongoing Amazon order as well, and I watched the last episode of Season 2 of Daredevil. So, not much effort there. I was successful in resetting and activating one of the cheap security cameras I bought on Temu but not the other one. Got it to show video briefly, but it keeps losing the WiFi connection, even when I am right next to the router. Am pretty sure this camera is defective. It's probably time to switch to more reliable, name-brand security cameras, they don't cost too much. Evening was quiet, watched some TV.

05-09-2025 Swim/Run

Work up before 6:00, had a pretty good night's sleep after a very busy day. Went downstairs and cleaned the kitchen, then created 3 CDs from music files I had created recently. I headed over to the WWC for a swim, was the only person through the gate when it opened, even though it was a gorgeous morning. I did a warmup 250, then a pyramid workout, allowing myself an extra 15 seconds rest in between intervals. I was a little faster at all intervals than on Tuesday, particularly the longer intervals in the middle of the pyramid. Hoping that means my stamina is increasing. Finished up the workout with a 250 using the pull buoy. By the time I was done, all lanes were occupied and people were waiting. It was as busy as I have seen it this year. Here are the splits from the intervals:

250         4:38

50           0:48

100         1:46

150         2:41

200         3:37

250         4:34

200         3:38

150         2:43

100         1:45

50           0:49

250         4:24

When I got home, I blogged the results of the swim workout and then went into the back yard to work on taking down the sumac growth behind the fence. I cleared out a couple of the areas, including digging around the stump for one of the smaller bushes and chopping off some portions with my electric pruning saw. But the stump is too big to remove with just this saw, so I went to Harbor Freight and bought an inexpensive corded electric chain saw. Ann went with me and we had lunch at the North Park Produce restaurant. Then we went to Walter Andersen Nursery in Poway to get some gardening supplies. Home after that where I had a little time before I got ready to go to UCSD to meet Audrey Arinello for a run. It was 90 at home and 65 and foggy at the coast. I met her at the Hopkins Parking Structure, she found me while I was getting ready to text her. We ran from there, through campus and over to the inside route of Torrey Pines. We ran to the top parking lot, took a pic, then turned around and ran back. Each succeeding mile was faster than the last up to mile 5, where I probably slowed down. We ran to a little less than mile 6 (for me), then walked back to the lot where I parked to cool down. I wore my heartrate monitor but apparently had turned Bluetooth off on my phone by accident, so it didn't track. 

Avg pace = 8:09/mi

Total distance = 5.78 mi

Elapsed moving time = 47:07

https://www.strava.com/activities/14430116330

After we parted, I felt for my wallet and key, but the key wasn't there. I looked by the scooter but it wasn't there either. So I called Ann and asked her to come bring me the other key. She was going into Escondido to deliver a meal, so it would take her some time to get there. I decided to retrace my path while I waited, walked all the way back to the hospital on Torrey Pines Rd, no luck. I also looked for the key on the way back, again without success. When I got back to the parking lot and walked towards the scooter, there it was, on the ground about 50 feet away. I was totally relieved, it must have slipped out as I was using my phone to pay for parking and text Audrey. Was so happy that Ann didn't have to drive down. I put on sweats and gloves for the ride back home, and I was glad I did. It was quicker, had some party enchiladas when I got there, then I cleaned the kitchen and had a spiked lemonade to celebrate my incredible good luck. Watched a little TV and had a shower before turning in. 

05-08-2025 Swim/Run/Ride/Hike

Slept a little fitfully, was thirsty in the night, and woke up fairly early to read for a bit (<!>). I made some coffee and got ready for a swim and a run at the WWC. Headed over there in cloudy weather and talked to Ken, who just bought a condo on the beach south of Rosarito Beach. It's got a lot of fixing up to be done but has a great location. Swim went reasonably well, 1500 yds, with my last 500 being the fastest one for a change. I kept my stroke count at 19-20 for the entire time and tried to put more power into the stroke. Here are the split times for the 3 500s: 9:27, 9:37, 9:23. After the swim I changed into my running gear and did a modest-paced 5k, following the normal route from the WWC. Last mile was also my fastest by a fair amount. Legs and cardio felt okay.

 Avg pace = 7:46/mi

Total distance = 3.14 mi

Elapsed moving time = 24:27

Avg heartrate = 144 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 24

https://www.strava.com/activities/14418154095

Had a shower at the WWC after that and then rode over to have coffee with Brooke, Gary, and John. Good conversation, not a lot learned that I didn't already know from talking with others. I rode home and took a look at the back yard, where Ann wants to put in a second garden bed. It will be a chore to take the ice plant ground cover out. Then I got ready for a bike ride with James Kiang, the first one in a very long time. Took the normal way over to the back parking lot of the HP site and met him there. We then rode back down the hill on W Bernardo Dr and turned right onto RB Rd. Took it to Espola Rd. On the early part of this ride, he was pushing hard and keeping up, but as it got into some minor climbs and his stamina faltered, he fell back some. I slowed up and waited for him to catch up, then we continued past the high school and down to Twin Peaks Rd, turning right there. He did pretty well on the flats here until it started to go up and down around Midland Rd, then he dropped back again. We took this road, with its ups and downs, to Camino del Norte and then to the freeway, where he mentioned that his calf had cramped up a little bit. He and I slowed down here and took it easy the rest of the way back to our starting point, via Bernardo Center Dr. It was a nice short ride, he is riding better than he had in the past, as his Achilles tendon has healed and his new bike is faster than his old one. Hoping to ride on a regular basis with him until he has his planned move to Boise in the summer.

Avg speed = 14.9 mph (15.0 mph). Total mileage = 17.5 mi

Avg power = 127 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W

Total elevation gain = 1260' (1370')

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 32 (32)

Training Load = 67

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14419222045

Ann was gone, presumably playing Mah-Jongg somewhere. I watched a little TV, then went out in the back yard and pulled out the ice plant ground cover around where we will install our second garden bed. This stage wasn't super hard, but it was hot and dirty work, glad to be done with the first step. Then I split up a music file I had recorded into tracks, to be converted into CDs and moved to my phone. It was time after that to get ready for a hike with Paula, who isn't riding as she recovers from a recent bike crash. I met her at the gravel parking lot by the park, and we hiked from there up toward Bernardo Peak. We hiked up for about an hour and then turned around to hike back down the same way. Was a nice hike, a little warm at the start but cooling down once we were in the shade. She has visited a lot of cool places, including most of the national parks in the contiguous US. Had dinner when I got home and watched some basketball before showering and reading in the evening.

05-07-2025 Ride/Walk-Run

Well, this was a painful ride. Legs were sore when I woke up, from the harder ride on the previous day. I took it easy on this ride and it still hurt, in part because of the route that John set up for us. Rode over to his house via W Bernardo Dr to RB Rd, then the normal way until I got to Alpine Ter on the little climb up Springhurst Dr, turning there. I rode up to the top of Briarleaf Way, then over to John's house and to the end of Dapple Way before pulling into his driveway. We then took the normal route up to the top of Pomerado Rd, slow for me and slower for John. Then it was down the hill to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, where we turned right and rode up that first climb to Kirkham Rd, turning right there and riding up to nearly the end of Community Rd, where we turned left. Thrilling descent to Metate Ln, staying on Community Rd until we got to Twin Peaks Rd, where we turned right. I was ready to be done with the ride by this time, it was that bad, but I suffered through. We rode up to Espola Rd and from there followed the old time trial route for a while, just not as fast as back in the day. To Sabre Springs Pkwy, then Ted Williams Pkwy, taking it up to Pomerado Rd, where we turned right and rode back to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. I pushed harder on this section, just trying to get back to John's house. Higher effort after turning right onto Scripps-Poway Pkwy, then I coasted back into his neighborhood. Did an extra little loop after I got to his place to catch him as he returned. I didn't stay long, was afraid my legs would stiffen up, so I rode home the normal way (via Bernardo Center Dr to Duenda Rd) from there, with the exception of coming back on Azucar Way and riding to the top of Creciente Way in order to get to 2600' of climbing for the day. Had originally planned on going out for a run after I got home, but that wasn't going to happen on this morning.

Avg speed = 15.4 mph (15.5 mph). Total mileage = 41.9 mi

Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 155 W

Total elevation gain = 2600' (2910')

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm

Relative Effort = 53 (54)

Training Load = 152

Intensity = 70%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14407341026

Had a shower when I got home and relaxed for a bit before heading over to the hospital for a free lunch and my volunteer shift. The lunch was a veggie burger and a Pepsi, nothing great. It was a generally quiet shift, not so busy and no times where I was really busy. When I got home, I got ready for a walk-run with Caleb and Emily at Kit Carson Park. Ann and Jen came too and walked behind us. Leftovers for dinner after we got home, then I watched some TV in the evening.

05-06-2025 Ride

Woke up and leisurely got ready for a bike ride, including eating a bowl of cereal and a banana. I originally thought this ride would be shorter, steeper, and at a more moderate pace, but it was longer, not as steep, and fairly intense on effort. Weather was cool and overcast, good for riding. I rode down by the park and across the freeway, then took BVP in morning traffic up to Sunset Dr, turning left there and heading up to Juniper St. School traffic again here as I rode eventually to Valley Pkwy before turning left and getting to Broadway. I turned right and took it the rest of the way through town, to Jesmond Dene Rd and up that little climb to Centre City Pkwy. Then it was out past Lawrence Welk Village, enjoying the nice downhill and knowing I'd have to climb it on the way back. Stayed on this road, now the 395, past Gopher Canyon Rd and then up the climb to the top of the arched bridge, riding out of the saddle for much of the steeper sections of the climb. I rode W Lilac Rd down to Camino del Rey, that was another nice general downhill, not as steep but much longer. Made good time on Camino del Rey back to the 395, then I had a couple of little climbs until I got to the one past Lawrence Welk Village. My legs were a little sore from the previous day's harder run, so I didn't power up this climb. Took it fairly easy and also rode out of the saddle more than I probably should have. From there, it was a straight shot back through Escondido on Centre City Pkwy, seemed like I hit every stoplight. Rode across the freeway and steadily back up the last two little climbs, the last one running out of gas before I hit the stop sign. This ride pushed me at my current fitness level given the effort I put in.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph (16.9 mph). Total mileage = 48.1 mi

Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power = 170 W

Total elevation gain = 2730' (3110')

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 77 (79)

Training Load = 188

Intensity = 77%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14397301637

When I got home, I rested a bit, then took on some tasks that I had jotted down before and after the ride, including repairing a couple of inner tubes, charging batteries on devices, and recording some music to convert into CDs. I ate a light lunch and had a quiet afternoon. I talked to Ben for a while to catch up with him. Adri is recovering but not as quickly as she would like, Hannah is closing on a house and is very excited about that, still some issued with Abigail and getting her to abide by house rules. Later in the afternoon I had a short nap and then rode over to Miguel's for happy hour with the Indigo workers. I got there early and chatted with the current group before some other former and current HP employees showed up. Total list was: James (moving to Boise), Rachel, Rima, Dan, Kyle, Evgeny, Fereshteh, and John G. As usual, it was a nice time to catch up on how they're doing. Rode home in misty weather, which thankfully wasn't too cold, since I wasn't dressed properly.

05-05-2025 Swim/Run

Fitful night of sleep because of the coffee during the ride on the previous day. I got up and did a little photo cleanup before getting ready for a swim at the WWC. It had rained during the night but wasn't raining on the ride over. I started off with 5 100s on a 2:15 turnaround, then did a pyramid on a 1:00/lap turnaround. This was a workout for me, stroke quality was degraded pretty early on, and I knew I wasn't pulling well with my arms. Here are the splits:

500 #1    1:33

500 #2    1:39

500 #3    1:41

500 #4    1:45

500 #5    1:44

50           0:49

100         1:47

150         2:42

200         3:39

250         4:41

200         3:47

150         2:44

100         1:48

50           0:54

Will try this same workout at the end of the week, with a 250 to warm up. Hoping to have more stamina for the longer swims. When I got back home, I gathered up some additional requested information about our Big Agnes tent to send to the repair specialist. Did some more photo cleanup, not sure why my Google Drive storage space isn't being reduced. I also rode my scooter over to pick up my skin cream prescription and applied the first treatment when I got home. Won't be fun in about a week. Watched a little TV, then in the afternoon I went for a run. It was pretty good running weather. Down to the park and around that circuit. I had a fairly fast first mile, so I kept going at high pace and ended up with my third-fastest 5k run in Strava. I ran a total of 4+ miles, and the last little bit up the hill on Aguamiel Rd was really tough. I had to stop briefly to catch my breath before finishing, but I recovered quickly after the run. This may have been the first time in a long time that I ran 4 miles in under 30 minutes.

Avg pace = 7:19/mi

Total distance = 4.22 mi

Elapsed moving time = 30:58

Avg heartrate = 158 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 61

https://www.strava.com/activities/14388913176

Ann was at Mah-Jongg in the afternoon. Nothing much else to report. Talked to Laura before and during dinner. She's working hard trying to keep herself in good graces at Sandia, which will be going through layoffs for the first time. Going to visit Joe in Chicago this weekend, then drive down to St Louis to attend his farewell party at Wash U. She's going with Zach to Albania in July for a wedding. She and Joe have talked a lot about how to manage his relationship with his mother Linda. Sounds like they are working through it in a mature way, I hope it doesn't generate lingering animosity when Joe moves out to California. Quiet evening.

05-04-2025 Swim/Ride

Ann woke up really early, the cat was being annoying. I got up a little later, after having had a pretty vivid series of dreams during the night. Caught up on blogging, cleaned the kitchen, then got ready for a swim at the WWC. It had rained in the night, and the roads were wet, but the rain had largely stopped. Was still overcast. There was one more swimmer while I was in the pool, not a popular day for early swimming. I tried to keep my stroke count at 19-20 and was successful. Was less successful at maintaining a consistently powerful pulling stroke, and I could feel the effects of the workout in my shoulders when I was done. Ended up swimming 1650 yds, taking a pause, then doing another 250 with the pull buoy to keep working (not so successful) on my stroke form. Here are the splits for the 3 500s, a 150, and the last 250 with the pull buoy: 9:34, 9:50, 9:52, 2:52, 4:41. Not terrible for being out of the pool for a couple of weeks, but I have work to do to prepare for a sprint tri in June. Ann had gone to church when I got home, so I had some time to chill before getting ready for a bike ride with Joe. The weather was iffy, but we decided to give it a shot and stay relatively nearby. Through the neighborhood to W Bernardo Dr and then to RB Rd, which we took to Espola Rd. We had a little bit of light drizzle initially, but it didn't get worse and eventually cleared up, with overcast skies. We rode through the Bridlewood neighborhood to cut through back to Espola Rd. Then it was down to Twin Peaks Rd, turning there and taking it to Community Rd. To Poway Rd where we turned right and rode over to have coffee at Idego Coffee. Coffee was excellent, as was the conversation. From there we headed down Poway Rd to Sabre Springs Pkwy, taking it and Rancho Carmel Dr to Carmel Mountain Rd. To Paseo del Sur and over to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, home from there via Bernardo Center Dr. Joe was a little late but not too bad. It was an enjoyable easy ride.

Avg speed = 13.7 mph (14.0 mph). Total distance = 21.9 mi

Avg power = 115 W. Weighted avg power = 136 W

Total elevation gain = 1250' (1400')

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 20 (20)

Training Load = 69

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14379028658

When I got home, I had a light lunch and watched some TV. Ann went to a youth musical with Emily, so I worked on trying to understand my Google Photos storage. Now I understand that if a photo or video is stored there by syncing with my phone, it won't be deleted if I delete the photo from the phone, only if I delete it from Google Photos. Was an easygoing afternoon. In the evening we had dinner at MexicanBar with Rob, who is traveling to Dublin and then France for an extended vacation. Was a nice time.

05-03-2025 Ride

Woke up (<!>) after a good night's rest and got ready for the Saturday Bisikleta bike ride. It wasn't too cold at the start. I rode through the neighborhood, heavy dew in the air that at times was a light mist. Then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to the starting point at the 4S Target, where Nel was already there, and James and Arnold showed up about the same time. Others trickled in until, at the start, we had: Jed, James, Nel, Arnold, Rob, Jed A., Cam, Kamal, and Charlie. I hadn't ridden with Kamal and Jed A. in a long time, so it was nice to see them. The weather was light rain when we started, which surprised everybody. And they are repaving part of CdS, which we took down to the 56 bike path. It was rough riding, especially in the wet weather, not fun at all. I was sweeping on this day, staying at or near the back nearly the whole time. Talked a little bit with Kamal about his recent travels, which have included Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. Also chatted with James about his recent Ironman in The Woodlands last weekend, which took a lot longer than he expected, especially the run. It was in the mid-80s and humid, which might have affected his performance. He offered to give me tips about doing a spring triathlon, which I will take advantage of. On the 56 bike path, I led out, with Jed A. following close behind. All the way down to its end, where we waited for a couple of minutes until Zac and Joey showed up. Then we rode over to the coast and up Torrey Pines, the inside route. I talked with Zac and Joey on this section of the ride. They are moving back to the Bay Area, as Zac will take a new job, this one with Tik Tok. It sounds a little risky, but they are young and mobile. Will be very sad to see them go, they are great to ride with in the group. I thought I was at the back of the group on the climb, which went very quickly for me although my pace was slow. We saw Ray running with his group on the flatter section of the climb. At the top, I found out that Kamal and others were behind me, oops. I took the time to switch out the battery on my left shifter, which was showing low. Then we rode back down the hill, me in my sweeper role, and up through Del Mar. We stayed on PCH through Solana Beach and Cardiff, then turned right on Chesterfield Dr and had a break at the 7-Eleven there. After the break, we took San Elijo Ave over to Manchester Ave, staying on it through the right turn past the lagoon to get into the outskirts of RSF. I was waiting for the last riders, usually James, at each turn, then riding up to the next group, usually Joey and Kamal. To Rancho Santa Fe Rd, where we turned right and rode to La Bajada/La Granada for the little climbs up into RSF village. Then we took Via de Santa Fe over to El Apajo and thus to San Dieguito Rd. The climb up Three Witches was slow, I stayed with Kamal, who was suffering on the climbs from not having ridden much at all recently. He got to the top, where the others were waiting at the turn onto CdS. They took off, and I waited for James to make the turn before continuing on. Arnold said he would sweep, so I pushed my pace and got to the front of the group. From there, I just kept on pushing and left everybody else behind on the gradual climb back to Casey Glen. Kept pushing to the finish, some of the others weren't too far behind. Again, I stayed around until everybody showed up, including Kamal last, then I rode home, following the RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr route. Legs felt fine, I didn't put in a big effort on this day, but I was happy they were okay after not having ridden long distances in a couple of weeks.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph (15.7 mph). Total mileage = 51.6 mi

Avg power = 130 W. Weighted avg power = 162 W

Total elevation gain = 3030' (3370')

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 74 (80)

Training Load = 211

Intensity = 74%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14367902940

When I got home, Ann was out shopping. I did a little bit with reorganizing the camping gear, including putting the mattress back in its bag. Then I went in and ate some lunch. Ann showed up soon after. I then cleaned the dirt of the tent bottom tarp and sent a note to the Big Agnes company about our tent flap zipper repair. Also looked for replacement globes for our Coleman Lantern, found some on Amazon. In the mid-afternoon, I had a nap, was pretty tired from the ride after all. Then I finished cleaning and stowing the tarp, watched a little TV. It was a quiet evening.

05-02-2025 Entry

Woke up around 5:15, Ann was getting up too. We packed up the stuff from the tent and we're on the road a little after 6:00. Drove back through Sedona and got onto I-17 toward Phoenix. Stopped at a gas station for Ann to pee just outside Anthem, and an emission control system check engine light came on after we got on the freeway. Ann found us a repair shop in Anthem, Wilhelm Automotive, and they were very friendly and pretty quick to get the car in for diagnosis. It was the engine knock sensor again, not sure why it tripped this time, as I was regularly checking the oil. Maybe the 86 octane gasoline we used several times during the trip. To make sure there wasn't engine damage, we had the car towed to a Kia dealership in Peoria. Rode in the cab with the tow truck driver, who was the same age as me and looked at least 10 years older. At the Kia dealership, we dropped the car off, got some essential things out of the car, then I walked to an Enterprise rental car place and rented a Hyundai Kona SUV in case we needed a vehicle to drive home with our stuff. I drove back and picked Ann up along with our stuff, including my bike, then we drove to a locally owned pizza restaurant nearby and had lunch at a leisurely pace. After lunch, we walked around the suburban shops until I got a text message indicating that they had looked at the car. It didn't need any major work, but they checked the engine for malfunction and didn't find anything. They reset the computer and installed some new control firmware, and we were back on our way. Dropped the rental car off, then I drove home the whole way (pretty exhausting). I wanted to monitor how the car drove and keep the RPMs below 3000. We stopped to get gas in Glendale after we dropped off the rental car, then drove through Arizona and into California, stopping again for a bathroom break in El Centro. So, it was a long day, to put it mildly. Got home around 7:50 and pretty quickly unloaded the car, then I unloaded my bags, had a shower, and was ready to go to sleep.

05-01-2025 Hike

Woke up and had hash browns, eggs, and coffee for breakfast. It was a fairly leisurely early morning, as we got ready for a hike in Sedona Red Rocks area. We drove through the town and tried to park in one area, but it was full. We drove back up the road and went into Yavapai Point parking area. It was full too, but I waited until a car left and took that spot. We hiked a short trail upto a vista spot, where there was a group of people sitting in a circle and communing with animal spirits, apparently. We decided to walk south on a mountain bike trail that went parallel to the highway. Saw several groups of bikers coming up the trail, which wasn't too steep but had some rocky spots that slowed Ann down. We ended up hiking to the Bell Rock Vista lot, then from there we hiked back, on a flat trail, to the original parking lot. On the trail we saw a lady hiking in a long black dress, carrying a purse and wearing loafers. At that lot, Ann waited while I hiked back to our car and brought it over. She probably didn't expect to walk as far, and she's sensitive to being out in the sun. From there, we drove to a picnic area along the highway and had lunch. Then it was back to the campsite for a low-energy afternoon. I had a nap out in the sun and listened to some of the book I'm reading, Kingdom on Fire by Scott Howard Cooper. It's an in-depth treatment of the John Wooden championship years at UCLA, pretty good so far. We heated up leftover stew for dinner and had it with the artichoke we've been carrying the whole trip. After cleaning up the dinner dishes, we packed up all of our gear except for the stuff in the tent, so we could get an early start to the long drive ahead of us.