06-30-2025 Swim/Walk/Ride

Woke up around 6:30 after waking up earlier but getting back to sleep. I didn't make the mistake of eating breakfast before my swim, headed over to the WWC to be there when it opened. It's pretty busy now that we are in summer months. I saw Blaine there for the first time in a long time, he looks well, has been swimming later in the day. Needed to get some distance in, in preparation for an ocean swim at La Jolla Cove on Wednesday morning with Charlie and his friend Dave. I ended up swimming 2100 yds, lost count on the second and fourth 500s. Here are the splits for the four 500s and the last 100: 9:30, 9:39, 9:46, 9:44, 1:51. I think I am getting closer to syncing the splits that I measure using the camera with the ones from my watch, but this only works if I pause and finish the workout fairly quickly. Those added seconds are included in the Strava moving time, which is unfortunate. The heartrate data are still questionable but useful to analyze. My heartrate climbed steadily in the first 500, then stabilized for the second 500 before starting to climb gradually in the last 100, with a sharper increase right near the end of the workout. I need to put in more distance swims, including going beyond 2000 yds, which is going to be a challenge until I get used to the longer distances. My stroke count was also noticeably higher to me in the last 500, where I couldn't consistently get to 20 strokes/length. Could feel the effects of the workout in my shoulders later on. I had breakfast when I got home, then went out and, after watching a couple of videos, attempted to sharpen my new chainsaw chain. Fingers crossed that it improves the cutting performance. Later in the morning, I went out behind the fence and worked on cutting back another sumac stump while it was in the shade. I also cut back yet another stump on the yard side of the fence. Still more work to be done. After the sumac will come the pepper tree stumps. Watched some TV in the early afternoon and had a short nap, then I went for or an hour-long walk to get most of my steps in. Walked a Ross the freeway and around the neighborhoods over there before walking back. After dinner, I had to talk myself into going for a ride. Initially planned on a relatively flat route, heading down by the park, where I saw a coyote crossing the road into the park. Ended up riding out Highland Valley Rd and up to the turnoff for Cordiano Winery. I tried to stay in the saddle for as much as possible, only getting out when it was really steep. Worked up a sweat, so it felt good on the downhill return. Retracted my route home and had a quiet rest of the evening.

Avg speed = 15.0 mph. Total mileage = 14.3 mi

Avg power = 145 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Total elevation gain = 1230'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 18

Training Load = 64

Intensity = 82%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14968364023

06-29-2025 Swim/Run

Woke up after a fairly short night of sleep, stayed up late the previous night and got up early. I had some breakfast and read for a bit (<>). Then I got ready for a swim and a run. Headed over to the WWC, it was busy at the opening for a change. I got a lane but the pool filled up pretty quickly. Did a 550 and then a 500, followed by a 250 with the pull buoy. Short breaks to recover in between. Here are the splits: 10:16, 9:21, 4:30. I felt like my stroke was decent, although it degraded at the latter stages of the first two intervals. Just need more arm and shoulder strength. After the swim, I got ready for a run in my tri suit. Added a number of cul-de-sacs into my normal 5k route to extend the distance, and I slowed my pace down as well. Ended up running a little over 4.5 miles, would be good to figure out a good 5 mile loop from the WWC.

Avg pace = 8:18/mi

Total distance = 4.57 mi

Elapsed moving time = 37:57

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 10

https://www.strava.com/activities/14954811457

Rode home after the run, I was pretty hungry, even though I had eaten breakfast earlier. Still, I had a relatively light lunch. I cleaned up my tool bench and installed a number of additional hooks on the pegboard as well as a couple of shelves, one for the chainsaw that is a little sketchy. After that, I went over the fence and hacked at one of the stumps of the sumac plants. This is definitely a long-term project, especially if I want to take all, or nearly all, of the stumps down to ground level. It's a workout, but in the mid-afternoon I get to work in shade, which makes it easier. Later in the afternoon, we drove over to Old Poway Park, set up our chairs, then stopped for a beer at the Hop Stop before watching a free outdoor concert with Gregory Page. I was a little buzzed from the beer and wine, but he put on a decent show, not his greatest but enjoyable. We had picnic food, and I was starving. It was a quiet evening after we got home.

06-28-2025 Ride/Walk

After I woke up, I started getting ready for the Bisikleta bike ride, not so rushed. But when I went out into the garage, I found that my rear tire was flat, so I had to scramble and change it pretty quickly. Mission accomplished, but it caused me to take the fast route to the starting point at the 4S Target, through the neighborhood and then straight over. Jamil was there and wondering if he got the right starting point. Others started showing up soon after, and on this day, leaving from Target, we had: Jed, Jed A., Jamil, Rob (rode over), Fritz, Andy, Arnold, James (rode over), and Aaron (showed up just as we were leaving the parking lot). We headed to Del Sur Ridge Rd and took it to Lone Quail Rd to get to Dove Canyon Rd. Down the hill there, where we met Kamal coming to meet us, then up Bernardo Center Dr until we turned right onto Camino del Norte. That little climb was pretty easy for me, I am starting to feel a little stronger in my baseline riding. We took Camino del Norte over to Carmel Mountain Rd. General tactic of me waiting at key turns for everybody to show up, then working harder to get back to the front. Arnold and Fritz were in the front quite a bit as well, and on the flats and downhills James was there as well. We took Rancho Carmel Dr and Sabre Springs Pkwy to its end, then rode up Springhurst Dr to Springbrook Dr to get to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. I was at the back again, but the others waited for us just past Pomerado Rd. On the subsequent climb, Aaron, who was on his heavy commuter bike with fat tires, just blitzed it, and I couldn't keep up. I waited at the top for everybody to make the turn onto Kirkham Rd and somehow missed Andy passing me. So I waited for another couple of minutes until I realized that he couldn't be that far behind. I again pushed the pace to try and catch up with the others, took a turn early while I was following a rider who I thought was in our group (he wasn't), then got back onto Scripps-Poway Pkwy and rode to Danielson St, where others were waiting. We all regrouped here, and at this point Jed A. turned around and started riding back to Mira Mesa while the rest of us headed east on Scripps-Poway Pkwy. Down the hill, with James in the lead, then we turned onto the little access road that got us to Sycamore Canyon Rd. I led us on this mild climb up to the trailhead, Fritz and Arnold weren't far back, and Fritz and I made it to the top first. We had an extended break here, there's a restroom and shade, while Rob figured out why his front derailleur wasn't shifting. I lent him my spare SRAM battery, and that seemed to work. Then it was down the hill, with James riding on his aero bars down a 12% grade to Garden Rd, where we turned left and rode to the 7-Eleven. Another short break there, surprisingly nobody needed water. We turned left onto Poway Rd and rode down to Community Rd, taking a right there and riding over to Twin Peaks Rd. Took it up to Espola Rd, I was in the lead here, and we waited for everybody to make the turn north. Several riders got out front, and I pushed to catch up to them until it was just me and Fritz working to get to the top first. I surprised him with a burst of speed near the top, but he wasn't too far back. We turned onto Titan Way and then right onto Riparian Rd to ride through a nice neighborhood. Another right on Lake Poway Rd followed by a left onto Summer Sage Rd to get to Bridlewood Rd, which we took back to Espola Rd. Down the hill, feeling the effects of a headwind coming from the southwest, until we turned right onto Pomerado Rd. I was powering on this stretch and didn't hear that Jamil turned off and rode home from there. We took it all the way to the bottom, then climbed W Bernardo Dr to the park. A right turn on Aguamiel Rd, then we rode by our house (Ann was in the front yard weeding and saw us riding by). I was at the back with Andy and James, slowed down a little bit to stay near them. A right turn onto Duenda Rd, where Rob split off to ride home from there, then we took it to Poblado Rd and a right turn onto Matinal Rd to climb out of the neighborhood. Andy's DI2 battery failed at this point, so he rode straight back to the starting point, while James and I took the originally intended extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. I had mapped some extra distance in my original route but missed the turn and ended up doing just the extended route. Back to the 4S Target, where Kamal had already headed home and the others were in the shade getting out of the heat. They had gotten a little lost in the 4S Ranch neighborhood but eventually found their way out. I didn't stay too long, as it was quite warm and windy. Took the new normal way home at moderate pace, legs felt fine at the end but I was tired.

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 47.8 mi

Avg power = 149 W. Weighted avg power = 175 W

Total elevation gain = 3120'

Avg heartrate = 124 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 78

Training Load = 234

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14945071424

I was hungry near the end of the ride, although I ate a banana and a granola bar during the ride. But I didn't eat a big lunch, stomach was churning a little. After lunch, I went upstairs, had a little nap, then in the afternoon I went for an hourlong walk to get my steps in, listening to a podcast. Got home, shaved and showered, to get ready to have dinner with the Guys and see Enrico Lopez-Yanez direct the San Diego Symphony for the program Music of the Knights at the Rady Shell. Dinner was fine, Kay sure is a talker, but at least I haven't heard all of her stories numerous times, like I believe Ann has. Earl looked better at dinner but was pretty washed out by the end of the evening. The concert was pretty good, a couple of the singers were much better than the others, including the emcee, who was a little too much for me. We talked with Ruth and Cassandra, Enrico's fiance, before the show, and with Enrico after the show. All in all, a pretty nice evening. I was really hungry from a non-filling meal at dinner, so I stayed up, ate some more, and watched TV after we got home, making it a fairly late night for me.

06-27-2025 Ride/Walk

Wanted to get an early ride in, so I was rolling by about 6:15. Started out on a reverse of the time trial route, which I find is generally more difficult. The climb up to the HP site was a little difficult, the rest not so much for a while. I kept going on Sabre Springs Pkwy, turning right on Springbrook Dr and taking this climb at more than my usual effort. To Scripps-Poway Pkwy, turning left and riding down to Pomerado Rd, where I turned left as well. On this road until I turned right onto Stone Canyon Rd to add a little more distance. Left on Del Norte, which turns into Avenida Florencia and took me to RB Rd. I turned left and rode down to Bernardo Center Dr and turned right there, home the normal way from there. This was not a great day on the bike, I tried to push on the climbs but without a lot of success.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph. Total mileage = 20.8 mi

Avg power = 148 W. Weighted avg power = 175 W

Total elevation gain = 1390'

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 18

Training Load = 93

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14932553890

Had some cereal and a banana for breakfast, then it was a chill morning. I packed up the Tapo cameras to return, got gas for the scooter, and went to the post office. Had a shower before taking the scooter to Convoy St to meet Charlie for lunch at Tasty Noodle House. Food was good (I paid). We talked about his trip to Scotland, general retirement life, my race last Sunday. Then I rode home and watched a little TV before heading over to feed the cats. Traffic was absolutely terrible, thankfully Ann drove. We drove home through light (thankfully) traffic. When I got home, I needed some destressing, so I went out for a walk around the neighborhood, to get my steps in. Keeping the step count above 10k is going to be a regular challenge, this watch is fairly meticulous about counting them. Later, we went to T&T for dinner with Rob and Isabelle. Dinner was a little late, but the conversation was good. Home after that, and bed.

06-26-2025 Run/Swim

Slept in (a little bit) and got up around 6:00. I rushed to get ready for a run and then rode my scooter down to the park. Ran 6 full laps around the park and a little bit more to try and get past 10k. I was able to maintain negative splits throughout, although the middle miles were only slightly faster than the previous ones. Pushed harder on the last mile, which was my fastest by a fair amount. Legs felt fine, feet were a little sore afterward. I tracked the run on my phone via Strava as well as with my Amazfit watch. The watch recorded a little less distance and a significantly higher heartrate. I think I trust the Coospo heartrate band numbers more.

Avg pace = 7:48/mi

Total distance = 6.35 mi

Elapsed moving time = 49:31

Avg heartrate = 133 bpm (Coospo), 151 bpm (Amazfit)

https://www.strava.com/activities/14923206581

After the run, I rushed home and got ready for a swim (Ann was still asleep). Then I rode over to the WWC, where several others joined me in waiting for it to open, including one swimmer, Shannon, who asked me about my recent triathlon, which was nice of her. I was disappointed in my swim time, which was slower than I hoped it would be. Granted, I was intentionally swimming at a slower pace with longer strokes, but I thought the dropoff wouldn't be as much. Ended up swimming 1950 yds, my longest distance in a while, must have lost count of laps at some point so I didn't get to 2000 yds. Here are the splits (taken from video footage) for my 3 500s and the last 450: 10:00, 10:05, 10:13, 8:58.  Was a minor good sign that my last 450 wasn't the slowest of all. The data from my Amazfit pool workout are not quite as accurate as the video data, but maybe they are accurate enough when I'm doing longer swims without breaks. Again, I don't trust the Amazfit heartrate data, might try to tighten my watchband and see if that helps. Will try some intervals tomorrow at a faster pace. I rode home, had some breakfast (was pretty hungry) and took a shower before riding over to the HP site for coffee with Brooke and Gary. Nice conversation, Brooke has done a lot of cruising, including a cool cruise through the Grecian Isles that might be a future possibility. Sue had an arthroscopic procedure done on her back on Tuesday to relieve the pain in her legs. So far, pain has subsided, now she has to wait until her back pain from the surgery starts to lessen. Got home and relaxed for a while. I ordered Padres tickets, refunded some more ey to Johnnie using Venmo, inquired about returning the Tapo cameras that I ought (thinking they were battery-powered), and scoped out some possible places to have lunch with Charlie on Friday. In the afternoon, I watched some TV after eating a leftover calzone for lunch. Then I went over the backyard fence and chopped at one of the sumac stumps using the new chainsaw blade. It is much sharper, and the sww works great with a sharp chain. I also hacked at the stumps with the axes and the reciprocating saw. That is not such easy work, but I made some progress before stopping for the day. It was a quiet rest of the afternoon. After dinner, we drove through crappy traffic over to Emily and Caleb's to feed the cats, then it was a quiet evening.

06-25-2025 Ride/Walk

Slept well, cat was annoying in the morning, which got me out of bed a little earlier than planned. Got ready for a ride, was on the road by about 6:45. Down by the park and over to Highland Valley Rd for a climbing workout. I took it easy on the flats and pushed harder on the climbs. On the descent towards Ramona, it seemed like I was riding into a head wind. I ended up turning left onto Rangeland Rd to see where it led. Rode for a couple of miles, including a short stop to eat a banana, until it started seriously tilting up, so I stopped there and carefully turned around. Reversed the route and rode home, going more slowly up the little climbs but enjoying the descents.

Avg speed = 15.2 mph. Total mileage = 29.8 mi

Avg power = 152 W. Weighted avg power = 186 W

Total elevation gain = 2600'

Avg heartrate = 118 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 38

Training Load = 144

Intensity = 85%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14912757284

Ate some cereal for breakfast, then caught up on blogging before I needed to get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. I also swapped in a repaired inner tube on the rear wheel of my Canyon. Second patched tube also looks good. Ann went to the beach, I had a shower and then headed over to the hospital for my shift, which was pretty consistently busy. I was a little worried that there wouldn't be enough to do, since there was another PathTaker volunteer, JoAnn, who was there for most of the time. But I was able to keep busy, no problem. A nurse, Greg, showed up later, who I haven't worked with much. He's short, stocky, and has dark hair. Seems nice enough. Got done with my shift, and I was quite tired. I had originally planned on going for a run after dinner, but that wasn't going to happen on this day. So I went for a shorter walk to get my steps in plus a little more, while Ann was talking to Laura on the phone. I watched some TV, including staying up a little later than usual to watch more.

06-24-2025 Walk/Ride

Woke up after a good night's sleep (<>) and went for an hourlong walk (talked to Ben on the way), to the west side of the park and then on trails down to the pedestrian bridge and over before returning, to get most of my daily steps in early. After I got back, I had a little time for breakfast, and I also shaved and patched a couple of inner tubes, then I got ready for a bike ride and lunch with Joe. Rode over, the normal way, to the Via Rancho Park n Ride, got there early for a 10:30 meet-up. He showed up and got ready, then we took off. Up Via Rancho Pkwy, taking it pretty easy on legs that were feeling the effects of the previous two days. We turned left onto Lake Dr and enjoyed the short, steep downhill and subsequent ride closer to the lakeshore. The little climb up Rancho Dr to get to Del Dios Hwy was steep, I saw 14% gradient on my Wahoo. After we made the turn, I pushed the pace a little bit to give myself some separation from Joe so I wouldn't have to worry about him on the descent, which has been tricky for me lately. This time, it was fine. I pulled my sleeves down and probably benefited from riding into a slight headwind that slowed me down. No front wheel instability and I didn't have to brake as much as previously. I kept going across the flats and the little ascent to the high point on the outskirts of RSF. Stopped there to wait for Joe, then we continued on together on Paseo Delicias until turning onto VdlV. This was another nice little downhill with sweeping curves to navigate. Around this time, he mentioned that he had to pee, so I started looking for a place to stop. Thought we could use the Porta Potties at the fair parking lot off El Camino Real, but the gates were locked. We ended up stopping at a Circle K gas station just before the freeway, on the righthand side. Then we continued on, turning right onto Valley Ave, which turned into Stevens Ave and had a little climb before we turned onto San Rodulfo Dr. Used this to get to the parking lot by Micheline's Pita House, where we stopped and had lunch. I told him about the triathlon, and he updated my about Shane's birth (all are doing great). Then we discussed Timothy Snyder's On Freedom, which he had just finished. Snyder makes the case that freedom has to be for everybody or it's for nobody. He talks about 5 key forms of freedom: sovereignty, unpredictability, mobility, factuality, and solidarity. He also makes a big point about the close relationship between our concept of freedom and the way we view others, either as Leib or Korper, tying back to our ability to empathize with others and see them as individuals with their own values. I was getting a little chilly, so it was good to get on the bike and start heading back. We generally had the benefit of a tailwind on the return ride, which was a straight shot - Lomas Santa Fe, Linea del Cielo, Paseo Delicias, Del Dios Hwy - back to Via Rancho Pkwy. I was feeling energized by lunch and the caffeine in the soda, so I pushed the pace harder on the return than on the outbound ride. I waited for him at the top of the first climb, normal stopping point, then gapped him again and kept riding all the way back to the Park n Ride. Set a number of little PRs on these climbs, largely helped by the tailwind.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph. Total mileage = 40.9 mi

Avg power = 130 W. Weighted avg power = 164 W

Total elevation gain = 2790'

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 53

Training Load = 176

Intensity = 75%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14905609366

It took Joe a while to get back to his car, and we chatted for a bit before I headed home the normal way, albeit at a much slower pace. Legs were tired by this time. I took a breather, then called Mom before dinner and talked to her. She brought up the topic of assisted living, as she had done when she talked to Ben earlier in the day. Seemed in decent spirits. After dinner, we headed over to Emily and Caleb's apartment to feed the cats. I dropped Ann off and went to park the car, and in the meantime she messed up one of the automatic dry food feeders, the one for Kenzo. It was really frustrating to see her try to figure out how to fix it. I kept out of it, let her eventually get it back to normal, by texting with Emily. Then we drove home, stopping at Home Depot on the way for me to buy a new chain for the chainsaw to see if that improves its cutting ability. At home, I finished watching an episode of Grantchester and called it a night.

06-23-2025 Swim/Ride/Walk

Slept pretty well, even though I had a nap the previous afternoon. I did wake up early, then I was able to get back to sleep, waking up again a little before 7:30. That hadn't happened in a while. When I did get up, I got ready for a swim at the WWC, intending to start building up my uninterrupted distance swimming again. I got there around 8:30 and swam 1500 yds. Had my own lane, but it was starting to get crowded by the end. Apparently, the lifeguards do swimming lessons in lane 1, and there was another swimmer giving a private lesson in lane 6 when I got out. Didn't set any speed records on this day, but my stroke count was generally good, and I think I am close to figuring out how to use my watch to time a swim interval fairly accurately (Strava doesn't exclude the time when the workout is Paused, which is a bummer). Was able to complete the 1500 yds in a little over 29 minutes, but I don't think my watch tracked my heartrate accurately, it seemed quite high. Here are my splits for the 500s: 9:36, 9:51, 9:46. I'll keep an eye on this metric. When I got home, I took a short break, ate some breakfast, then went into the back yard and over the fence to do some trimming of the sumac stumps. I have most of the trimming done, but the chainsaw isn't effective at cutting the stump bases down, so I'll try putting a new chain on. Had some lunch and an easy early afternoon, then I drove over to Paula's house, on Atherton St off Double Peak Dr, for what was supposed to be an easy ride. We headed down the hill on San Elijo Rd into San Elijo Hills village, then kept going down toward Melrose Dr. On this descent, I picked up a glass shard in my rear tire and got a flat. Had it changed pretty quickly, but I was slow in pumping it up, since I couldn't get my CO2 cartridge head to work properly. Then we were off, me with a slightly soft tire, turning right on Melrose Dr and taking it down to Rancho Santa Fe Rd, turning right there. I stayed with Paula on the first part of this climb and got a little separation on the second part, waiting for her at the right turn onto Camino del Arroyo Dr. Through the Lake San Marcos neighborhood, left on Hermosita Dr, left on San Marino Dr, which took us by the lake, then left on San Pablo Dr. We took a right at the tee to stay on San Pablo Dr, then turned left onto La Noche Dr. A left on McMahr Rd took us to Discovery St, where we turned right and took it up to Craven Rd. Up the slight hill to Santa Barbara Dr, taking a right and starting the more serious ascent, which got pretty steep once we turned onto Sunstone Dr. This took us to Twin Oaks Valley Rd, where we turned right. I hadn't ridden up this climb in quite a while, but Paula assured me that it never topped 7%. Wrong! Actually, I don't think it really ever dropped below 7%. Was pretty hard on my tired legs, but I took it easy. I could also feel it in my lower back, again probably residual stress from the previous day's ride. Got up to the parking lot by the trail up to the top of Double Peak, where I waited for her, then we rode the rest of the way together back to her house.

Avg speed = 11.9 mph. Total mileage = 11.2 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 148 W

Total elevation gain = 1130'

Avg heartrate = 105 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 11

Training Load = 48

Intensity = 67%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14895492333

After packing my bike up, I drove over to Emily and Caleb's apartment and cared for the cats. It all went smoothly. Drove home, had calzones for dinner, then I needed to get my steps in for the day, which was a chore. I took a short loop around the neighborhood and added a little at the end to get close. That was definitely enough exercise for me on this day.

2025 San Diego International Sprint Triathlon

Well, this was a special day, one for the memory books. I didn't sleep well at all, anxiety dreams about the upcoming race, particularly related to remembering everything I should bring with me. I added a couple of items to my list,, one thing I forgot to bring was a water bottle for the bike ride. Got up around 4:45 and started getting ready. Had a banana and a nut bar, took some water with me. Packed all the stuff into the Sportage and was heading down there by 5:15. I parked at Liberty Station and got my bike ready there, then packed up my gear in my backpack and rode over to the starting point at Spanish Landing Park. It was pretty hectic, but I found a spot to hang my bike and put my stuff in the transition area. Applied lubricant around my neck, wrists, and ankles to help me get my wetsuit off, talked to a guy named Ted, from Washington, who was here for the swim and run (didn't want to transport his bike). He sounded like a regular event participant. Got everything pretty well laid out and left the transition area when they closed it at 7:30. I walked over to the beach where the swimmers were leaving to get to the open water start. A number of people were in the water warming up for their swim, but I decided not to do that (turned out to be a good idea, I think). The international distance waves went off first, interspersed with some of the specialty event participants. Then the sprint distance waves went off every 3 minutes or so. My wave was the last one, which was a good thing in the water. I wore the Xterra wetsuit and had no problem with cold water, which was about 70 degrees anyway. At the start of our wave, there was some thrashing and it took me a little bit to get clear of others. Started with standard breathing but soon switched to breathing at every stroke. I was reasonably able to follow the buoys, but my initial understanding of swimming through the two buoys was incorrect. I made the correction in time and swam around the left buoy, then over to the right buoy to turn back toward the finish. Was in a pretty good groove by then, following the line of buoys defining the left side of the swim course to the final buoy. I had caught up with swimmers from the earlier wave, but I really had no idea where my position was relative to my own wave when I exited the water. I suspected it was about middle of the pack. Had started my Amazfit when the swim started but forgot to turn it off as I exited the water. Later, I was able to crop the activity on Strava to show that I had a really good swim, averaging under 1:40/100 yds.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14881796545

 The wetsuit's buoyancy helped a lot, as I didn't really feel like I was needing to propel myself with my legs very much. Got out of the water okay, jogged over to where my bike was while I was pulling the top of my wetsuit off. That went fine, and I got one foot out easily, but the left foot, where my tracking device was, proved to be problematic. I wasted some time getting that leg off, then quickly put on socks, shoes, helmet, and phone in arm holder, and started riding out of the transition zone before they told me I had to run with my bike to the Mount line on the course. Once I was on the bike, I worked my cycling gloves on (may not use them next time), adjusted my trisuit, and put my sunglasses on. This course had much of its relatively small elevation gain after a flat first 1.5 miles. When it started to tilt up, I went to drop into my lower chainring, and my chain came off. Couldn't get it back on by switching back to my upper chainring, so I had to stop and put the chain back on manually, which was frustrating and time-consuming. From there on, I stayed in my upper chainring to avoid repeating the issue. It did give me an adrenaline boost, and I was pushing some serious power on these modest gradients. Nobody was passing me, and I was passing a fair number of people, doing my best to let others know I was coming up on their left, to avoid any accidents. The roads were closed off, which was excellent. I got through the bulk of the climbing and got into my aero drops to make time. Out toward Cabrillo National Monument, riding a little way past the entrance before turning around and riding back to the start on the same roads. The return was net downhill. I think my average speed at the turn was about 17 mph, and I pushed the pace on the return, either in the aero drops on the flats and slight downhills or keeping pedaling when the gradient got steeper down. I didn't have my heartrate monitor on, so my Wahoo was not sync'ed to the heartrate on my watch, no Relative Effort data.

Avg speed = 20.1 mph. Total mileage = 11.9 mi

Avg power = 200 W. Weighted avg power = 212 W

Total elevation gain = 580'

Training Load = 55

Intensity = 96%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14884207047

The bike ride seemed to go by quite quickly, and I was back in the transition area hanging my bike up and switching to my running gear. That second transition went more smoothly, I kept my sunglasses on and put on a cap as well. Ran through the other transition zone, through the beach, and then on sidewalks that largely ran by San Diego Bay. I was already warmed up, and I ran the first mile in 6:57. Was regularly passing folks, trying to pay attention to those runners who might have been in the same wave as me. I knew it would be very difficult to have a negative split run after this first mile, so my intention was not to slow down rather than try to speed up. Second and third miles were only slightly slower. After mile 3, I was starting to feel fatigue in my legs and had a little bit of a stitch in the side, but I kept going and saved a little something for a final kick to the finish line. I think one or two younger runners passed me near the end, but other than that I held my own. Ended up with a PR for 5k, which was gratifying in itself. Got to the finish line feeling good and also feeling like I didn't leave too much in the tank.

Avg pace = 7:01/mi

Total distance = 3.49 mi

Elapsed moving time = 24:30

https://www.strava.com/activities/14882489178

Again, unfortunately, I don't have heartrate data from this run, would love to know how far I pushed it. I went and stood just past the finish line, dropped off my tracking device, then walked over to the area where the live race results were available. It was here that I saw I had placed first in my age group (65-69), which was unbelievable and truly gratifying. I went and found some shade, let Ann know I had finished, and savored the moment. She showed up in about 15 minutes or so, and we walked over to the race results tent where she saw what I had done. She was really excited, texted the girls and Kathy as well. My official time was 1:16:49. I had hoped to be under 1:20, so mission accomplished. Was particularly gratified by the swim and run legs, where I outperformed my expectations. We stayed around for the awards ceremony so she could get a picture of me on the top step. Thankfully, the second and third place finishers were there as well, so it was a good picture. I sent the pic out to the Bisikleta group and got a lot of nice comments back throughout the day. Also very gratifying. We walked to where Ann had parked, then she drove me back to Spanish Landing, where I had to jog some more from where she dropped me off to where my stuff was. It was all good, gathered everything up and rode back to where I had parked the car at Liberty Station. On the drive home, the feelings of exhaustion and hunger started kicking in, but they were manageable. I ate a relatively light lunch when I got home and kept drinking fluids through the rest of the day. Had a nap in the early afternoon, then Ann and I went to Orfila to have a glass of wine and listen to music on the patio. We found a table that was far from the music, but it was still a nice little interlude. Then we drove to Emily and Caleb's place to check on the cats. Max was friendly, Kenzo less so. Were there for about 20 minutes or so, then we drove home. Dinner was light, evening was blessedly quiet.

06-21-2025 Ride

Slept pretty well after having coffee the previous day (<!>). I had plenty of time to get ready for the Bisikleta ride, including catching up on blogging. Drove over to the starting point to reduce my miles and effort. It was a small group, a number of other riders were riding with SDBC. Just Rob, Charlie, and Andy. Straightforward route, down to San Dieguito Rd and then the normal way down to PCH. Charlie split from us there to get more miles in, and we turned left to ride through Del Mar to Carmel Valley Rd. A short break at the head of the 56 bike path before heading back via Carmel Valley Rd. Was taking it easy and still got out in front of Andy. We turned on Dove Canyon Rd and rode up to Dove Creek Rd, taking it to 4S Ranch Pkwy. We rode up to Camino San Bernardo and turned there to get to Nicole Ridge Rd. Back to Paseo del Sur via Potomac Ridge Rd, then to the Target. Was a nice ride, a little chilly at the start but fine once I got warmed up.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph. Total mileage = 29.4 mi

Avg power = 126 W. Weighted avg power = 146 W

Total elevation gain = 1460'

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 25

Training Load = 95

Intensity = 66%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14872471852

My intention here was to get some miles in but not to push myself, knowing that I had a race the following day. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the house for the most part. I did need to get my steps in, so in the mid-afternoon I hiked on the trails around Lake Hodges, taking an alternate way back that had me climbing more than I had expected, but getting some nice views in at the top of the hike. Ended up hiking for about 75 minutes. Evening was quiet, I spent some time making a list of things to take for a triathlon race and packing my gear up. I also decided to ride my Fuji bike the following day, living with the chain and bottom bracket noise to have the benefit of the aero bars.

06-20-2025 Walk

Got up early and checked to make sure I had the right bus routes for getting from the RB Transit Center to downtown, as well as deciding on which restaurant to go to for breakfast. Ann didn't know the plan until we got on the bus and she found out it was a Summer Day celebration. The bus ride downtown was smooth and relatively quick, and the downtown streets were pretty quiet when we got there. Breakfast was decent, not great, the coffee was pretty good for cafe coffee. After a leisurely breakfast, we walked west and then headed to Seaport Village, cutting through there to get to the Embarcadero. Again, not so many people out in the relatively early morning, folks were just getting set up for the day. We headed north past the Midway and the Star of India, eventually getting to Grape St, where we sat for a bit and then walked a short distance to catch a bus back across town to the stop where we could get the bus back to our starting point. This one had more stops but still wasn't too burdensome, and it went smoothly, not so crowded. To get downtown and back only cost $5 apiece, which was a good deal if you can handle the bus schedules and travel times. When I got home, I gathered up the stuff to replace the stopper in the upstairs hall bathroom with a pop-up model I'd bought at Home Depot. The replacement went pretty smoothly, just one iteration to get all (?) of the leaks to stop. Had a little nap in the early afternoon, then I drove to Road Runner Sports to pick up my packet for the sprint tri on Sunday. I also bought some fast-tie elastic laces and a lubricant stick to help me get my wetsuit off quickly. When I got home, I had a little time before I started the charcoal and then grilled the chicken, tofu, and vegetables. Emily and Caleb came over a little after 5:30 (Emily was still dog-sitting in Scripps Ranch), and we chatted for a while before eating dinner outside. It was a nice evening out, and the conversation was generally lighthearted and fun. I got a little annoyed toward the end when they started bashing other people, many of them at the church, so I left to clean up the dishes. We had spumoni for dessert and wished Caleb a happy 27th birthday. And that was the evening.

06-19-2025 Walk/Swim/Ride

Had a decent night's sleep, woke up slowly and got ready for a walk around the neighborhood, leaving the house a little before 6:00. I walked for a little over an hour and then got ready for a swim at the WWC when I got back home. The pool was more crowded on this day, but I had a lane to myself. Swam 2 500s with a 2:00 break in between, and here are the splits: 9:12, 9:11. I felt a little sluggish about 100 yds in, which is fairly common until the blood starts pumping. The water was really warm, don't know if they heated it up for the summer or if the higher temperatures during the day did it. I think I figured out how to pause and restart my pool workout timer, but I still lose a couple of seconds doing it, and the export to Strava doesn't recognize when I pause the workout, which is unfortunate. After the swim, I rode home and made a smoothie, ate a little breakfast. Then I used the smallest of the chain saw files I bought at Harbor Freight and made my first attempt to sharpen the saw chain. I also took the tensioning plate off and cleaned the gunk that had accumulated. Will be interested to see if this improves its cutting ability, which was recently disappointing. Watched a little TV, had pasta for lunch, and then had an early afternoon nap before getting ready for a ride with Paula. We drove in her Tesla to the parking lot by the corner of Paseo del Sur and Camino del Sur. Left from there on a breezy but nice day, heading to San Dieguito Rd. I was riding my Fuji bike, shifting worked well after a small adjustment to the front derailleur. Down the hill and over El Apajo and Via de Santa Fe to VdlV, riding up to Stud Loop in lots of traffic, with road work also going on. Turned onto Stud Loop and took it at a much more leisurely pace than usual, it wasn't so tough under these conditions. We got to Paseo Delicias and crossed over, turning left onto Mimulus, which is a nice winding road generally leading downhill. It got us to Avenida de Acacias, where we turned left and took it into RSF. To La Flecha, turning left there and then right onto Via de Santa Fe, which we took back to VdlV. From there, we retraced our route back to the car.

Avg speed = 14.1 mph (14.3 mph) Total distance = 17.0 mi

Avg power = 110 W. Weighted avg power = 135 W

Total elevation gain = 1160'

Avg heartrate = 105 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 13

Training Load = 50

Intensity = 61%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14855080163

I didn't get a lot of time to spend on the aero bar drops, still not sure which bike I'll use on Sunday. The ride back up Three Witches was slow, at Paula's pace, I wasn't in a hurry. She drove me back home, where I watched some TV and, after dinner, wet-vacuumed the downstairs floors. That was basically it for the day.

06-18-2025 Ride/Walk

Woke up (<>) and got ready, casually, for a bike ride. Intent was to ride a big loop that included Escondido on the way back and use it to pick up my phone from the cell phone repair shop. It was cool at the start but warmed up pretty quickly during the ride. I rode through the neighborhood and then up to Ralphs Ranch Rd in the 4S Ranch neighborhood before getting back to CdS. I took it to San Dieguito Rd and headed down into Fairbanks Ranch that way, taking El Apajo and Camino de Santa Fe up to VdlV. I rode up that little climb and then stopped briefly at the beginning of Stud Loop before riding it over to La Valle Plateada to get to Paseo Delicias. A right turn there to get to El Camino del Norte, where I turned left and took it to Rancho Santa Fe Rd. Was keeping a pace I would describe at moderate plus. I turned right on Rancho Santa Fe Rd and stayed on it through the right turn that led to San Elijo Hills. Turned right on San Elijo Rd and rode up to Melrose Dr, turning left there and adding a little distance to the ride. Then I rode up into San Marcos, staying on Rancho Santa Fe Rd all the way to Mission Rd, where I turned right. Had a little tailwind heading toward Escondido. I turned right on Woodland Pkwy and then left onto Barham Dr, again another little juke to add some miles. Did a final little juke by turning on Meyers Ave and taking it to Auto Park Way, adding in a couple of streets through this industrial area until I got back to Auto Park Way and then back to Mission Rd. Into Escondido, where I turned right on Escondido Blvd and then left on Woodward Ave to get to the cell phone repair shop. They weren't open when I got there, had to wait about 10 minutes or so before somebody showed up and opened the shop. She checked the phone thoroughly, I paid for the repair, and then I was on my way. Down Escondido Blvd to Fifth Ave, using it to get over to Centre City Pkwy, and then home the normal way over the freeway. First time in a while that I had an average speed of 17 mph.

Avg speed = 17.0 mph (17.0 mph). Total mileage = 45.9 mi

Avg power = 145 W. Weighted avg power = 174 W

Total elevation gain = 2570' (2860')

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 48 (50)

Training Load = 183

Intensity = 79%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14841288631

I just had a little time to shower, shave, and get ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. It was steadily busy throughout, a fair number of room cleanings and helping with ED visitors. Finished close to on time and rode home, where I talked to Mom for a bit. She is looking to regulate her blood pressure better, which is a good thing. Evening was quiet, I took a short walk in the neighborhood to get my steps in.

06-17-2025 Swim/Ride/Run

Had a quiet exercising morning for a change. I ate breakfast and did a little sprinkler repair work in the front yard before scootering over to Harbor Freight and Home Depot. I bought some round files at the former to use in sharpening the chain saw chain edges, and I got some miscellaneous pegboard hangers as well. At Home Depot, I bought a pop-up drain stopper for the upstairs hall bathroom as well as some drip sprinkler supplies. Later in the morning, Ann and I drove down to Ventura Cove in Mission Bay, and I went for a swim there. I wore my spring suit, which was fine for warmth but didn't seem as comfortable or buoyant for swimming. Swam two 500s (approximately), then rinsed off and met Ann at the car. I ended up swimming about 980 yds in 19:43, averaging about 2:00/100 yds. This workout seemed much harder than the previous one with the wetsuit, perhaps because of the buoyancy difference. I found myself, most of the time, having to breathe during every stroke, and I think that also slowed me down. When I finished, I wasn't quite as wobbly as the last time in getting out of the water and over to where I'd left my flip flops. I changed clothes, and we rode bikes over to the Boardwalk and headed north. We rode up toward north PB and then had lunch at Mission Baja Tacos, which is a pretty decent place with great horchata. Then we rode back, this time on the bay side, and added in a ride out to Bahia Point and back before packing the bikes into the car and heading home. When I got home, I got my old phone out and started charging and updating it, since I needed to use it while I took my new phone in to replace the charging port. Took it to a place in Escondido by Sushi Yama and dropped it off, since the service tech thought he would need a couple of hours to replace the board in the phone. I drove home and got ready to drive over to Lake Miramar for a run before meeting Emily at the house where she is dog-sitting Jerry and Odie. Drove over there instead of riding, to save time. It was warm when I got there, ran counter-clockwise around the lake, which meant running more into the wind on the second half of the run. I wasn't feeling super, seemed to be laboring a little but maintaining decent speed through the first four miles, each faster than the previous one. The last mile was hot, and I slowed down a little bit due to exertion and some overheating.

Avg pace = 7:17/mi

Total distance = 5.00 mi

Elapsed moving time = 36:27

Avg heartrate = 148 bpm (Amazfit)

https://www.strava.com/activities/14839233280

I didn't wear my heartrate band, so heartrate wasn't sync'ed with the run data in Strava. Sat and recovered by the lake after the run, heavily sweating. Then I drove over to the house where Emily was, and she and I took the dogs out for their walk around the neighborhood. Nothing much discussed, but it was a nice cooldown time. We chatted a little further back at the house before I drove home and had a light dinner and a lot to drink over the course of the evening. Watched some TV, read some, mostly relaxed.

06-16-2025 Swim/Run/Walk

Woke up after a fairly good night's sleep, was worried that too much caffeine during the previous day would have interfered with my rest, but it was okay (<!>). I got ready for a swim at the WWC and a run afterwards, headed over there under overcast skies. I was the only one there when Heidi opened the gates, and I had the pool to myself for the first 500. Cathy and Terry joined after that. I swam two 500s, with a break in between to catch my breath. Felt okay, stroke wasn't particularly strong, but I guess I was consistent enough. Splits for the two 500s were 9:09 and 9:10. I could feel it in my shoulders later. After the swim, I kept my trisuit on, put my running shoes on, put my backpack in a locker, and went for a 5k run using the normal loop from the WWC. Intent was to run at decent pace but not push it. By this time, the sun was out and it was a glorious day. Each successive mile was faster than the previous, which was as usual. I forgot to bring my heartrate monitor, so no heartrate data included.

Avg pace = 7:49

Total distance = 3.18 mi

Elapsed moving time = 24:52

https://www.strava.com/activities/14817828054

Had some cereal and a banana for breakfast when I got home, then I went out in the front yard and pulled weeds near the southwest corner of the house for about 40 minutes. After that, I took a break in the house. Later, I went out beyond the backyard fence and chopped at the sumac stumps for a short while before stopping due to heat, which was oppressive. Came back in, had some lunch, then went into the garage to replace and adjust the rear brake pads on my Canyon. It went smoothly, but I had to adjust the pads relative to the rotor a couple of times. I watched some TV afterwards, then went back into the garage and adjusted the front derailleur on my Fuji bike so it would shift properly. Then I replaced two drip sprinklers in the front bed by the walkway, got them adjusted, and Ann came home. That was it for the daily chores. It was a quiet evening. Ann and I went for a walk around the block to get my steps in.

06-15-2025 Ride/Walk

Got up on an overcast foggy morning and got going for a bike ride early. Was on the road, on my Fuji, by 5:45. Rear brake was rubbing on my Canyon, thus the other bike. I rolled down the hill and found I couldn't shift to my upper chainring. So I stopped and did it manually, then stayed there for the rest of the ride. My legs were really tired and a little sore, so no records on this day. I rode the extended time trial route, spending time on the aero drops to feel more comfort there. It stayed overcast throughout and was foggy at times.

Avg speed = 16.4 mph (16.5 mph). Total mileage = 19.6 mi

Avg power = 139 W. Weighted avg power = 160 W

Total elevation gain = 1090' (1200')

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 14 (14)

Training Load = 64

Intensity = 73%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14807686058

Got done just before 7:00, which gave me a lot of time to have breakfast, clean the kitchen, shave, and shower before church. It was my last time seeing Ben Camp preach, and I stopped to wish him well after the service. Talked with a couple of people in the patio, then the three of us went to Pieology for Father's Day. Was a nice conversation and good pizza. On the way home, I figured out how to set up Android Auto on Ann's phone. It also works on mine, but I can't get the USB cable to stay connected, so more work needed there. Low-key early afternoon, then we drove down to Carlsbad to see a concert at Pilgrim UCC, with Tim Flannery opening and Berkley Hart Selis Twang as the main act. Tim was decent the main act was great. Good musicianship decent songs, and they all seemed to enjoy performing together. After the concert, we drove to downtown Carlsbad and had shave ice for dinner, then drove home. I went for an hourlong walk when we got back and talked to Laura about her job (big proposal for funding just completed) and Joe adjusting to his new job. Sounded like they had an enjoyable trip down to Florida, even though Laura was stressed about the proposal presentation.

06-14-2025 Ride

Woke up after getting up several times in the night to drink, I was really thirsty and kinda hot in the early morning. Got ready for the Bisikleta ride, then rode through the neighborhood and the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to the starting point. Arnold and Perse were already there, and James showed up soon after. Others trickled in. We ended up with the following riders: Arnold, Perse, Jed, Fritz, James, Rob #2, Maya, Sid (rode there), Kamal, and Jamil. Andy joined us on the ride, when we got to the corner of RB Rd and Pomerado Rd. Got going around 7:45 or so, Rob and Maya were slow to be ready. We headed in the reverse direction the short way through the 4S Ranch neighborhood back to RB Rd, then took it downhill and under the freeway to get to Pomerado Rd. I didn't realize until later, but Fritz and Maya turned on W Bernardo Dr and took that route instead. The rest of us rode down Pomerado Rd to the pedestrian bridge and waited for everybody to show up. Eventually, Rob found out that Maya and Fritz were ahead of us, so we rode across the bridge and met them at the Chevron. Then we were all together for a short while, heading up BVP. Sid and I were out in front, the rest were riding at a slower pace. Up to San Pasqual Valley Rd, where we waited at the turn for the others to show up. No Maya, Rob said he would wait for her and that she would probably ride directly home. We jogged over to Citrus Ave and, again, Sid and I got out in front. Eventually, Fritz and Arnold joined us as we rode back to BVP and then out to Valley Pkwy. Took it to El Norte Pkwy, turning there and riding over to La Honda Dr, where we turned to ride up to Dixon Lake. Andy stayed at the bottom, and James only rode up a bit, but the rest of us rode to the top. That was a workout. I had forgotten how steep it was. I got to the top first, but Fritz wasn't far behind. The others made it up as well, including Jamil, who hadn't been riding in a while. That was impressive! We took some pics at the top, then headed down. Rob led us on the descent, and I captured some thrilling video of him as he flew down the hill. We all gathered up at the bottom, then continued on to Ash St, where we turned right and rode up a little hill (me and Fritz in the front) before descending to Rincon Ave. We turned left there, folks were calling for a break, so we rode to the 7-Eleven on Country Club Ln and stopped there. They don't have restrooms, but there was a coffee shop that did (I guess). As we were starting after the break, I noticed I had a rear tire flat. Dang it! Wish I would have found out at the beginning of the break. I changed it pretty quickly, and Rob used his battery pump to pump the tire up (kinda slowly) to 90 psi, which was nice. All good after that, we rode on Country Club Ln through the old golf course neighborhood and back over to El Norte Pkwy, heading west. I was out in the lead for most of this time, showing others the way and setting the pace. To Borden Rd and then to Twin Oaks Valley Rd, where I waited at the turn for everybody, including James and Andy, to make the turn. So, I was at the back of the group and rode a little harder to try and catch up. I caught Arnold, who had waited a while for me, and we regrouped with the others at the turn onto Barham Dr. Had a tailwind on this section, weather was nice, and it was a pretty good stretch over to Mission Rd and then into Escondido. I forgot to mention that, on the flat sections during this ride, often it was James out in front, pushing the pace on his vintage 1984 Tommasini steel frame bike. We turned on Quince St and rode to the bus station, where the group stopped again for another bathroom break. From there, we rode to 13th Ave and used it to get to Centre City Pkwy, heading south to Citracado Pkwy, where another jog got us onto Escondido Blvd. Down to El Ku Ave and through Kit Carson Park, where at Beethoven Dr James and Sid turned right and took the route to ride over the freeway. The rest of us (I was getting tired, hot, and a little cranky by then) rode back through the mall parking lot and over the pedestrian bridge to W Bernardo Dr. I led up the first climb, then Jed got out in front for a while. As we approached the climb up to Duenda Rd, Fritz jumped out in front, and Arnold followed soon after. I was able, eventually, to track Arnold down, but Fritz put in a big effort and I couldn't catch him until we got to the flats by the WWC. Jed got out in front again on the climb up RB Rd, and I pushed fairly hard to catch and pass him. I kept thinking somebody else was going to come up on me and pass me, but I got to the top first. Saw James in the distance, so I kept pushing, to try and catch up to him. Eventually I did, along with several other riders, including Arnold and Perse. Then we rode back to the starting point. It wasn't too hot at the end, but I was pretty wiped out by this ride. Later, I found that my rear brake was rubbing on the rotor, so that might help to explain how I felt. Didn't stay around too long after everybody showed up, and I rode home the new normal way.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph (16.0 mph). Total mileage = 55.8 mi

Bisikleta route avg speed = 16.2 mph

Avg power = 137 W. Weighted avg power = 165 W

Total elevation gain = 2990' (3450')

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 72 (77)

Training Load = 238

Intensity = 75%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14799916876

Was hungry when I got home, legs tired but no cramping. I watched TV, latest stage of the Dauphine. Then I had a nap in the afternoon, felt refreshed afterwards. In the evening I went for a walk down to the park. When I got there, I walked toward the back and then hiked up to a viewpoint of the lake. Reversed my path and walked back down and then home. That got my steps in for the day, which is going to be more of a challenge moving forward. I watched the end of a movie and then went upstairs. Ann was a little frantic about difficulties in making our flight reservations for the Europe trip, but she finally figured it out, so that was a good coda to the day.

06-13-2025 Run/Swim/Ride

Slept pretty well, woke up a little after 5:00 and got ready for a run. I rode my scooter over to the park and then ran a 10k, looping around the park (I think I have a loop that's just a little over a mile) 6 times before adding enough to get over the 10k distance. Had a reasonably fast first mile, then the next two miles were faster. I was close to a 7:00 minute mile at mile 4, slowed down a little on mile 5, then had my fastest mile at mile 6. Last little distance was almost as fast. I knew I had set my Strava PR for a 10k when I finished, and that was a pretty good feeling. There were times during this run where I was in a groove and it felt pretty natural, although I had to work hard on the last mile to keep going at that pace. My heartrate was pretty well maxed out by the end of this run, which leads me to believe that I could run a 5k at nearly 7-minute mile pace if I was able to get out to a fast start.

Avg pace = 7:14/mi

Total distance = 6.36 mi

Elapsed moving time = 45:58

Avg heartrate = 145 bpm

Relative Effort = 47

https://www.strava.com/activities/14786642924

When I got home, Ann was still asleep. I had a banana, had a little more time than I thought I would before I needed to head over to the WWC to meet Avi for a swim. It was busy on this morning, all of the lanes were occupied, and there were swimmers in the deep end as well. We did a number of drills, here are the splits for them:

Warmup 250
    4:37

5 100s at 2:00 spacing
    1:41, 1:42, 1:44, 1:42, 1:42

2 100s, first 25 at normal stroke count, reduce by 2 in second 25, then another 2 in third 25, then stroke tap
    1:44, 1:47 (I used the pull buoy on this drill)

2 100s, first 25 with one arm, second 25 with other arm, third 25 with stroke tap, with spring on last 25
    2:00, 1:52 (I used the pull buoy on the first 100 of this drill)

Sprint 100
    1:35

Cooldown 250
    4:40

My arms were really tired at the end of this workout, particularly my shoulders. These are the kinds of drills that I need to do more regularly if I want to get faster in the pool and stronger in my upper body. I was feeling calorie-deprived when I got home, felt better after having French toast and coffee for breakfast. Then I went behind the backyard fence and continued chopping back the sumac by its base. Made some progress, but there is still a lot of work to do. Took a break after this chore, then Ann cut my hair before she headed to Mah-Jongg. I had some lunch and watched TV in the early afternoon, then I went into the garage and did some clean-up. Cleared out a plastic bin filled with miscellaneous bike stuff, organized the grilling supplies, and cleaned things up around the card table. It looks a little more ordered now around the bike stand. Paula showed up a little before 4:00, Ann met her, then we went for a ride. Through the neighborhood via the Capilla Rd route, then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. We took Paseo del Sur down to Camino del Sur and followed it until turning right into the Santaluz neighborhood. Rode down to the water treatment plant and then back up to CdS. Stayed on it past the 56 and down to Park Village, where we turned left. The wind was coming from the southwest, so the mild climb back toward Black Mountain Rd was wind-aided and not too bad. Crossed over to Adolphia St, dropped down and then had a steeper climb for a while, up to Salmon River Rd, where we turned left and climbed some more up to and over the 56. Down to Paseo Montalban, using it to get back to Black Mountain Rd, where we turned right. I was taking an easy pace throughout this ride, and Paula was generally keeping close, but on the little climb to Carmel Valley Rd she dropped back, probably tiring from the climbing. We took that road to Dove Canyon Rd and climbed to Camino San Bernardo, pretty much together. From there, it was the usual way home through the neighborhood. Will see how a late afternoon easy-paced ride with lots of climbing affects my riding on Saturday morning.

Avg speed = 12.3 mph (12.5 mph). Total mileage = 27.4 mi

Avg power = 97 W. Weighted avg power = 127 W

Total elevation gain = 2120' (2250')

Avg heartrate = 100 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 21 (20)

Training Load = 83

Intensity = 58%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14791725727

When we got back Paula brought out some fruit she had left over from the earlier group hike she led at Torrey Pines. I put the plastic shifter cover on her brake hood, same design but different color. We chatted for a bit about her mother visiting from Romania, then she drove home. I was pretty hungry after an energetic day, ate dinner and watched some TV before turning in.

06-12-2025 Swim/Walk

Woke up in the night with some heartburn, too much food the previous evening, including sweets when I got home from happy hour with Caleb and Emily. I got back to sleep and felt better in the morning (<>). Rushed to get ready for a swim at the WWC and headed over there on a typical June Gloom day. I ended up having the entire pool to myself for my 1600 yd swim. Swim felt okay, but my Amazfit watch didn't record the workout, for an unknown reason. I'll need to keep working on how to start it and how to check progress during a swim workout. I had brought my action camera as well, so I was able to track distance and splits. Here they are for the 3 500s and the last 100: 9:18, 9:31, 9:30, 1:54. I hadn't been swimming uninterrupted distances in a while, and I could definitely tell. Was happy, though, that my last 500 was at the same pace as my second one. Ate some breakfast when I got home, then I changed out the tires (and the rear inner tube) on my Canyon bike with new ones I got in the mail. During the day, I spent some time behind our backyard fence cutting away the areas on the sumac stumps where shoots have been forming. This will be a long-term task, with the eventual goal of not having any exposed areas where shoots come up. More work to do in this latest iteration. Then I spent some time working on the shifting for my Fuji bike. Initial adjustment to access all of the gears on the rear cassette was pretty easy, then it was more challenging to get the front derailleur fully operational, with easy shifting up and down as well as no rubbing of the chain or the chainring on the derailleur itself. I think I got it pretty close before I had to stop and head over to Phil's BBQ for an HP happy hour that Avi is trying to regularize. Saw Silke, Avi, Bill and Britt Cristensen, Oliver Woitke, and Fereshteh. Chris Tanner and his wife Rebecca showed up as well, I hadn't seen Chris in a really long time. Was nice, but I don't think I will go there every week. When I got home, I called Ross to check in on how he is doing as well as to get his assessment of Mom's current condition. Seems to me like she is slipping a little bit mentally, he generally agreed. No major warning signs, but for sure something to watch more carefully. I ate a light dinner after the call, then went out for a walk to get my steps in for the day. On the walk, I called Ben and we talked for 15 minutes or so. He gets amped up when reading some of the group texts, and I had to talk him down a little bit. Finished the walk and watched some TV to relax in the evening.

06-11-2025 Ride/Run-Walk

Woke up and got up a little earlier than planned. I shaved and brushed my teeth, cleaned the kitchen, and updated my blog about the previous day's activities. I also put the aero bars on my Fuji bike, rode this one on this day to get more comfortable in the aero position. Through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd, turning right from Matinal Circle to get on W Bernardo Dr. To RB Rd, then it was the normal way to John's house. I found I couldn't shift into my upper chainring, so I stopped and did it manually. Took a moderate pace on the way there. John and Jayden were out front. I borrowed some tools from John and used his bike stand to put in a temporary fix for my front derailleur. Then we headed out, down to Sabre Springs Pkwy and Rancho Carmel Dr to get to Carmel Mountain Rd. Left turn there, staying on it up the gradual hill and then down to the turn, where I climbed up to the high school and descended to Black Mountain Rd. Right turn there, taking it up to Carmel Valley Rd. We turned left there and stayed on it until we got to Del Mar Heights Rd. Right turn there, taking it to Carmel Canyon Rd, where we turned left and rode to Carmel Country Rd. This got us to the 56 bike path, which we took to head back. Stayed on it all the way to Sabre Springs Pkwy. We turned there and then turned right on Evening Creek Dr to take this alternate route. Back to Sabre Springs Pkwy, following it to Springbrook Dr. One last climb, up to Springhurst Dr, then back to John's house the normal way from there. Vivian made us smoothies, and we talked about gardening and yard work before I headed home the normal way. Was slow on the return, legs were tired from the previous day, I guess.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph (15.7 mph). Total mileage =47.9 mi

Avg power = 124 W. Weighted Avg power = 149 W

Total elevation gain = 2720' (3110')

Avg heartrate = 113 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 45 (49)

Training Load =172

Intensity = 68%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14768439801

Didn't have a lot of time when I got home. I showered and got ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital. Rode over there and ate lunch: a slice of pizza, a Pepsi, and a Reese's ice cream bar. Then it was on to my shift. Nothing remarkable, Melissa was the admin, and I hadn't seen her in a long time. I tried to get out on time this time, rode home in somewhat heavy traffic, then changed to meet Emily and Caleb for a C25k workout. It was pretty warm in the sun but nice in the shade.

Avg pace = 15:09/mi

Total distance = 2.04 mi

Elapsed moving time = 30:55

Avg heartrate = 87 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 3

https://www.strava.com/activities/14772408789

 After the run-walk, we went to OtB for happy hour. Fun conversation, very light-hearted. The ride home was a little chilly but easily bearable. Ann was gone when I got home, so I ate a little more food (sweets) and watched TV for a while before turning in.

06-10-2025 Ride/Run

I'd asked Ann if she wanted to go out to breakfast in the morning, so I decided to ride over to TERI Common Ground Cafe out on Deer Springs Rd. Lots of gradual climbing, which may be good for the upcoming triathlon bike ride. I rode by the park and over the pedestrian bridge, then cut through the mall to get to the back of Kit Carson Park. Took this route to Escondido Blvd, up to Citracado Pkwy, then I got onto Centre City Pkwy. Morning was overcast but not wet, for a change. I rode through town and stayed on this road up to Deer Springs Rd, tried to find a balance between pushing really hard and keeping a steady effort, particularly on the climbing sections. Rode down Deer Springs Rd, not recommended when there is a lot of morning traffic like on this day, and then over to Twin Oaks Valley Rd, where I turned right (since I was early) and rode up a little over a mile, where it flattened out and I turned to head back. Back to Buena Creek Rd, since I didn't know where the Cafe was. Then I backtracked to Deer Springs Rd, and the turnoff to the Cafe was about a half-mile north of there. I was still early but didn't have to wait too long until Ann showed up.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph (15.4 mph). Total mileage = 19.2 mi

Avg power = 151 W. Weighted avg power = 175 W

Total elevation gain = 1030' (1210')

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 26 (29)

Training Load = 85

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14755614066

Breakfast turned out to be decent, not great but better than I originally thought it was going to be. After we drove home, I started working in earnest to get final best prices for the two RAV4 models we had test-driven on Friday. It was a real chore getting information and straight answers from the salesman at K+S. Eventually, he gave us a more competitive price, but the whole experience was unsatisfactory. On the other hand, the Mossy Toyota salesman had given us a pretty good OTD price, and he improved it a little to seal the deal. We drove down there in the afternoon, arriving around 4:15. I had hoped the process would go more quickly, but, as usual, we had to wait for a long time to get to see the finance manager. Crazy, since we were paying cash and our credit rating is very good. Thankfully, he only tried the soft sell on us for extended warranties and security systems. We were there for a little less than 2 hours, then we got the keys to our new, used car and I drove it home. The entire process wasn't too stressful this time, I really liked the negotiation process by text rather than in the dealership, where the salespeople have a distinct advantage over you. I went for a run after dinner, to wind down. To the park and back on the 5k route, not pushing the pace at all. I almost tripped on a crack in the pavement by the park but caught myself before going down (slowed down further after that adventure).

Avg pace = 8:31/mi

Total distance = 3.21 mi

Elapsed moving time = 27:19

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 9

https://www.strava.com/activities/14761541651

I walked a little bit after I got back to the house, to get my 10k steps in on the new watch. Then I watched some TV, and that was the evening.

06-09-2025 Swim/Walks

Woke up fairly early, decent night's rest after an energetic day. I cleaned the kitchen and then replaced the tube in my Canyon rear tire before getting ready for a swim at the WWC. Was overcast and there were some wet spots on the roads. Nobody else was there when Heidi opened the gates, so I had the pool to myself at the start. Terry showed up soon after. I tried my Amazfit watch to track the workout. It provides a huge amount of data, but I still need to figure out how to pause it as well as finish the workout. I also had the camera on, and I ended up using it to determine the splits for the two 500s I swam, as well as a 50 at the end to make sure I got over 1000 yds. Here are the splits: 9:03, 9:07, 0:53. I definitely felt more sluggish on the second 500, particularly in my legs when I pushed off from the side. Was surprised that it wasn't slower than it turned out to be. I rode home and had some coffee while I tried to figure out more details about how to control the watch during a swim workout. It may be that the protective case I put over the watch face doesn't work minso well in water environments. During the day, I had put together a list of things to do. First, I worked some more on removing the leaves below the avocado tree. There are a lot of little shoots that I had to take out as well. Made progress on this work, but there is  After ER, Ann and I another session to do. That took about an hour. I then went to Home Depot to buy a replacement sprinkler for the back yard. A little trouble finding the rotary spray model, but I got it and rode home on the scooter. The installation went smoothly, and the new sprinkler seems to be functioning well. I also patched the hole in the inner tube and set it to dry. In the late afternoon, I went for a walk to get my steps in and to judge how well my new Amazfit watch tracks steps. It looks like this watch is not as liberal in adding steps, so I may need to rethink the idea of getting in 10k steps every day. I still didn't get to 10k steps after my walk, so after dinner Ann and I went for another walk around the block, and that did it. A little TV in the evening, which was quiet.

06-08-2025 Ride

I slept pretty well, woke up a little before 6:00, then in a leisurely way got ready for a longer bike ride. I had seen some defects on my front tire the previous day, so I replaced that tire with one of the tires I had been using for big rides. It was overcast when I left, down by the park and across the freeway, turning left onto Via Rancho Pkwy and riding up to Felicita Rd and taking it by Felicita Park. Turned left on Hamilton Ln and rode up to Bernardo Ave, turning right there and riding by the freeway up to 11th Ave, taking it down to Del Dios Rd and turning left there. To Avenida del Diablo, using it to get to Citracado Pkwy, then taking it until turning left onto Harmony Grove Village Pkwy. Down the hill to Harmony Grove Rd, turning left there and following this road through pretty scenery. It wasn't too misty but the roads were somewhat wet. I was making decent time, got to Elfin Forest Rd and slowed down as the climbing started. No PRs on this stretch, but I kept a pretty steady pace, intending to get to the village with enough time for options about what to do. I got into the village before 8:20 and decided, on a whim, to ride up toward Double Peak. Set a PR for the section from Elfin Forest Rd to Questhaven Rd (6:11, 232 W, 143 bpm) as well as from Schoolhouse to Double Peak Rd (7:59, 225 W, 147 bpm). Once I got up to Double Peak Rd, I turned left there and rode up the first little rise before doing a U-turn and riding back down the hill. I still had time to spare when I got back to the village, so I stopped at Starbuck's and had a coffee. Then I rode over to the Albertson's parking lot and met Paula, who was already there. She had changed her front tire after having a flat on Friday (she crashed after running over a kid's bike by Lake Miramar, got a black eye but seemed okay for riding), but the tire needed to be reseated in the wheel. I reseated it and used a cartridge to fill it up to pressure, then we took off down San Elijo Rd to get to Rancho Santa Fe Rd. Shortly after we turned left here, her front tire tube blew, so we had to stop and replace the tube. It went pretty quickly, but there wasn't enough air left in the CO2 cartridge to fill it up. I pumped it up manually to a decent enough pressure, and we resumed the ride. Up to Camino Junipero, turning left there and riding down to Avenida Amapola, turning right and then left onto Calle Palmito. Another left onto Sitio Manana, then right onto Circulo Sequoia. Left on Avenida Diestro, down to Sitio Baya, taking a left there and then a right onto Terraza Disoma to get to Camino de Los Coches. We turned left on Calle Acervo and actually stayed on it for a while until we got back ro Rancho Santa Fe Rd. We crossed the street, took a shortcut through the park there, and ended up on Springwood Ln, which we followed until turning right to get to Village Park Way. Left onto Willowspring Dr, which turned into Glen Arbor Dr heading in this direction for a while until it turned back into Willowspring Dr. We followed it until we got to El Camino Real, turning left there and then right onto Santa Fe Dr. Many of these were new roads to me but good ones to consider including in a future Bisikleta route. Took Santa Fe Dr down to the pedestrian path that goes under PCH, which we followed and then rode to Swami's Beach for a short break. I had a pee, we took a couple of photos and split a banana, then we continued on the bike path to K St, taking it up to 3rd St and stopping for a pic of the house with the two boats in front. Then it was down by Moonlight Beach and up to Sylvia St, turning left and then getting onto Neptune Ave, which is a one-way road that roughly parallels PCH. Not able to go super fast on this road, too many slow cars to deal with. But it goes through Leucadia, and we followed it to Grandview St, turning right and getting back to PCH. A short stretch here up to La Costa Ave, where we turned right and had the benefit of an offshore breeze to help us along on the flats up to El Camino Real, where we turned right. A left onto Levante St, which is a nice alternative to taking La Costa Ave east of El Camino Real. We followed it up to Romeria St, turning left there and then right onto Cadencia St. We stayed on it past La Costa Ave, and for a short time it was quite steep, easily over 10%, but it didn't last super long. To the top, then down to Paseo Capuchina where we took a right to get back to Camino Junipero. To Rancho Santa Fe Rd, turning left and finishing the last little climb before the descent to San Elijo Rd. On the way back, Paula directed us through another neighborhood, right on Dove Tail Dr, left to get to Shadetree Dr, where we took another left and then a right onto Weatherwood Ct, which parallels San Elijo Rd. We turned left on Fallsview Rd to get to San Elijo Rd, then rode back to Baker St to the Albertson's parking lot. After stopping there briefly, I decided to ride up the hill again with Paula, and she showed me a really cool alternative route. We got on Elfin Forest Rd and then turned left onto Calistoga Way, taking it to its end and then following a paved bike path that eventually got us to Genoa Way. To Baylor Dr, where we took a left and then a right onto Questhaven Rd. I think I was on this road going the other direction on the ride where Gideon took us on a gravel path that is Questhaven Rd down by where it connects to Harmony Grove Rd. There was some climbing here, not too bad. We turned left onto Attebury Rd (had some steep parts and also some beautiful scenery) and followed it for a while until turning left again on a road into a school parking lot, which got us to Twin Oaks Valley Rd. This is where we split up, Paula turned left and had a little more climbing to get to her house, while I headed downhill. I was riding into something of a headwind, going pretty fast but not as fast on this downhill as previous times (my rear brake rotor may also have been rubbing on the pads). No unsteadiness on the descent, but it was fast and a little scary, especially when the bike lane went through tree shade that made it difficult to observe the pavement conditions. But I got to Barham Dr with no problems and turned right there, again benefiting from the offshore breeze pushing me into Escondido. Around this point, I started thinking about how to lengthen the ride to get to 100 km. Legs were feeling just fine, I really hadn't stressed them all that much on this ride. I rode over to Mission Rd and took it into Escondido, following it to Broadway, where I took a right and then turned left onto Grand Ave. Through downtown, up to Ash St, where I turned right and then left onto Oak Hill Dr. I followed this road to BVP, turned there and headed for home. Made pretty decent time on this stretch, but the road quality on BVP is really terrible between San Pasqual Valley Rd and Mary Ln, so I had to stay on my toes. Up to I-15, taking it across Lake Hodges, and then W Bernardo Dr to Aguamiel Rd. I was close to metric century distance but wanted to make sure, so I turned right onto Aguacate Way, then left onto Creciente Way to get back to Azucar Way and home. Was pretty slow on those last steep little climbs, but my legs and cardio held out pretty well on this ride. This wasn't a max effort ride, but the distance made it meaningful for me.

Avg speed = 13.8 mph (13.9 mph). Total mileage = 62.6 mi

Avg power = 125 W. Weighted avg power = 161 W

Total elevation gain = 4790' (5180')

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 80 (88)

Training Load = 275

Intensity = 73%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14738365322

When I got home, I had some cheese and crackers for lunch. Took a little break before going out into the back yard and digging up a pop-up sprinkler that was leaking. I tried a couple of easy fixes but they didn't work, so I ended up removing the sprinkler, will need to get a new one. I also replaced the rear tire on my Canyon bike, since I saw evidence of damage in the tread area. Later on, when I checked the tire after pumping it up, I noticed it was flat, so I'll have to repair/replace the tube. I also replaced my old Canyon chain (with two QuickLinks) with my new, re-waxed one. The evening was quiet, watched some more TV.

06-07-2025 Ride

Woke up early after a decent night's sleep (<>) and got ready for a bike ride. It was overcast at the start, didn't feel any mist on the way through the neighborhood. Rode through the 4S Ranch neighborhood up to Hunters Ridge Rd, turned right there and then got back on regular roads I've ridden. Over to the 4S Target, where Andy was already there. In time, Zac, Joey, Rob, and Jhonar made it as well. I had planned the route to be easy as well as the pace. We took off down CdS toward San Dieguito Rd. As soon as we got going, the mist moved in and got heavier. It never actually rained, but the roads were wet and it was kinda miserable. I kept in the middle of the pack until the turn, when me and Rob, with Jhonar close behind, pushed a little harder. Down to El Apajo, taking it and VdSF to Calzada del Bosque. Over to VdlV, where we turned to head toward the coast, with me trailing the others. Past El Camino Real, Aaron rode up and caught onto the group. Rob and Jhonar were riding pretty quickly out front and got ahead of us. We stopped briefly at the gas station just past the freeway, except for Rob and Jhonar, and had a very short break before continuing down to the coast. They were waiting there, and we all gathered up again to ride into Del Mar and over to Carmel Valley Rd. From there, we followed common routes back, on the 56 bike path to Carmel Valley Rd, then up to Camino del Sur. I was riding toward the back, making sure that Andy was holding up okay. Jhonar and Rob were doing just fine, even though they hadn't been riding recently. Back to Paseo del Sur, turning right there and taking it through the Del Sur neighborhood. We took it to Del Sur Ridge Rd and turned right there to ride over to Lone Quail Rd. To RB Rd and back to the starting point, where Andy and Jhonar had taken a shortcut. A short time spent with Zac and Joey on this, their last ride with us before they move up to the Bay Area, then I rode home via the normal route. This was an intentionally easy ride, aiming to get Andy back riding with us more regularly, maybe Jhonar as well.

Avg speed = 15.3 mph (15.5 mph). Total mileage = 40.4 mi

Bisikleta route avg speed = 15.7 mph

Avg power = 118 W. Weighted avg power = 145 W

Total elevation gain = 2220' (2410')

Avg heartrate = 105 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 30 (30)

Training Load = 132

Intensity = 66%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14726358933

Ann was at church when I got home, I had some lunch and watched TV for a while. Then I read upstairs, had a short nap, and eventually went into the garage and changed the oil on the scooter. It could have gone a little more miles until the oil change, but why not now. All went fairly smoothly. I wasted a little bit of oil by pouring the used oil in the bottle that still had some unused oil. In the evening, after dinner, the weather was ideal. Ann and I went out in the front yard and cleaned it by weeding and picking up leaves (me). Lots around the avocado tree, and there is still more to pick up.

06-06-2025 Swim/Run

Woke up and thought about going to Krispy Kreme for National Donut Day, but Ann was still sleeping, so I had a healthier breakfast instead: yogurt, granola, banana. Then I got ready for a swim at the WWC with Avi, first time in a long time. It had rained overnight and was a little misty on the way over and while I was waiting for the gates to open. This workout was pretty strenuous, but there were longer breaks between some sets, which helped me. I warmed up with a 250 (legs felt leaden after the first 150 but loosened up after that), then we did 5 100s at tempo. I ended up doing a sixth 100 at tempo as well. We chatted for a while after this, then we did 3 sets of 100s broken down as one arm up, the other arm back, touching tips up, then standard back. I did the first with a pull buoy, then didn't use it for the last two. I got progressively faster as I became a little more comfortable with these unorthodox strokes. I finished with 250 using the pull buoy, was faster but my stroke was really ragged at the end. Here are the splits: 4:31, 1:37, 1:41, 1:46, 1:47, 1:38, 1:43, 2:06, 1:59, 1:56, 4:21. When I got home, Ann and I drove over to Krispy Kreme and got two donuts each, then had them with coffee once we got home. We decided to go looking at Toyota RAV4 cars, so Ann and I looked through the local inventory and picked out three cars that seemed like the best bargain. We drove to the Alfa Romeo dealership on Convoy St first and Ann test drove a nice, 2023 gray one. Was really clean, had some minor dings on the body. Then we drove to Mossy Toyota down by Mission Bay and test drove a 2021 white RAV4. It was just as clean, very well-maintained, lower mileage, and I drove it (it rode pretty well). We tried to contact the third seller, a small-time auto broker, but we couldn't find their office when we drove to the address, and they didn't pick up the phone call. Then we drove home, had a little time before heading to church for a Shabbat dinner. I needed steps, so I talked myself into a run down to the park and around it. Actually put in an extra lap above what I had planned, to get to 4 miles, and I walked the little hill back home. Last mile was my fastest but a little slower than I would have liked. Still, it was a decent workout.

Avg pace = 7:41/mi

Total distance = 4.01 mi

Elapsed moving time = 30:52

Avg heartrate = 138 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 20

https://www.strava.com/activities/14718223477

When I got home, my new fitness watch, an Amazfit Active 2, had arrived. I spent some time setting it up (had to figure out how to change the language from Spanish to English). It is so much more full-featured than I expected, may indeed replace my Fitbit instead of supplanting it just for swimming, which was my original intent. I ate a little bit before we drove to the church, since I didn't know what to expect in the way of food. The program was nice, focused on increasing our knowledge of American Jews and the Shabbat dinner ritual. We talked about our time in Israel with the people at the table. Food was decent, the spinach dish was excellent (no salmon for me). Folks from the JCC organized this and made all the food as a means of outreach to communities to increase awareness. Drove home after that, and I watched a little TV before heading to bed.

06-05-2025 Swim/Walk

Woke up after a decent night's sleep (<!>) and had some time for breakfast, yogurt with homemade granola. Then I headed over to the WWC for a swim. Not so many showing up at the summer opening time yet. I forgot my camera, so I decided to swim 3 500s and time myself using the pool clock. First two were without aids, and I used the pull buoy for the last one, which definitely helped. Here are the splits: 9:30, 9:18, 8:55. Felt really good on the last 500, where my stroke count was 18-20 throughout. When I got home, I fixed the giant leak in sprinkler line 8 by replacing a long section of old, sun-degraded tubing. Talked to Gideon about buying the wetsuit I borrowed from him, but it might be too expensive for my taste, after looking at the price. Then I replaced the base for the security camera in the garage with the one I glued together and sanded, then used some shims to angle it for a better view of the garage. I also enabled the two cameras and their detection modes to see how well they work. Later, Ann and I drove to Chan Dara Thai restaurant in Escondido and met John, Vivian, Dennis, and Karen for lunch. Was, as usual, a very good time. We stopped at Home Depot after lunch and got more lumber and hardware for the second vegetable garden. Once home, I cut points into the posts and set six tall ones to serve as the holders for the shade cover. Then I set two other shorter posts and wrapped the plastic barrier fence around the garden perimeter, using zip ties to hold things in place. Fence and posts look serviceable, but I'll wait until it gets hot before putting the shade cover up. Had a little free time before dinner, then I took a 2-mile walk after dinner to get my steps in. Watched some TV and called it a day.

06-04-2025 Ride/Run-Walk

Was meeting John at 7:30, so I got up early, did the dishes, and shaved before getting ready for the ride. Took the normal route over to his place but at a faster than normal pace, including keeping it above 10 mph on that little climb up Springhurst Dr. I got there way early, his garage door wasn't even up, but he came out soon after. Jayden and Vivian also came out to send us off, Jayden with his foam glider plane flying around. We headed up to the top of Pomerado Rd the normal way from his house, then rode down to Kearny Villa Rd and took it south. To Ruffin Rd, then a left onto Clairmont Mesa Blvd to get to Murphy Canyon Rd, turning right there and enjoying the nice downhill for a bit. Then we rode up to Aero Dr, and on this climb I got some separation from John and caught a couple of lights, so that I waited for him at the intersection of Aero Dr and Santo Rd. We turned right there and did a loop through the neighborhood where the plane had recently crashed. The damaged home was covered in plastic, but I could still smell wood smoke from the fire. Rode around the neighborhood and then got back to Santo Rd, which we took north to Tierrasanta Blvd. Right turn there and over to La Cuenta Dr, where a left turn got us back to Clairemont Mesa Blvd. We took this across the freeway and then turned right onto Chesapeake Dr to get back to Ruffin Rd and thus to Kearny Villa Rd. Retraced our route back to his house. I again got separation from John on the last part of the climb to the top of Pomerado Rd, so I looped around that little subdivision at the top until he showed up. Back at his house, Vivian made smoothies, then came out and chatted with us. I picked up my old Shimano shifter cap and asked John if I could have his old one (he replaced his shifters and derailleurs after the crash) to give to Paula. We also talked some about Jayden's recent issues, could be a phase he's going through. Then I rode home the normal way, taking RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr. Again, on the ride home, I was pushing a little harder than usual, aiming to make this more of a tempo ride than a Zone 2 one. John, at the end of our ride together, also felt like it had been a faster pace than usual. Legs felt fine at the end, my cycling fitness is definitely better than it was a month ago.

Avg speed = 16.4 mph (16.5 mph). Total mileage = 49.5 mph

Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W

Total elevation gain = 2780' (3200')

Avg heartrate = 119 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 59 (60)

Training Load = 201

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/14696464727

I didn't have a whole lot of time when I got home. Ann left for the beach shortly after. Showered and got ready for my volunteer shift, then headed over to have something to eat in the cafeteria before the shift. I ended up having an eggroll, a little bit of Thai salad, a Pepsi, and a Reese's ice cream bar. The shift started out a little slow, and it never got crazy busy, but I was occupied pretty constantly for the last 3 hours. Near the end, an elderly lady with dementia was being discharged, and I waited with her in her room until her granddaughter could bring the car around. That left me late for leaving, so I hurried home and got my clothes to change in the car for a run-walk at Kit Carson Park with Emily and Caleb. Ann came along, and Jen was there as well. The three of us got out ahead and talked during the walking sections. At the end of the workout, we jogged back to where Ann and Jen were walking, then we all walked back to the starting point.

Avg pace = 15:44/mi

Total distance = 2.50 mi

Elapsed moving time = 39:30

Avg heartrate = 87 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 4

https://www.strava.com/activities/14700095190

We had dinner when we got home, I was famished. I watched a little TV before heading up to bed, read just a little bit before going to sleep.

06-03-2025 Run/Swim/Ride

Woke up after "sleeping in" until around 6:00. I got ready for a run. It was misting very lightly when I went out, took the trash and the trash cans out to the curb. Then I started my run, down to the park and running the loop two times before heading back. Steady pace but not scorching.

Avg pace = 7:48/mi

Total distance = 3.25 mi

Elapsed moving time = 25:26

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 8

https://www.strava.com/activities/14683133340

When I got home, I went out into the front yard, washed off the gravel, and put it back into the path, including filling in some bald spots. I'd made coffee before that, also washed the dishes and started the dishwasher. Almost finished with this job, just a few more spots to fill in and some small weeds to pull. I started gathering up the leaves under the avocado tree but ran out of time before we started to get ready to go to Mission Bay. I drove us down to Ventura Cove, got out Ann's bike and put the wetsuit on. Then I walked over to the water and swam a back and forth along the buoy line a total of six times, pausing after the first one and between the fourth and fifth lengths. Water temperature wasn't an issue at all. The suit helped me float but made it harder to paddle. The new goggles were excellent, no water leakage and clear vision. I was able to track the buoys pretty well and stay on course, better than the last time I swam here. It was almost all arms since I didn't need my legs to keep be afloat. Looks like a lap between the buoys is about 300 yds. It was funny, when I walked out of the water I had some trouble refinding my balance. Walked to where my flip flops were and then over to the outdoor showers to rinse off a little bit. Then I walked back to the car, didn't have keys but had left a towel out. I couldn't undo the zipper of the wetsuit, but Ann showed up soon after and helped me out. Then I walked back to the restrooms and changed into shorts and a shirt. Somehow, while there I dropped my keys in the restroom. When I got back to the car, I asked Ann if she still had my keys (no, she didn't). Right around this time, a guy came driving by and asked us if we were missing any keys, since he had found some in the restroom. Crazy coincidence, and the guy was a true godsend. I was really fortunate there, it would have been a royal mess if I lost my keys. I unloaded my bike and then we went for a beach cruiser ride over to the boardwalk initially, then heading south to its end before heading east around Mission Point Park. Along the path by Mariners Basin until we got back to Belmont Park, where we got back onto the boardwalk, heading north this time. We rode for a while, then Ann found us a place for lunch, Second Nature in North PB. I should have paid more attention to where it was when she suggested it. Took us a while to get there. Lunch wasn't anything remarkable, then we headed back the way we came, over to the boardwalk and then south to Belmont Park before riding back to Ventura Cove. While we were on the boardwalk, a report from CBS 8 stopped me and interviewed me about the wavy lines recently painted on the pavement. I made a couple of comments and ended up being on the 6:00 news. Ray saw it and posted to the Bisikleta WhatsApp. That was mildly humorous. We later sent the link to the fam, and their reactions were funny too.

Avg speed = 5.5 mph. Total mileage = 9.2 mi

Total elevation gain = 100'

https://www.strava.com/activities/14687576003

Packed the bikes back into the car, then thankfully Ann drove home. I was pretty tired, dozed off for a little bit on the way home. I unloaded the bikes from the car, then she went to the library and the store while I watched some TV. Later on, I rinsed the wetsuit off and hung it in the garage to dry. A quiet evening after that, I was unexpectedly tired (legs in particular) from the day's activities, which didn't seem too extreme.