Tuesday, July 15, 2025
07-15-2025 Walk/Hike
Travel day. I woke up around 3:40 and decided to go for an early morning walk to get most of my steps in. Walked around the neighborhood, and Ann was up when I got home around 5:00. I was busy finishing packing up and putting my bike on the roof rack. For a short while, it didn't look like it would fit, but I figured it out. Got all my stuff checked off and packed and made some coffee for the road. Then I packed the cooler and we hit the road. We got to Valley Pkwy before I realized I had forgotten my coffee and left the coffee maker on. I turned around and drove back, got my coffee, and we were truly on our way. No traffic until we approached the 91, and we had another wait on I-15 around the intersection with the 60. From there, it was smooth sailing. Stopped for gas in Adelanto and had a restroom stop before we got to Lone Pine (the rest area was closed). Ann started driving then. We stopped for lunch at Amigos Mexican Restaurant in Bishop. I had a couple of short naps in the 2+ hours it took to get to June Lake after Ann started driving. We got there right around 2:00, made pretty good time. Had the camp set up around 3:00, so we relaxed for a bit, took a short hike down by the marina. I had another short nap in the tent, and we started making dinner around 6:00 after a big lunch. Heated up chili for the meal, then we made a peach cobbler in the Dutch oven for dessert. It was slow to cook the topping, perhaps because of the altitude (7700'). I cleaned up all the dishes and packed our stuff into the bear locker, then got ready for sleep. Sheets on the mattress and a sleeping bag for a comforter, and it was fine for the night.
Sunday, July 13, 2025
07-13-2025 Ride/Walk
Had an early planned start to a ride with Paula, Catalin, and Rob. Rode through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd and took it to W Bernardo Dr to get to RB Rd. Down to the Albertson's parking lot, where I was early enough to get a coffee before the ride. Once we were ready we took RB Rd back to Bernardo Center Dr and turned right off Duenda Rd on W Bernardo Dr. Across the pedestrian bridge and over to Centre City Pkwy the usual way via Kit Carson Park. We took it out to Country Club Ln, with me and Rob getting out ahead the waiting for them to catch up. Left turn there, taking it until we got over to El Norte Pkwy. We stayed on this road until Borden Rd, then turned right onto Richland Rd. This is a nice way to get to a twin Oaks Valley Rd via Mulberry Dr and Olive St. We got onto Buena Creek Rd and took it over to Rancho Santa Fe Rd for a short jog onto Robelini Dr, which turns into Sycamore Ave. Under the 78, then we took a short bathroom break at an AM-PM, and I bought a Clif Bar. Stayed on this road until turning left on Brookhaven Pass, which got us to Faraday Dr. We turned left onto El Fuerte St and took it down to Gateway Rd, where Paula had us turn to stop by Bressi Gazebo Park for a picture. We continued on Town Garden Rd until turning left onto Alicante Rd and taking it down to Poinsettia Ln, where we turned right and rode for a short distance before turning left onto Estrella de Mar. This is a nice little street through an old neighborhood. We got across Alga Rd, waited for Paula and Catalin to catch up, then rode down into the Omni La Costa resort, stopping for another picture before taking Costa del Mar Rd over to El Camino Real. Continued heading south until we got to Olivenhain Rd, where we were back on a familiar route, albeit in the opposite direction. Back into RSF via Rancho Santa Fe Rd, El Camino del Norte, Lago Lindo (another stop to eat some food and take a picture), El Montevideo, and reverse Stud Loop to VdlV. We took Via de Santa Fe and El Apajo to San Dieguito Rd, then rode fairly slowly up Three Witches. Regrouped at the turn onto CdS, then took it to Paseo del Sur, turning there. On that slight climb to the turn, Paula showed that her fitness is definitely increasing. She has more endurance and can push harder on climbs when she needs to. Over to Potomac Ridge Rd, then to Camino San Bernardo via Nicole Ridge Rd. To RB Rd and down the hill. Before we got to W Bernardo Dr, Rob got a screw in his tire and had a flat, so we helped him change it before continuing. Right on Bernardo Center Dr, then left on Lomica Dr and left again on Acena Dr to get to Callado Rd, which was thankfully downhill, turning into Rios Rd. We then turned left onto Bernardo Oaks Dr, which took us back to RB Rd and to the Albertson's parking lot. Everybody did fine on this longer ride, Catalin probably had the most difficulty, but he will be fine for the actual ride, just likely slower than his riding colleagues. I rode home via the RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr route, legs fine at the end but overall tired. This was a fairly low-impact ride for me, nearly all time in first and second heartrate zones.
Avg speed =- 13.9 mph. Total mileage = 60.6 mi
Avg power = 110 W. Weighted avg power = 143 W
Total elevation gain = 3670'
Avg heartrate = 105 bpm
Relative Effort = 53
Training Load = 222
Intensity = 65%
Ann still wasn't home from church when I got home, had a little bit to eat and a short nap in the early afternoon. I wanted to get my steps in, so I went for an hourlong walk, fairly slow-paced, down to the park and looping around a couple of times to watch the baseball and softball games going on. Later in the afternoon, I drove us down to Coronado to see Cassie B in concert at Spreckels Park. We put our seats down and then walked a little further into town to have a drink and some chips before the show started. We had a picnic dinner once the concert started, then ended up dancing for roughly the second half of her show. She has an amazing voice, and the band was also really tight. Not exactly my favorite music that she performed, but the show was a good one. Ann drove us home, and in the evening I got the camping stuff down and started piling it together before calling it a (long) day.
Friday, July 11, 2025
07-11-2025 Run/Walk
Woke up early after decent night's sleep, Ann slept in late so I decided to go for a run down at the park. Rode my scooter over there and then ran four laps on the extended loop, getting just about 4 miles in. Ran slightly negative splits for the first three miles and then pushed myself harder on the last mile. It was overcast during the run, there were a fair number of people walking or running around the park. Humidity was noticeable, so I was sweating pretty good at the end.
Avg pace = 8:00/mi
Total distance = 4.02 mi
Elapsed moving time = 32:12
Avg heartrate = 130 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 12
When I got home, I did some chores around the house and then read in bed for a little bit (<!>). Ate some breakfast, then I finished preparing the bike rack and mounted it on the car to judge how it fit. So far, so good. I'll put a bike on it over the weekend and see how that goes. I worked on the computer for a little while, then I went out in the back yard to go after the pepper tree suckers. This time, I focused on a small patch near the fence by the original garden bed, where they were intertwined with the chain link and thus a mess to get rid of. I took a break after that. I set up the four water sensors under sinks and connected them to the hub that will alert us if they detect water. In the early afternoon, we drove to the credit union and met with Jeff Ross, who has taken over for Brett Everhart. Jeff is more approachable and friendly, but I don't think he is as good at understanding all the market forces and making recommendations as Brett has been for us. He may also want to make his mark in our portfolio by recommending more changes, so that will bear watching. We tried to get our free Slurpees on 7-Eleven day, but theachines weren't ready. I watched some TV in the afternoon and then ordered new battery-powered security cameras after having been refunded the money for the other Tapo cameras I bought and returned. I also checked out the details of Wednesday's ocean swim to gauge the actual distance better. It looks like I swam pretty close to the distance logged in Strava, not what showed up in the Zepp app. It was a little over 2 miles, which is probably still my longest swim but not by a lot. I think the choppiness of the water is what made it a bigger effort. I still have a little rash on my neck where my wetsuit was rubbing against my rash guard and irritating the skin underneath. Will need to figure out a better solution there. I'm also seeing pretty different results from when I directly download the Zepp file into Strava vs. when I save it as a GPX file and then import it. I think the latter approach is preferred, since it doesn't appear to include the times when I wasn't actively swimming in my elapsed moving time. Watched some TV after dinner and then we tried to get our free Slurpees again, but that that store they stopped the promotion at 7:00. So it was a quiet evening. I was settling down when I noticed that I still needed more steps, so I went out for a short evening walk.
I'll catch up here on some books I've read but didn't include in the blog.
John D. MacDonald, A Purple Place for Dying - Travis McGee investigates the murder of his client Mono Yeoman at a place out in the undefined west, perhaps Arizona.
Mark Synnott, Into the Ice - Synott sails a fairly small fiberglass boat from east to west through the Northwest Passage, with various crew members to help him along the way
Ian Douglas, Galaxy Raiders: Abyss - military SF book following Alexandra Morrigan as she wages war against a galaxy-wide conglomerate known as the Galactic Authority, ultimately getting to a point of cooperation by winning numerous space battles
John D. MacDonald, Bright Orange for the Shroud - McGee's old friend Arthur Wilkinson is swindled out of his money, and McGee works with him and others to recover the money
Steven Barnes, Star Wars: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss - I'm currently reading this book. Mace Windu, who was played in the Star Wars movies by Samuel L. Jackson, travels to a world in the Rim Planets, where nearly everybody lives underground, there is a substantial criminal element, and the planet's main export is high-strength silk
Thursday, July 10, 2025
07/10/2025 Walk/Swim
Woke up after a decent sleep, some effects from caffeine ingestion at lunch. I wanted to get most of my steps in before it got warm, so I took an hour+ long walk around the neighborhood. When I got home, I had a little time to get ready for a swim with Avi at the WWC. No intent to push really hard during this workout. I swam a warmup 250, then we did 5 100s on 2 minute turnaround. Next were 3 100s where we alternated arms for 25 yds, did arm catch for 25, and standard stroke for the last 25. Two more 100s with lengthening strokes, the latter using arm catch strokes. The last drill focused on alternating breaths from both sides, and here Avi gave me good advice about how many strokes to insert between alternating breath sides. I did two 100s by starting with alternating breaths every 5 strokes, then I breathed every 4 strokes on one side, every 4 on the other side, finishing up with alternating again. One final 50 with alternating breaths every 5 strokes. Need, in the future, to work on alternating breaths every 3 strokes, which could be better for longer swims to get more breaths in. Good workout and discussion. Here are the times:
Warmup 250
4:41
5 100s at 2:00 intervals
1:43
1:47
1:49
1:50
1:41
3 100s using arm catch
2:12
2:04
2:03
2 100s with successively lengthened strokes every 25 yds
1:50
2:09
2 100s with alternating breathing sides (with pull buoy)
1:47
1:50
1 50 with alternating breathing sides every 5 strokes (with pull buoy)
0:57
After I got home, I ate some cereal for breakfast and relaxed before driving the new car over to Mossy Nissan to get a smog check. I misunderstood the date that Ann had set for the smog check (she did too), but it worked out okay, after the service guys figured out how to charge the service back to Mossy Toyota. It took about an hour and a half, then I was on my way. I stopped at an ATM to get money and then filled the car up with gas before driving home. Had a little break before turning around and heading back to Escondido on my scooter to have lunch with Earl at Firangi, a new Indian food restaurant on Grand Ave. Food was very good, this place just opened. We talked about AGI, the meaning of consciousness, and our families. I hope he enjoyed the conversation, I sure did. Rode home, getting gas for the scooter on the way. Later in the afternoon, I rode over to Phil's BBQ for happy hour with HP and ex-HP folks. Avi, was there, as was Aadi Nath (for the first 45 minutes or so), Britt and Bill C. I had a soda and chatted with a guy, J.J., who I remember seeing around B65 and who works for customer quality for the webpress business. Got back home around 6:00 and worked behind the backyard fence clearing out pepper tree root suckers for a while before heading back in and eating a light dinner. Watched a little TV as well. I also got the old bike rack that mounts on top of a car down from the attic and checked to see if it will work on our new car (appears so). I started mounting protective fabric-reinforced rubber strips to the metal on the bike rack so it won't damage the car rack cross-members when it's attached.
07/09/2025 Walk/Swim
This was an exceptional day. I didn't sleep all that well, got up and ate some cereal and read, but did get back to sleep. I woke up in time to have plenty of time to get ready for my ocean swim with Charlie. Left early to avoid some traffic and got there around 7:50. I walked on the beach and through the nearby neighborhood until about 8:30, then got my gear and walked over to the meet-up point. Charlie got there soon after, and we geared up and got into the water. Seemed about the same temperature as last week, but it was a little more shocking getting in, since the choppy waves poured some water under my wetsuit. We had more difficulty getting through the shore break, and even beyond the break the surface was more choppy. I had much better success with my breathing, got into a steady cadence and swam longer distances before stopping to wait for Charlie. We ended swimming all the way to La Jolla Cove, close to where the sea lions were in the water and on the rocks. There were several sea lions who come up to breathe very close to us, which was cool and a little disconcerting. Lots of sea birds as well, very cool. Then we swam over to the caves and swam through and out the normal exit point, where we saw Garibaldi fish in the kelp beds. Then it was time to swim back to La Jolla Shores, and that was a workout. We avoided the kelp beds this time, much better, but my arms were pretty tired at the end. They held up, I got out of the water further south than Charlie. We walked to the showers and rinsed off, then split. This was my longest swim ever, Zepp says it was 4273 yds, but it was really a little over 2 miles. It also looks like my watch stopped tracking the swim at times for some unknown reason. In any case, it was epic. I got back to the car and changed into dry clothes before driving home. Not as much need to rush when I got home to get ready for my volunteer shift. I got to the hospital early enough to stop at the cafeteria and have some snacks before my shift. The shift was unremarkable, slow at the start but busier near the end. After I rode home, Ann drove us down to Balboa Park for a picnic before going to see Noises Off at the Old Globe Theater. Traffic was pretty rotten on the way down, Ann drove. We had salad for dinner, then walked over to the Old Globe and sat down. Ann had bought $25 tickets, which were in Row 2 but on the left end. They were fine for the first and third acts but pretty limiting for the second act. It was a good show, well acted but not exceptionally well. The play was a farce that apparently we had seen back in the day in Gainesville. Fun, then an drove home and it was to bed.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
07-08-2025 Ride/Walk
Got up fairly early, around 5:40, to get ready for a longer bike ride. I decided to ride up to Santa Ysabel and back. Made electrolyte drink and took some food with me, then headed out, actually starting the ride at 6:15 after stopping a couple of times to come back and replace batteries. It was a simple route, down by the park and over to Highland Valley Rd, then up to the 67, turning left there and riding into Ramona until I turned right on 3rd St to get to the Old Julian Hwy. I was about a minute and a half slower than my PR on the entire Highland Valley Rd eastbound segment, would have liked to be a little faster but it was okay. I tried to stay more in the saddle on the steep climbs to build my core strength, not sure how successful that was. Through Ramona without issues. The stretch on the Old Julian Hwy was tough as always. The road condition was quite poor, awful in some places, and it was generally uphill with just a few flat or downhill stretches where I could recover. Weather was decent, not too hot on the outbound part of the route. There isn't much of a shoulder on the 67 in places after I got onto it past the Old Julian Hwy, and that was a little dicey. The climbing segments there weren't as bad as I remembered them from previous rides. Got into Santa Ysabel in about 2:37 without stopping other than at intersections and for a brief time before the Old Julian Hwy to unwrap a nut bar. I got a 32 oz Coke fountain drink and sat outside Don's Market (they sell sushi there) to drink it and eat the rest of my food (dates and dried mango). On the return on the 67, I felt good, a little refreshed from the food and perhaps aided by a modest tailwind. The climbs there were all minor, even the little ones on The Old Julian Hwy weren't as significant as I remembered. Back through Ramona and to Highland Valley Rd, where I had a headwind when I turned onto this road. It slowed me down on the flats and gentle rollers leading to the more significant climbs, which I took at measured pace and didn't have the strength to really attack. The downhills were fun, as usual, no incidents to report. I was also not super fast on the flats back to Pomerado Rd, but I made it okay up the last two climbs and got home feeling fine. Legs were tired but not sore or cramping, which was a good sign, as expected.
Avg speed = 15.7 mph. Total mileage = 66.7 mi
Avg power = 151 W. Weighted avg power = 178 W
Total elevation gain = 4660'
Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 115
Training Load = 292
Intensity = 81%
Ate just a bit when I got home, wasn't particularly hungry then. Ann was gone running errands, so I watched a little TV and hung out. Had a light lunch later on and then spent the afternoon finishing getting up to date on my 2025 Event Log, as well as planning a route for this Saturday. I talked at length to Ben on the phone, just checking in. He can be really difficult to talk to. He lives by a credo that he must be true to himself, which can devolve into pushing his own agenda and opinions without taking others' concerns into account enough. I have difficulty getting this point across, at some point I should stop trying. Watched a little TV later in the afternoon, then went for a walk after dinner to get my steps in.
Monday, July 7, 2025
07-07-2025 Swim/Run
Slept pretty well, although I did wake up in the middle of the night and read (<!>). Got ready for a longer swim at the WWC and rode over there, it was a little cool. Lots of people there when it opened, the pool lanes were totally full, so I shared a lane with Blaine. It was fine, I was concentrating on steady pace for longer times. I lost track of my lap count a couple of times and ended up swimming 2150 yds without pausing. I thought I set my watch to track the swim, but apparently I didn't hit the Go button, so I used the camera results instead. Here are the splits for the four 500s and the last 150: 9:22, 9:30, 9:44, 9:46, 2:50. I could definitely feel myself tiring in the latter half of the workout, need lots more distance swimming to get that endurance I've had in the past. Got home, had a light breakfast, then got ready for a run. This was a mental challenge, since I would much rather not have run. But I got started, and the rest followed. Ran down to the park and did 5 extended loops, then ran back. I had negative splits for the first 4 miles, the fifth mile was just a little slower than the fourth, but the sixth mile was a fair amount slower. It was starting to warm up, and I forgot to wear sunglasses. Eventually, I hope I can get to a point where running six miles isn't a big deal. The last little bit of the run back up the hill was torturous and slow.
Avg pace = 8:00/mi
Total distance = 6.28 mi
Elapsed moving time = 50:17
Avg heartrate = 143
Relative Effort = 50
Ate some more when I got home and rested for a bit. Watched some TV in the early afternoon. In the mid-afternoon I worked for quite a while on updating my 2025 Event Log, which is pretty time-consuming. Still more work to do there. Around 4:00 I went into the back yard and over the fence to start chopping away at the Pepper tree sprouts as well as my attempt to cut back the root sections where the sprouts were coming from. Lots still to do there, I'm wondering if it's a hopeless cause without more serious equipment to dig into the ground and take out the extensive root system. After I stopped for the day, I had a shower, then Ann and I drove to Yanni's off Scripps-Poway Pkwy to have dinner with Emily and Caleb as their way of thanking us for watching the cats. Dinner was fun, good conversation and food was decent. Home from there, and I put together a draft of a route for me, Paula, and Rob to ride on Sunday in preparation for the Padres Pedal the Cause ride.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
07-06-2025 Ride/Walk
Woke up around 5:40 and got up a little before 6:00. I made coffee, ate some bread for breakfast, and got ready to drive over to Stagecoach Park to meet Paula and Catalin for a ride. I saw them riding on the way to the park, and I was basically ready when they got there. We headed to Calle Acervo and took that road, first up and then down, to RSF Rd. A left turn there, following it until it turned into Manchester Ave. We stayed on this road through the turn and under I-5, circling back to the bike path that runs west of the freeway and taking it down to Lomas Santa Fe. We kept going down to Stevens Ave and took it to VdlV, continuing on to Jimmy Durant Blvd and taking that road behind the fairgrounds and into Del Mar. I was out in front for much of the first half since we were following the route I'd mapped. Down to the coast and up Torrey Pines Rd, where Paula successfully went for a PR. Then it was back down the hill and a stop at the restrooms by the park entrance before continuing on PCH back into Del Mar. Catalin took us on some neighborhood streets and alleys west of PCH to bypass the village, then we got back onto PCH and took it to Chesterfield Dr, where we crossed over to the walking path (not really a bike path) running by the railroad tracks. That stretch involved dodging a lot of walkers, many with dogs, until we crossed PCH to get to K St. Through the neighborhood west of PCH in Encinitas to get to Neptune Ave, following the same route that Paula and I rode in a previous ride. Back to PCH via Grandview St, then a turn onto La Costa Ave. It was a fast ride for me and Paula on this section, Catalin was out in front of us. He kept going on this road past El Camino Real, Paula wanted to turn and take another way up the hill. I was happy with Catalin's choice, the last climb up to RSF Rd was not as tough as I remembered. He was slow coming up, and Paula took a really long time to get to us. We stayed on La Costa Ave until Camino de los Coches, where I turned to head back to the park and they continued on. Was a decent route but way slow. My Wahoo died somewhere between Del Mar and Encinitas, so I don't have stats for the ride other than distance and elevation.
Avg speed = 12.0 mph. Total mileage = 34.0 mi
Total elevation gain = 1930'
Had some snacks for lunch, watched a little TV, had a nap in the early afternoon. I went to nt for a walk to get most of my steps in, then I hung more shade cloth by the first garden bed. In the late afternoon, Ann and I drove over to Lake Poway and walked to the park there to watch the Blue Breeze Band, a pretty good R&B cover band and to picnic in the park. We danced quite a bit, then walked back to the car afterwards. I was pretty tired by the end of this day. Watched some TV and went to bed.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
07-05-2025 Ride/Run
Slept okay, not perfectly, after a pretty good Fourth of July day. Got ready for the Bisikleta ride, I was the route leader and had planned it. Rode over in light fog through the neighborhood and then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. Perse and Nel were already there when I got there, and James, Rob, and Charlie showed up for a ride as well. We headed down Camino del Sur, at a generally slower pace than the previous day. On this ride, I was in the lead almost the entire time, probably should have dropped back and spent more time chatting with the others, but I am currently focused on building strength in preparation for the rides while we are in Spain and France. Down to Carmel Valley Rd, turning right there. I waited for James to make the turn, then pushed pretty hard to catch up with the others. Another right turn onto Del Mar Heights Rd, taking it down to Carmel Canyon Rd, where we turned left. Rob has been having intermittent difficulties getting his front derailleur to shift, and he stopped to try and fix it at this point. After that, we rode down to Carmel Country Rd and took it south for a short bit, making a small U-turn and then turning onto Del Mar Mesa Rd. I had never ridden up this road, and it's really steep at the start, up to 14% or so. I couldn't shift into my lowest gear, so I had to get out of the saddle and push up the steep part. It leveled off fairly soon, and this is a nice little road to ride on, with some pretty views. We rode it up to the intersection with Del Vino Ct (aka Carmel Mountain Rd) and waited for James to catch up there. Then it was a general downhill to Ocean Air Dr, where we turned left and, after a little climb, had a steeper downhill to enjoy to get to Calle Mar de Mariposa. This got us over to Vista Sorrento Pkwy, where we turned left and continued downhill, eventually turning right on Sorrento Valley Blvd to get to Sorrento Valley Rd. Left turn there. It's not really noticeable when you are on it, but this road has a slight uphill to it. We stayed on it until turning right onto Carroll Canyon Rd, where the modest climb continued until it got to a short, steeper section once we were on Carroll Rd. I was pushing harder than the others and got out in front again. Took it to Camino Santa Fe, where we gathered up again and then turned right. Down and then up to Miramar Rd, where we stopped for a water and bathroom break. I bought some expensive water and passed it to the others. Nel noticed his front tire was really soft (he hadn't been riding, was just back from the Philippines) and put some air into it while we were there. Then we continued on Miramar Rd, perhaps for the first time with this group. Perse was trying to stay with me, and he wasn't too far behind. We rode over to Black Mountain Rd and turned there. Past Little India, down the little hill and a turn to stay on this road, taking it to Carroll Canyon Rd, where we turned right and rode up to Scripps Ranch Blvd. The sun was out by this time, and it was getting warm but not uncomfortably so, at least not for me. Left turn onto Erma Rd, which we took to the entrance to the bike path that runs on the east side of I-15. We stayed on the bike path until we got to Poway Rd, staying on the sidewalk and then turning left onto Sabre Springs Pkwy. I slowed down a little bit at this point, was still out in front of the others, who were also slowing down. From here, we followed the time trial route for a while. Rob and Nel, both of whom had ridden to the starting point, kept going at Paseo Lucido, while the rest of us got on Camino del Norte and rode back to the starting point from there. I stayed just a little bit at the end, then rode home the normal way.
Avg speed = 15.9 mph. Total mileage = 50.1 mi
Avg power = 138 W. Weighted avg power = 174 W
Total elevation gain = 3070'
Avg heartrate = 118 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 64
Training Load = 231
Intensity = 79%
Had some lunch when I got home, then I had a fairly quiet early afternoon. I took a nap, read a little bit, and swapped out the chains on my Canyon bike with my back-up chain, which was re-waxed. Then I cleaned and re-waxed the main chain as well as the other chain for my Fuji bike. I also checked the wear on my front disc brake pads, and they look okay for now. Will keep an eye on them. Helped Ann hang the drapes for the kitchen to keep it cooler in the summer days to come. In the late afternoon, before dinner, I walked down the hill, then ran to the park and did three extended loops around the park at slower pace before running back to the turn onto Aguamiel Rd. This was to get my steps in, mission accomplished, although it was still a little bit warm on the run.
Avg pace = 8:56/mi
Total distance = 3.74 mi
Elapsed moving time = 33:29
Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 8
Watched some cycling on TV, including TdF Stage 1 highlights and an episode of Unchained. The rest of the evening was quiet.
Friday, July 4, 2025
07-04-2025 Ride/Walk
Had a pretty good night's sleep (<!>), and then I got ready for a special July Fourth Bisikleta ride. Through the neighborhood and then the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get to the normal starting point, where Perse and Ray were already there. Fritz, Rob, and Jed A. also showed up, so it was a smaller but strong riding group for the day. Simple out and back route, to the coast via CdS, San Dieguito Rd, ECR, and VdlV, heading north once we got there. I was generally conserving my strength, not responding to attacks from others, like Jed and Fritz mainly. The original plan was for a Zone 2 ride, but this rarely works with the group for long. We were a little slower on the coast than normal, Fritz was out in front and riding hard, it's good to see him back in form and leading with attacks and strong riding. We stopped for donuts and coffee at Broad Street Dough Co, which was pretty decent (Ray paid for all of us), and while we were sitting there Tony showed up as well and joined us. It was a nice break, then we rode over to 2nd St and started heading back. We stopped by Paula's campsite and said hi, she was really happy that we stopped and chatted with them for a bit. The pace on the return was, generally, more moderate, although just before Solana Beach four riders jumped out in front and raced up that little climb. I just watched them, saving some energy for the Saturday ride. I led the group up VdlV, then we had a fairly well organized pace line on San Dieguito Rd, not stopping (Yay!) at the gas station and continuing on to Three Witches. Again, I kept my pace down for the first two climbs while Fritz and Tony got out ahead. On the third section, Jed passed me and I decided to respond. I put it into high gear and had my fastest time up that last climb, but it was an effort to keep pushing all the way. Jed and Tony split from us at the turn onto CdS, and the rest of us rode back to the starting point, with me and Fritz leading out and eventually gapping the others. We stayed a short time in the parking lot, then Rob and I rode back, taking CdS to RB Rd and then down the hill to W Bernardo Dr, where I split from him. Home the normal way from there.
Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 43.7 mi
Avg power = 137 W. Weighted avg power = 170 W
Total elevation gain = 1780'
Avg heartrate = 121 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 59
Training Load = 170
Intensity = 77%
When I got home, I watched a little TV, then had some lunch before reading and taking a nap in the early afternoon. In mid-afternoon, I had to get a lot of steps in, so I took a longer walk down toward RB Town Center and back, listening to a couple of podcasts. Got back and took care of some errands, including topping off the oil in the Sportage, talking to Mom, mapping out a route for the Saturday ride, and doing a little bit of additional organizing around my tool bench. In the evening, we went over to Joe and Cathie's place to have dinner with them, the Hawkins, the Pauleys, and the Dijaks before driving into downtown Escondido to watch the fireworks from Mary Anne's office.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
07-03-2025 Walk-Run
Woke up early with the intention of getting most of my steps in early. I went for a walk-run down by the park and across the pedestrian bridge to the freeway before turning around and coming back the same way. Had breakfast when I got back, then I went into the back yard in the morning and worked on the sumac stumps. With a fair amount of effort, I was able to take one of the stumps down to its base, but I think it significantly dulled the chainsaw chain. Will try to sharpen it again and see if that helps. Otherwise, I'll buy more chains to keep this effort going. Had leftover pizza for lunch, then I rode to Walmart to get some stuff, including motor oil for the Sportage and tissue paper for the birthday gift bag for Paula. Had a quiet rest of the afternoon, then in the early evening we drove down to meet Paula and her family while they were camping at San Elijo State Beach. On the way, she texted me that they were running late, so we stopped at Las Olas and had drinks, guacamole, and chips to kill some time. We showed up at the campsite around 6:40, and they were just starting to unpack the food. Paula's older daughter and her friends had camped the night before, so the campsite was already somewhat set up. We met her husband Catalin as well as her daughters Maria, Andrea, and Ivana. Catalin grilled burgers and some veggies, and I ended up having a zucchini burger with lots of fixings to kill the taste. It was fine, and the conversation was pretty good. We stayed until about 9:30, then I drove home. It was tough driving on the streets where there were no streetlights, especially when cars with halogen lights were coming from the other direction. I took it easy, and we made it back okay.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
07-02-2025 Swim/Hike
This was an exhilarating day. I woke up and had an easy prep for an ocean swim down at La Jolla Shores with Charlie. I was a little nervous about the swim distance and pace. Got there a little after 8:30 and went on a stroll by the seawall. I checked in with Charlie and then walked back to the car to listen to a podcast and then get ready for the swim. I carried my stuff down to the beach, got ready and met Charlie a little after 9:30. We started swimming around 9:40 and headed for the caves. I was swimming faster than Charlie and would wait for him once I got far enough ahead. It took us a while to get to the caves, where there were a bunch of kayakers around. We waited for our chance and the swam into the caves. The tide was out, so we had to watch out for rocks. Swam around in there and then got out before we got beat up on the rocks. It was really exhilarating. We took a shorter route back, through the kelp and rocks, which was a little sketchy but probably what Charlie needed. On the way back, he saw a small shark swimming under him. I think I would have freaked out, but he kept his cool. We got back to the shore and walked back to where he had stashed some clothes and a towel. Then we walked back to my car and I gave him my bike bag to borrow. I drove home after changing in the car into dry clothes. Had a quick shower and some food before heading to the hospital for my volunteer shift. Got there right around 12:30. The shift passed fairly quickly, but there was a lull in the middle when it seemed like the clock had slowed down. Stayed just a little late to finish several last tasks, then rode home and changed to meet Emily for a hike at RB Community Park. We hiked the usual trail, she told me about the Maryland trip, and I told her about the sprint tri. It was a nice hike, time passed fairly quickly. Got home, had dinner and watched TV to relax after a very busy day.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
07-01-2025 Run/Ride/Walk
Woke up quite early, was able to get back to sleep briefly before getting up and heading out for a run a little before 6:00. Down to the park and the longer loop around three times before heading back. Each mile was successively faster, but the last little distance up the hill to home was slower and hard.
Avg pace = 7:26/mi
Total distance = 4.36 mi
Elapsed moving time = 42:25
Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 18
Got home and had some toast, yogurt, and coffee for breakfast before going into the back yard and putting up the solar cloth over the original garden bed. That went quickly and smoothly. I relaxed for a bit before getting ready for a ride with Joe. Also stored the spare bathroom tiles in an empty plastic bin to clean up some clutter by the tool area, Ride over via the pedestrian bridge to the Via Rancho Park n Ride, where I waited for a little bit before he showed up. We rode on Beethoven Dr to BVP and then up to San Pasqual Valley Rd, turning left there and riding through neighborhood streets to get to El Norte Pkwy. I was riding at a slower pace keeping close to Zone 2. Headed west on El Norte Pkwy down toward the freeway, Joe had a blowout just past Ash St, and it took a while to repair it. We couldn't see the damage to the rear tire, but it was there. We found that out after continuing, when he had a second flat past Bennett. That was time to call Cathie and have him get picked up. I decided to meet him back at his car. Took Bennett Ave to Rock Springs Rd and then over to Nordahl Rd to get to Auto Park Way. Then it was down to Valley Pkwy, turning right there and riding up to 11th Ave, where I turned left. Up that little climb and then the nice descent along the freeway to get to Bernardo Ave. Into that neighborhood, where I made a miscalculated turn and had to backtrack before inding Hamilton Ln and getting over to Felicita Rd. Back to the starting point the normal way from there, where Joe had only been waiting a couple of minutes. We ended up eating at Chito's Taco Shop, a forgettable establishment, but the conversation was good, involving some politics and tying back to a book we both recently read. Home after the lunch and talk, and it was toasty on the ride back.
Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 27.0 mi
Avg power = 105 W. Weighted avg power = 135 W
Total elevation gain = 1560'
Avg heartrate = 107 bpm (Coospo)
Relative Effort = 23
Training Load = 85
Intensity = 61%
I cleaned the kitchen and had a chill rest of the afternoon. Went for a short walk after dinner to finish getting my steps in, then the rest of the evening was quiet (<>).
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