I didn’t swim, bike, or run yesterday. Charmaine was going to meet me for a swim at lunch, but got caught in long lines while shopping and didn’t make it back in time. We thought about going for a short bike ride after I was done with work, but instead we did a little more shopping and then went for a walk on the beach at La Jolla Shores. It was really windy and the tide was high, so it wasn’t great and we didn’t walk too long.

Today we went for a bike ride, but it was filled with rest stops and taking it easy. There was a strong wind from SSW that built throughout the day and made things a little interesting as we rode home along the beaches.

We headed north up El Camino Real. I decided to push hard through the descent on El Camino from Linea del Cielo to La Orilla. I managed to land 7th overall for the segment (out of 337). I almost didn’t make the tight right turn at the end and had to slam on my brakes. I think if I had been paying more attention there I may have shaved off a few more seconds and been in the top 5. I guess that will have to be a goal for the future.

I was really strong today as we headed up Rancho Santa Fe. I felt like I could have gone a whole lot faster, but I didn’t want to leave Charmaine behind. We seemed to hit every single light just as it was turning red, so there was a lot of rest on that climb… and it really didn’t even feel like climbing.

Then we headed north across Vista and the wind was starting to blow into our face. It only got worse as we got to Oceanside. We stopped at a Walgreens for about 20 minutes to do a fluid exchange break. I picked up a Red Bull and a XXX Vitamin Water, as per usual. Then we got on the bike path to the ocean. The headwind was amazing. It was blowing straight at us. Charmaine had to tuck in behind me and it felt like I was climbing Sun Crest. I’m estimating the wind at about 15 to 20 mph and very steady.

When we got out of the canyon and headed south along the beach we were still facing a monster head wind. It wasn’t quite as bad as it had been along the river trail, because it wasn’t directly in our faces, but it was still pretty harsh.

I was feeling great from my Sausage McMuffin with Egg this morning and I was a bit hopped up on Red Bull from our stop at Walgreens. I wanted to pass everyone and push hard going south, but Charmaine was having a rough time. She didn’t fuel up with McDonald’s this morning and it was coming back to haunt her… You really do need to start off the ride with a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat. The carbs burn fastest, then the protein kicks in, and finally the fat. I was feeling great, but Charmaine needed some real food and we didn’t have any. So we wound up stopping a couple more times so she could rest. I also think the massive winds were causing her to play mental games… making her think it was a tougher ride than it was. I didn’t care too much, I was just happy to be outside in the sun with her.

When we climbed up through Del Mar the wind seemed like it had died down, but it hadn’t. We were just shielded from it along the 101. This became obvious when we made the turn and headed east along Carmel Valley Road. The wind was really strong and steady, still coming from SSW. It practically pushed us the whole way up El Camino Real on the way home. I know we were climbing, but I didn’t even need to pedal to go up the hill.

I feel like I have to comment on one more thing. I didn’t crash today. It’s about time I finish a ride without crashing. Let’s hope this trend continues.