Sunday, April 3, 2016

It's been a windy week....


#windblown

Holy Hellbent Wind, Batman!

Iowa has had some very frustrating  and challenging weather as of late. This week's theme: WIND!

Monday started off beautiful, sunny but windy.....with a beautiful image of a cross in the sky (courtesy of a couple random airplanes).

Isn't that breath-taking?

Typically, I usually do only a mile on Mondays (for my #nevermissaMonday), but it was so nice outside (and I was feeling great after my 7-miler the day prior), so I ran two miles instead. I even did some power walking around the hilly block across the street (for two miles of hill work).

I didn't realize I was kind of rocking the Easter-egg look until after the pic was posted

Tuesday was another day with pleasant, warm spring weather, but it was a bit windy (I'm using the word "windy" quite conservatively). I met my friend, Barb, after work. We decided to head to the lake, which is an approximate mile-long loop around the perimeter. This worked out well as it gave us some pretty good wind protection for our 4-mile adventure.
Got wind? Head to the lake....

On Wednesday, I awoke with a slightly achy back and my hamstrings felt a little strained. I didn't have anything really planned (workout-wise) for the day, so I elected to have a bit of a recovery day.  After all, I had run seven miles on Sunday evening, two miles on Monday, and with the four miles on Tuesday, I think my body had earned some down time (although I still did some hill walking in the evening). I even skipped my weekly stair workout (yes, you heard it here first).

Thursday blessed me with the (still) achy-breaky back and hamstring tension. It was another long day at work, and another day of wind and gloom.
The sky was angry that day, my friend....

But, as the day progressed, the sun emerged! After work, I set out to do a few miles, but that first mile felt really slow and took a lot more effort than usual. Ugh. I hit the 1-mile mark, turned around, and decided to head back home. Although it was a frustrating run, it's the first challenging run I've had in quite awhile. Not every run is gonna be a great run, so I guess I was due for a doozy.
A difficult run always feels better in the sunshine!

Friday was April's Fool Day. We have never been (very) big into the whole fooling thing, but we certainly have played along with the craziness of the day. I texted the older daughter (at college) and told her I'd had an accident on the stairway and had to go the ER. And she believed me.

April 1st is also my husband's birthday. Both of his parents are now gone, but there were so many times in years past when they'd call him on his birthday (apparently forgetting it also was April Fool's Day). My husband is kind of a joker (I'm using that word conservatively also), and on several different occasions he'd tell them that they were going to be grandparents again. And every time (and I do mean EVERY time) they'd believe him, no matter how many other times he'd pranked them with the same story.
A pic from a couple of years ago of me and my favorite April Fool

Saturday was a day that Momma N really showed her attitude....temps in the high 30's and crazy wind (upwards of 40mph at times). My back was still feeling a little wonky, and since I knew it would be warmer the next day (and I was going to be running long then), I decided to go for a long walk. Barb met me, and we battled the wind for four miles. I kid you not, it was a struggle to not fall over each other, the wind was that powerful!
Accidental matchy-matchy on the clothing choices #greatminds
Sunday. Ahhh, spring had (again) returned, only this time bringing it with it summer-time temps. It was in the high 70's, oodles of gorgeous sunshine, and wind (again), only this time the wind was a steady SW 27mph (with 49mph gusts). Our first four miles were going south and west, head-on into it. When we finally made it to the halfway point, we were exhausted. We walked briefly up a short hill (and took a mid-run selfie), then finished off the remaining miles.

The splits tell the story: 9:22, 9:45, 9:50, 10:27, 10:03, 9:58, 10:04, 9:52....average pace of 9:55. Mile 4, the slowest mile, was out in the wide-open, headed due west. Yikes, it was tough! This was one of those of runs that really made me happy to have a friend along beside me....or it may not have happened. None the less, it felt great to have the warm temps return, and I am always happy to be back in a tank top!

In other news:
**I received a picture post card from a trail race I ran last summer (race recap HERE), inviting me back! What a nice, personal touch. And, yes, I'll be returning!

It's hard to see them in the pic, but I'm holding two (count 'em, TWO) medals from that day
**Spring is in the air, and our daffodils are just about in bloom!
Can you see it? The first daffodil is about to great us!
**A dear friend (and neighbor) gifted us this treasured book about running.

I will, indeed, need to make time to read this!
**I have been playing with the flat iron more and more. My hair had a major case of bed-head on Sunday morning, but I also had a long run on tap for the afternoon (so there was no way I was gonna take the time to wash it). So, what to do? Create some waves and call it good for church.
Excuse the goofy smile (and lack of lipstick), but I was focusing on the mirror image and  not my face (#oops) 
How was your week? Any crazy wind for you to do battle with? Did you get pranked on April Fool's Day?

I'm linking with my gals, Holly from HoHo Runs  and Tricia from  MissSippiPiddlin  for the Weekly Wrap. As always, I invite you to head over and checkout all the blogs and see what's been happening!





50 comments:

  1. I have an aunt with an April Fools birthday. When she was younger, her friends did very devilish things like sending her funeral wreaths or dead flowers. I find wind very irritating. It definitely requires a Dig Deep Day. The picture postcard is an incredible marketing tactic for a race. Who wouldn't want to receive that? A lot of effort went into that as well. That was a great 8 miler in the wind! I'm glad your achy back and hamstring issue didn't linger. Thanks for linking with us Kim.

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    1. My hamstring issues are a reminder to Take things easy. What is strange, nothing hurts when I'm running, but when I'm just sitting...sometimes #UGH. Anyways, I'm staying humble and not getting over-confident with anything ;-)

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  2. Great postcard, what a thoughtful and personalized idea !
    That is crazy wind but the days are getting longer and things should get warmer soon.
    I thought of you this morning as I went out to do a 45 minute recovery walk. #nevermissamonday ! I think it is a great way to start the week on a positive foot !

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    1. Woot!!!! The #nevermissaMonday thing has been a great accountability thing for me. Great job on your marathon!!!

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  3. Love that a race sent you a postcard with your photo - so neat! I think everyone has had some wacky weather the past week or so. It was pretty breezy for my run yesterday but I stayed in our neighborhood so I was mostly protected. I have a friend who always has gorgeous wavy hair that she does with a flat iron and I really want to learn. Maybe next weekend! :) -C

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  4. What a crazy week of weather! I struggled with the wind both Saturday and Sunday on my runs (and bike ride!). I would have loved some company on both.

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    1. It was great having Barb with me...but we kept bumping into each other when we had a crosswind LOL

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  5. I LOVE when races go the extra mile and do something so thoughtful and creative! Glad I missed this week around here. As we took off from LA, the pilot said Chicago had crazy winds and driving snow. Joy. Thankfully it mostly died down before we landed.

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    1. But you came back to some lovely weather! I can't believe I was in a tank top on Sunday....sub-freezing weather is in the forecast until Saturday... #nothappy

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  6. Kudos to you for beating down that wind and persevering! I hate running in the wind - unless it's at my back - and would have flaked... you look really cute in your pink and green!

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    1. We did have the wind at our back a few times, depending on the direction we were going...and that was a difficult scenario as well....it felt a lot hotter without having it in front of us, and it almost pushed us over (making us go too fast!).

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  7. Yes, crazy wind here too, but no spring temps. Instead it's snowing. Again. And I gotta head out for my PT appt. :( At least I made my husband leave the snow tires on my car.

    My runs felt sluggish all week, but my race went great, and that's the way I want it!

    Too funny about your gullible inlaws.

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    1. We're back with sub-freezing temps again for a few days....back in my boots & winter leggings...

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  8. That's hilarious that your husband's parents always fell for the same joke. How did they react when they found out it was a joke and not actually true?

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    1. They always laughed when the joke was revealed ;-) He's the baby (and the only son), so he did no wrong in their eyes ;-)

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  9. I hear you, this Iowa wind has been tough lately! Hopefully it starts dying down soon and we get some calm days. There were no pranks for me on April fools day, I think my daughter forgot about it :)

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    1. This weather has been so extreme! I'd be happy with a nice, smooth transition to warm weather...and I'd really prefer it actually stay warm!

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  10. What a week! The weather has been wacky here in SC too, and pretty windy! It seems no one can escape it!

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  11. No pranks here but living with a jokester certainly keeps you on your toes! The wind has been super crazy here too! I almost blue away during my 14 miler on Saturday!

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    1. When the wind is as crazy and strong as it's been, it's just plain difficult...no matter what direction you're running. Against your face is brutal, but the cross wind is equally challenging.

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  12. I almost always forget April Fools Day, so I'd probably believe anything anyone told me haha. The weather has also been kooky here in the North East. I'm just ready for nice spring weather all the time.

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    1. Yes, I also want SpRiNg weather, and I want it to stay! ;-)

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  13. As Judy said. Windy all week here and now it's snowing.

    My runs were Ok but my race sucked. Sometimes that's how it goes.

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    1. The weather is a great equalizer on race day, huh! It certainly keeps us humble.

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  14. It's been windy here in NC, too, though thankfully not above 40 mph. Good for you for pressing on with your training regardless!

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    1. As much as I loathe the crazy wind, it is good training. It feels great to finish a run in such brutal conditions and be able to say, "I did it!"

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  15. I am so not good at the April fools day stuff! It has been crazy windy here too so hard to run in

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    1. The April Fools stuff is fun, but you have to have a "willing participant." Some people just don't have a sense of humor (and aren't good sports about it). Their loss, huh!

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  16. It's been crazy windy here too. I'm ready for some calm, warmer days.

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    1. YEs, I'm eager for a nice, calm, sunny day with pleasant temps....I don't think that's too much to ask for ;-)

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  17. Bahaha - your husband is funny. My husband made me PROMISE not to do any "I'm in labor" jokes on April fools. Due date is next Monday so it wasn't unreasonable. I love the nevermissamonday idea!

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    1. Well, actually the day he was born was a joke in and of itself. That was back in the day when there were no cell phones. His dad had been on the road all morning, and his mom went into labor and drove herself to the hospital (but told the neighbors). When his dad came home for lunch, and couldn't find his mom...he didn't believe the neighbors' story about her being at the hospital!

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  18. what a great week for you! We've had some wind, but mostly storms. Those haven't been so pleasant to deal with, but we do our best!

    We aren't much for April Fool's around here. My family just never got into it.

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    1. Unfortunately, the wind is continuing this week.....and cold winter-like temps. At least it's going to warm up by Saturday for my race (glass half full) ;-)

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  19. I always forget how crazy windy spring is here in the Midwest until it rolls back around again!

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    1. Agreed! I think this is the windiest spring we've had in several years, though. And it's not just windy...it's CRAZY windy LOL

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  20. That was some pretty crazy weather all week. I guess it's just that time of year where you can go from high winds and cold weather to 70's in the blink of an eye. We had some wild wind, too, especially Saturday and Saturday night. They clocked some of the wind gusts at 60-70mph on Saturday night. Crazy!

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    1. That kind of wind is really tough to run in, and it can be dangerous if there's broken tree branches...on your path OR flying through the air!

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  21. Running in the wind is always an adventure!! Kudos to you for getting out there!
    Loved your Easter egg look :) Super cute capris!!!

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    1. Ha! Thanks ;-) I don't mind a nice, relaxing breeze...but the crazy gusts have really been brutal!

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  22. I love that you call your husband your April Fool. Laughter is a necessity for a good life right! Sounds like you two pick at each other pretty regular! Great job on the "windy" weather workouts and hair-do! I think you really rocked the "Easter Egg" colored look too! Take care this week Kim!

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    1. Thanks, Tricia! Our temps nose-dived on Monday, and now it's raining, thundering, and we're expecting snow tomorrow! (snow is this white stuff that flies rampant through the air in the winter....) ;-)

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  23. wind was ridiculous last week but way to get out there! I did not...bc I was afraid of the wind lol.

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    1. The wind can be dangerous! And if it's strong enough, you feel it from every direction...head wind pushing you back, side wind challenging your balance, and tail wind almost making you trip as it pushes you to go faster than what feels natural.

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  24. The wind was crazy here in the DC area Saturday night. I thought the roof was going to blow off!!!

    Great week you had. Love the pictures!

    -Tamieka@fitballingrunningmom

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    1. We've heard the wind howling (even on the warmer days). It's been nutzo!!

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  25. It's my left hamstring, too, and often times, it's deep inside the piriformis, too. Like you, it no longer hurts at all when running, but sitting at my desk or on a long car ride is uncomfortable.

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  26. I love your angry sky picture! I'm not sure what I think about an April 1 birthday. He must get a lot of bad jokes about that.

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