Wind, Be Gone!

Let's just say it's been a tad bit windy.

Thankfully, we did have some warm days this week, and we also had a fair amount of sunshine. But that wind! Most days brought us wind speeds in the upper-teens and 20's. Nonetheless, whether it was a balmy breeze out of the south or a frigid blast from the north, the wind was a beast to battle. 

Alas, it's a good thing I'm #IowaTough...

Before I disclose the windy deets of the week, welcome to the Weekly Run Down!

I love hosting this link-up with Deborah (from Confessions of a Mother Runner)! If you write a fitness-based blog, you're invited to join the party. The link-up opens at 8:00AM (EST) on Sundays and remains open through noon on Monday. We love reading about everyone's weekly fitness endeavors, training highlights (or low lights) and race recaps. We ask that you link back to both hosts, and we encourage you to read/comment on the other linked blogs as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here's what went down this week, in terms of fitness and fun:

Stuck-Inside Sunday.

After a warm week, the weekend's temps took a nasty plummet. We actually had snow ALL day on Sunday! Thankfully, nothing accumulated, and it all basically melted before it hit the ground, but YUCK. I had no desire to even venture out for a morning walk...umm, 36F temps with a feels-like of 23F, and 25mph wind? That would be a big #NoThanks. Besides, there was a 40K Garmin biking badge up for grabs...so I knocked out 25 miles on the bike. By late afternoon, the snow had turned to light sleet, but I did get out for a 2-mile walk without issue.

 

Never Miss a Monday.

The morning had me inside (again) with the 29mph wind, so 10 miles of biking sufficed (with some Tabata mixed in), as well as a short arm/shoulder workout (via Peloton). By late afternoon, the wind had mellowed to 18mph. Knowing I'd have some shelter at the lake, I drove over and ran three laps (three miles).

(Hopefully) a new Typical Tuesday.

The morning was cold, but not too windy (32F, with 6mph wind), so I took a 2-mile sunrise walk before work. The day warmed up nicely, so we got in our usual morning and afternoon walks at the office (two total miles). Then, drumroll, I took Gustavas out for a short 6-mile ride after work! Remember him, my mountain bike? He'd been in hibernation since October, LOL. Despite the crazy late afternoon wind (#again), it felt awesome to be back on the road with a bike helmet. 

Double Workout Wednesday.

The morning's forecast had shown rain, so the day started indoors with some Barre and upper-body strength (Peloton app). Well, the rain never appeared. By mid-morning, the spring temps felt more like those of summer (high 70F's), complete with a balmy 14mph wind out of the south. We took advantage at work, and got our two "walking breaks" done.

After work, I decided to revisit some of the route I'd run last Saturday. There had been numerous discarded mini shot bottles on a 2-mile segment, so it was my mission to do some pre-Earth Day plogging. Ugh, all told, I picked up 19 empty bottles! More details are on Friday's post (HERE), but suffice it to say it was an exhausting 6-mile endeavor with the heat, the humidity, the wind, and the awkward bottle-filled bag to carry. But, I was ever-so-glad to do my part in trying to leave the streets better than I found them.

A very Thankful Thursday.

You know the drill...Thursdays are when the weekly virtual rides happen with Deb and myself. So what if I'm rising and (sort of, LOL) shining at 4:30 CST? I'm an early bird, so it's no big whoop. The time goes so fast when you have someone to share the ride with, so to speak, and Thursday's 16 miles were no exception. Afterwards, I hustled outside for a quick 1-mile walk before heading to work. It got so cold and blustery, Michele and I only got in one walk during our morning break and took a pass on the afternoon.

Freeze Fest Friday.

It's been awhile since my last half marathon (umm, DAM to DSM, last June!). My body was feeling good, and I had taken things pretty easy throughout the week, so I thought a short shakeout run would be a great way to keep the legs in motion without overdoing anything. Little did I know those two miles, in the glow of the sunrise, were well-timed. As the day wore on, the wind picked up and the temps took a nosedive...giving my area a freeze advisory that would remain in affect through Sunday! Say WHAT????

A Bonus Shake-Out Saturday.

With the Drake 13.1 happening on Sunday, there were race packets to be picked up. Barb and I decided to meet up with Scott (a runner friend from the area) and run a couple of shakeout  miles around Grays Lake after hitting the expo. I'd also done 10 miles on the bike, obviously inside, prior to trekking to Des Moines. And the wind? Ugh...17mph amidst the 30F feels-like "spring" temps. Yeah, another winter rewind, LOL (hence the puffer vest). I also did a brisk 2-mile walk after dinner, and some upper-body strength work, just because.

...and what's happening on Sunday?

Oh, not much...just the 55th running of the Drake Road Races Half Marathon. It's gonna be cold (forecast is showing 30F, with "only" 5mph wind, LOL). It's gonna be sunny (fingers crossed that holds). And, it's gonna be hilly (that's a given). It's a race I've done numerous times, and the tough, hilly race course is truly part of its charm (call me crazy). I'm even breaking that race day faux pas of wearing the event jacket for the race itself. Stay tuned, I'll be sharing a race recap this next week.

 

So, in summary, it was a week of WIND. Honestly, the wind has been simply insane, but it certainly makes for great resistance training. I kept the running low-key; 13 miles logged in the running shoes. Walking wasn't anything stellar (due to the crazy wind, almost on the daily); 12 total miles of that. Biking was back within my usual range, and had a total of 67 miles in the saddle (six of which were outside!). Other than Wednesday's Barre class, there wasn't much for lower-body strength work (but plenty of stretching and Theragun'ing), and the three upper-body workout sessions were legit. 

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:

*maintaining*

Welcome to My Day

My Earth Day Endeavor

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. As mentioned, Friday turned rather windy by mid-morning, and the wind never did lighten-up. My solution was the chunky-knit color-blocked cropped cardi (go ahead, try saying that three times fast). All the colors of spring and the warmth of winter, LOL.

Knock wood, the magnolia tree pretty much reached full bloom status this week! It survived last weekend's snow, sleet and rain, as well as all the crazy wind this week threw at it. If it can make it through the remaining hours of this weekend's freeze advisory, it should be good! 

And, we have tulips!

Finally, remember my amaryllis bulbs? Pictured below is the bulb that started blooming last weekend. The stem on the left has four blooms, and the stem on the right currently has one bloom that has opened (but has four blooms in-waiting). It's so top-heavy, I had to move the pot to the floor to have the cabinet to lean up against. 

So, that's the latest! It was a crazy week with all things wind, but all is well. We cannot control the weather, so it's best to just go with the flow (and laughing as much as possible).

How did your week play out? Any crazy wind (hot and balmy or cold and frigid)? Any especially fun or badass workouts that need mention? Any races, this weekend or upcoming?

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