Rebounding with the Weather

 Have I ever mentioned how crazy the Iowa weather is?

This week survived a major rebound, not only in terms of weather but also with all the March Madness happening. By the week’s end, we saw more than a 100-degree temperature jump (in the right direction this time). 

I guess it was only appropriate we welcome Spring all proper, right?

Before I dis on all the deets from 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here’s what went down in my little world of Fitness, fun and whatnot this week:

Sunday - here comes the cold

We’d been hearing about this impending crazy winter storm for several days. I didn’t know what the afternoon or evening would look (or feel) like, so Max and I capitalized on the calm early morning conditions, and took a short walk upon wake-up. 

Back home, and back in the basement, I had a fun and challenging chest and back strength session, via Peloton. Yes, I had to default to some filter fun to make the pic a little more interesting LOL. 

Then, around 3:30, the snow flurries made an appearance. We didn’t get much snow (maybe two inches, max), but the wind was blizzard-like. Most of Iowa’s roads were undrivable, with I-80 and I-35 both closed by the evening. My place of work even announced a 2-hour late opening for Monday morning (10:00 instead of 8:00). 

Never miss a Monday (barely)

With high hopes of running after work (and horribly messy roads and sidewalks upon wake-up), I hit the stairs in the morning. Always tying to mix-up the stair workouts, I came up with this variation:

**30 flights of double-stepped climbing

***10 push-ups

** 1-minute recovery walk

*****repeat two more times

**finish with 10 flights of single-stepped climbing

This netted me 100 total flights of climbing, plenty of sweat, and oodles of cardio fun. The three sets of  push-ups also added a mini-set of upper-body strength. The noontime 2-mile walk happened on schedule. The post-workday run was a near-fail, though. I layered-up and attempted to run, but the 28-mph wind was just too much in the 19F temps. I called it after one mile, LOL.

Tuesday - taking things easy 

With a full day of out-of-town meetings and appointments, I took a day of PTO. The morning began with three-ish miles on the elliptical (dressed in green, for St. Patrick’s Day!) and some shoulder strength work. Then, it was off and running with an 8:30AM dentist appointment, picking up my finished tax paperwork, a club luncheon (where I gave the program), a much needed hair appointment, and dinner with some friends. It was a long day, but a very productive one. I even squeezed in a short walk with Max.

Wednesday - the weather hits a warming trend!

Things were still looking a bit chilly in the wee hours. There was a light evening snowfall, though, making us skeptical just how slick the streets would be with potential hidden icy patches…so we opted to skip the 4:45 group run. I was still dealing with “Tuesday-lag” (like jet lag, LOL), so I slept-in a little. Call me crazy, but that extra hour or so of slumber actually had me feeling even more groggy. It took me forever (a slight exaggeration) to make my way to the basement and climb on the bike. I only had time for seven somewhat quick miles of pedaling before hitting the weights for an arm and shoulder session (Peloton).

 

Later, I logged a couple of noontime miles in the skywalk. By the afternoon, the temps were on a definite upswing. Max took me on a speedy power walk after work (he liked the warm weather, too), then I headed out in the running shoes. Since Monday’s run was a fail, I was eager to make up some miles. I got five miles done, all of which felt decent, even though my splits were all over the place.

Thursday - feeling quite thankful

I was on my own this week, but I was still up and at it in the early hour. I had a 20- mile ride on the roster, and got it done before heading to the office. With the rising temps, the skywalk was a mix of moderate cold and ultra hot, depending on the window placement, so the noontime 2-mile walk was a bit heated (no A/C yet).

After work, though, was when the magic came to life. The temps felt so much like summer, I was almost giddy. Granted, I was feeling fatigued, from the early morning ride and busy day at the office, but I knew I’d regret missing a warm evening run with the running cub. So, I decked myself in Hawkeye gear and headed over to Altoona (a mere seven miles away). This weekly run is almost always a tempo-like endeavor, and this particular run was no exception. And, the legs (and even the sometimes cranky hip/TFL/ITB) felt great. And, the warm temps were amazing.

Friday - keeping it low-key and low-impact

Following Thursday evening’s tempo(ish) run, as well as the 20-miler on the bike, I thought it wise to keep things somewhat easy-peasy. Besides, there also was a long(ish) run on Saturday’s roster. I got out for a refreshing sunrise walk, then also took my lunch walk outdoors (it was 66F!). 

Saturday - long run and a summer feels-like walk

The afternoon forecast was looking simply spectacular (see below). Though it wasn’t quite as warm in the early morning hours, the temps were still quite nice (mid-50’s) and the sunrise was everything. It had been a long time since I’ve done a sunrise run, in summer gear nonetheless. My pace was all over the place, much like Wednesday evening’s 5-miler, but I finished these seven miles with an average pace of 10:26. Like a few weeks ago, this pace felt somewhat slow at times, but it’s probably what I should be running these longish runs at, so all is well. I also got out for a 3-mile walk later in the afternoon (after watching the MSU Spartans defeat Louisville and the Iowa Hawkeye women win over FDU).

 …and what’s happening on Sunday?

There’s one last stair workout on-deck (the Fight for Air Climb is next weekend! For those who wish to support the cause, my fundraising page is HERE). I also have tentative plans for an afternoon run at the Iowa Brewery Running Series 2026 Kickoff. And, there will be more NCAA basketball! 

So, not a bad week, despite the crazy weather (I know, it seems like we have crazy weather every week, LOL). Running had 16 total miles. Walking saw 17 miles. Biking only had 27 miles this week (I considered hitting the trail, Saturday afternoon, but my bike is due for a tune-up and I didn’t feel like airing my tires…#BadExcuses). 

In case you missed our, here’s what went down in the blog:

Whiplashed by the Wind

Week of PI: Take-7

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Did I mention March Madness? Indeed, it had me repping my alma mater, the University of Iowa. Spoiler: The Hawkeyes defeated the Clemson Tigers on Friday evening, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Their next game is Sunday evening, against the Florida Gaters. 

The weather. This week saw an extreme swing in temps. The local meteorologists were in awe. Sunday and Monday were both insanely cold, psychotically windy and dangerous for driving

.

Things were much better by Wednesday. It got warmer on Thursday and Friday.

Then, things got really hot on Saturday. Of course, I was totally happy with the upswing in temps!

So yeah, it was quite a week!

Did you see similar weather this week? Did it affect your training, or outside activity? Did you wear green for St. Patrick’s Day? Any racing this weekend, or upcoming events?

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