Weathering the Week

 

It was another interesting week of weather.

Lucky us, we were blessed with a little bit of everything this week. Although there was some sunshine, it was a contest between the wind and the rain for the most attention. There even was a little hint of tornado conditions. Never a dull moment!

Before I dive into the deets of another windy 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 wild weather:

Sunday - Fighting for Air!

As most know, Sunday morning had me downtown Des Moines, climbing 80-ish flights of stairs! Once again, I was reminded of the simple gifts  of  breathing (as my lungs were trashed), energy (as my heart was pounding), and physical perseverance (as my legs were exhausted). I finished with a 4th place AG, which was a nice reward. The recap is coming, so stay tuned. 

Never miss a Monday

After an invigorating pre-sunrise 2-mile walk through the ‘hood, I retreated to the sweat den down under for some core-focused strength work The temps were absolutely stunning by late-morning, so I took my 2-mile lunch walk outdoors! . 

After work, Max led me around the block, for a quick walk. Then, I hastily headed back out for a fast and furious 2-mile run. I barely made it back in the house before the skies opened up and the rain came down. The 86F temps were oh-so-fine, but the wind was crazy!

A typical low-impact Tuesday

There was more rain in the forecast, but the morning was looking dry (upon wake-up, but that changed shortly after we made it back home). My body was craving a low-key day, so this early morning walk was a perfect fit, and Max enjoyed a rare pre-workday walk with his mommy. There was the usual 2-mile lunch walk (back in the skywalk) and another 2-miler in the evening.

Wednesday - Where’s the full moon?

Just like March’s Worm Moon, April’s Pink Moon was shrouded behind cloud cover as well. It did make a brief appearance, though, during Wednesday morning’s group run…but that’s the last we saw of it. After getting back home, I gave the glutes some much-needed attention, via resistance bands and a Peloton workout. There also was more walking over lunch, and with Max after work (three total miles).

Thankful Thursday 

It was another cold, breezy and rainy morning in Bondurant, so I was inside for the weekly meet-up with Deb. I got in 20 miles on the bike before we parted (virtual) ways. Over lunch, I logged another 2-miles walk in the DSM skywalk.

Although it was somewhat chilly (and crazy windy #again), I hadn’t been outside all day. The rain had moved on, but the air was still feeling pretty damp. It was a small turnout for the Thursday evening group run, but we got it done. As per usual, these Thursday runs tend to be more like a tempo run than a leisurely social endeavor. This week was no exception…the 3-miler showed an average pace of 9:38…and the wind didn’t kill us!

Active Recovery Friday 

After the previous evening’s tempo-ish run, and with a long run on-deck for Saturday, I thought an active recovery day was in order. There was rain in the forecast (again), but the morning was still dry, so I opted for some fresh air and a quick walk before heading to work. I got my daily lunchtime skywalk done as well. The rainy forecast did hold, as we had rain all day and evening (and I got caught in it, on my way to and from my happy hour get-together #ugh). 

Long Run Saturday…not quite

My sleep wasn’t too stellar this week, and Friday night followed suit. I dozed-off on the couch, and woke up around 3:30, and couldn’t fall back to sleep after getting in my actual bed. I was hoping to knock-out a 9-10 mile run, but outside was cold, windy and the air was damp. Besides, my body legitimately felt exhausted. I made a command decision the long run wouldn’t be happening and a shorter run would suffice, but not for a few hours later. Instead, I hit the trusty bike for 15 miles, and followed that with some core work and an upper-body workout.

After refueling (thank you, pancakes!), I changed into weather-appropriate run gear and headed outside. Although there was intermittent sunshine, the sustained wind was brutal. Thankfully, I was able to grit it out, and finished with a 5K effort (complete with negative splits!). And, I had ZERO regrets on on the much shorter distance.

…and what’s happening on Sunday?

The jury is still out, but church is a half-hour earlier than usual, so I will be on a tight early-morning schedule. I might just do the easy thing and hop on the bike for a few miles, and save the walk for after church (II have most of the food prepped and ready for Easter dinner around 12:30). 

So, not a bad week considering the brutal wind and temperamental weather. The running mileage came up a little short (11 miles) with Saturday’s shortened “long” run, but I still know my endurance is good. The walking logged a respectable 20 miles this week. Biking was on the low spectrum, as well, with 35 miles. As mentioned, my body felt somewhat tired this week and my quality of sleep was marginal at best. I’m hoping I can get back on track this next week.

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

A Welcome Seasonal Shift

An Early Spring Coffee Chat

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. It was a chilly day, with day-long rain and cold temps. It actually felt more like football weather than spring. It’s not pictured, but I had my teal puffer vest on standby. Desperate times, right?

The 2026 RAGBRAI route and overnight towns were announced in January, but this week the pass-through towns were revealed. Day-4, which starts in Boone and ends in Marshalltown is probably gonna be my day of riding, as both of those towns are within 45-ish minutes from my driveway. That day’s route looks fairly flat as well and is approximately 65 miles in length. For those who don’t know, RAGBRAI is the acronym for the week-long Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. It draws thousands of cyclists from every state, as well as some from overseas. While I’ve never ridden the entire week, I have ridden individual days in recent years (recaps: 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025).  

Finally, I guess I’m nothing if not consistent. These Facebook memories made me laugh. Obviously, the windy weather was not only similar, but I somehow managed to wear the same tights and headband. You can’t really see it, but I’m also wearing the same burgundy top in the left and the center pics. You can’t make this stuff up, LOL.

That’s the latest and (somewhat) greatest. The cold temps and extreme wind, late in the week, really has me wanting summer to arrive (even though we’re barely into spring). That said, I am loving the extended daylight…we still have pretty full daylight at 8:00PM now. 

How did your week play-out? Did you have a few strange temperature swings, or extreme weather (we had a a couple of tornado watches!)? 

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