Ridiculous Central Iowa Weather

We have had some ridiculous weather in Central Iowa in the last couple of weeks that has not cooperated with my triathlon training. A few weeks ago we had drought conditions, but that has quickly changed to flooding. In the intermittent weeks, there were MANY windy days…Oh, the relentless wind. Some people may not pay as much attention to the weather and scoff at the relentless wind, but as a triathlete, I enjoy the opportunity to get outside and complete my workouts safely.

When every bike ride I do pounds wind in my face, I have one of two choices…gain mental strength from the challenge I’m faced with or mentally break down. I choose to accept the wind as a challenge that is going to make me stronger. This relentless wind has helped me improve my physical strength and mental strength. I have had to alter how I’ve completed some of my workouts due to the extreme weather, but that has only added to the mental strength I have gained.

Some of the more memorable Central Iowa weather days for me include the following:

Sunday, May 19, 2013:

I knew there were storms in the forecast for later in the day, so I got out early to complete my triple brick. Those storms did eventually show up and boy was I glad to have my workout complete when they did!!

After part of the storm had pushed through the area.

Saturday, May 25, 2013:

I was suppose to complete a dress rehearsal for my upcoming race, but I pushed it back to Sunday due to the severe weather. Instead, I did Sunday’s workouts…swim in the pool and run on the treadmill.

Sunday, May 26, 2013:

I had to go to the gym to swim in the pool for my race day dress rehearsal since there was thunder and lightening in the area. I was hoping that the weather would clear up enough for me to ride outside while I was swimming indoors, but no such luck!! 😦 Instead I had to hook my bicycle up to the trainer in the basement and ride in my own head for 2 hours at race pace. While I rode in the basement, the weather did clear up enough for me to complete my dress rehearsal with an outdoor run. I ran for one hour at an average pace of 8:42…I felt really good and strong 🙂 This was a huge mental boost for race day!!

The weather over the weekend did lead to some flooding in Ames…so much for that drought from a couple of weeks ago!!