Wind

Current conditions in Wichita: Cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Temperature 38*F. Humidity 55%. Winds N at 28 MPH, gusting to 45 MPH. Visibility 10 miles. (thanks, KMUW).

Hills? Bah! I laugh at your puny hills!

Profundity

There are a handful of things that regularly shock me by the deep level of satisfaction they afford me.

Writing a song or poem (or a blog post).

Actually getting through all the things that I have to do in a day.

And the feeling that wells up as the deep misery of a tough bike ride through high winds (15-25 MPH), rain, and muddy dirt roads fades away.

Holy Crap!

High wind advisory.

Tornado advisory.

Severe weather advisory.

Holy crap, Kansas! You finally figured out it's spring!

Finally . . .

Got outside today.

And how awesome was it?

Pretty awesome.

I set up a group ride for the multisport club today, since we haven't been able to do a group ride all together yet and the forecast was for a high of 56 F with 10 MPH winds (that would translate to warm and calm, for those of you fortunate to live in sunny, warm, less windy climates). Only one of my ladies showed up, but that was fine. She's very chatty, and a lot of fun to ride with. The wind was from the west by northwest, mostly around 10-15 MPH, but gusting to more than that, I think. We started out riding north for about 10 miles, then did a little loop around Furley, KS (now if I meet any of the 80 people who live there, I can say, "Furley? I know where that is! Yeah, I like to ride around there). And it was a really, really little loop. Like less than 2 miles. Then we headed east for 4 miles, the wind at our backs the whole way (and downhill for most of it, to boot). That little jog east was amazing. Even going up the hills, our speed never dropped below 20 MPH. Of course after all that wonderfulness, we had to turn back around and ride uphill into the wind. We did some quick arithmetic, and found it amusing that the speed of the wind was forecast for 13 MPH, which is approximately how much slower we rode heading west. We finished with the 10 miles south towards Wichita, once again with the wind at our backs. We probably averaged 16 MPH, with a few stops for water and gel. All told, we went 32 miles and had a great time. It was an excellent day to be outside.

And so much better than being stuck on a trainer or spinning bike!

It's Not Worth It

Yes, I am an athlete, and yes, I am used to making sacrifices. I am willing to undergo what normal people would consider extreme pain in the pursuit of faster speed. I even enjoy pushing my body well beyond the point of uncomfortable.

And I tell myself that it's not that bad. Once I get going, it will feel great. That I just have to go for a couple miles, and then I'm done for the day.

But you know what? 13 F is just too cold for a tempo run.

Wreaking Havoc

"...Wind Advisory remains in effect from 10 am this morning to
10 PM CDT this evening...

South winds of 30 to 40 mph... with gusts up to 50 mph are
expected today. The very strong winds will continue into the
evening hours across the advisory area. The strongest winds are
expected west of a line from just west of Emporia to Arkansas City.

A Wind Advisory means that sustained winds of at least 30 mph
and or wind gusts over 45 mph are expected. Winds this strong can
make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles. Use
extra caution."

Well this absolutely wreaks havoc with my training schedule. 'Cause no way I'm getting out on my bike for 20 miles if it involves 50 MPH gusts.

What I Miss Most

Let's see, now . . . after three whole days in Kansas, what do I miss most about California?

• Cheap, high-quality produce
• Trader Joe's
• Not hot
• Not humid
• Not windy

The wind here is absolutely insane. It's hard to run when it's blowing, it's hard to bike, and it's even hard to swim. Yesterday, I swam for 20 minutes in Lake Afton before giving up; the whitecaps were too much for me.

I'm going to have to change my plan of attack, I think. Tomorrow, I'll try biking early in the morning. It will definitely be cooler, and I hope it will also be less windy.

FYI, what I miss most in California are my awesome tri buddies.

Wind

Yesterday marked my re-entry into the wonderful world of cycling in Kansas. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have an entire road to yourself, to have motorists move over a whole lane as they pass, even to have people stop and ask, "You doin' okay?" Unfortunately, I'd also forgotten how demoralizing a stiff 20 MPH headwind can be. Of course, my little bit of wind was nothing compared to this year's IMAZ, but reminding myself of that did nothing to help me as soon as I turned south.

Additionally, my parents apparently do not eat food. There's not much to work with here. I'm going to have to stock the refridgerator and pantry with healthy edibles like beans and tofu and fresh fruits and veggies! Speaking of, it's probably about time for me to share a recipe . . .