Does anyone here hate headwinds? Because I have to tell you, although headwinds are hard to train through, they make you a better triathlete. I know some people who get their trainers out as soon as they feel a heavy wind outside. No! That's not a good habit to get into. What you guys really need to do is head out on the bike or get some track intervals in on these windy days, and those will be good, key sessions in your training. Earlier today we were doing 400 repeats on the track, and as we came around into the final 200, we would get blasted with a crazy hard wind, and it forced us to work that much harder mentally and physically to keep up the pace. See? These winds help us become better athletes-especially on the bike. Stronger winds can definitely be felt by any cyclist training on the road-and they suck. I know they do. They are really hard to push through, but you can do it! As soon as you know you're up against a headwind, just put your head down and push through the ride. Over my years of biking on open roads, I've developed some methods of telling whether or not there is a headwind-here they are:
1. This is the only way to find a wind wherever you are. If you are biking in the summer, look at the leaves on the trees. If they are blowing around very rapidly and opposite the direction you are going-then you've got a headwind.
2. Another great method I've found is that on my routes there are many American flags out in the open close to the road. You'll find these around government buildings that serve the community, police stations, fire stations, hospitals, etc. As you cycle past, look at the flag. Whichever way it is flapping in the wind is the way the wind is headed. I know it's very simple, but it's a great surefire way of knowing.
3. This last method only works if their has been a recent downpour of rain, and enough to make puddles next to the road. The winds also have to be blowing very strongly to use this method. Anyway, when passing a puddle, if you can see little ripples headed towards you in the water, you've got a headwind-a big one.
Like I said, when people encounter headwinds, they get discouraged and stay inside the house to ride. That's not what training is all about, it's about getting out and improving! That's my little mantra for whenever I come across a headwind: "It's only making you better." That's something I say to myself every time I go out and ride against a wind. But for real, they can be a lot of fun to ride with a tailwind! If you ever get the chance, during a ride with a headwind, turn around halfway through and you can just stumble across free speed-I'm talking about 3-MPH average faster here guys! It's such a cool feeling, so all in all, don't run and hide during headwinds-go ride or run.
Happy training everyone!
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