If You Don't Like the Weather, Wiat a Minute...

If you follow my blog, you would have seen that last Saturday's race was beautiful. It was mid 70's and clear blue skies. A slight breeze wafted through the park from time to time, just enough to create a pleasant ride. Last Sunday's race was quite a contrast. We woke to 23 degree weather with damp, gray skies. We had expected to find snow, but there was only a dusting up in the mountains. Our race was at 9 a.m. in Evergreen, a nice mountain town about 45 minutes away. I called the grocery store there to inquire about the weather. It seemed their night was more mild than ours had been. As we drove the snow began to fly. The wind wanted to keep pace and began its own show. We arrived early. Some of our friends arrived a bit later, their bikes caked in ice from the sleet that had taken hold of Denver. There they were, minutes before the race, hacking the ice off with tools. One person was clever enough to use deicer. My kids were excited, and a bit nervous. Racing is cold weather with snow and ice is a whole new ball game. They kept bundled until it was time to start. Early on Ellie's leg warmer crept down to her ankle, but she did not have a way to pull it up without loosing time. Ethan fell a few times, but kept going. I was proud of him for that. Each season seems to have a theme for each of my children. For Ethan, it is finding his limits. At the Brecktober race he felt and dropped out of the race once he got to where we were. But end of the race he already felt better and had wished that he had kept going. This happened again at another race. I am sure this time it was a battle to decide - keep racing, or stop. Of course I want him to stop when he needs to, but I think it is also important to know that you can push through some hard things, some levels of pain. By the end of the race they were both happy to be done, but they were also both very charged. Ellie came in second place. Ethan got 8th. I don't know if they really "enjoy" racing in such cold weather, but I do know that they love it. It makes them feel strong, invincible. What a feeling that is! Another junior team setup a two tents side by side and cooked pancakes, bacon and hot cocoa for anyone who wanted it. The place was crowded with happy junior racers and the smell of warm maple syrup. They hope tomorrows race will be a cold one, too.