Day of the Tread

I was a little hesitant to do this since I would be alone with my son and sometimes the logistics can be overwhelming when you're trying to handle a bike and a son that likes to try and run away from you.  But when I saw that they added a 12 mile family ride where you rode out the 12 miles then caught the train back downtown I knew my son would love that and went for it.  I had done this ride pre kiddo when they had first started doing Day of the Tread and I'm happy to say they've come a long ways.  They were a lot more organized this time around!  My son had a blast and I got a good workout in!  I could say it's the best day we've had in a while but that's probably just because the day before was a tough one and we spent most of it in a standoff of wills. 

Riding the clunky commuter bike with the heavy child's seat on the bike is becoming quite the challenge now that my son is nearing the 40lb mark.  My legs were surprisingly sore so I was happy to get a good workout in and have some fun doing it!  On the way there I was scared my little bike rack wasn't going to stay on my car as the added weight from the bike seat kept making it rise up on that side.  We made it and I realized I had forgotten our bib number, which you needed in order to get on the train on the way back, and sunscreen for my kiddo's face.  Luckily the race organizers took care of us on both!  Thank you!!!   Then we saw the 26 mile ride take off in front of us and all the costumes.  My son fell in love with the Roadrunner Mascot and it was so cute seeing him dance with him and imitate his dance moves then fall to the ground in laughter.  He was seriously giddy with him.  He was a little scared when the "devil" tried to say hi to him. 

We stopped to hear the Mariachis play around mile 2 and I had the song stuck in my head for the rest of the ride.  They had an aid station at mile 4 so we stopped for a break and ate some snacks.  We had to do a couple of potty breaks for my son and have a talk about why he has to leave his helmet on and he fell asleep around mile 8 and poor little guys head kept falling forward and hitting my back or he'd be double over with his head practically in his lap.  They helped us get our bikes on the train and we went up and road in the top car.  Once we got off the train we had police escort back to the finish.  A good day with great weather(although unseasonably warm for this time of year) and a lot of helpful volunteers and nice riders!  I'm glad I take these risks and get out there because in the end it is always worth it. 

Happy Training!