I look at my wife who rolls her eyes and continues working on dinner. "Uh, you know bud, it's really hot outside - like Africa hot." At that moment the weather report comes on the TV - heat index is 109. I look at my son. He is unphased by this. Weather conditions mean nothing to him. He plays like a goldfish eats. "Uh, let's see how things are after dinner." Mistake. I didn't say no so for him there's an implied yes. Too late I realize the mistake. My wife smiles and shakes her head - she's with my daughter on this one - we're crazy.
Yes we are. We ended up having a great 4 mile bike ride. Not bad for an 8 year old in temperatures that felt like a 109. There was a small hill (ok, I'm from Illinois so a hill for us is a speed bump for most folks) along our route and when he saw it he smiled and turned for it. It suddenly occured to me that this was his master plan all along.
As we rode towards it he glanced over his shoulder and said "water". Sort of like a surgeon says "scalpel". Suddenly I was the domestique ferrying water to the team leader for the final assault to the top of the mountain. He confidently took the water bottle from my hands, took a couple of swigs, and gave it back. I half expected him to throw it to the side. I slowed down to let him go first. He stood up on his pedals and began a strong, stable, rhythmic climb to the top. I've never seen him do this before. To my knowledge he's never seen me do it. Where the heck does he get this stuff?
He's dead serious. In his mind he's going for the stage win. He checks back on the competition and then with a final frenzied sprint coasts over the top of the mountain. He straightens out his jersery and then smiles for the cameras. He's just won a stage in the Tour de Hood. I'm glad I was there to be a part of it. Sometimes it's good to be the crazy parent.
My daughter was waiting for me as I walked throught the door after the ride. "Hi Dad - wanna go swimming?" She's sitting on the couch. She already has her swimsuit on. She's trying to be deadpan but can't resist cracking up.
My kids rock.
Workout Summary
Holy crap was it humid this morning. The weatherman claimed that a cold front pushed through and the humidity would be lower. Perhaps at 3:00 PM but not at 5:30 AM apparently. The Rooster figured out the difference between AM and PM on his alarm clock and made it in this morning. The irony of the Rooster over sleeping continues to crack me up.
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