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The mountains were calling, and I had to go. Maybe that was it. Or maybe it was just altitude necessity.

Stolen from Pintrest...

Although I wished for an eternal summer, my altitude training was greeted with an early winter storm instead. Yes. 8 inches of snow in October. Who would have thought? I am not much of a snow person. I am not anticipating the ski season, nor did I want a reminder that winter was really approaching. However, when given the chance to be snowed in, you don’t really have a choice, do you?

One day...and then...

The next day..

There was something I loved about the snow though. The quietness it left on the landscape. The stillness it brought around the house. The fluffy transformation it did with the already beautiful mountain view. All plans were thwarted, and I had to just wait. Wait to be rescued. Wait to ride. Wait.

Donner Lake

I have never been snowed in, nor do I intend to on a regular basis…but there wasn’t an option. I had to relinquish control and learn a thing or two about snow, myself, and improvisation.

What does a training athlete do when she is snowed in at her very own altitude training camp?

• Embrace it. How often does this happen? Hopefully not that often.
• Rest a day. Then you have to make something work.
• Get a trainer/rollers. Thanks to Paco’s Bike and Ski Shop, I was able to get a little bit of “work” in on the bike, still leaving plenty of time to enjoy my snow day.
• Make friends with people with 4×4. Reminded me of high school.
• Forage for food in the pantry.
• Consider yourself lucky you have a Peanut Butter sponsorship. Because when you can’t make it to the grocery store, at least you have the sustainable energy of PB.
• Take the dare, and make a snow angel. When is the last time you did that? It brings the kid out in you. Sometimes you need that.
• Craft a snowman.
• Challenge yourself to the hot tub/snow/hot tub/snow plunge and see who wins. The nice thing about competing against yourself is that you are always the winner.
• Write thank you cards. We have so much to be thankful for.
• Call your mom. I do this every day, but why not?
• Work on your bikes. Thanks to Davis Wheelworks for the help with this!
• Read.
• Think. Ponder. Plan. You get the idea.

Take a dare.

Although there were probably millions of ways to enjoy the snow days, it also wasn’t the time to completely play. There is still a focus required for the Pan Am Games. One more race. Then, it will be time to not only just enjoy moments like that, but also take out the Nordic skis or snowshoes. Not yet.

I survived the snow. And when the weather soon returned to its predictable state of warmth, it gave me more reason than ever to ride around the lake. Look at the views, and be thankful for not only the beautiful day, but also the days leading up to it. Some days are about preparation, and other days are about waiting. The mountains reminded me of this, and I will be back.

For now…onto Mexico.

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