Labels

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Show Me Your Marathon -- I Dare You

You think you ran a marathon on Sunday, Gebre Gebremariam, Edna Kiplagat, Edison Pena, Al Roker, Meredith Viera and Jared Fogle?  You try getting a 10 year old up and out on his last day of "Halloween Break" and let's see who can claim the thrill of victory.

8 a.m. (really 9 a.m. as we have just turned back the clocks). The Awake and Stretch.  Attempt to wake up Thing 2 for our train into the big city to watch the NYC Marathon.  Thing 2 rolls over, curses under his breath, and pulls his five layers of blankets back over his head.  I pull them off (arm exercises) and start to massage his back.  He pushes me away, moaning "Ma -Ah!"

8:30 a.m.  The Climb and Threaten.  I walk back upstairs and threaten him that if he doesn't get up immediately, we won't have time to walk through Times Square and glimpse the peek-a-boo shows.  That gets his attention.

9:00 a.m.  The Plead and Reach.  "What do you want for breakfast?"  I ask Thing 2.  He starts to name virtually everything we don't have in the house (because I haven't been shopping this year AND HE KNOWS THAT):  pancakes, sausage, fresh bagels, muffins, lox.  I reach to the top of the fridge and pull down some sugary "weekend cereal" to keep things moving along.

9:30 a.m.  The Command and Bundle.  It's 35 degrees outside and Thing 2 has not yet deigned to don any of his winter clothing this season because, according to him, "It's hot outside."  (You would think he were menopausal).  I plant my feet firmly on the kitchen floor, draw myself up to my full 5 feet 2 inches in height, fold my arms like Mr. Clean and give him that look that says,"We ain't going nowhere."  Point taken - winter jacket on, but not without a parting shot:  I look fat in this.

10:00 a.m.  The Run, Fumble and Run Again.  Reach train station, park car and run to the ticket machine, where I drop my keys and credit card.  Machine spits out correct tickets, we run up the stairs and hurl ourselves onto the train as the doors close behind us.

I'm exhausted.  And I don't even get a medal.

2 comments: