Taking The "FUN", Out of the Run..

So every year our little elementary school has a fundraiser: The Panda Fun Run.
$16.00 will get ya a polyester t-shirt involving some kind of Panda in the graphic-- and a chance to run a mile at 8 a.m., in the frigid early morning air.. on a Saturday. Needless to say, I have never been against, yet never aggressively encouraged, participation. The flyer comes home.. I set it on the counter.. wait for someone to mention it.. and when they don't.. dispose of it properly.
I have always been quite pleased on past mornings of this very run.. when I dreamily awake at my own pace.. and peer out the window to see the balloons and orange cones littered around the school-- proving that there was indeed an event of some sort occurring, while I slept.
So you can imagine my inner resistance when my Bo came home, adamant on being apart of this years run. Hmmmm. Do I fake a scheduling conflict and assume we'll all sleep through the morning anyhow?? Or give the infamous "We'll see.." and never, really, "see"?
No. If you've been blessed enough to be taken by Bo's deep double dimples and swirly curly cowlick bangs.. you would know that obviously I could not form my lips into saying anything other than,
"Yeah! That would be SO fun."
And I did it. I paid the $30.00 I'd rather spend at T.J. Maxx for the two of us to enter, marked the calendar.. and every so often would build up just WHAT fun we would indeed, have together.
Fast forward to this morning. For some background-- never actually having Bo try to run a mile, coupled with staying up til' midnight as a family watching Avatar the night before, MIGHT not have been the best move in our pre-race planning.. but it is, only, a mile.. and Bo has popped awake after a mere 6 hours of sleep just to be first to get computer time on more than a few occasions.. SO.. when I found him wrapped up snuggly in his cozy covers this morning, I wasn't too worried about rousing him. As I whispered..
"It's the Fun Run today Bo.."
he lay there perfectly still.. and then whispered back..
"I don't think I can do it."
Mom: Sure you can bud.. let's go.
Bo: It's cold.
Mom: I know.. but running will warm us up.
Bo: Can we quit?
Mom: Um.. sure.. I guess.. (not my best Mothering moment..)
Bo: I'm tired.
Mom: I know buddy. But you get a t-shirt.
Bo: O.K. (Long, contemplative pause..)Can you carry me upstairs?
I complied.. carried him upstairs, dressed him, socked and shoed him.. gave him a piece of gum for his morning breath.. and we were off. Off to the first corner in the race that is.. when he suddenly bent over in anguish and cried in pain--
"My belly!!"
That went on for some time. We slowed to a toddlers walking pace.. and spent the next 3/4 of a mile with Bo blurting out comments to the tune of,
"I cannot, do this. Can we just go back to the house? I think I'm seriously gonna short-cut through the playground.."
We came in right at 14 minutes.

Next year.. the flyer doesn't even get counter time.