It crossed my mind again last week and I went on-line to check out the registration process. As luck would have it the event was sold out. Unfortunately now that I was actually on the website, really checking it out, it looked amazing! I wanted to go! I wanted Owen to go!
I quickly scanned which other cities which were going to be hosting this event, and then ran a quick google search on flights to Austin, Miami, and Detroit. Eventually reality struck, and I realized that paying 600 dollars for 2 flights and pulling Owen out of school for a 30$ 5k was probably a bit unrealistic.
Ok, no problem, back to plan A...with modifications. Could I find someone who was signed up and convince them to sell us their entry, I was willing to pay a small fee of course. Or perhaps since it is actually a 5k as in KILOMETERS, and seeing as I do not technically run, could I somehow convince someone who is actually crazy enough to run, to temporarily adopt Owen and just run with him. (per the faq section of the website: racers under age 7 will not need a race number, meaning they would never actually be able to tell if he was officially registered or not.) Perfect, I could sit in my lawn chair on the sidelines and take pictures.
Reality again, its a week away and Owen has never actually run a 5k. I mean he runs around on the playground all the time, he could do it right? Brief thoughts about testing him, to see how he would do...how far is it from our apartment to Walmart? I could drive the car and he could run down the sidewalk and we could see how he does? How cold is it out? (44 confirmed via my iPhone app) too cold to be training a 7 year old, and then oh geez I just realized we can't even start this until after school. By the time I get him some food and we go back out its going to be getting dark, does he really need to eat first?
Eventually I realize that him actually running the race was out of the question. Back to the website, Course map: ok so it shows all of the locations that they are going to be throwing out color. Well obviously according to this map there are numerous shortcuts we could take (note to self: are these real city roads? Could we just drive between color stations?) so theoretically perhaps we could hit all color stations and yet not actually go the entire 5k.
Beginning to wonder why they give so much good information on the webpage do they want everyone (and their kid) crashing their event, one more glance over the webpage brings me to the store tab. BINGO! As it turns out you can simply BUY the COLOR.
Lets think about this, why EXACTLY, do I want to attend this particular event? As you pass through this life you're faced with thousands of choices that shape who you are, what kind of person you will become, and how successful you'll be. These decisions either build or destroy character and can be life changing for you and those around you. Sometimes you are faced with a decision so important that everything hinges upon you choosing correctly.
This however has nothing to do with that. Plain and simple I think the pictures are cool, I think it would be fun to get Owen all colored up and take pictures of him. Problem solved we will just go, buy color, throw it on him, take a few pics, and be done, easy.
So the morning finally arrives and its raining. Too bad, we are still going, I put way too much research into this to give up now. Quick stop at the store for a pair of sunglasses, don't want color getting in his eyes. He wants to know what we are going to do about it going in his nose, I quickly recommend not breathing. Problem solved, lets go. So we arrive, park almost 5k from the actual event itself, and hike to the starting line.
They recommend (thank you trusty CMR webpage) using a slow shutter speed, Luckily I had researched slow shutter speed apps and downloaded a free one for the iPhone. Lets do this:
Blue bombardment
Blitzkrieg of yellow
Green explosion
We skip the pink for obvious reasons...
I take some shots in between colors, switching back to normal shutter speed, I am so clever with this whole photography thing...
We have succeeded in brightening his (and my) day literally and figuratively.
I have a feeling Tide with bleach is going to be calling him to star in their next commercial.
Silkscreened like a tie-dyed hippie.
I pride myself on the foresight to invest in the 99 cent pair of freaking sweet sunglasses:
(his nose was fine too, nothing inhaled)
I make him strip prior to getting in my car, I am a fun mom but not stupid.
When we get home its back to business and on with the day:
Get that mess off of yourself...
(and please rinse the tub when you get out you know how I feel about a ring around that tub boy!)
While he cleaned, I cleaned.
Some things I tried to return to their original state.
Others I tried to preserve in their new form.
Yup the website tells how to do both.
In case you were wondering what exactly this color that I let me child douse himself in is well it was: non-toxic, non-rash-inducing, Kroger branded, colored corn-starch. Subsidized by the government and processed in the good ol' US of A, these blasts of starch will change his color, and his demeanor, but never his level of wellness.
As for next year, if CMR returns to Madison we will most likely be there, and this time we will bring friends. Like playing chess, CMR would be even more fun with friends. Thank you for having the BEST website ever, couldn't have done it without you!
