a one-time event (lyn)

I'm startled by Alexander's agreement to go on an early morning walk with me.  

We’re out the door by 7, on our way to the nearby bike path.  My mother, who worries a lot about food, traffic, and weather, has already tried to convince us to just walk in the neighborhood as “it can be dangerous on the bike path with so many bicyclists.”  She also reminds us that “however far you walk along the path going out, you’ll have to walk the same distance to get back.”

We drive the 10-minutes over to the bike path.  It’s pretty deserted when we get there.  We hear only an occasional, “On your left,” thereby negating my mother’s traffic report.  We decide to walk 1.8 miles in each direction.  

It’s overcast but humid.  While I’m enjoying the walk with my son, he’s (a) not happy to be up so early, (b) displeased with the sticky weather,  (c) not in the mood to be exercising, and (d) finds the scenery of mostly trees less interesting than looking at houses.

At about the 3-mile mark, Alexander says, “This is the worst of everything.  We are walking just fast enough to be sweaty, but not fast enough for me to be getting any kind of workout.  Don’t bother waking me tomorrow.”