My AM Run

I woke up bright and early this morning at 7am when I heard the gentle cry of my darling daughter, "mommy".... Yea right... it was more like I unfortunately didn't sleep past 7 this morning due to my daughter screaming "Mommy I want MILK!!!!". So instead of going back to bed and struggling to go back to sleep I decided to do an AM run. Typically not my thing since I'm not a morning person but hey, if J can do it, why can't I?

I take off at 7:49 am running down the block. I've not decided yet where I'm going to run and I guess that's my favorite part of running. I could go up the trail by my self but I decide it's too scary even though it's light out. There is no where to go if I need help. I thank my Mom for the paranoia and continue running up the street. The first mile is always the worst. Once I finish the first mile I'm in for a few so I decide to take it up DPA. A few seedy creatures are hanging out in front of the laundromat as usual. No one says anything so this run is still a success. I try to work on my running posture, keeping my hands low and my back straight. Last week during the 10k I saw a woman running with her head about 5 feet in front of her legs. It didn't look comfortable so as I said, I work on my posture by glancing at my reflection in the store fronts. This works well.. especially since the stores are closed and no one is looking back. I hate it when people glare at me while I run.

On my way back down DPA a guy on a bicycle is riding down the same street across the road from me. He stops to talk to someone outside the seedy laundromat. I keep running. Suddenly he rides to catch up to me, staying on his side of the street. He's staring, more like ogling... yea, at 8 in the morning a guy is being disgusting... hard to believe? So, I'm almost ok with this. He isn't saying anything and he'll likely go away soon so I keep running. He follows me 3/4 of the way down DPA and then starts the cat calls. I guess someone forgot to tell him that I beat up boys for fun. :)

Now, it's 8 in the morning, I'm sweating, un-showered - yea, not a sight you want to wake up to. What the hell is wrong with this guy? Does he actually think that I'd be interested in interrupting my run to stop and talk to him after he's screaming "Mamacita" out in the middle of the street? What does he get out of this. Now that he's followed me about a 1/2 mile I'm getting pretty worried. I'm imagining in my head that I run into the nearest open store (not many open at this hour) and I ask to use the phone to call the police. It would interrupt my run though, so I keep running. He finally goes down another block so paranoid me checks my back for the other 2 miles and imagines the steps I'd take if he caught up with me... running to someones door and knocking until they woke up. I begin looking for houses that look like old people live there so that I can assume that they are awake at this hour.

To make a long story short, he doesn't show up again. I run home hoping that no one is following me wondering why the heck I decided to run in the morning. I arrive at 8:22 am to my husband putting out the garbage without a shirt on. A lady walks by walking her dog and nicely says hello to him. No cat calls, "Papacita", or anything like that. What the hell?! I had clothes on!

Honestly, I'm sure anyone else would have gotten over this episode quickly but me - I'm paranoid because of my wonderful Mom. :) Love you Mom!

Anyway, I thought I'd share the story with you all so that when I disappear, you can look for the guy screaming "Mamacita" at sweaty runners in the morning.

-s