Rise and Shine? More like Rise and Suck.

In the previous post I mentioned this morning's run. When I am motivated to get up and run before work I like to call it a "Rise and Shine Run." (This does not happen frequently enough for my liking, but I'm lazy and I like my bed, so what can I say? Contrary to what a lot of people think/have told me, I'm actually not ridiculously hard on myself in ALL facets of my life.) I call it Rise and Shine because running before work entails that I essentially roll out of bed and throw on my gear no later than 6am to head off on my regular 8k route. I need to go this early to allow myself enough time to get home and shower, laze around watching The Ellen Degeneres Show (its on at 7.10am in Denmark) and BBC News while I eat breakfast, drink a massive cup of coffee, and get dressed before heading off to work on my bike around 8:30. (I need at least an hour to do post-run stuff, but I try to allow for some "wiggle room." (And by wiggle room I mean "uh-oh, I just got totally enraptured in some BBC story about this or that, it's 8.20 and I'm still sitting here in my towel" room) Admittedly, I'm a bit lethargic in the morning, regardless of whether I run or not.) So yeah, anyway, when I head off on a RSR I usually head out the door in a hypnagogic state. Sometimes I even have the strange yet distinct sensation that I’m about to fall asleep during my entire first kilometer or so. It’s weird.

I've actually dragged myself out of bed for an RSR two days in a row now, which is an accomplishment in the middle of the week because my office has "morning meetings" every Wednesday at 8.30am, so I need to leave my apartment extra early on Wednesdays to get there in time. Because of this, I usually don't even try to wake up in time for an RSR on Wednesdays because a) I have to get up extra early because I have to be AT work by the time I usually try to leave my place and b) breakfast is served at the meetings, so even if I did go for an RSR, I'd have to wait to refuel afterwards and by the time the meeting started I'd probably be starving and eat too much. I mean, yeah, technically don't have to. I could eat my regular breakfast at home and skip the meeting breakfast, but warm bread and jam from one of the best bakeries in town is difficult to pass up and a yummy once-a-week indulgence worth waiting for. Anyway, though, shocker of all shockers, I actually dragged myself out of bed for an RSR both Wednesday and today (Thursday) this week. And, believe it or not, I even limited myself to just one piece of warm bread with raspberry jam at the meeting (I've been surprisingly unhungry recently). So, why am I about to complain? Because today’s run kind of sucked.

It all started off okay. I didn’t even feel the first kilometer tiredness I sometimes do… but, by the time I hit kilometer two or three I had a really, really strange feeling in my right calf every time my foot hit the ground. It was almost an “itchy” feeling, for lack of a better description. Not itchy on the outside. More like an itchy muscle on the inside. (???) It didn’t hurt so much as it was just uncomfortable. It lasted the rest of my run and I’m still feeling it, hours later, at 2pm. I’m a little concerned, and I just spent the last hour engaged in a quasi-hypochondraic WedMD quest for a diagnosis. I’ve considered DVT, fibromyalgia, and phlebitis, to name a few. Then I got bored. Undiagnosed ADD, I know it!

The rest of my run was okay, I guess. Parts were enjoyable. I saw some really cute baby ducks and some ugly baby swans (Hans Christian Andersen, anyone?). But, and now I know I have lived in Denmark too long, I WAS SOOOO HOT. It was weird, because when I live in the Mid-Atlantic United States I often run in the summer when it’s like 90 degrees F+ humidity without much complaint. This morning it was like 70F without humidity in Copenhagen and I felt really hot, sweaty, and grouchy. I guess my stalwart Viking blood is only applicable to cold weather tolerance these days.

At the end of my run, the worst and grossest thing happened. I was running along my last leg of the lakes before I turn up the street towards my house. Instead of staying on the gravel path by the lake, I popped up onto the paved area. Apparently (I did not know this), this is a “bike path,” (cykelsti) or so the guy I accidentally cut off told me. I think he’s wrong, because I’ve seen people running up there before, but whatever. Moreover, he should have been looking out for me. First of all, I had my head phones on. Second of all, I was running in front of him. Third of all, I feel the fact that he nearly ran into me mere nanoseconds after I slightly diverged from my straight path is strongly indicative that he was biking WAY too close to me. I quickly apologized, kept running, and thought nothing of it until about 30 seconds later. At the end of my last lake leg I stopped to have a quick sip of water (I’m telling you, I was sooo hot!) before I headed off on the last, road leg home, which I usually try to pick up the pace on (you know, finish strong and all that!). As I stood there taking a quick sip, I saw the guy I had accidentally cut off was stuck in the middle of the road (the light had turned when he was halfway, so he got stuck on the median. FACT: Danish people never cross against the lights). He turned back and looked at me while I was looking at him and… get this… gave me that gross vagina licking sign!! (You know the one with your two fingers in a reverse victory/peace sign with your tounge licking around in the middle!?!) OMG. So gross anytime, but especially at 6.45am. EEEEEW. I immediately sprinted off up the street, not even spending time recapping my water bottle. So, so gross. I cannot get over it. Catcalling rarely happens in Denmark, much less that kind of obscenity.

It only got worse later in the morning when I was telling my colleague Pernille about it. She was grossed out too, but then she asked if he was cute. Um, hello? Even if he was I refuse to date or associate with guys who act like that and think it’s okay. No way. Eeew.

So yeah, my run this morning, with the exception of seeing the cute ducks, was largely a Rise and Suck, rather than a Rise and Shine. I might take the day off tomorrow. I’m working super late tonight (12am-2am perhaps. I have special duties tonight. Boo.) so I’m taking the day off tomorrow and going to get my hair “fixed” (too blonde) at 10am. We’ll see. I guess it depends how my (probably soon-to-be-amputated, I know it!) leg feels. Hopefully this is just a passing thing though. I’m already signed up for one race (just a short 5k, but it has hills) when I get back to the States and I’m thinking about signing up for a 15k and a couple more 8 and 10ks here in Denmark and back in the States. So, hopefully I’m okay. And not scarred for life from my major gross out. Meh.