Deerflies Are The Enemy
The weather has been unbelievably humid the last few days, so I've gotten a couple of runs in that should be good Boilermaker Prep - 2.5 miles on Saturday morning (11:47 pace, including hills), and 8 miles yesterday (Sunday) morning (11:38 pace, mostly flat).
During my long run, it was in the 80's and 97% humidity. The only saving grace was that it was overcast for most of the run, so I didn't have the hot sun beating directly down on me. But even in the first half mile or so, I was feeling like I was running with a wet washcloth over my face! And around mile 3, when I was on a road that runs alongside a canal, I got swarmed by several deerflies, which was a huge pain in the neck. Luckily I had a hat on, since the head area is what they tend to go for, but it's just a hassle to hear them buzzing around and see them fly in front of you each time they circle around. I went past a field that normally has grazing cows, hoping I'd lose the flies there, but, alas, NO COWS. So I was basically the only fly bait for miles around. It got a little better after about 15 minutes of this, but then I stopped to pick up the large Gatorade bottle (with squirt top) that I had stashed along the side of the road before I began my run. After I took a few sips and started up again, I realized what a genius I was - hey, why don't I slow down and carry a bottle of sugared water, surely THAT will keep the flies away - NOT! I stashed the bottle again (for later pickup) after drinking most of its 24 oz. over the course of a mile, and didn't have too many fly problems after that.
The sun came out during the last couple of miles of the run, and I have to admit I had thoughts along the lines of: 1) What sadist running club schedules a 15K race for JULY?; and 2) what masochist registers for said race?
Overall, though, I'm happy to have that run under my belt, and feel like my training's going reasonably well. During the next few weeks, I'm going to experiment with the best things to wear and eat during the race - nothing new for race day!
Congrats to this weekend's racers!
posted by mom2marathon @ 12:05 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Oh I hate deer flies, glad we don't have them here. My worst problem is ticks. Ticks, ticks everywhere falling out the trees, fields full of them, always looking for new prey. I signed up for a half-marathon in the middle of July. Last year when I ran the same race it was over 90° - and did I say it had some killer hills. The key is a light, breathable running outfit and to drink every chance you get. Generally you should slow down too, but I tend to miss this last point;)
The other good news is that the last couple days of rain are bringing the mosquitos up!
It sounds like your training is going great. I think you will be well prepared for whatever the race throws at you!!
I don't know if I've had to deal with Deerflies, but I get those little gnats that seem to always jump into my eyes during the run.
Eight miles? Way to go! I hope the temperatures drop for you...that or plan to throw water on yourself the whole race:)
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