Horse (Hill) Flies

Last night's run was another sopping-wet adventure through insect- and nettle-infested woods. I loved it! Except unlike last week where there were 11 runners at our Thursday night run, I was the only one there. I called Sophia, who really wanted to run, and made plans to meet up with her later. I ran about 3.5 miles and headed back to where Sophia met me and we did another 4.

The horse hill flies were out in force last night. Horse hill flies are special breed of horse fly that primarily live and hunt in Horse Hill, where they evolved from normal horse flies. They feed off trail runners, so they have super-mutant strength and have been rumored to carry off slower runners at the back of the pack. They don't just bite, they'll drain your blood if you give them the opportunity. I've heard they actually don't even bother walkers, equestrians, or hikers. They prefer the salty, sweaty taste of ultra runners. I'm lucky to have escaped last night with nothing more than a few bites on my back. At least I was moving fast enough they couldn't get a good grip. Or maybe it was the sweat coming from every pore on my body that prevent my demise. Either way, I survived their attack.

By the end of the run, I was wiped out. I couldn't have made it much farther without more water. I brought some salt, remembering last week's run and I'm glad I did. Psummer Psycho could be brutal.

We took hobo showers with Dawn dish soap under a hydrant and put tried to clean up as much as possible. Sophia even brought me some clean Mizuno swag to put on so we could go grab food and a beer. When I took off my sports bra, I was able to wring a significant amount of sweat out of it. Nice. Even my dri-fit clothes were soakeed through. I do have some cool Mizuno running clothes to add to the rotation.

We met up with Ben for a beer and food. You appreciate everything more after a long, hot run. Like ice-cold water (or beer), any kind of food, and a long shower. I slept hard when I finally made it to bed.

It looks like it is going to be a Nerd-filled weekend. One loop on Saturday (12-15 miles?), possibly followed by some weed-whacking. Then we're volunteering at the 5k race on Sunday, followed by a few more miles. Hopefully the rest of my weekend will be spent napping or in the pool! I secretly love the dog days of summer.