Tough day to be a runner

We started the day with the idea of running twenty miles on the Lone Star Hiking Trail. Last night we plotted our route and packed the appropriate gear for a full day of trail running.

Last week Karen warned me about the problem of horseflies on the trails. I’ve dealt with a few horseflies in the thickly wooded areas of Kingwood, but I assumed an application of deet would be enough to repel these pesky little bugs.

Boy was I wrong! Before we stepped out of the truck we could see horseflies swarming all around the hood and windshield. I had put a lot of time and effort into the planning of this trip, so I insisted we try our luck. The trail was really nice, although it was less maintained than expected.

Other than the horseflies, this morning had ideal conditions for a long run. The temperature was moderate and the trail provided lots of shade. I was worried about making a wrong turn and getting lost from everything I read about the trail online. On the contrary, the trail was easy to follow and most of the blazers were easy to spot.

We only ran 1.5 miles before the horseflies were too much to handle. We stopped running to spray more deet and found ourselves in the middle of a virtual black cloud of flies. Swatting frantically we killed a couple dozen, which made little difference. The deet didn’t seem to bother them, so we gave up on the second dose of deet and simply ran back to the trailhead.

I’d guess I was bit at least 50 times. Andrea says my calves are swollen, but I’m not sure if it is from the bites or the running. If you’ve ever been bitten by a horsefly, you know it’s not fun. Andrea had two wicked falls. She was swatting at the flies on my back and lost her footing on the roots. Her first fall was the worst, landing face first on the trail. She is okay, but her arms are sore from using them to break her fall.

F the horseflies

Once we got home we lightened our packs and took off for the remainder of our run. By this time the heat was out with vengeance. Neither of us could find a rhythm and the heat took its toll on us within minutes of starting. We surrendered at 4.5 miles, turned around and started back home. We both bonked in a big way and found ourselves sitting on a bench trying to muster enough energy to make it home. After a two S-caps, one Gu, 15-minutes of resting, and an ass load of water we ran the last 1.5 miles home. This run was brutal and demoralizing.

At home I sat on the couch and fell fast asleep for four hours. I felt a lot better after the nap, but the remaining mileage haunted me.

F the heat

At 8pm a severe thunderstorm hit Kingwood, causing a loss in electrical service. With nothing else to do, we decided to finish our run in the rain and enjoy the beautiful display of lightening. Running during a lighting storm is a dangerous endeavor, but we decided to take our chances.

The cool summer rain, lighting, and high winds were a welcomed change from the near 100 degree temperatures from hours prior. We limited our six mile run to a single quarter-mile walk and we were running a sub-11 pace. Six hours earlier on the same greenbelts we were running OVER 13 minutes per mile pace. It is amazing how much the weather effects your running.

It has been a long day and I feel like a lousy runner right now. At least I’ve hit my weekly mileage of 40 miles for the fourth week in a roll. Now I get to reap the benefits of recovery week.

Bring. It. On.

F Houston

Run:
14.84 miles
2:55:30
11:50 pace

Walk:
2.47 miles
44:22
18:20 pace