Attack of the Deer Flies

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Oh, summer, how I await your arrival! After enduring months of cold weather, with the arrival of warmer temperatures, we Midwesterners are able to strip off all our layers and bask in the sunshine. It's like being at a party you wish would never end.

But every party has a pooper, and summer in the woods comes with a few uninvited guests: stinging insects. The worst offenders? Deer flies. You'd think after dealing with them every year, I'd be prepared for their arrival. But no, the nice weather of spring and early summer gives me amnesia about my past encounters with them. As a child growing up in a rural area of Illinois, my sisters and I would spend our days swimming in the family pool, only to be stung in the head by one or more eagerly awaiting deer flies when we came up for air. I could just imagine them hovering above the water, rubbing their little arms together in anticipation of a tasty meal. I looked back on old blog posts and found that every year at this time, I write about these awful little pests.  

I 'did my own research', aka a Google search on deer flies. Know your enemy and all that. Apparently, there's nothing to deter them, but besides the super spray I use, there are some things I can try. Wearing light colored clothing can help, according to some sources. Multiple trail runners and hikers suggested applying sticky tape to a hat so when they land on your head, they stick to it. Another suggestion is to wear 2 hats--one forward and one backwards, so the brim covers your neck. I have a head net that I bought a few years ago, but I haven't used it. Don't ask me why. The last suggestion was attaching a fake dragonfly to your hat. Apparently, deer flies are afraid of dragonflies. Remember, this was all on Google, so I know it's true. 

I ordered the items from Amazon, so stay tuned for the results! I also learned that they are mostly evil for about 5-6 weeks in late June/July, when they are biting to find blood to feed their eggs. Ewww. I also found a hilarious essay about deer flies HERE. 

Soon they'll be gone and I'll be able to run in the woods without fear of being bitten. Next up...yellow jacket season...

Deer flies enlarged for dramatic effect

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Ice Age Trail run 1 mile/Waterskiing 30 minutes

Monday: Auxiliary strength

Tuesday: run 5.3 miles

Wednesday: trail run 7 miles

Thursday: Auxiliary strength/Yoga with Adriene

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest

For the first time ever, I bailed on an Ice Age Trail run after JUST ONE MILE. As I headed into the woods after the initial climb up the trail, I was greeted by my nemesis, the deer flies. They were oh so happy to see me, buzzing my head and getting in my face. Before running, I sprayed the "hard stuff," aka Ben's Adventure Formula, with "12 hours of rugged protection" over my entire body and used my hands to apply it to my face and behind my ears. The flies left all that alone. They just wouldn't leave my face alone, being attracted to my carbon dioxide, and at half a mile in, I called it quits. I ran all the way back to my car, and when I shut the door, one of those little a**holes was inside the car with me. 

That haze over the hills is smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

I returned to the cabin earlier than I said I would,  surprising my hubs, who was expecting me to be gone for a few hours. He fired up the boat and took me for a long ski on the calm, early morning waters. It was only 65 degrees, but the water was warm, and we had the lake to ourselves. There's nothing better. Maybe the deer flies did me a favor.

Because I had to go out to my parents' house on Monday, I went to the gym early to get my auxiliary strength workout done. It was a ladder workout with 20 minutes on the clock. With each round, I had to increase by 1 rep per movement. At the halfway mark, I finished the round I was in and went back down by one rep per movement. I completed 8 full rounds in 10 minutes and made my way back down the ladder to where I started.

Rep scheme: 1 push up + 2 BB rows (55#) + 3 V-ups + 4 goblet squats (25#)

Total reps: 64 push ups, 128 BB rows, 192 V-ups, 256 goblet squats

I finished up with a box jump complex, 6 rounds of 3 reps, which I did every 2 1/2 minutes. To protect my knee, I didn't go too ambitious with this on, using an 18 inch box. The complex was a box jump + deficit + high jump. 

After that, I worked on this week's summer challenge, which was Fitness Dice. Yes, we had to roll 2 big dice and do the corresponding workout. The activities included: 10 pushups, 10 burpees, 20 air squats, 20 lunges, 50 double unders or 100 single unders, 40 mountain climber, 10 dumbbell snatches (15#), 10 box jumps 18"), 5 tire flips (276#), 10 pullups (green band), 400m run. I ended up having to do everything except jumping rope.  We have to complete 30 rounds total for the challenge. I did 15, saving the rest for Thursday. That's how you start a Monday!!

I was out the door by 5:30 on Tuesday morning for my run/walk miles around my neighborhood. This time I did 3:1 run/walk miles. I couldn't find my knee strap, so I wore my compression sleeve, even though my PT said it won't help. Maybe not, but my knee felt good during the run and after. I cannot complain. I hope it continues! Sharing this beautiful sunrise I witnessed, courtesy of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. I love that glow on the ground.

Steamy and hot when I awoke on Wednesday, I laced up and drove to the trails for a run. I hit the dirt at 6:15 am with my hair covered by a buff and sprayed two layers of Ben's Adventure spray, hoping to avoid any incidents with insects. It worked pretty well, and I only had to deal with normal flies and a few mosquitoes. By the time I finished, I was dripping with sweat.

I circled around the preserve and cut in and out of the woods on the single track. I saw a few deer, including the mama and her fawns, and a young buck with the fuzzy antlers. No photos of them, but a young doe was curious about me, and I was able to get quite close! Day made! I saw a ton of mushrooms--this has been the summer for it-- and a wasp in the corner of the porta-potty. EEEK! Not where you want to be trapped!

Thursday's auxiliary strength workout was another 20 minute ladder scheme: 1 pull-up (banded) + 2 bench presses (25#) + 3 GHD sit-ups + 4 walking lunges. As on Monday, we had to increase each round by 1 rep per movement. At the halfway point (10 minutes), we finished the round we were on and made our way back down the ladder. On Monday, I worked solo, so I moved quickly through the rounds. For Thursday's workout, we were in a group of 4, starting with one on the pull-ups, the rest of the group following. The group could only move as quickly as the person in front of them. I did my best to keep moving, but it was slower, and I only finished 6 rounds when time was called. 

Total reps: 36 pull-ups, 47 bench presses, 58 GHD sit-ups, 69 lunges

We followed this with Suitcase carries (50#KB), 2 laps x 6 (15 minutes on the clock. 

When I finished the workout, I stayed to work on the rest of the summer challenge. I had 15 more dice rolls to do. Oddly enough, I rolled 7s seven times, which were rope jumps, something I'm not supposed to do while I'm recovering from my tendinitis. I just re-rolled each time. The dice must have really wanted me to jump rope, lol. I was happy to cross this workout off the board.

It was 60F when I headed out for my run early Friday morning. My knee had been feeling good all week, so I took my 3:1 run/walk intervals to the bike path. Since this route is an out-and-back, I didn't want to be stranded three miles from home while recovering from my injury. I felt confident that I would be fine on this run, and I was! 

Off the Road

I went to my parents on Monday to meet the caregiver who will be working with my mom. The agency we chose is dementia informed, and the caregiver is trained, so I am very optimistic that she will be helpful. When I got there, my mom's pills were all wrong again. The supervisor suggested a pillbox that is locked and opens automatically when it is time to take the pills. It holds a month's supply, which the caregiver can fill with my mom. My mom is not happy about having a caregiver, but during the time I was there, she asked me the same questions multiple times. She remembers nothing short-term. Her long-term memory is great. I left feeling incredibly sad. I hope having this caregiver can help preserve my mom's memory.

I'm off work all week coming up! I'll be home for the first part of the week, but on Thursday, I'm traveling to Alabama to spend a long weekend with Holly and Teresa. Yes, there will be waterskiing. Mostly, I'm looking forward to some girl time and basking in that southern hospitality. No blog post next week, but you can check my IG for updates!

How was your week? Do you have deer flies where you are? Have you ever done a Fitness Dice workout?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.