Bug Off —- “Plan A”

         The dog days of summer are here but you are still a runner. You have just set out for a relaxing recovery run (see my Blog “Hill Training For Runners,” posted 4-Dec-14). It is late in the day and still hot; so you turn off the main road for the shade of a quiet side street.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, they attack. Dozens of tiny black bugs swarm around your head. You swat at them to no avail. Then, ughh, you inhale one. Swat again but another flies into your left eye. Not good.

Then, miraculously, a breeze picks up. The bugs disappear. But your respite is only temporary. The breeze fades and they are back with a vengeance, more annoying than ever.

Being the person that you are, you don’t accept defeat. You are a problem solver. You analyze the situation and come up with a plan: create your own breeze!

You crank it up, leaving your leisurely 8:00 minute per mile jog. In a matter of six strides you hit a blazing 5:00 minute per mile sprint. It works! The bugs fall in your wake!

Only one problem: in the next four strides, your body totally rebels. You fall on your face, unable to keep up that ridiculous pace. The bugs swarm around you, sensing road kill.

Time for “Plan B.” You do have a “plan B,” don’t you? My plan “B” would be to limp back to my car, slam the door on any trailing bugs and crank up the ac.
Things do not always go as planned. It pays to have a “Plan B.”