Tips for running now the insect season has arrived

Supercell

Last week when I ran around the Vartry lakes for 22k I couldn't believe how i looked afterwards - like I was a car bumper after a drive..face and shirt was covered in little midges and flies, ewww! Several times I had to spit them out of my mouth and wipe them away from my eyeballs during the run...Not pleasant!!
That pretty much rules out lakeside running for me until the Autumn when the buggers are gone again.
I remember last time..around the time the flying ants swarm, it was truly horrendous around here for another two months or so, literally impossible to run without flies buzzing in your ear and flying into your face and landing on my head.

I'm going to get a pair of glasses to stop them dive bombing my eyeballs but have to admit the buzzing in my ear drives me completely nuts and am not looking forward to things getting that bad again.

So :-

1) Are there less flies by the seaside? - maybe some runs along the coast might be better than in the countryside
2) Are insect repellent sprays any use for runners?
3) Join a gym and run on a treadmill for several months ..:( ..hate running indoors

Find a route around a built up area - assume that in the concrete jungle there are less flies than around here in the countryside?


So, any suggestions, recommendations? I'm really bothered by this!

Thanks.

Pherekydes

As with everything else, SWALLOW.

shels4ever

Just run and don't worry about them, they are more worried about you

TFBubendorfer

shels4ever wrote: »

they are more worried about you

:D:D
I try to breathe through my nose when I see a cloud of midges in front of me, but usually it's already a bit too late by then. Not much you can do about it, and I rather ingest a few insects than run indoors for hours.

Look at them as an extra protein source ...

plodder

Flies getting in the eyes are a serious pain. So, the 6 euro cycling glasses I got in Aldi were the best thing I've bought in a while.

hunnymonster

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Look at them as an extra protein source ...

Amadeus is a vegetarian, I'm sure he must have this sussed by now.

donothoponpop

plodder wrote: »

Flies getting in the eyes are a serious pain. So, the 6 euro cycling glasses I got in Aldi were the best thing I've bought in a while.

+1
I've had mine a year now, great buy for the money, they're back in the stores since last week.

Supercell

Thanks, the glasses are a given!, am i the only person driven crazy by them buzzing and landing on their ears though?, its not like i've elephant lobes or anything but that REALLY gets on my t**s!
I was thinking of a sweatband pulled down a bit so it covers my ears, back to the eighties here we come !

plodder

I think there are less insects at the coast. That's been my experience anyway. I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if fresh water lakes were possibly the worst place for them.

911sc

Supercell wrote: »

I had to spit them out of my mouth and wipe them away from my eyeballs during the run..

Swallow....this is free organic energy food:)

trotter_inc

plodder wrote: »

Flies getting in the eyes are a serious pain.

Big time! Completely fed up of getting midgets in my eyes, have to say though it's only started in the past couple of weeks. Don't think I could find shades comfortable while running but might give them a go though.

--amadeus--

Supercell wrote: »

Thanks, the glasses are a given!, am i the only person driven crazy by them buzzing and landing on their ears though?, its not like i've elephant lobes or anything but that REALLY gets on my t**s!
I was thinking of a sweatband pulled down a bit so it covers my ears, back to the eighties here we come !

If your earlobes stretch all the way down to your tits then you do have a problem

I rarely get them in my ears and I try to exhale through the clouds of midges, only breathing through my nose if I have to so virtually never swallow them. Never had any get in my eyes though

hot to trot

Come to Mayo. You dont get insects in the rain and it always seems to be raining here:mad:

ManFromAtlantis

plodder wrote: »

Flies getting in the eyes are a serious pain. So, the 6 euro cycling glasses I got in Aldi were the best thing I've bought in a while.

yea +1 on this.
bought a pair on sat. brilliant. no more flies in the eyes. these glasses dont fog up. only about a fiver or so.

combine these with a peaked cap and sorta head down and off you go.

would say insect repellant next to useless for running.

kennyb3

hot to trot wrote: »

Come to Mayo. You dont get insects in the rain and it always seems to be raining here:mad:

i think the boys jinxed us weatherwise with this thread. has pissed every day since it was started

Supercell

kennyb3 wrote: »

i think the boys jinxed us weatherwise with this thread. has pissed every day since it was started

Its great , just back in from a run and it pissed all the time, but no insects to wreck my head, fabbo!!

One warm shower later I'm feeling good!