Frazz by Jef Mallett for August 21, 2016

These reactions would make for incredibly long runs!

There’s no seaweed in lakes! I guess Caulfield means lake weed?

One of the plants is a thistle, so I see why a runner would want to avoid it. These plants are carefully drawn. Do they depict other botanical hazards that trail runners face?

Myriophyllum…

Trilliums are awesome.

I can’t run anywhere, but I certainly give that reaction when I see poison oak encroaching on the trail.

For me, it’s not the lake weeds themselves that skeeve me out…it’s the sudden feeling of being touched by something underwater. I’ve seen too many horror movies…

I’ve been swimming with one of my kids’ friend’s mom (while the small ones also swim and play), and she is stooopid silly freaked by the least little bit of real life floating near her in the water. It’s not fear of entanglement if it’s 1.5" long and floating 2’ away, it’s just stooopid silly! Cement, tiny, artificial, or she hyperventilates. I think it’s THAT is the kind of “water weed fear” Caulfield is referring to.(Needless to say, she and I have a very difficult time together sometimes. Her little girl is truly amazing, or I’d never try!)

Running through a patch of stinging nettles certainly gets your attention. Luckily the pain only lasts a couple of minutes. I think running through spider webs on the trail is worse, especially if there’s a big spider sitting in the middle of the web!

Poison oak and snakes on the trails are my downfall.

I think Frazz is trying to avoid green goose turds.

http://www.articles.lovecanadageese.com/ecoli.html

I used to hate plants in the water for two reasons – they felt disgusting between my toes, and I couldn’t tell what was hiding in them (in lakes, that would be broken glass, rusty metal, and snapping turtles).

Great art work! Weird topic, but it works.

Richard S. RussellIf they ever compiled a dictionary arranged by etymological origins within the word, -phobia would have the largest number of entries.