Race Preparation

It's unusual to wake up to find that it's raining.

I suppose it does that all the time in places like Seattle and Xtapolapocetl, but here in the Denver area, it is almost always clear and calm in the early hours. Sure, afternoon thunderstorms are common during the summers, and wintertime pre-dawn snowstorms aren't at all uncommon. But rain that continues all night and into the meat of the morning...well, that's pretty weird.

It was warm enough that I could've run in the rain without needing any extra garments -- but I didn't want to. I went to the gym instead, and jumped onto the elliptical. I did not strain myself, but by the time I got to the pool, I just felt like taking a nap.

Fortunately, my teammates always provide good motivation. I eventually perked up and finished the workout with some reasonably solid sprints.

None of that has anything to do with haircuts, though, which is the subject of this post. Those of you who are hippies, rastafarians, or romance novel cover models will have no idea what I'm talking about...but those of us who prefer crisp and clean cranial grooming are burdened with the necessity of frequent trips to the barber. I probably get a haircut about once every two or three weeks.

Fortunately, the stylish simplicity of my elegantly understated coiffure enables me to save money by performing the necessary shearing operations all by myself. A few quick passes with the clippers (and an even quicker passage of the vacuum cleaner), and I'm done. Looking good and feeling fast.

The problem right now is that my hair is long enough to give me a bit of a Bobcat Goldthwait vibe. But I normally don't perform my "victory cut" until just a day or two before the race. I may have to make an exception here.

Of course, I'm required to wear a cap during the swim, so the length of my hair wouldn't matter for that leg -- and longer hair would probably help with sweat management in the heat and humidity of Milwaukee during the bike and run...so I probably ought to leave it long. But no, I can't do that; my anti-hippie reflexes are too highly developed.

Chronologic incongruity.

Ugh. Sorry about that -- The process of writing this post was interrupted by a series of events that kept me away from the keyboard. It was a good weekend, and I made some progress on my race preparation, but there is still much to do.

In the meantime, I did get a haircut. I'm looking' good, feelin' good, and ready to rock the racecourse. (I'll need an extremely absorbent sweat-wicking headband, of course, but unruly tresses will not be a distraction.) The only problem is that I think I might have some sort of allergen in my apartment. Whenever I sit down to watch TV, I get a little wheezy. Hopefully, my weekend housecleaning has taken care of it. But either way, I am looking forward to getting away for a week.

And this has nothing to do with any of that, but I realized the other day that I have become completely dependent on the Internet. Not only are there several thousand YouTube versions of Stairway to Heaven, but the Web is also my source for news, trivia, and questionable dating advice.

Here is a perfect example: I overhead someone use the words "Batman cat," and...well, you see the result right here.

Despite the problems in the world, I am delighted that I can still find reasons to smile. Have a great day, my friends!