Shaving

I do not necessarily like the task of shaving my face but I do like a good shave. In fact it was in the act of preparing to shave that I cut the tips of my fingers the other day - not a good start to my shave.

My wife of course loves a good shave but will tolerate me for a day or several if I stave off shaving on my days away from work (where I'm required to be clean shaven).

Legs are altogether another manner. Cyclist as a lot tend to shave their legs - most racers and a good percentage of recreational cyclists. I personally opt to shave infrequently at best their as well. At best during the racing season I do it once a week, sometimes though slipping to 2 weeks between. Off season it's catch as catch can.

I was listening to the Vuelta a Espana broadcast on Universal Sports the other day and one of the commentators mentioned that the race leader (Valverde) had actually shaved that day (he typically looks like he sports a couple days worth of beard); and it got me thinking.

With the time trial coming up perhaps he's shaving now and then purposely letting it grow so as to gain an advantage in his otherwise sub-par TT skills. By letting his hair grow just a little over the next few days he is gaining a tiny bit of grow to promote a better airflow (much like the boundary layer devices on aircraft) which pull down the air closer to the skin. This would smooth the airflow rather than have it leave in a turbulent manner, thus reducing drag and allowing the racer to go faster.

We shall see if my hypothesis is correct after Saturday's ever important TT - does he keep the Golden Jersey?

Goodnight Armadillo!

Walking down the street in Orlando this evening I did not see:
Gorilla, or
Elephant, or
Lion, or
Giraffe, or
Hyena, or
Mouse.

but I swear I heard Armadillo say Goodnight!

If only

Tis getting to the end of the cycling season and the "if only's" are taking hold.

If only I had...
...done this,
...not done that,
...more of these,
...bought some of those,
...taken the advice of,
...not listened to,

Not to be confused with that you've done anything wrong in the past, but rather how you can improve in the future.

This is of course a good thing. Without the second guessing as to how you could have done better, which happens after every race, as well as every season - you might as well quit (and a lot of people do). I think you need that questioning of your performance to reignite the passion to try & succeed and meet your goals.

For example, I can attest to thinking during and immediately after every Ironman race I participated in (and I've done 9) that this will be the last one I ever do. It took as little as later that evening or the very next day to get the "if only's", and I was hooked into doing another one. Of course that's been over 10 years now - but I know I've got at least another one in me.

The "if only's" apply to life as well - what can I do to be a better husband, lover, father, friend, pilot, smoothie maker, blogger, etc.

A lot of people coast in their comfort zone without ever fully applying the "if only's" they themselves identify. I'm as guilty as that as anyone - as it takes time & commitment to continually apply the corrections or changes necessary.

I think athletes are better suited to try new things -especially when it applies to their athletic performance - though whether that makes them better at adapting to changes necessary in the rest of their life is an open question.