My Sweet Lady asks, “How can you spend an hour in the bathtub?” Being my Pappy’s son, I say, “Because that’s all the time I have.” While this response was met with a shrug, several losses of consciousness following extended bathing sessions meant a hiatus on these activities. So much so that installing decent sized tubs in our new house was not a high priority. Alas, Sanuk D is straight up on the shower tip most of the time. This morning, wanting to at least have a nice long shower but needing to get on with things, I decided to shave while still under the spray.
The only problem with this otherwise brilliant plan was a lack of a man razor, given the spontaneity of the shaving. Eying my Sweet Lady’s shave equipment, I was tempted until I realized there was a lady razor of my very own sitting nearby. Far from being a sign of wavering gender identity, this razor has, from time to time, been the author of my symbol of hard-coreness: the shaven runner / biker leg. All too often, this is a symbol of bluff and bluster rather than true substance.
Lance Armstrong shaves his legs. So does Ryan Hall. Usain Bolt probably does too. I used to think Macho Man Randy Savage did as well, but that was probably the steroids. The point being that hard-core guys shave their legs. I want to be hard-care; ergo, I should shave my legs. Right? Well, if by hard-core you mean running a sub 1-hour half marathon or winning 6 or 7 Tours de France, then shaving your legs might be a small part of that. When your looking to come in somewhere under 4 hours in a marathon or to make it to the top of Caesar’s Head just once more, then shaving your legs might be all the hard-core you can muster.
Or it might make you a poseur. Or a lady-boy. Or just plain weird. Or, motivated? I’ve run as much as I can run. I’ve followed — more or less — a training plan. The money’s in, the dog’s going to the kennel, and the grandparents are clearing out a bed for Tallulah. So it’s time to get motivated. I need to know, from you loyal reader, if shaving my legs would be too freaky-deeky as a part of this mental preparation. Take the poll below to register your opinion. Let your voice be heard!