Today is day 7 of No Shave November. My face…itches. except it’s not really an itch, but rather a desire. A desire to scrape the stubble off. There is discomfort, to be sure. Sometimes, I try to distract myself. Other times, I lean in. The feeling comes and goes. Former smokers probably understand. Ultrarunners get it. The fact that nothing lasts forever.  That discomfort passes. You adapt.

Sometimes, when i bathe, I get in the shower before I turn the water on. That initial blast of cold water isn’t even that cold. It’s the fortitude it takes to turn that water on knowing full well what’s coming. Uncomfortably cold water is going to hit me full on, and there’s nowhere to hide. The thing is, once the water warms up it’s almost too hot. I’ve gotten used to the cold water. Sometimes the cold water feels really good. I guess I’m just a weirdo. I also park on the end where nobody can park next to me, so… grain of salt.

It’s difficult to find the mustache movies i want to watch on streaming. I guess they’re just too valuable. Yesterday, I watched the misfits with Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. Honestly, I only watched about 40 minutes of it. I had to work, and I’m glad I did. Seeing a tired old has been trying to “make it” with the model of classic beauty was a struggle to be sure.

I thought surely Flash Gordon would be streaming somewhere. But no. I guess I’ll miss a day (at least!) of mustache films. Boo!

I guess I’ll take this disappointment and use it to push through a tough training day. Like all disappointments and discouragement. Like coach Bennett says: this is about running. This is not about running.