I feel reasonably confident in saying that I think I am improving on the being ill front. I got down to the pool this morning and had a solid little session so I think that is a good sign.
The cough is still persisting, although I think that has improved as well, but the rest of me is feeling okay. I was unsure how my body would handle a tough swim, but I was pleasantly surprised how well it pulled through. My swimming has been a little disrupted the last couple of weeks, so this morning was a good confidence boost. Given how I am feeling I will probably head out on the bike this afternoon for a bit of a spin to try and make up for some of the time that I lost in the middle of the week.
Speaking or riding, this brings be to a sensitive topic that I have been meaning to write about for a while now. Shaving your legs for cycling.
I don't shave my legs. In a reflection of the bizarre worlds that triathlon and cycling are, that puts me in a minority amongst my male peers. I don't have any deep philosophical reason for not shaving, rather it is a case of I don't see the point and I can't be bothered. If somebody turned around to me tomorrow and gave me a really solid, compelling reason to shave my legs, then I would be there in a second. But as it stands none on the reasons that are usually trotted out convince me that it is worth the hassle.
By way of reasons for shaving, there usually are four or five common reasons that are given for why male cyclists should shave their legs and I kind of have issues with all of them.
Reason 1: Makes you more aero - please, everyone knows this is bollocks. The amount of drag caused by leg hair in air is tiny. I would be embarrassed to call myself an engineer if I was willing to use this as a reason.
Reason 2: It helps when you crash, makes you slide easier and heal cleaner - HOW OFTEN ARE YOU CRASHING? If you are crashing regularly enough to justify changes to the appearance of your body then perhaps you should examine how exactly you are cycling and perhaps consider whether cycling is the right sport for you.
Reason 3: It helps with massages - now this one kind of holds water. If you are a pro and getting regular massages, or even somebody who likes a good massage and so gets them very regularly, then this could be a reason. For me I don't tend to get massages all that often. I kind of know I should, since they certainly help with recovery, but I have never got in the habit. If I did, then perhaps I would consider it.
Reason 4: Everybody else does - when has this ever been a good reason to do anything.
So those are the common reasons that I hear reasonably regularly. I have only ever heard Reason 5 once, however, I suspect it is the closest to the truth.
Reason 5: It makes my calves look awesome - As far as I am aware this is largely true, removing the hair does tend to make the calves look more defined and toned. I can't say it is a particularly compelling reason for me, but whatever floats your boat. I have no objections to other people wanting to make themselves look pretty, I just wish more of them where more honest about it.
Now, having said all of the above isn't to say that I never have shaved my legs and never will again. This is my blog and I'll be hypocritical if I want to. The only real justification I have come up with in the past has been for important non wetsuit races. Drag of hair in air is tiny, drag of hair in water (since water is more dense) is still pretty small, but at least there is a bit of justification there. If I was doing a really important non wetsuit race (ie 70.3 Worlds when it was in Vegas) or lots of non wetsuit races in a row, then I would consider it. Not that I think it would make a huge difference, but in a really important race you want every advantage you can find.
Other than that, come on, legs are huge. As if I can be bothered spending ages shaving them for no obvious reason.
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