Super Beard XLV

The Vince Lombeardi Trophy

Thank You



Thank you to everyone who attended the fundraiser on Friday.  Together, my teammate Trevor and I, raised over $1,000.  Please go to the events section to see details about our next event and continue to forward this link to family and friends.

How do I get there?

Directions to the Wine & Beer Tasting Fundraiser Tonight!

• From 128 North take exit 26 (Lowell Street) toward Peabody Square/Salem [1.5 miles]
• Continue through Peabody Square onto Main Street and then Boston Street [1.1 miles]
• Turn left at Bridge Street (Dunkin' Donuts on the Corner) [0.8 miles]
• After you go under the bridge, turn right onto Washington Street [0.3 miles]
• Turn left at New Derby Street [0.1 miles]

There will be parking on the left in a small lot.  There is also street parking near the fire station and on adjoining streets.  Find the corner of Essex and Central Streets and you have arrived.  See you there!

Polar Beard

B.A. Bearacus

Beard Off

So you think you have a beard?  You don't:  The World Beard Championships

Since the early 1990's, originally taking place in Germany, this competition has crowned a World Beard Champion.

"A panel of distinguished judges chooses the best of the best in a variety of categories ranging from the most delicate of moustaches to the elaborate anything-goes freestyle full beard."          

After reading about the WBC I was inspired to throw my beard in the competitive ring.  But who would dare go up against this face:

Only one competitor was confident enough to go face to face with me:

 

I think it's obvious who walked away with this one:

It was hearty competition but I don't think either of us are ready for The US Beard Team which has become a powerhouse in the sport of competitive beard growing.

Fundraiser Friday

Wine & Beer Tasting

to Benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

When: Friday January 28, 2011 @ 7 PM

Where:

              185 Essex Street

              Salem, MA 01970

Sponsors:

Friends

Family

You!

Come for good wine, craft beer, gourmet food and prizes.  Enjoy yourself while you are helping to save lives.

The Beard is Growing!

We are on our way.  Thank you for your support.  Be sure to join us for the wine and beer tasting in Salem, MA on Friday night.  See the EVENTS section for details.

Toothpick Beard

The Universal Record Database is a place where world record achievements, no matter how absurd or meaningless, are recognized.  This is just one example and coincidentally it involves beards.  Toothpick beard record.

Hair to the Chief

Mile 16 to 21

I experienced the hills of Newton for the first time last week.  It was an 11 mile run with the team.  We hit three of the 4 major hills between mile 16 and 21.  The turnaround for the days run was at the base of the fourth of the major hills known as "Heartbreak."   The run went well and I finished with some energy left over but the thought of doing those hills after running 16 miles and having to endure another 10 miles to the finish is daunting.  So, lately, I have focused on my cross training to strengthen my core.  The coaches have impressed on us that the cross training sessions are the key to finishing upright.  They seem to be right, the cross training keeps your heart rate up for the entire workout and strengthens muscles you may not realize you are using during while running.  The result is a second wind on the long 10+ mile runs and better recovery.

Note: Even though they appear like black and white photos, these are just very detailed drawings.

Saturday I did 12.5 miles.  It was a tough morning.  The sidewalks were limited so most of my running was on the street against traffic.  The slushy mess on the side of the road wasn't melting because of the low temps (10 - 20 F) so it was like running in slippery sand most of the time.

So, the training is slow but steady but that's the easy part. The fundraising has slowed down to a crawl.  Please pass this link on to friends and family.  Help save lives.

Beard Al Yankovic

The Essential Beard Al



Twitteral Hirsute

I'm not sure what twitter is but I'm on it now.  It's my first time here in the 21st century.  Facebook is not enough to feed my narcissistic tendancies;  I'm sure everyone will want to know exactly what I'm doing at every second of every day.  I'm hoping it will at least attract more donations!

Clickety: http://twitter.com/#!/ohbeard

Future Tweets:

Beard Trustworthiness Scale

This scale should help you gauge the trustworthiness of the bearded based on the style of beard.  I find the scale to be very accurate because there are times when I am feeling unsavory and I really wish I had "The Hogan."  Also, when I am rustled from my slumber too early I definitely have "The Unkempt Beard" which can be very threatening.

There's an App for That

The question "should I grow a beard?" is very common among those contemplating the endeavor.  It is my opinion that the answer should always be a resounding YES, but there are those few vain souls who worry about their appearance.  They don't want to put the time and effort into cultivating a face mop just to realize they look like a gargoyle with rats taped to their face.  I see all of it as part of the beard growing journey but to each his own.  If you are still on the fence just download the 'beardme' app and you can see yourself with any type of beard imaginable.

This app looks pretty good but I'm working on one that will allow you to see what you would look like with your favorite celebrity beard and hair.  For example:

Bob Ross

Conan O'Brien

Davy Jones



Typogrobeard

Cat Stares at Beard

The following link is an article about an experiment monitoring the reactions of cats looking at pictures of bearded men:   Feline Reactions to Bearded Men

The validity of the study is unclear, so I decided to do the experiment with my cat Warren.  He sees me every day and shows no interest in my beard so I used the Beards Against Blood Cancer logo.  Here are the results:


1. Indifference; 2. Feigned interest; 3. Sniff test; 4. Thoughtful analysis



5. Temporary hypnotic state; 6. Suspicious examination; 7. Where are the eyes?; 8. ATTACK!


Conclusion:

Fundraising Update: Half-Way There!

We have reached the half-way point.  Thank you to everyone who has donated so far.  We still have a long way to go so please continue to spread the word and forward this link to friends, family and co-workers. 

Superbeard

11 Weeks

11 weeks worth of beard.

XT

Saturday we had the first weekend team practice since December 18.  At every Saturday practice there is a clinic before our long run.  For example, the last clinic was a presentation by Marathon Physical Therapy.  They talked about active warm ups and the importance of taking care of body parts like your interior something band and your anterior lateral something or other. It's all important stuff that I forgot almost immediatly after hearing it.  No offense to the PT people, the information and presentation was great, but there wasn't much in the way of active participation other than a few stretches. 

That all changed this past weekend when coach Kelly invited Cori Di Donato from Avalon Crossfit to lead us in some cross training excersizes.  It was basically an all out boot camp training session.  First she taught us all the moves, some of which were which were pretty basic like: push-ups, jumping jacks, air squats and variations of those.  Then she showed us a full body power move called a "burpee."  It basically involves going from a standing position to a prone position and back to a standing position very quickly.  There's also a push up in there when you are on the floor.  Here is a demonstration of one rep:

Simple but not easy.  Now add sit ups and air squats or reverse lunges.  Do 12 to 15 reps of each excersize in succession without stopping and call that 1 round.  OK, do three rounds in a row without rest.  The three rounds will only take you about 3 minutes and you will feel the burn.  If wealth was measured in sweat you would be purchasing your second private jet by the end of a couple of 3-round sessions. 

The end of my last round looked something like this:

After that little warm up it was time for the weeks long run.  The schedule called for 10 miles but we were spared a full 10 because of the intensity of the 40 minute XT session.  I finished 6 miles in the snow but it felt like a lot more. 

Two days later I could move again.  

That's A Lot of Candles

Help me celebrate my birthday by giving a gift to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Beardedroids

Hills & Burritos 2: The Wrath of Don

Part 1: Hills & Burritos

Lured again by the promise of a burrito from Anna's Taqueria in Davis Square again, I drove to Tufts with my teammate Brendan for a hill workout.  I wasn't exactly psyched at the prospect of running those hills again but I was interested to see if there had been any improvement in my fitness at all over the past two weeks.  Hills are a good indicator of that.  The increased effort on the hills increases your heart rate and your breathing rate. 

After a slow 1 mile warm up with the other ten people that decided to freeze their asses off, the coach told us to run the same loop we had done at the last hill practice.  But wait, there's a twist.  This time we were told to "attack" the hills.  I thought, "those are fightin' words" which immediately motivated me to visualize my own attack on the hills.  It went something like this:

The assault on the hills went nothing like this but the motivation was there.

The loop we run starts with a shorter hill which I easily taught a lesson by stomping its midsection with my Asics.  Over the next half mile I prepared for what would be the most painful portion of the night, the assault on the big hill.  This hill is about a quarter mile long and it looks like the side of a mountain.  It can surprise you as it comes just after a longer stretch of flat surface, then you take a sharp left onto another street and it looks like you are about to run into a wall, but that's the hill.  Fortunately I had my game face on. 
Can you imagine this running toward you at night?  Super scary.


Motivating myself: "It's just you, me and the moon Big Hill.  Let's do this!"

The first loop was a cinch and I figured I had conquered my enemy.  I could already taste the salsa and guacamole, fundemental elements of my reward for the evening.  Filled with confidence I finished the first loop and started an attack on the first short hill section.  "No problem," I thought.  The arrogance had taken over and I was convinced of my athletic superiority.


Then came the second assault on the big hill.  My hubris at an all time high I began punishing the hill at the bottom with high knees and a strong kick but I began to fade near the top.  It was at this point that the game face began to transform.

Then it was over.

I crested the top of the hill just as my lungs were at their limit.  The light headed feeling and jello legs forced me to walk for about 50 feet.  Then when I felt a bit less dizzy I continued into a jog down the other side of the hill.  The recovery took longer this time and I was now sweating even though it was in the low 20's.  Tired but still upright, I got back to a consistent easy pace for the last 3/4 mile.  We finished with a 1 mile cool down and we were done.

Revitalized by the promise of a warm flower tortilla bursting at the seems with flavors reserved for a king, I summoned my remaining energy for the night's next endeavor.  I knew the super burrito at Anna's would require efforts beyond measurement but somehow I got the job done. 

Overall, there was some improvement so I felt good.  "Attacking" the hills is good mental preparation and I'm sure these workouts will help me on Marathon Monday.

Fundraising Progress: Crunch Time!

Donations continue to come in slowly but surely.  But it is crunch time now.  There are 21 days left to meet the goal.  We only need another $2,305.  A $5 or $10 donation from 100 people could really blow up the beard here.  Please forward this link to friends and family or post it on your facebook page or website.  Any additional exposure for the cause would be much appreciated.  Thank you.

Iron Beard

10 Weeks!

Celebrating 10 weeks trim free!  15 weeks to go.

Jersey Unshorn

BTL: Beards, Tanning Laundry