The Fitness Beard

So I have a beard. This isn’t to say it’s a great beard. In fact it’s probably only a step away from “patchy facial hair,” but I think it just barely squeezes by the threshold of beard status.

I started growing the beard on the first day of training for 2011, so I started calling it “the fitness beard.” Training is going really well down here in Florida – the beard has almost 11 weeks of fitness in it! Unfortunately for the beard one weekend spent in Gainesville with old college friends earned it less desirable nicknames.


The beard week 11: in terms of masculinity does the fact that I have a beard make up for taking a small white dog for a walk?

The beard made sense in Colorado – it kept me warm on the bike. Now that I’m in Florida it just hinders the application of sunscreen. A more important development is that no fewer than three girls say that with the beard I look like Ryan Gossling from the movie “The Notebook.” I’ve never seen the movie but apparently this is a good thing! Their boyfriends/husbands said I look like Abe Lincoln. I guess I would be OK with either.


The beard week five: Sarah Haskins had to get a picture with Ryan Gossling at Brian Fleischmann’s wedding reception.

The beard is apparently a topic of dinner conversation at the OTC even after my departure. A text from Sarah Groff the other day read “has Kevin shaved?” Nope, not yet! Also, Ethan Brown is destroying me in the pool right now, but I have this beard so that’s OK, right?


My beard is not nearly as cool as Sam Beam’s beard (AKA Iron and Wine). The new album accompanies me back and forth from Clermont several times a week.

To be completely honest the beard is really annoying – it has to go sometime soon!

One Reply to “The Fitness Beard”

  1. I do appreciate the beard…and only real men can walk small white dogs. I try to wear a dress when I walk my cat to offset the masculinity involved. Listen. This weekend will involve bikes, art, and beer. You should probably be excited and enthused.

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