Movember Movember – that time of year where men flex their inner Neanderthal and try to grow a nose neighbour, a caterpillar, a cookie duster (no seriously), tache, snot mop (ahh, can’t believe I just wrote that!)…..you get the idea. It is also the only time of year when people say ‘oooh are you growing that for Movember?’ – seriously people, the face fur has been a permanent installation for a good couple of years now!!! But anyway.

In homage to Jay Watts and his entertaining blog ‘Born to plod‘ I have decided to do a fun piece about the beard – in hope that I can inspire some of you chaps to give it a go and join your fellow beardy runner on the open road, fully face-furred. So here we go

The do’s and don’ts of a bearded runner

1. A beard for all seasons:

finger nails are made from Keratin, hair is made for keratin but growing a beard is not like not cutting your fingernails. Proper facial hair grooming is key from the start. It takes times to get that ‘fully coated’ look and it is going to itch like buggery for the first 3 months, you’re also going to get uneven growth, bald patches – and quite possibly a few spots – but persevere – shampoo and condition that itchy face fungus, get a beard trimmer and keep it even, with some practice you will even be able to shape it to hide the bald patches (don’t worry they’ll grow in). The trick is to let it grow wild but keep it neat, think of it like a national trust site – wild and untamed but neat around the edges.

2. the snot mop

When running, always (I mean always) carry tissues. If you think your nose is running, it probably is, wipe that tache and nose – a snotty top lip is not a pretty site.

 3. always wipe

Protein drinks are a bit of a problem – their soup like consistency can leave one with half the drink stuck in the beard -not a pretty site.

 4. Smile

It may sound odd but even tricked out in obvious running gear a hairy, sweaty, grunting runner on a dark night can be a little scary.

 5. Your winter coat

One of the advantages to having all this extra hair is it keeps your face nice and protected from those harsh winter winds. Winter time is trail time in the UK so let it get a bit messy, embrace your inner wild-man.

6. Consider your loved ones

My missus tends to accompany me to my running events. Brilliant! Nothing quite like a congratulatory hug and snog after a tough slog around the course. When you’re clean shaven, even the most hot and sweaty runner has usually cooled enough between the exit funnel and their supporters that the sweat has dried. When you’re beardy – not so much – all that hard sweat tends to stay in the beard – which weirdly helps to keep you cool, but can make for a rather pongy kiss.

So if you decide to tache it up this November – great! But maybe consider going the whole hog and giving the beard a go….

Happy running!!