Booze and performance

RJC

I fully subscribe to the moderation motto when it comes to mixing booze and exercise. Over the weekend I had 2 40th Birthday Parties and both were late (and heavy) sessions. I got an 8 miler in between the two after 4 hours sleep (to pick up the car). It didn't feel as terrible as it should have.

This morning I was up at 06:00 after a night awake with the crying baby, then drove up and down to Dublin (from Cork) and went out for a very reluctant 7 mile hard hill session - and this is the thing - it was the best (easiest effort & fastest) set of hills I've done in the past 4 months.

I've read similar stories on some of the blogs I subscribe to so I don't know has anybody else here had a similar experience.

I am plotting a whole difference type of carbo loading for the Cork marathon

lecheile

RJC wrote: »

I fully subscribe to the moderation motto when it comes to mixing booze and exercise. Over the weekend I had 2 40th Birthday Parties and both were late (and heavy) sessions. I got an 8 miler in between the two after 4 hours sleep (to pick up the car). It didn't feel as terrible as it should have.

This morning I was up at 06:00 after a night awake with the crying baby, then drove up and down to Dublin (from Cork) and went out for a very reluctant 7 mile hard hill session - and this is the thing - it was the best (easiest effort & fastest) set of hills I've done in the past 4 months.

I've read similar stories on some of the blogs I subscribe to so I don't know has anybody else here had a similar experience.

I am plotting a whole difference type of carbo loading for the Cork marathon

RJC - you may feel a whole lot different when you actually sober up .

I have been known on occasion to run home from pubs (esp on stag nights) and once ran 13 miles - after the moderate runs, there is benefit from sweating some of the alcohol out of the system and getting a good night's sleep - I dont recommend the longer runs (esp without appropriate clothing and footware!) - there was lots of pain involved the following day

eliwallach

RJC wrote: »

This morning I was up at 06:00 after a night awake with the crying baby- it was the best (easiest effort & fastest) set of hills I've done in the past 4 months.

I scored three PB's on days after I had been up half the night with crying/sick baby, and with very little sleep. So I would subscribe to that theory anyway.

I did read somewhere (Bob Glover?) that the amount of sleep on the night before a marathon won't affect your performance, but the amount of sleep you do/don't get on the week before a marathon certainly will.

(As an aside - Bob Glover says: Not to avoid sex on the night before a marathon but do avoid staying up all night looking for it. That gave me a chuckle.:p)

Can't vouch for the alcohol loading theory though.

RJC

I wasn't carrying any booze during the runs and was as hydrated as I normally am. I'm guessing that the carbs in the beer were still around to be utilised. I wouldn't try in over 10 miles as I'd say the exhaustion from drink/lack of sleep would take it's toll.

thirtyfoot

eliwallach wrote: »

(As an aside - Bob Glover says: Not to avoid sex on the night before a marathon but do avoid staying up all night looking for it. That gave me a chuckle.:p)

Can't vouch for the alcohol loading theory though.

Pre-race sex - good for girls, bad for boys. Particularly for power events.

However, Jim Hines, 100m winner from 1968, was getting antsy in the athlete's village before the final. He sneaked out and went to his wife's hotel room with a bottle of champagne. He downed the bottle of champagne and didn't clarify what happened after that except to say he was pretty relaxed the next morning. He won the final and we can assume he broke the 'no alcohol' and 'no pre-race sex for boys' rule.

It can also have a detrimental effect. Dennis Mitchell failed a drug test and his defence was ' five bottles of beer and sex with his wife':D:D. I don't think he got off. Slightly crude but there was a certain British sprinter who would engage in sexual activity in the run up to a big race but just stop short, not seal the deal and keep the wild horses at bay. He reckoned it created a buildup of testosterone and also meant when he was on the track he was ready to run through a brickwall.

Ian O' Riordan wrote an great article about boozing and marathon running. The story of the Japanese runner who boozed maybe 10-15 beers a day while training 3 times a day and running world class times in the '70's. Frank Shorter enjoyed a few beers and pizza pre-race too.

BLITZ_Molloy

Whenever I drink beer I feel I run faster and look more attractive.

ike

Tingle wrote: »

keep the wild horses at bay

LMAO

Magnet

When I had Ron Hill as a captive audience a few weeks back I quizzed him on most aspects of training and he was very keen on beer so if its good enough for him...
Also I had worked an extra long shift of 20hrs, 5hrs sleep and pint of lovely guinness before Ballycotton and I had a great race but I had gotten lots of sleep in the lead up to prepare for it