Alcohol how much does it impact?

Filan

Aiming for the Limerick City Marathon in May, anyway I had assumed that 2 or 3 drinks before a run would be ok, but heard yesterday that even one drink the night before a run has a significant negative impact, is this true?.

tunney

Filan wrote: »

Aiming for the Limerick City Marathon in May, anyway I had assumed that 2 or 3 drinks before a run would be ok, but heard yesterday that even one drink the night before a run has a significant negative impact, is this true?.

I have a glass of red wine the night before a major race.

2-3 drinks - not a great idea.

Filan

and is wine less damaging than beer ? Im concerned not just about before a race but a night before training?

nomadic

The biggest impact with training is not being arsed doing it.

jinka

I find a pint of Guinness every night has no affect and doubt a couple of beers has any issue unless you are a total wimp of course:).

tunguska

Filan wrote: »

Aiming for the Limerick City Marathon in May, anyway I had assumed that 2 or 3 drinks before a run would be ok, but heard yesterday that even one drink the night before a run has a significant negative impact, is this true?.

I gave up drinking 7 years ago now(was playing football and cycling back then, not running)and the difference it made was colossal. I felt fitter, stronger and generally more happy in life.
My advice would be, give up alcohol completely for 6 months and see what happens to your training, your race times and your body fat levels. I guarantee you'll never drink again.

thirtyfoot

Drink is grand in moderation. Keeps you normal. I find if you make too many sacrifices then when you have your bad (running) days or phases that it can seem not worth the sacrifice and get you down. Take it easy on the booze in the run up to big races, don't do the dog when you go out (well not all the time, still good to do the dog every so often) and don't train if you are badly hungover.

As regards before a race, give a couple of beers a go before a session or lesser race sometime and see how it goes.

If you can limit the physical effects then the mental benefits of having a blowout every so often are worth it.

TheRoadRunner

Tingle wrote: »

If you can limit the physical effects then the mental benefits of having a blowout every so often are worth it.

As Homer Simpson would say "Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. "

RedB

Filan wrote: »

Aiming for the Limerick City Marathon in May, anyway I had assumed that 2 or 3 drinks before a run would be ok, but heard yesterday that even one drink the night before a run has a significant negative impact, is this true?.

The impact of drinking on me seems to be severalfold:

• Dehydration
• Not enough quality sleep => feel tired, not fresh
• Motivation affected
• Quality / Enjoyment of run affected due to above

I sure as heck enjoy a few drinks every now and again but find now that I don't want to have them as often as I used to. Middle aged, so maybe that's slackened my thirst somewhat but most of it seems to be just not wanting to feel the aftereffects the following day. If there's a specific function or event then I'm up for it but not every week and not when I've got a priority training run or race the following day(s).

One drink should be ok.

+1 on most of Tingle's post - not sure on keeping you normal
+1 on Tunny's post.

Krusty_Clown

I'm not as serious a runner as most, but I wouldn't let drinking influence/interrupt my training. If I'm out for a few beers, I will try to organize the pints or the training schedule so they don't clash. If that doesn't work, the thoughts of doing a training session the next day will often temper the amount of alcohol/water I consume and what time I get home. Worst case, I won't do the training session until late the next evening.

Life is too short for total abstinence. I did give up the beer for a month before my last marathon and lost about 5 or 6 lbs as a consequence (and probably around 5 minutes), so I will be repeating this temporary abstinence. But until then, beer + running = happy krusty.

chez-moi

I keep spilling mine when running. Maybe the should release Guinness with a sports cap. LOL

hunnymonster

I don't really drink. It has nothing to do with athletics/triathlon though. I subscribe to the Tingle approach though and would think, if you enjoy a couple of pints, why deny yourself.

hunnymonster

prices just gone down too.

ecoli

I enjoy odd drink myself and as college student have the odd mad nite but try to keep these few and far between. Have been given some of advice from Nutrition seminars and that but before anyone calls me a hippocrit just want to clarify this is information i was given i dont adhere to it so i cant comment on the all the science behind it:

1) three drinks is supposed to have as bad a negative influence on your health to the equivilant of nulifying the benefits of a very hard training session

2)training the next day should not be done until alcohol is no longer in your system as this is converted to influence the acidic level of the blood in the body much like lacatic acid.

This second point seems to be plausible as alcohol (ethanol) is a by product of the anaerobic so as such the creation of lactic acid creates alcohol which gives same effects of hard training session at the start of your training

Rio 2016

Make a decision. You running or your pints. you cannot expect to have it both ways when you are puting that kind of **** into your system.

thirtyfoot

Rio 2016 wrote: »

Make a decision. You running or your pints. you cannot expect to have it both ways when you are puting that kind of **** into your system.

The likes of Coghlan etc did have it both ways based on his book. The story he tells of his senior debut for Ireland in European Cup or something in Germany. The legend that is Fanahan McSweeney took Coghlan under his wing and they hit the town the night before the competition. They broke curfew naturally and were hauled up and caught with the management furious. There were only 2 Irish winners on the track the next day and both had hangovers!! I may have got this story wrong but if I did its still a great story.

While I would never say to a young college age athlete to drink if they don't want to, I really do believe you need balance as I said already. It does depend on your personality of course and if someone is not into drinking etc then its easy, but if someone is young, in college, training hard, racing hard, is naturally outgoing and enjoys the banter of the pub and the messing and craic etc then a few beers is good. Some kids can get very intense and its all or nothing or its forced on them to be all or nothing and thats dangerous. I firmly believe that you can do both especially in college. One of my biggest drinking buddies in college became an Olympian.

If you are an athlete in college and don't drink then you miss one of the greatest thrills you are likely to have in college as an athlete - The Walking Home From The Pub Hammered Grand National Style Hurdle Over The Garden Hedges Race. Giddy up. Keep an eye out for the barbed wire hidden in some garden hedges. If no hedges, use bins. Traffic cones can be placed on heads for extra resistance. Keep eye out for the Gardai on this one, they don't like it for some mad reason.

You might gather I am passionate about this. It stems from my massive distrust of people who go to pubs and don't drink. If someone does that I can't trust them in the pub or in life (sorry Hunnymonster!).

limericklion

Tingle wrote: »

The likes of Coghlan etc did have it both ways based on his book. The story he tells of his senior debut for Ireland in European Cup or something in Germany. The legend that is Fanahan McSweeney took Coghlan under his wing and they hit the town the night before the competition. They broke curfew naturally and were hauled up and caught with the management furious. There were only 2 Irish winners on the track the next day and both had hangovers!! I may have got this story wrong but if I did its still a great story.

While I would never say to a young college age athlete to drink if they don't want to, I really do believe you need balance as I said already. It does depend on your personality of course and if someone is not into drinking etc then its easy, but if someone is young, in college, training hard, racing hard, is naturally outgoing and enjoys the banter of the pub and the messing and craic etc then a few beers is good. Some kids can get very intense and its all or nothing or its forced on them to be all or nothing and thats dangerous. I firmly believe that you can do both especially in college. One of my biggest drinking buddies in college became an Olympian.

If you are an athlete in college and don't drink then you miss one of the greatest thrills you are likely to have in college as an athlete - The Walking Home From The Pub Hammered Grand National Style Hurdle Over The Garden Hedges Race. Giddy up. Keep an eye out for the barbed wire hidden in some garden hedges. If no hedges, use bins. Traffic cones can be placed on heads for extra resistance. Keep eye out for the Gardai on this one, they don't like it for some mad reason.

You might gather I am passionate about this. It stems from my massive distrust of people who go to pubs and don't drink. If someone does that I can't trust them in the pub or in life (sorry Hunnymonster!).

What a ridculous and prejudice statement to come out with. Your claim that athletes who do not drink are non trust worthy is an insult to all of those on this forum who do not drink. Coughlan was not drunk get your facts right, he had one or two drinks to relax. By the way you describe it he was drunk going into the race. Not only are you in favour of anti social behaviour you glorify alcohol like Hitler glorified the Aryan race. There is no such thing as superiority and if there were such a thing been straightedge and alcohol free would always be better than been a social drinker. Also Coughlan was not drunk going into the race get your facts right, he had one or two beers which contain less percentage of alcohol than shots etc. Your glorification of alcohol is greatly misplaced in my view and there are many elite athletes out there who do not drink ie C Ronaldo, Floyd Mayweather, Lance Armstrong, THE Kenyans, Galen Rupp the list goes on and on. Straightedge is the way to go

Pisco Sour

limericklion wrote: »

Not only are you in favour of anti social behaviour you glorify alcohol like Hitler glorified the Aryan race.

Oh dear oh dear, whats the name of that law again?:rolleyes:

rainbow kirby

04072511 wrote: »

Oh dear oh dear, whats the name of that law again?:rolleyes:

Godwin's Law :pac:

thirtyfoot

limericklion wrote: »

What a ridculous and prejudice statement to come out with. Your claim that athletes who do not drink are non trust worthy is an insult to all of those on this forum who do not drink. Coughlan was not drunk get your facts right, he had one or two drinks to relax. By the way you describe it he was drunk going into the race. Not only are you in favour of anti social behaviour you glorify alcohol like Hitler glorified the Aryan race. There is no such thing as superiority and if there were such a thing been straightedge and alcohol free would always be better than been a social drinker. Also Coughlan was not drunk going into the race get your facts right, he had one or two beers which contain less percentage of alcohol than shots etc. Your glorification of alcohol is greatly misplaced in my view and there are many elite athletes out there who do not drink ie C Ronaldo, Floyd Mayweather, Lance Armstrong, THE Kenyans, Galen Rupp the list goes on and on. Straightedge is the way to go

I was going to go to bed but I've decided to open another beer and reply. I was only having a bit of craic. I'm not glorifying anti-social behaviour but I will say that when you are young, enjoy it. Where you ever young yourself? Did you ever do something drunk when you maybe shouldn't have? I'm not talking GBH or breaking into cars, I'm talking living a little, not being a prude, being young, letting the hair down, going crazy once in a while.

As for the trust, again, thats a bit of craic, I have many friends who don't drink. I said that as a joke.

As I said, I am not saying all college kids should drink, what I am saying is that if they do like a beer and having a bit of craic then to deprive them of that can be counter-productive. There will be lads who will do the dog on it and they'll have to be reigned in but the vast majority will just go out, have bit of craic and be safely tucked up in bed.

You say straighedge. It depends on the houseowner and how diligent they are in their garden and an un-even hedge can wreak havoc when you are tiring. Seriously though, people who abstain are great and I respect them and you believ thats the way to go and thats fair enough and I respect that, I'm saying if someone wants to have a beer, let them have a beer, if someone doesn't want to have a beer, thats cool. Maybe we can discuss sometime over a beer. Or to prove who's theory is right I will challenge you to the Walking Home From The Pub Hammered Grand National Style Hurdle Over The Garden Hedges Race. I will allow you to be stone cold sober, I will have a feast of Guinness finished off with a few Jameson. Whoever wins is right!

On a serious note again I'm not condoing excessive drinking of alcohol or abuse. If I did or seem I did, I apologise.

But the intensity of young athletes sometimes gets me down. Its all about times, splits, training, diet blah, blah. There is more to life (and athletics) than that. You need to be able to enjoy. Its a massive social sport and that can manifest itself off the track too. Thats more where I am coming from. I see kids deprive themselves when young (19-22) and they could be enjoying themselves a little more, finding a balance. It'll help them when they get older.

Have all discussions here to be deadly serious? If so, I apologise.

Edit: When I say young athlete, I mean 19-22.

TheRoadRunner

limericklion wrote: »

Not only are you in favour of anti social behaviour you glorify alcohol like Hitler glorified the Aryan race.

04072511 wrote: »

Oh dear oh dear, whats the name of that law again?:rolleyes:

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Godwin's Law :pac:

Classic example !

ecoli

I think it is peoples own decision but but it is our duty as athletes to promote all disciplines of the sport and by condemning alcohol we are depriving athletes of finding their talent in beer mile which i feel that every runner must try once in their life its a memorable experience:p

For anyone who does not know the rules to this
4 laps of track
bottle or can of beer before the start of everylap and can only begin your lap once the drink is empty
penalty lap and drink for throwing up

thirtyfoot

ecoli wrote: »

bottle or can of beer

Are we talking 33cl?

tunney

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the weight gain due to useless calories.

TheRoadRunner

tunney wrote: »

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the weight gain due to useless calories.

Fat stores come in handy when in hour 7 of a marathon

ultraman1

Tingle wrote: »

Are we talking 33cl?

thats for the novices.....real athletes do it wit a two litre

Magnet

I met John Mutai (Kenyan) after he won Belfast marathon and he said the one and only time he drank was after the Great north Run - Didn`t like it at all and wouldn`t be trying it ever again!!
I have drank before marathions 1 or 2 is enough to relax with but anymore I`d be drunk/dehydrated/looking for more!!!
November is my month for drinking and I must say Ive put on 3/4 stone in that time so maybe there are empty calories in there somewhere?!?! :rolleyes:
Back to my ribena now...

Magnet

oops forgot this link.......

http://www.beermile.com/faq.beer


BoardsBeermile anyone???

xebec

Magnet wrote: »

oops forgot this link.......

http://www.beermile.com/faq.beer


BoardsBeermile anyone???

Deffo, I'd be up for that!! Been doing plenty of training lately Well of the drinking alcohol sort anyway...

tunney

Why I love Faris Al Sultan, former IM world Champ.
He brings 6 packs of erdinger to interviews........
And at the end of races....

christeb

Magnet wrote: »

oops forgot this link.......

http://www.beermile.com/faq.beer


BoardsBeermile anyone???

please please PLEASE can we do this???

Scampwolf

Finished the DCM this year, within 15 mins me and the mate went to a local and had 1 pint of the black stuff each (Only a tenner between us left cash in hotel). AAAhhh Without doubt the best pint either of us ever had. I mean it was SUPER. I have drank about 10 pints since. Not really a drinker. But that Pint ! Memories

RealistSpy

I would recommend staying away from alcohol at least a week before a competition!

Mick Rice

I spoke with the late great 'Shufflin Jim' McDonagh in Loughrea a couple of years ago for a piece in Irish Runner. He didn't drink much but there had been stories told about him drinking beer to 'hydrate' before his most famous marathon, 'The Holloke Massacre' in 1967. The eventual article had the following section that covered that incident;

A legend developed after that Holyoke race that Jim had consumed thirty-six beers the night before the race to make sure he was well hydrated. Although he now recalls drinking only twelve or fourteen it certainly didn’t seem to hinder his performance. Asked about this recently he said, “I’d drink a good few alright. Coors was great if you were running a race the next day. You’d only sweat it out very slowly. You could drink a lot of them and it’d only do you good”. As a result of his performance in Holyoke Jim was selected to run on the US team for the Pan American Games in Winnipeg later that year where he performed admirably in finishing fifth behind Andy Boychuk from Canada who set a new Pan Am Games record on the day.

limericklion

Mick Rice wrote: »

I spoke with the late great 'Shufflin Jim' McDonagh in Loughrea a couple of years ago for a piece in Irish Runner. He didn't drink much but there had been stories told about him drinking beer to 'hydrate' before his most famous marathon, 'The Holloke Massacre' in 1967. The eventual article had the following section that covered that incident;

A legend developed after that Holyoke race that Jim had consumed thirty-six beers the night before the race to make sure he was well hydrated. Although he now recalls drinking only twelve or fourteen it certainly didn’t seem to hinder his performance. Asked about this recently he said, “I’d drink a good few alright. Coors was great if you were running a race the next day. You’d only sweat it out very slowly. You could drink a lot of them and it’d only do you good”. As a result of his performance in Holyoke Jim was selected to run on the US team for the Pan American Games in Winnipeg later that year where he performed admirably in finishing fifth behind Andy Boychuk from Canada who set a new Pan Am Games record on the day.

I do not want to sound elitist or eanything far been from it but one should not relate back to such a long time ago for athletic performance. Would this man defeat Martin Lel or Ryan Hall in a major marathon with such a routine. I severely doubt it. Times have changed it is now much more competitive with athletes looking for that edge. With the exception of the milers it is foolish to look into the past for goods examples. There was once a time when 2.25 would win you a medal. Now its 2.05, big difference.

jimmylive

Your glorification of alcohol is greatly misplaced in my view and there are many elite athletes out there who do not drink ie C Ronaldo, Floyd Mayweather, Lance Armstrong, THE Kenyans, Galen Rupp the list goes on and on. Straightedge is the way to go[/quote]

Your the man Limericklion. If only everyone thought like you!:P

pete_mcs

Heard Sean Kelly say once that a nights drinking cost him a weeks training!

tunney

jimmylive wrote: »

Your glorification of alcohol is greatly misplaced in my view and there are many elite athletes out there who do not drink ie C Ronaldo, Floyd Mayweather, Lance Armstrong, THE Kenyans, Galen Rupp the list goes on and on. Straightedge is the way to go

Your the man Limericklion. If only everyone thought like you!:P[/QUOTE]

Armstrong does drink.

griffin100

Your glorification of alcohol is greatly misplaced in my view and there are many elite athletes out there who do not drink ie C Ronaldo, Floyd Mayweather, Lance Armstrong, THE Kenyans, Galen Rupp the list goes on and on. Straightedge is the way to go

Oh dear, oh dear, you wont like this race then......

http://www.marathondumedoc.com/pages/en/esprit.php

''All finishers (arriving under 6h30) will be offered a reward.
In a time under 6h30, you can thouroughly enjoy the 22 water-posts, 23 wine-tastings in the châteaux, 55 orchestras, the 50 great properties along the course and delicatessen, Bayonne ham, oysters, barbecued beef, cheese, fruits, ice creams........''

Mick Rice

Limericklion - Sorry if I wasn't clear. I would never advise this as a good way to train or race nowadays and didn't mean to - I just thought it was a funny story. I don't drink myself and can see the damage it does all around me. So, apologies if that came accross the wrong way.

This man emigrated from Galway to the Bronx in the 1950's and didn't run his first Marathon until he was in his early 40's. If he was a big drinker in any way he wouldn't have achieved what he did. He was a part of a different time and in that context was nearly teetotal. He lived 'til the ripe old age of 85 and was killed in a car crash a couple of years ago. For me the amazing thing was what he did achieve, rather than what he didn't compared to others.

You point is well made though and I accept it.

--amadeus--

It was a funny story (well, I thought it was funny)

There is a lot of talk about why kids leave the sport between 15 - 18. An unrealistic and puritanical worldview where a coach equates drinking to nazism would drive anyone away. Moderation in all things, IMO

plodder

griffin100 wrote: »

Oh dear, oh dear, you wont like this race then......

http://www.marathondumedoc.com/pages/en/esprit.php

''All finishers (arriving under 6h30) will be offered a reward.
In a time under 6h30, you can thouroughly enjoy the 22 water-posts, 23 wine-tastings in the châteaux, 55 orchestras, the 50 great properties along the course and delicatessen, Bayonne ham, oysters, barbecued beef, cheese, fruits, ice creams........''

reminds of the half marathon in Prague. It is (or was) sponsored by Staropramen. At least one beer station on the course (not so nice), but three cold 500ml cans at the finish ..... bliss . ..:)

RedB

pete_mcs wrote: »

Heard Sean Kelly say once that a nights drinking cost him a weeks training!

Hmmm .....is there any way I could twist that point so that a nights NOT drinking would be equivalent to a weeks training? I'll have to get the Dept of Finance to investigate .

hunnymonster

RedB wrote: »

Hmmm .....is there any way I could twist that point so that a nights NOT drinking would be equivalent to a weeks training? I'll have to get the Dept of Finance to investigate .

I can kind of understand this. When I used to drink, I always ended up getting a chest infection afterwards.

jimmylive

Rio 2016 wrote: »

Make a decision. You running or your pints. you cannot expect to have it both ways when you are puting that kind of **** into your system.

So your saying, always choose your running over having a good time?

I hate to break it to you pal but you seem to have developed an OCD there for yourself!
Running is a hobby/sport ok. I'd say the majority of posters on here have the sense to know that even if they are running sub 4miles, that their running exploits will never put "much" bread on the table.
It sounds to me that you eat,talk,sleep running. AND your not alone there!All im gona say to you is(in a kind hearted way) there is a lot more to life than running.
And to repeat what the moderator posted above, everything in moderation is best.

And on a light hearted note heres a decision i think you should make sooner rather than later:

Make a decision!

run barefoot in slippy cross country courses, and have trouble staying on your toes turning every corner

or

put on a pair of spikes and post a better run because of it

Its a TOUGH ONE I KNOW!:rolleyes: