Marathon Training & Drinking

az2wp0sye65487

I'm a quarter of the way through DCM training at the moment. This will be my 3rd marathon. Everything is going OK so far. But......

I'm going to Munich for Oktoberfest for a weekend at the end of Sept. and I've a friend's stags 2 weeks later (mid Oct). Now I know the initial response should be "just don't drink" - but realistically that's not gonna happen.

I wouldn't be a heavy drinker anyway, I enjoy a couple of beers but these days I know my limit and don't particularly enjoy going beyond that. So any advice / tips apart from not attending these events or simply not drinking? I'm aiming for a sub 4hr marathon by the way (so not an elite).

Should I be worried?!

911sc

These week-ends may coincides with your scheduled LSR, so make sure to do these LSR during the week before going away.

Just don't drink your head off, and make sure to drink plenty of water as well, e.g. 1 glass of water for 1 glass of beer.

nellocono

You wont lose much fitness from going on the lash. You will lose it though from the after affects if your not able to get out the road running. So as long as you can still stick to your running schedule (particularly the long runs) you should be fine.

Easier said than done though

az2wp0sye65487

Thanks for the replies. I never thought of the long runs! I normally do these at the weekends... Must try to get them in during the week at some stage instead for these particular weeks. I've a 29k and a 30k scheduled for each of those weekends, with a 35k at the weekend in between.

Krusty_Clown

Ultimately your training should dictate your level of drinking, rather than have your drinking dictate your level of training. (That could be a Roy Keane speech (but no doubt he wouldn't approve )). As others have suggested, get your long runs done mid-week, and do easy recovery runs the day after your partying. If you haven't met your training commitments then ease back on the boozing, so that you can. I couldn't think of anything better than a nice 15-20 mile run around Munich, before settling into a beer tent for the rest of the evening. Personally, I give up the booze for 4-6 weeks before the marathon (more about getting the additional sleep and weight loss), but faced with your dilemmas would probably make the same exceptions (drinking tonnes of water, so I could still manage easy runs the following day). It all comes down to how much you really want your sub 4:00 (what sacrifices you are willing to make).

az2wp0sye65487

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Ultimately your training should dictate your level of drinking, rather than have your drinking dictate your level of training. (That could be a Roy Keane speech (but no doubt he wouldn't approve )). As others have suggested, get your long runs done mid-week, and do easy recovery runs the day after your partying. If you haven't met your training commitments then ease back on the boozing, so that you can. I couldn't think of anything better than a nice 15-20 mile run around Munich, before settling into a beer tent for the rest of the evening. Personally, I give up the booze for 4-6 weeks before the marathon (more about getting the additional sleep and weight loss), but faced with your dilemmas would probably make the same exceptions (drinking tonnes of water, so I could still manage easy runs the following day). It all comes down to how much you really want your sub 4:00 (what sacrifices you are willing to make).

I normally try to cut out the boooze for a month or so before a marathon too. Like I said already, I'm not a big drinker anyway. - It also makes a nice pint the evening after finishing the marathon all the more rewarding!

I just missed out on sub 4hrs in Belfast in May. I finished in around 4:01:44 so I'm hoping to even take 1:45 off that time!

I'll only be in Munich for 2 nights - is it worth packing the runners and garmin??

Krusty_Clown

Sandra Gentle Syllable wrote: »

I'll only be in Munich for 2 nights - is it worth packing the runners and garmin??

Absolutely! Running in foreign climes is the best kind of running! Just save your starting location before you head off, so you can follow the Garmin to make your way back. Also, you can work off some of that beer-guilt.

az2wp0sye65487

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Absolutely! Running in foreign climes is the best kind of running! Just save your starting location before you head off, so you can follow the Garmin to make your way back. Also, you can work off some of that beer-guilt.

Ah - it's a basic Garmin - a Forerunner 110. Sure weren't you the one who told me how to do a soft reset last week in the Garmin forum.... Anyway, it doesn't have any mapping capabilities. But sure it could certainly be a great way to explore the city!

Krusty_Clown

Sandra Gentle Syllable wrote: »

Ah - it's a basic Garmin - a Forerunner 110. Sure weren't you the one who told me how to do a soft reset last week in the Garmin forum.... Anyway, it doesn't have any mapping capabilities. But sure it could certainly be a great way to explore the city!

Bring a map.

az2wp0sye65487

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Bring a map.

No need - it's a well known fact that after a few beers the built in homing beacon kicks in... Always get back to the place you're staying in.

If I can't find the hotel I'll head straight for the beer tents.... let the beer work it's magic! :pac:

PaulieC

No that I would recommend it, but last year I went to Tenerife on the 15th of October for 3 nights. With the lads. I brought my runners with me, but they never made it out of the bag as we basically drank from the moment we got there. Heavy drinking, from 11am to 3am, three days in a row. It took me a week to recover when I go back and then the marathon 10 days later. I was on the taper by then so I did my last longish run (12 miles) the night before I went so didn't really miss out on anything too vital.

Ducked under the 4 hour mark by just 12 seconds...

cwgatling

Have the beers and enjoy the nights out. It won't make a blind bit of difference.

Even if you went on the absolute scutter, hammering back stein after stein and waking up stuck to your bedsheets with your own puke for 2 nights (and it doesn't sound like you will), it wouldn't matter a damn. It's 2 nights, 1 month out from a race.

Do your long runs and you'll fly it on the day. Best of luck.

rom

Personally its more mental than physical so a break would be good. The races I don't care about I do best. Personally drink won't knock you but if you eat food that bloats you for a week then it will do more to you. If you try to eat healthyish like less bread and steak/burgers/chips etc then you'll be grand tbh

BrokenMan

As others have said once you get your long runs in its not really going to have any real impact.
I would never drink the night before a long run or a key session ( running not boozing ) but nearly always have a few beers or wine weekend nights after the lsr.
If Im having a serious night out I'll have my rest day the next day.