Alcohol Intake

Barnsley Runner

31/03/2003 at 21:26

What are people's average weekly alcohol intakes? I generally have 2-3 pints every night, or 3/4 to a bottle of wine. I try and have one night `off' and only have a major session maybe once every couple of months on a special occasion.

Do people cut down in the weeks leading up to a marathon? I remember reading Ron Hill saying he would go for 8 weeks or so before key marathons (but he also did training runs early mornings after a late night sesh).

Hippo in training

31/03/2003 at 21:41

OOOOh
You give me hope, though i DO drink more than you

david darby

31/03/2003 at 22:30

And so do I. Feel much better running a morming race after a night off the demon. I would think not drinking for a week have any extra benefit to laying off for just 2 or 3 days. Fancy a pint tomorrow then?
DcD

Pizza Man:-)

01/04/2003 at 07:14

Snicks did some research into this for an article. You'll find her in the Connemara thread in events.

Hippo in training

01/04/2003 at 08:06

Didnt she come second?
I rest my case

Ye Hippo

01/04/2003 at 08:16

Listening to your body is key.

I feel as though I am runing much faster than usual, and getting into the "zone" is much easier, when intoxicated.

Never managed to get a stopwatch working properly in that state though - numbers all seem to get blurry :-))

Ye.

Muttley

01/04/2003 at 08:24

Maybe that's because alcohol is known to increase desire but reduce performance, YH.

Can't comment further myself, coz I barely drink.

mags 2

01/04/2003 at 08:39

Do most people drink more than the recommended limits i.e. 21 units per week for men and 14 units per week for women ?
If my calculations are right barnsley runner is drinking between 4 and 6 units a night which is 28 to 42 a week ( on the assumption that a 125ml glass of wine is one unit, so 6 in a bottle, or 1 pint is 2 units). Any of the docs have any opinions on this ?

andy townsend

01/04/2003 at 08:54

I tend to not drink at all mid week (I have to ride a motorbike at 5.45 on the morning) and then have wine On Fridays and Saturdays. The downside of this is that I do my long run on Saturday/ Sunday feeling a little rough.

For the FLM, I had last alcohol on 23rd March and I am now looking forwad to some beer and champagne (not in the same glass) on the evening of 13th.

Trail_runner

01/04/2003 at 09:53

I gave up the booze at the start of December. Since then I have taken 6 minutes of my 1/2M time and 3 mins of my 10K time. I think by the end of the year I will be under 1:30 for the 1/2M compared to around 1:37 when boozing it up. Personally I feel much better in life and when running now and would sooner stick my head in the loo than have another drink....

Trail_runner

01/04/2003 at 09:56

Oh and I have lost 5Kg as well which may have a bearing on my speed gain......

Sassie

01/04/2003 at 12:19

I never drink................... during the day!

Barnsley Runner

01/04/2003 at 16:56

Trail runner, would you have got faster anyway? Are you training more than before?

I would say that given the amount I run that my alcohol consumption is fairly moderate. How many calories in a pint of beer? Is it 200? So 16 pints a week is 3200 calories, or 30 miles running. I generally do 70+, so still have 4000 calories to fill up with Jaffa Cakes etc.

popsider

01/04/2003 at 18:14

The most I tend to drink is a session now would be a bottle of wine if at home or 7 or 8 pints when out - but I average much less than that and probably only get through an average of 6 or 7 units a week. I find that I can run OK the day after a night out even if I feel rough.

Barnsley Runner

01/04/2003 at 21:40

Our coach has advised me to stay off the beer for a week before the marathon. DOn't know if I'll have the willpower for this but will certainly try some `dry' days.

Monique

pirate

01/04/2003 at 21:50

I'm drinking now- it's fab!
Seriously don't really get a lot down me these days and feel terrible if I have more than 4 alcopops on a night out.

old father tim

01/04/2003 at 23:00

Am going to be honest and thus probably boring....sorry !

Since becoming obsessed by this running thingy (not so long ago), my -OH intake has fallen dramatically. Misc reasons maybe..

1. The days of G&Ts/wine to forget a "bad day at the office" a thing of the past - trying to forget about "work" drove me to run in the first place. It works. Indeed, the greater the stress, the more intense and enjoyable my runs

2. Reaction against non-running chums who seem desparate to force someone they know who's doing a marathon to binge - getting a bit fed-up of this...

3. Inability to drink ! I find it quite hard now to drink in any kind of quantity. Fall over all too quickly. Useful spin-off here - saves a fortune

4. I tend to drink now only after a race or good workout (eg a bottle of Fosters Ice tonight after some fun intervals on the 'dreadmill' at the gym and a PINT (!!) of Guiness Cold last Thursday during a rare visit to a running club).

In short..

- quantity of my drinking well down to single figs (units a week), however

- quality (ie enjoyment and appreciation factor !) increased considerably though.

This will all change of course after 13/4 when I intend to launch a career in 'Pro Darts'...........

old father tim

01/04/2003 at 23:04

Jaffa cakes - thats another story !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trail_runner

02/04/2003 at 13:20

Barnsley,
The strange thing was that after 4 weeks of not drinking and no changes to my training routine I went from a tired feeling 10K time of 45 mins at the end of November to a 'can my stopwatch be working correctly' 41 mins at the start of January. I was really wierd I felt like I was able to run faster because it was so much more comfortable. With some rest after the FLM I am going to hopefully break the 40 mins barrier. All of this with no specific 10K training. The other plus of not drinking is that the next day you can put in whatever session you want/need without a hangover playing you up. Doesn't alcohol thin the blood and reduce the volume of red blood cells by volume? So the answer to your second question is yes I am training more than before now (consistenly) because I am not drinking.

Nessie

02/04/2003 at 14:02

Two problems re alcohol and running are the dehydration factor and the fact that alcohol stops your body absorbing the vitamins and minerals from your food, which will obviously not help with recovery.

The safe limits, like many things, depends a lot on your individual body, so if I were to drink the same as a 20 stone man, it would have much more of an effect on me than on him, both at the time in terms of intoxication, and in the aftermath in terms of the liver's ability to process and dispel the alcohol and the absorption of vitamins.

I rarely drink at all these days (for various reasons) and feel so much healthier than when I drank (although I didn't run then). My consumption has never been huge, but there was a day when I would be out 4 nights a week and knock back a few each night. Now it's a couple of glasses of wine about once a month. I don't miss it at all.

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