alcohol's affect on running performance?

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Collinsclan22
Collinsclan22 Posts: 76
in Fitness and Exercise
I had ONE beer last night with dinner, and this morning could only run half (3.25 miles) of my usual 6+ mile morning run. Does anyone else have this problem? I know it's the alcohol because this isn't the first time this has happened to me. I guess I will have to give up alcohol completely for the time being~!

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  • HunterKiller_wechange
    HunterKiller_wechange Posts: 369 Member
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    not much of a runner but when drink and workout the next day it affects me big time even if its only 1 or 2.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    It's hard to tell, due to the nature of the test, I always thing I'm doing awesome.

    Think*
  • MellowGa
    MellowGa Posts: 1,258 Member
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    hmm don't have this problem, I can drink and run the next day with no problem, but I also take in a ton of water
  • johnsd8
    johnsd8 Posts: 19 Member
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    I have the exact same problem, I am more then comfortable with regular 10 mile runs but I just can't breath if I have been drinking. I got so peeved with it that I gave it up altogther earlier this year! The booze not running :)
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Yea I have never had any issues drinking and running the next day. Now I'm not getting smashed, but up to 3-4 beers is not a problem for me.
  • cameralinds
    cameralinds Posts: 239
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    Yes. I could be full of crap in saying this, but I think it's because alcohol contains blood thinning properties. Usually after drinking (for some reason wine doesn't affect me though) I am a mess and a half for a few days until things in my body get back to normal. Just commenting to say you are not alone! Give up the booze, or plan your rest day the day after having a beer... :)
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Once I had a bottle of wine when I had to do circuits in the morning. The only effect I had was that I had to run to the bathroom after the warm up.

    One beer shouldn't really effect you that much, but obviously moderation and that.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    The claim now is that drinking just one drink...1 beer, 1 glass of wine, etc. is good for you health. But, we do need water. I don't indulge in any alcohol until I have gotten in at least 8- 8 oz cups of water.
  • wooface
    wooface Posts: 12
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    Hi - it affects me also. I'm not a runner, but am doing around 30-50 minutes of cardio circuit training a day. If I have a couple of beers or a couple of glasses of wine at dinner, the next day is a challenge, or a complete right-off.

    The science behind is it quite interesting - your body has to ignore all of the foods in your body and turn its attentions to the alcohol you are drinking, in order to get it out of your system quickly. Also ONE drink a night can wreck havoc and cause dehydration...

    I'm in the same boat as you and after doing research I have decided to mostly cut out all alcohol, as it seems to do more harm than good.


    Here are some good articles:


    http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/drinking-and-exercise

    http://greatist.com/fitness/why-alcohol-and-exercise-dont-mix/


    Hope this helps :)

    Kate
  • marathon64
    marathon64 Posts: 378 Member
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    I pretty much stopped drinking because I felt it had a negative impact on my stamina with running. Having said that I would not expect 1 beer with a meal to do much but I am always pretty careful to hydrate well and extra well with any alcohol....
  • ZombieChaser
    ZombieChaser Posts: 1,555 Member
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    I have the opposite problem.... After a night out, with minimal sleep and a light hangover, I can run an insane distance...I have no clue why this is... My first 12k, I did it after copious amounts of Gin and Tonic the night before, and with 3 hrs sleep...and I rocked that run.

    I wish I had your problem...it might actually make me behave and not drink....hmmm.
  • Collinsclan22
    Collinsclan22 Posts: 76
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    Wow, it's interesting how alcohol affects everyone so differently. Since Sunday is my only official rest day, I will have to limit my beer/wine intake to only Saturday nights. Thanks for all the input.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    It's dependent mostly on how much you drink on a regular basis.

    Training on Saturday, drinking Saturday night and then recovering from both the drink and training on Sunday is a good plan.
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
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    I miss the old days when alcohol consumption actually seemed to help exercise. You look at pictures of the early Tour de France races and those guys rode with wine skins.

    Alas, it doesn't work that way for me. That said, I don't drink that often but, when I do, the next day can be a bit of a struggle. Of course, this could have more to do with the fact that the rare days that I indulge in drink are also the days I tend to indulge in tasty foods so it might not be the alcohol for me.
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Oh I rarely drink because of this. I'd much rather train successfully for my marathon than enjoy a few beers.

    I had a beer Tuesday evening with my neighbor (and only had 64 oz of water total for the day tsk tsk) and I woke up Wednesday morning feeling awful. So my hill workout planned for 5:30 in the morning (and 65 degrees) got pushed to 6:30 PM in 85 degrees with the sun beating down on me. It is what it is, and I'll probably learn that lesson again and again.

    After a race I usually indulge in a free beer (sometimes two) but it's just not worth it to me. Running well and enjoying it is much more enjoyable that an ice cold beer.
  • ftnslvr
    ftnslvr Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi everyone - first post. Love this site BTW, great stories and really useful tools.

    Back to the topic: a couple of years ago a friend of mine put on a "Rod Dixon Run." It was a 6 mile run and you had to run each mile AND drink a 12 oz. beer in under 10 minutes. So, if you could run a mile in 8 minutes, you had 2 minutes to drink the beer. Conversely, if you could only run the mile in 9:30, then you only had 30 seconds to drink the beer.

    It was easy at first--even refreshing, but after mile 4 it was torture. The shear volume of liquid in your stomach, not to mention foamy beer, made it incredibly difficult to run. I almost thought I wouldn't be able to make it. That last beer was almost impossible. But I persevered.

    I made it 6 miles but it took me 64 minutes. Definitely wasn't thirsty afterwards! :drinker:

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