ktm278 wrote:

I'm in, it's kinda funny I was just thinking about an alcohol free January and then jumped on st and there was this thread. I like the way Dev sums it up, it's all about making lots of good small choices. Last year I missed a kona spot by 1 place and wonder what if I would had made better choices in regards to my alcohol consumption throughout the year, 12-20 craft beers almost every single weekend could have been the difference between my 180lb actual race weight and my ideal 165 lb race weight. In hindsight I am positive it was those weekend binges that derailed my kona dreams yet again. DAM YOU TO HELL CRAFT IPA BEER, why do have to be so tasty

How about this deal to get you to Kona:

1. Alcohol free Jan
2. Alcohol free Fri-Sun
3. You can drink as much as you want weekday from 5 am to 11 am
4. 11 am onward no alcohol
5. As much soda as you want daily from 5 am to 9am
6. As much soda/gatorade/sports drinks as you want during ANY workout. Nothing permitted after workouts....only real food
7. No chocolate bars all year after 11 am
8. 56 hours of sleep every week. If you sleep 5 hours last night, you need to do three 9 hour sleep night to "catch up by Sunday". Treat sleep ours like your high mileage targets
9. Race through every shower after every workout as fast as you can every day all year. Train 5 minutes longer each time and do the change process like you're in a KQ transition trying to shave seconds off your times. Do this until it becomes a habit and it irritates you to "squader that time". Time it and compete with yourself and get that time down.
10. Time anything that it is a waste of time and try to get your times down. It does not matter what, just get your mind around optimizing "transaction time".

Can you see where I am going with this. I am trying to optimize your lifestyle. Almost none of this has anything to do with training, but has you on the past to have the right mindset to be a KQer.


If you watch the 100 fly in the Beijing Olympics and Phelp's miracle "half stroke" when he took the gold from Cavic and broke Mark Spitz's record, it seems that it is a miracle that Phelps figured this out on the fly....the reality is that he practices stuff like this daily so it becomes mechanical on race day.


IM race is "death by 1000's of cuts". There are small places everywhere before race day and on race day that bleed away your overall time goal. Don't get cut, more than you need because everyone gets cut by the big stuff (like Trade Winds, heat or humidity etc etc).


My 2 cents. You can get there easily from what I see.

I'm in! Since I'm starting today, and there are 31 days in January, I am going to continue through to February 4.

Here's a question -

I plan to have a mostly alcohol-free January, but plan to participate in a work happy hour next Friday. I prefer not to drink soda water and tell people it's doctor's orders. If I was borderline KQ, sure, I could sacrifice, but I am not and therefore don't see the need to eliminate all vices for triathlon glory. If you were to have ONE drink early Friday evening and want to 1) minimize calories/sugar 2) maximize enjoyment, what would you drink? Vodka on the rocks / vodka soda? Tequila neat?

I realize this is like asking for a flask at an AA meeting.

---

2017 races: St. George 70.3 May 6 | Madison 70.3 June 11 | IM Zurich July 30 | Chicago Marathon October 8

Hi Dr. John,

I'm in.

It's interesting that I received an award from USAT in the mail a couple of days ago. It consisted of a double wall insulated wine tumbler, an aerating wine pourer and some kind of multi purpose bottle opener.

Do you think there's a message there?

Steve

Hahahaha! Exactly my feelings as well. I just love a good IPA. Oh well, I know what I need to do, and that's go cold turkey for a while. Also for January...no desserts.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Good luck. I usually do February because it's only 28 days. Sometimes 29.

I've been alcohol free for 41 years but I will join in too :)

---

---

SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

Fixed it for you.

Oh my god you're right........

"Mommy likes vodka."

All kidding aside, I'm in.

This is a post and a challenge I can get behind. No booze for Jan. Got it. It will be a challenge.

Hi Paul - long time. You have some good ideas there. I must admit to being a consumer of wine, beer, B&B if it's on the menu and Coke Zero. I picked alcohol alone as it worked well for the group we had off the Ironman web site last year. It's simple, easy to measure and I think folks can understand it on any level. Maybe next year, with a little more notice, I can broaden the list of those substances off limits.

I hope you are doing well.

John

---

John H. Post, III, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
Charlottesville, VA

I just got off a forced alcohol free two weeks due to botched dental surgery just before X-mas(pain killers and booze don't mix). So I'm most definitely out. Its beyond me why anybody would thank that alcohol free is somehow healthier when virtually ever study has concluded that moderate drinkers always outlive abstainers.

RD - this is just for fun, there's no alcohol patrol scurrying around monitoring you and no character police that seem to use their standards to judge others activity. If it's easier for you to be a part of the group by sharing in the beverages - which I completely understand by the way - by all means have a drink or two. If you read the piece I wrote for IRONMAN, you'll see that some folks feel the need to say they're on antibiotics and "doctors orders, no alcohol" to survive socially. Have fun at the party and join us when you can. Happy New Year.

John

---

John H. Post, III, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
Charlottesville, VA

Steve - Hi roomie! Long time. Yes, I certainly do think there's a message there. You must be under surveillance. I'll bet it's the IRS this time.

As they said back when, you're in deep kimchi this time Jack.

JP

---

John H. Post, III, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
Charlottesville, VA

Just what I was looking to do. Im thinking I will start January 10th until February 10th. No rule it has to be one month or the other is there? If so I will do February. Who knows I may continue through February anyway. Its on my diet plan to get fit for my big races.

In!

Did this last year when I was just returning to running and didn't see much change in weight (I think I replaced alcohol with chocolate) Did it again Jul - Aug and dropped 20lbs (163 to 143) no change in diet other than not substituting chocolate and averaged 35 mpw running. So many dang calories in the booze!

Funny i havent touched soda but for long car ride diet cokes (so that is like once a year) since early 20s. Aroundtime i quit smoking and started riding.

I am on day 3 of no added sugar / alcohol and already feel great. Those who know me know wine is my friend as are Starbucks cookies and muffins so the next month should be interesting!

I went into this self talking if i can quit smoking a pack a day a month without wine should be doable. Ive been a good drinker since 14 (Welsh blood, beers are 14 is norm!) Thats 31 years. And i live in the Okanagan where wine is like water. So i wont lie that this feels like a big hill. But us endurance athletes like hills so upwards I climb!

Stay tuned.

---

@rhyspencer

In. Gonna replace my 6pm bourbon with a hit of espresso from my Aeropress.... or two. Great to see so many STers on board.

---

_____________

"Some guys they just give up living, and start dying little by little piece by piece. Some guys come home from work and wash up, then go racin' in the street." Bruce Springsteen

"And i live in the Okanagan where wine is like water"

Oh yeah - I love the wineries in the Okanagan. I'm doing the Oliver Half Iron this year, so i'm looking forward to hitting up whatever wineries I missed last year. Road 13 has been my go-to wine lately :)

I think I will be participating in this in a delayed fashion, once I drink the fridge dry I will start, no sense in letting beer take up valuable real estate for another four weeks! I'm a stout and porter lover who will drink ~2/night during the week and 3-4/night on the weekend without trying too hard. Between that and the general decay of healthy eating in the house due to a pregnant wife (we had pizza three nights in a row at one point), the bathroom scale has been trending upward despite a decent increase in my training load. I'm hanging out in the low 190s, and would prefer to be closer to 175 come April, hopefully this will help get that started.

Sounds like a fine idea. Not a huge drinker but do love a good scotch on Friday and Saturday nights. I'm in.

I'll give you guys a head start. My b day is the 8th and, well, can't do that sober.....I'm too damned old.....I'm too damned blind...why, if I were the man I was ten years ago.....

The wife and I just started the Whole 30 so I'm in.

I have done it the past 5 years. Allows me to check to see if drinking beer/wine is indeed a habit vs a "need". First week is hard then feel so much better last three weeks. And I lose on avg 10lbs on Jan
Considering staying sober till Cali 1/2