i like beer, and judging by the posts i’ve read here on slowtwitch, i’m not alone. which leads to my question:
i’m training for IMLP (my first crack at the ironman distance). while i’m no hardcore partier, i do enjoy a few beers on friday and saturday evenings, especially now as the weather is getting nicer. not getting drunk, but just kicking back and watching the hockey playoffs or sitting out on the patio talking with friends. i was planning on abstaining from alcohol starting at the beginning of june until the race at the end of july. realistically, i don’t see that happening. what are you people doing? cutting back booze during the taper only? abstaining all together? getting loaded the night before the race? any advice would be great.
I would avoid getting trashed, but I don’t see how a few beers once in a while will make a measurable performance difference. The typical guidelines for men are to stay under 2 drinks per day. The more you go over this the more detrimental effects you get, but hey, if going to that barbeque is just as important as your race time to your quality of life, go for it.
I’ve heard from several sources that it’s a good idea to abstain completely during the 48 hours before the race. That’s not usually too hard to do. Good luck!
taper the alcohol at the same percentage as you do your workouts. personally though i don’t drink at all when training, hence i only train on days that don’t have a “y” in them.
Drinking in moderation will do more for your health in a positive way than will abstaining. It doesn’t have to be an all our nothing thing. I drink two drinks a day regularly. For myself it’s red wine and dark beer. Two glasses of red wine tonight in fact.
I had a policy of not drinking two days before a race, but have actually found I’ve done better with my normal two a day routine.
like a few of the others, i too have been abstaining for at least 48 hours before a big race (usually the whole week before actually). but with something as big as the ironman, i was wondering if i should cut it out even earlier.
being in lake placid in the days leading up to the race won’t help the cause either. the wife and i went up last year to watch the race and discovered a good number of microbrews in the area. of course we felt obliged to sample them all!
i’m a 2 a night type a guy , and dont really cut back pre ironman, until the night prior, when i have one. For as complicated as our bodies are i think (and i don’t even play a doctor on TV) that we / our bodies like it to stay predictable, balanced , regular… I think most of us make IM training more complicated than it needs to be
volume+rest+smile= PR
ironicly i had a totally “in the zone” PR at ralphs this year having had 2 guiness’ the night before
In college I’d have a few half cases of beer and show up for XC practice buzzed. Really put a damper on those last few miles on Sunday. Made for a great nap though that afternoon.
Now that I can’t drink as much I’ll still have a good beer the night before a race. If you’ve been drinking a few a week one the night before will probably only help you fall asleep or relax if your uptight.
When in doubt, do have a brew.
