January Jollies

[Sweder]

Yeah, we all know that old chestnut!
SP and I went out for 'a couple of beers' after a training run in Seaford last year - here's the snap . . .

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

One of your friends kindly emailed me a pic of said wine bottle MLC Man.

Just so you can't be quite so smug...

Well, my friend there is a bit short...

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yeah, we all know that old chestnut!
SP and I went out for 'a couple of beers' after a training run in Seaford last year - here's the snap . . .

You both seem to have lost a lot of hair lately!

[Sweder]

Yes, it's all the stress you know.
And SP's shaved off his 'tash now.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Purely in the name of science, and at great personal cost, I have been studying the effects of alcohol intake on running performance - a matter of no little significance to many runners here it seems. This has required a fair amount of consumption on my part in recent times, as well as a little running, and has yielded some fascinating results. My observations here are listed in order of greatest significance:

#1. 2004 was clearly a bloody excellent year in Tasmania for riesling.
#2. Bitter beer with a high hop content ages magnificently.
#3. The impact on running performance seems to be more a matter of dehydration than alcohol impairment.
#4. Drinking at night with little re-hydration will result in dramatic impairment the next morning. However, drinking at lunchtime with adequate re-hydration in the afternoon does not necessarily preclude a satisfactory evening run.
#5. The loss of electrolytes through consumption of alcohol (and subsequent discharge) means that rehydration with isotonic drinks will enable you to run again sooner... and of course, imbibe again sooner as well. Spirit drinkers may not be as heavily affected, especially if using sugared mixers. A warning here - using Gatorade (or sim) as a mixer is definitely injurious to your health.
#6. The typical types of food consumed with alcohol in all probability impact your running just as, or more significantly than the alcohol does. However, my doctor is forever telling me "if you must drink so much, at least eat some food with it" so I must advise the same.
#7. Carbo-loading with beer doesn't work. And drinking those funny Italian beers with a plate of pasta doesn't work either, outside of a Mediterranean climate at least (more work needed on this, admittedly, but this requires a travel budget denied me by MLCWife).

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, so you must test these results for yourself before adjusting your training schedules. (If 2004 Tasmanian Riesling is difficult to procure, a dry German wine of known pedigree and excellent vintage is an acceptable substitute).

Interestingly, my last two runs have both been excellent. Much stronger and faster than earlier runs. Of course, this may be due more to my improving fitness than my alcohol intake, but it is gratifying to note that consumption of wine, beer and spirits is not necessarily an impairment.

I expect my results to published in leading medical and scientific journals shortly. All nominations for major awards, knighthoods, government grants etc gratefully accepted.

Dr. MLCMan has spoken.

[El Gordo]

A commendable piece of research, if I may say so.

I've attempted a similar study many times myself, and am able to appreciate the difficulties one has to overcome. I have rarely been able to test fully my hypotheses. The first part of the experiment, the imbibing of prodigious quantites of fine English ale, or a bottle or two of decent claret, usually goes swimmingly well. It's the second, involuntary and unscripted, phase that scuppers me. This is the bit where I pour anything up to half a kilo of salted peanuts into my mouth or, if I'm enjoying a carafe of something vinous, reach for the Roquefort, the Brie, the Stilton and the Farmhouse Cheddar.

After that, my athletic prowess diminishes somewhat.

I'm as surprised as anyone to report that my dry spell is now 10 days long. The most worrying aspect is the observation that I am at least 4 pounds lighter, and am plodding more swiftly than I have for some time. The implications are too fearful for contemplation.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Ah yes, the old "Roquefort Runner's Syndrome". I feel a research grant coming on.

[Sweder]

I'm as surprised as anyone to report that my dry spell is now 10 days long. The most worrying aspect is the observation that I am at least 4 pounds lighter, and am plodding more swiftly than I have for some time. The implications are too fearful for contemplation.

You are staring into the Abyss, my friend.
Temperance may indeed lead to enhanced performance and weight-loss. For further reading material I invite you to take up the works of George Cruikshank, including The Bottle (1847), The Drunkard's Children (1848) and The Worship of Bacchus (1862). Fearsome stuff.

Happily, with SP signed up for Almería, there's not a cat in hell's chance this curious condition will survive.

[El Gordo]

Happily, with SP signed up for Almería, there's not a cat in hell's chance this curious condition will survive.

That's understood. In fact, my plan is to remain alcohol-free till approximately midday on Sun Jan 29th. I'll have worked up quite a thirst by then.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

That's understood. In fact, my plan is to remain alcohol-free till approximately midday on Sun Jan 29th. I'll have worked up quite a thirst by then.

... and probably a divorce suit as well. The moment M tells you you're becoming grumpy and irritable (or more so than usual) you get yourself a stiff drink, you hear?

[El Gordo]

The awful truth is that I've (apparently) been the perfect husband for the last week.

It's dreadful.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Phase two of the alcohol-testing went a little too far on Saturday night, but I can at least confirm that too much alcohol in the evening (well, OK, early morning) without adequate re-hydration totally stuffs up any intention of a morning run. Fortunately I had no such intention - having been aware that Saturday was a boys' night out, I did my scheduled Sunday run on Saturday instead. I did however, have cross-training, and that didn't get done until late Sunday night - 40km on the exercise bike whilst watching South Africa thump (just) Australia in the second one day match of the series. Bloody tremendous game, going right down to the last over.

One positive aspect of alcohol that I've hinted at before but am now sure of - it is a very effective anti-inflammatory and general pain reliever. Seems pretty obvious I suppose, but even in small amounts it seems to do an excellent job of eliminating those aches and pains. Better than a hot bath even (and more portable).

Anyway that's enough of alcohol testing - I need a break. You'll all have to do your own research from here on

Despite all that my running is going very, very well. Whilst it's still definitely only in the "recovery from injury" phase, I'm putting in three solid treadmill sessions each week, plus a cross-training session, two strength sessions, three or four long walks, and my daily torture regime (ie stretching) devised by the evil but lovely Rebecca. It's no wonder I've been hitting the grog

But the truth is it all seems to be working. I'm fitter and stronger and feeling very much more confident about my chances of running some decent distances again. Cartilage remains a bit of an issue, and hasn't yet been tested on a genuinely long run, but that is hopefully repairable with a truck load of glucosamine, and the more worrisome left knee joint has been obligingly pain-free for a couple of weeks now.

And of course with the cricket season in full swing here, treadmill running isn't an issue. Now I time my runs to coincide with the cricket, rather than before or after.

It's a bit frustrating being restricted to short runs when I feel ready and eager for some longer stuff, but I can honestly say that taking it easy and building off a base of several short, careful runs, and extending distance by no more than 10% per week really does help overcome and prevent further injuries. It also avoids incurring the wrath of the lovely, but evil Rebecca [sigh].

Must go - I have a rest day to enjoy.

[El Gordo]

That all sounds positive, MLCM. Great to hear.

Glucosamine, eh? I just started taking this stuff a couple of weeks ago myself. I'd heard about it a couple of times, and even though I've not had particular joint problems, I thought this suplement might help to prevent them from appearing. (For UK people, I found a very cheap source of Glucosamine at http://www.zipvit.co.uk. There's an article in Runner's World about the stuff this month.)

[El Gordo]

On the subject, thought you might find this interesting...

http://www.marathondrinkers.co.uk/welcome.htm

Not that you know anything about the London Underground, but it might be gratifying to see that some people take both running and beer just as seriously as some others.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

On the subject, thought you might find this interesting...

http://www.marathondrinkers.co.uk/welcome.htm

Not that you know anything about the London Underground, but it might be gratifying to see that some people take both running and beer just as seriously as some others.

Indeed, men after my own heart. Similarly, I've met (and had a beer with) two guys down here that had a beer in (and then published a guide to) every pub in Tasmania... all 280 of them. Took a great deal of, um, dedication and endurance. Only these guys pretty clearly aren't runners. Still, no-one's perfect I guess.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Another visit to the lovely, but evil Rebecca (sigh) for a return bout of sports physio. After the requisite torture session, in which she upped the stakes even more than last time, she gave me even more daily forms of torture to do and implemented a strapping program. That's strapping as in taping of the knee, not the strapping with a whip I hasten to make clear, although a bit of gentle flagellation would be far less unpleasant than the contortions she put me through on the table today. I'm going to wake up screaming for a week at least.

However, she did speak more words of wisdom, and even asked me about my running aspirations. She was particularly positive about breaking my own 5k and 10k times this year, and thought the Point to Pinnacle in November (21.4km from sea level up Mt.Wellington to 1270m) quite achievable - I could have hugged her at that point, but she would have put me through another contortion if I had. Beyond the half marathon she wasn't prepared to speculate, and is concerned that my left hip needs more work before committing to major distances just yet.

So, lots of work still to do, but she is being enormously positive and has told me I can safely up my long run to 10 - 12km over the next 3 or 4 weeks or so and gradually include fartlek work and some gentle hills. I then hold my weekly distances to 25 - 30km for a few weeks and reassess after that.

I guess she's not really evil. She at least apologises as she rips my tendons apart. And she has a lovely smile worth having your knee dislocated (multiple times) for.

Sigh.

[El Gordo]

Come on mate, we need some pictures here.

[Sweder]

Yeah, I'm getting all sorts of conflicting visuals.
Thanks!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Well, this will give you a general idea...

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

At the suggestion of the lovely, but evil Rebecca (sigh), today I did a thoroughly enjoyable fartlek session. All I can say is, if you haven't tried one of these delectables, get into it - great fun and boy do you feel absolutely tremendous afterwards.

Did I just break some kind of record for the combined use of adverbs and adjectives? Hope my old English master doesn't read this - he might do, he was a runner. And evil, too.