drinking

godluvsatrier

just a wondering i had, but the pub on a friday with workmates is a little bit of a necessity and missing out is frowned upon.



i suffer terribly from hangovers though and training is almost certainly not going to happen the next day. and this weekend have done nothing at all in the way of tri (apart from read forum!) - i just wanted to know how other tri nuts cope with this. is there perhaps a drink that is better for the day after exercise effect? wine, beer, spirits? maybe i should just switch drinks?



also are there any tee-totallers out there? i am considering taking this line to concentrate on training!!!

halfanironman

i just cant drink anymore. and i love it.

the hangovers kill me. depression, sickness the whole lot.its just not worth it when training.

after the summer, going into christmas, i usually break out, but training is at a low ebb, and my system seems to handle it better. but when i am balls to the wall training, or anything more that mere base training{which i am now} i cant tough a drop of it.

i think the fitter you are, the more your system rebels against it.



when i was younger, i could do both no problem, but not since i went over 30 yo.

godluvsatrier

thats exactly what im finding



the more training im doing the more of a 'lightweight' i become even when drinking the same amount as previously.



i do get a totally bad comedown the next day it does feel a bit like i imagne depression to be! i am starting to think you're way of doing it is a good idea. i.e. not drinking until christmassish no training time.



do you still go out to pub with your mates tho. dont like the idea of not having the same social life just because not drinking but am very easily persuaded and am guessing that once im in the pub id end up have a wine

[email protected]

totally agree with these guys,



its not just the hangover the next day, its the poor training you do over the next couple of days you beat yourself up over



sorry to make you feel worse, some will say that some drinks are better than others, but like halfanironman, i dont drink at all anymore, not even over the christmas peroid.



t.total for me...

halfanironman

i was at the dentist for some serious work recently, came home with a hopper of a tooth ache.

i took 2 neurofin.

i was giddy and high- ish for 4 hours.



this used never happen b4.

its definitly due to to the system being so clean.

agent_ti

Being a student, the possibilities for hangovers are endless. What you have to remember is that a couple of drinks shouldn't hurt, especially if you have water in between and keep yourself hydrated throughout the day, but any more than that and youre putting back training for a couple of days. It's basically up to you how you want to approach it. I generally go out a fair bit over winter, but then as you move on into the spring cut back and only go out for important events. Even then, if I have a heavy training session (or swim, swimming with a hangover is a BAD idea) I won't drink and stick to lemonade or fruit juices. My mates understand and have got used to it, and my wallet and body thank me for it!

GHarv

Drink plenty of water before you go to bed maybe even a couple of neurofen if its been heavy to reduce the swelling and headache. A pint of hot water though before bed always works a treat. Also i've heard that a multivitamin before bed in these instances also helps.



I was out last night so will train in an hour or so - but i did an hours bike yesterday morning and 11 mile run before i went out to make up for it! A few largers are supposed to better than water according to some studies anyway for recovery!



Remember unless you are elite you need to have a life!



G

tri_tri_again

I'm with all the teetotallers. Given up since the New Year. But I'd been slowing down on the booze over the past couple of years anyway, so even having a couple always cocked up the training. Big Friday nights were bad news.



A night out now on water is difficult, as there is the inevitable pressure from friends to join in. But I feel so much better not pi**ing away a weekend, and as agent says, my wallet is very grateful, too. That leaves me with more to spend on all the red gear I REALLY, REALLY need!

GGB

I don't seam to have a problem with drinking as such - its the stopping drinking I have a problem with - as of yet I can't do it - but generally don't go out on benders but will certainly have a few cans every now and again. Going to have to stop it soon though - need to stop smoking and ultimately marry off the weight gain of that against the stopping drinking ... ohh the joys

scott_burrows

coming from a rugby background drinking was part of training... (I still love this excuse...)



however I find that I've got to the stage in my life when I'm so busy that the opportunity costs of drinking is too heavy.. it's the cost, time (during and recovery), and the effect it had on my physical and mental state/training..



I now subsitute training for drinking especially on Friday nights (double session in the gym) and Saturday nights I normally have a run on sunday mornings so use that as an excuse for not drinking..



I also have plans to reward myself, After all my events I have planned this year I will give myself a free pass to eat/drink what I want... it give me something to really look forward to.. the faster I finish the race the quicker I can get a drink...

godluvsatrier

firstly thanks to everyone for their comments - food for thought



at first i thought i might go the way of gharv but even one drink for me is too much, i get very drunk very easily. maybe its being a girl.



but have decided on the tee total way.



I hereby pledge that from today i am no longer a boozer! i have decided that on fridays i will swim and join them later in pub for an orange. that way i'll smell of chlorine and will want to go home!!



if i post hereafter mentioning drinking escapades feel free to berate me [:)]



also messages of support (god i sound like an alkie) and anyone who wants to join me in this quest are more than welcome!!



xx

PaulT

I decided to give up drinking and see if it would help my training. It has taken a while but i really am starting to feel the benefits of it now.

I could never have just the one (usually 4-6) and had been thinking about stopping for quite a while. Im 44 this year and have been abusing my body every weekend if not more since i was 16-17 so its been a long time coming.

It feels so good now to never have to worry about a hangover and trying to train. Ive been away from triathlon for some years but am now totally re-juvinated and gagging for my 1st olympic distance which will hopefully will be the 1st of many

although I thought it was getting out of hand lots of my friends said that there was no problem in their eyes. I have always kept myself reasonably fit but always had a nagging doubt in my mind that maybe if i didn't drink at all how far could i go ?

There never seems to be enough hours in a day now and i cant think how i used to cope when i used to drink.

I used to be an occasional smoker and my wife a 20 a day smoker. Then she read Allen Carrs easy way to stop smoking and a month after finishing the book just stopped !!! i couldn't believe it !!! So i read it too and Bingo .

That got me thinking about the whole drink thing and so i decided to read his Easy way to stop drinking and that just confirmed everything i'd been thinking. it worked a treat, that was January 2008.

I did find it hard going out with friends the 1st few times as some of them did make quite an issue of it but i have taken the positives out of this and def feel stronger because of it.



Looking forward to being fitter than i ever have been and dreaming still of Ironman. That could well change now tho and hopefully wont be a dream anymore



Paul

godluvsatrier

Paul

That book sounds interesting - Alan Carr? I didnt know he did stuff like that but I might invest! am really serious about this but as im 24 rather than 44 i expect my mates are going to give me even more stick than you got. some of them regard drinking as their sole occupation! haha.

but your post makes me even more certain!

Oh and well done on the smoking too, i imagine that is going to make all the difference x

LegacyUser

I gave up the booze at new year aswell because I thought training for an ironman and alcohol dont mix, so I'm a lime and soda man now. It's not too bad really, but roll on August 2nd then it's a pint of Stella for me.

FELLRUNNER2

Drinking is just like doing a triathlon,,,, Plenty of training!!!

godluvsatrier

fellrunner thanks for the laugh!! haha, it does take training but ive been failing at that since ive started!! x

treefrog

My views on drinking: I spent 10 years rowing lightweight which basically meant I lived like a monk for 9 months for these years.

Since retirement and taking up triathlon I have trained like a maniac and drank like a fish. Except in the run up to my prioity races when I become very self disciplined

The problems with taking a beer are...

1. It puts on heaps of weight lose kg's by stopping and get faster

2. It robs your body of energy as the big liver needs to run overtime to clear your system

3. Valuable energy and proteins are used up making anti-alcohol enzymes and metabolites

4. It makes you feel like a big fat useless ill-disciplined loser

5. It uses up money which you could spend on kit and entries (note that one all you tight fisted whingers!)

6. Hangovers are not conducive to getting out and at it

I'm sure there are others.

However having stated all that I still hit the sauce quite hard over the Winter months. I do stop in April intime for sharpening up and getting down to race weight for the race season.

One other thing which I've written about before ( and was met with a degree of sceptism) is that if you are an obsessive athlete be careful as it can take hold of you I know two world class athletes who have drink problems - and at times I'm not far off it myself! Cheers

Bopomofo

Just read frog's post while opening a second tinny, after having several glasses of wine over Sunday dinner with some good friends.



So, tomorrow's training session will hurt a bit more and be worth a bit less in terms of benefit gained for effort spent, but it was a great roast dinner, great company, and the relaxation is worth a lot by itself.



I'll be cutting down massively in a little while ready for the proper painful training, but I always remember that triathlon isn't my job... there's life outside - not much of a life, but there is life outside tri.



Cheers!



[kshhhht!]

godluvsatrier

Treefrog, you missed one other huge problem alcohol presents:



The Fear !! i.e. waking up the next mornng and wondering who the hell you were texting at five in the morning, who saw you do 'that dance' and finally who you may possibly have teed off by saying something you would never normally say in a sober state. = humiliation! haha will not miss this one bit! x

Bopomofo

*hic* I really love you guys, you're my besht mates. I love you all. *Hic* [:'(]

godluvsatrier

yeah! or my other favourite which brings plentiful regret "i'll get the shots in!!!" "I'll get these girls!!" this is going to save me so much money!! x

PaulT

Here's a link to the book i read and his website hope it helps



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Easy-Way-Stop-Drinking-Revolutionary/dp/1402736479



http://www.allencarrseasyway.com/

Jules

I'm not giving up drinking and am with Bopo on there being (a little) life beyond tri [:D]



That said being mid thirties and having two kids means I'd got past the "get absolutely bladdered" stage anyway, except very rarely.

happytribunny

Tea total here-well actually i don't like tea so what does that make me..? i'm 24 too and have never really touched a drink, my friends love me for it as i'm always the driver!! it has never stopped me enjoying a night out and the long sunday run the following day is quite funny when some of my fellow runners start turning green half way[:'(]!! stick with it godluvsatrier..

godluvsatrier

thanks tribunny, i will certinly give it my best shot! unfortunately for my mates i cant drive yet!! i could give them a backer on my raleigh airlite??? lol x

Blinkybaz

I have to say that fittness and drinking seem to go hand in hand for the GYM BOYS at the posh clubs with a bar attached to the squash courts Yuppies pleasure dome.



I have not drank more than 2 p9ints in an evening since christmas and feel great for it. I have started to drink the dreaded J2O in pubs and they actually have some interesting flavours. A glass of tap water is always a good bet as it is completely free (only on my round though)

I would always spend thursday night in the pub with the football team after the 5-a-side game but since TRI has entered my life I pop if one drink and thats a soft one, I manage to keep the social side going but without the booze. The team have really come to respect my training and want to compete.



I do sneak in the odd glass of win at weekends (apparently its good for you, it also came from fruit! is that one of my 5-a-day???)

juleso

Just realised that my last words prior to logging onto this forum were 'Have we got any lager?'. Everything in moderation, I reckon.

halfanironman

last year after the ironman france, i went straight to a bar in nice and drunk 4 pints.

i hope to do the same in klagenfourt this year.

Britspin

Cheap date here...my drinking has got less & less over the years, job, training all conspire to make me think about it, I a almost always traing or working or both & since I am in fitness it is often both!

I also only drink for the taste..as in no lagers such as carling etc with no taste/flavour & god knows what chemicals, if its eletro-pump beers, I am on the fruit juice or water, now if its a hand pull I have a choice, but never more than 2 (can't sleep after) & always with food.