Ahh alcohol – everyone’s favorite topic; especially going into the holiday week. While we recognize that drinking serves no positive health benefits most of us look at the occasional indulgence with minimal risk when done safely. But what about for us runners? We spend so much time focusing on fluids and hydration; how does alcohol impact us in our sport?
Remember moderate drinking is 1 alcoholic beverage a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men. Where binge drinking is defined as 5 drinks/setting for men and 4 for women and is the most common type of drinking. The Center of Disease Control defines 1 alcoholic beverage as 12oz beer, 5oz wine, and 1.5oz liquor. We all have different relationships with alcohol but what’s the down and dirty, specifically for us athletes?
5 hard truths about alcohol.
- Alcohol shrinks and disrupts brain tissue. Clearly – that’s a big one! Alcohol impacts neurotransmitter communication and causes people to have slowed reaction times and feel sleepier; physically and mentally.
- Just one night of heavy drinking, can hinder your immune system by decreasing the ability for white blood cells to fight pathogens. This is a double hitter as our immune systems are already lowered following a long run due to the increased stress.
- Alcohol decreases the amount of antidiuretic hormone created in your body resulting in increased urine output meaning hello dehydration!
- Alcohol impairs muscle growth – one of our main goals as athletes! We spend our entire training cycle working to build muscle, help our legs and lungs get comfortable at goal pace and to then preserve any muscle growth during an off cycle.
- Alcohol seemingly makes you sleepy(see #1) and it destroys quality sleep which impairs your body’s ability to recovery overnight.
Notice these all tie together? That’s the body in a nutshell for you; everything is connected. Long story short; alcohol will negatively impact your body’s ability to recover and benefit from your training.
Does that mean as athletes we need to commit to a lifetime of sobriety. No! But knowing the facts can help you decide what’s best for supporting your goals. For me…I love a good glass of red wine; but I’m selective with when I drink during my training cycles! I try not to drink the night before a long run and if I am drinking I’m never doing so at the expense of my hydrating fluid needs.
