Looks Like We Have To Cancel Happy Hours

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Tim Kelley 53067 wrote:

The turning point for me was going out for a group ride after a night of 10 beers or so and seeing a dramatic dip in performance.

I’m sure it’s possible to find a sweet spot somewhere between zero and 10 beers the night before a ride.

[Tim Kelley]

@ShawnoftheDread 53082 wrote:

I’m sure it’s possible to find a sweet spot somewhere between zero and 10 beers the night before a ride.

Even now, after just one or two beers, I’ll wake up with headache and feel a bit dehydrated.

[rcannon100]

I remember back in the day….. When I was still young and could fall down… We would go to a weekend ultimate frisbee tournament. Play two or three games on Saturday. Go out and drink and party saturday night. And then Sunday, sunday for some strange reason…. LOTS of injuries. It was like our bodies just could not quite perform as well as we had Saturday. For some strange reason.

Team I was on was a little older and partied a little less. It was a rather successful strategy. We would come out Sunday and pound on what should be stronger teams that were staggering around the field not quite able to find their feet.

[brendan]

@ShawnoftheDread 53082 wrote:

I’m sure it’s possible to find a sweet spot somewhere between zero and 10 beers the night before a ride.

Sometimes (appreciate you’re lucky if it’s rarely) beer also has the n+1 problem.

Brendan

[PotomacCyclist]

Although I use CaBi a lot and I like to go for casual, beach-cruiser-type tourist-y rides around the Arlington-D.C.-Md. area, I basically plan my biking year around triathlon race preparation. I’ve found that alcohol and training don’t mix very well, at least for me. Once I get back to training in mid-winter, I find that I can’t handle hard liquor well at all. I should clarify. I’m fine with one or two drinks. It’s the day after, when I’m trying to do a long workout, when the alcohol does a number on me, in combination with the physical demands of the workout (whether it’s cycling, running or swimming). After a couple instances of trying to run or swim on the day after having just one or two drinks (such as a margarita), I’m now careful not to drink any of that on the night before a planned workout, especially longer ones.

I also find that having a margarita with the meal immediately after a hard workout also interferes with recovery. I just don’t feel that good for the next day or two. The alcohol definitely interferes with recovery for me.

Beer isn’t nearly as bad. But even then, I’ve noticed some effects. It also interferes with post-workout recovery for me. I guess I’m OK with the occasional beer during the primary training and racing season, but never more than one, and usually only once or twice a month at most. Maybe not even that.

Another personal rule: No beer immediately after very long and tough races. I did that once and the experience was not pleasant. One beer on a normal day does not affect me that much, other than the usual light buzz. But when I had a beer during the post-race festival after my first 70.0 (not 70.3) triathlon, I had some awkward issues. What happened exactly? Well, during the race, I was relying on sports drink for calories and hydration. Since it was cool that day (low to mid 50s), I wasn’t sweating much so I barely drank anything. That also meant that I took in almost no calories on the bike, despite almost constant hills (near Ellicott City, MD). I bonked completely shortly after I started the run. Literally almost no energy at all. I couldn’t even pick up my legs when I bonked. Nothing hurt. I simply ran out of glycogen completely. It was all I could do to walk to the next water stop. Stopping and massaging my leg muscles was the only way I could get a minor boost of energy to be able to walk. At the water stop, I loaded up on sports drink, gels, carb chews and just about everything else. I managed to do a slow jog for the rest of the race.

Anyway, I loaded up on food after the race, to start the post-race recovery. I was a bit dehydrated, which is normal after a long race. But that’s why the single beer was a mistake. About an hour later, I had to use the portajohn, even though I didn’t really have much to do there. As I walked around, I had the urge to go again. And again. But again, there wasn’t anything to… excrete. The beer was causing the urge to go even though there was no real need. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It wasn’t enjoyable.

A beer after a 1-hr. bike event? No problem. After a 10-mile or 5K run race? No problem. But after a multi-hour race (near-Half Ironman triathlon) where I bonked)? No, not a good idea.

I’ve never been a heavy drinker, only a social and occasional drinker at most. But as I’ve gotten into triathlon training, cycling and running over the past years, the amount I drink has declined a great deal. I definitely don’t drink as much as I did 5 years ago.

[hozn]

I agree that beer doesn’t improve my cycling performance; HOWEVER, I do not let my cycling hobby deter me from having a beer when I want one — a few times a week, I estimate. Or the occasional glass of rum, cognac or tequila. Heck, being able to eat and drink what I want is part of why I ride my bike. Of course, it’s easy to be dismissive of negative effects of alcohol when the extent of my training routine is “I need to go to work/home now” or “I have an hour to go for a bike ride before breakfast” . Could I ride faster/longer/harder if I was more careful about my diet? Sure, a little, but that cost is not worth the marginal gains to me. I sure am glad cycling is not my job!

[PotomacCyclist]

It’s not just the effects on my performance. I’m not a pro athlete so I’m not 100% concerned about that. I just remember how terrible I felt during workouts the day after having a drink (hard liquor). As in really terrible, with somewhat intense stomach pain, excessive sweating, dizziness, extreme dehydration during short workouts, none of which happens to me on normal workouts on normal days where I didn’t drink the night before. That’s really what deters me from drinking much at all during my personal training season.

[hozn]

@PotomacCyclist 53131 wrote:

It’s not just the effects on my performance. I’m not a pro athlete so I’m not 100% concerned about that. I just remember how terrible I felt during workouts the day after having a drink (hard liquor). As in really terrible, with somewhat intense stomach pain, excessive sweating, dizziness, extreme dehydration during short workouts, none of which happens to me on normal workouts on normal days where I didn’t drink the night before. That’s really what deters me from drinking much at all during my personal training season.

Ok, fair enough I’ve never had alcohol do anything other than make me a little sluggish (i.e. same as if I wasn’t working out), but the most I’d ever drink at a time would be 2-3 drinks. Maybe switch to a higher-shelf tequila? No, in reality avoiding drinking is a great idea; if it’s not something that you miss, I can’t imagine why you’d want to find a way to incorporate it into your “diet”.

[jnva]

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/how-beer-saved-the-world/

[dasgeh]

Riding generally makes me pay more attention to my body. I find there are a number of things I used to enjoy that my body didn’t. Once I started paying attention more (and getting older), I realized it really wasn’t worth it (most of the time) to indulge in the short term enjoyment when I knew I’d feel icky afterwards. The icky wasn’t limited to workouts, but cycling (whether training, racing or just getting around) made more aware of the icky.

On the top of the list for me are french fries. I also avoid greasy hamburgers, hotdogs, mostly cheese-based meals (like mac & cheese). Hard liquor is up there too. One beer or glass of wine doesn’t make my list.

And it’s not like I NEVER eat/drink these things. I just rarely choose, too, because the downside outweighs the upside.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Eating too many Fig Newtons on a ride made me feel pretty icky once…but other than that food doesn’t seem to affect me much, other than not having energy on longer rides if I don’t eat enough. I suppose it’s mostly due to the fact that I don’t really “train”. I suppose if I had some sort of dedicated training regimen it would make a difference, but since I don’t have particularly lofty fitness goals, I’m happy to eat what I want and not have to worry about it.

[grandallj]

I’m not hardcore, by any stretch of the imagination, and in fact am pretty new to riding. I can’t help but notice that there are many bike jerseys on the market bearing the logos of delicious beers. I happen to own one, from Bell’s, and am pleased that there seems to be a complementary relationship between cycling and beer. All of which is to say — let’s leave well enough alone and keep enjoying the ride and the refreshments!

[grandallj]

I’m not hardcore, by any stretch of the imagination, and in fact am pretty new to riding. I can’t help but notice that there are many bike jerseys on the market bearing the logos of delicious beers. I happen to own one, from Bell’s, and am pleased that there seems to be a complementary relationship between cycling and beer. All of which is to say — let’s leave well enough alone and keep enjoying the ride and the refreshments!

[Amalitza]

I’m quite fond of adult beverages of all types. (ok, not ouzo) I have no aspirations whatsoever of becoming a competitive athlete. My reaction to the idea that alcohol diminishes athletic performance is du-uh. of course it does. This is based both on empirical evidence (I feel more sluggish the day after a couple drinks; other people I know report similar results) and theory (alcohol is dehydrating and sleep-disrupting, neither of these is likely to improve performance).

But that article is still eye-roll worthy on so many levels.

[eminva]

I really have nothing of substance to add, but now I understand why, when I used to play Congressional B League softball, the Australian Embassy team would bring a cooler of Fosters for the other team.

Liz

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