Alcohol & Running

This is a topic that has been on the forefront of my mind throughout all of 2023. How does alcohol affect our performance and recovery as a runner? A topic that started for me in 2023 when I began seeing a registered dietician who referred me to the Huberman Lab podcast, alcohol and activity were at the time coexisting in my life very fluidly (no pun intended). In the back of my mind, I knew that I might not be performing at my very best, but I knew I could handle the training in front of me. All the while, enjoying casual drinks at dinners and events. 

I started to break down why I lacked consistency in my training and recovery, and what areas were directly and indirectly affected by my choices. I felt generally good. But that wasn’t good enough. I want to break this down into the two effects I was seeing from alcohol. Mental and physical performance. By no means do I write this to tell anyone to start or stop their consumption habits, but instead to describe the decisions I faced and ultimately have been able to learn from.

Mental: Something I’ve learned throughout training and coaching is how much we must strive for balance. As a coach, I teach runners the importance of balancing easy, aerobic base-building efforts and harder, anaerobic capacity-building efforts in training. The easiest way for me to teach this is through the 80/20 rule, where 4 out of 5 runs should be at an easy pace. Conversely, this same principle of balance came into play as I thought about my consumption of alcohol during the week. I started to have a difficult time choosing when was an okay time to have alcohol, and when I might be over-indulging for the week. I had a difficult time thinking about the streak of days on and off from alcohol consumption to the point where I felt discouraged at the end of most weeks because of my decisions.

Diving into research on this topic helped me make more informed decisions about my relationship with alcohol. As I mentioned earlier, I started listening to the Huberman Lab podcast and Dr. Huberman’s extensive scientific research. He links multiple sources for listeners to do research of their own on topics like this one. I started with how alcohol affected my thought process, specifically on the effects of alcohol on neurologic functions. Alcohol promotes the release of dopamine through Nuclear Acumbens (nAc) which creates a peak in neurotransmission. In layman’s terms, alcohol creates a hit of dopamine twice, in the act of ingestion and the corresponding effect on our brains. These hits of dopamine ultimately trigger a desire for our bodies to find a way to receive that dopamine spike. In short, I wasn’t dependent on the rush that alcohol created, but I wasn’t saying no to it all that often. Like everyone else, I liked the way that dopamine made me feel, but I needed a more sustainable source. 

Physical: It takes a very small volume of alcohol to notice the physical effects on your performance. Metrics like resting heart rate, respiration rate, and HRV (heart rate variance) suffer instantly from having a drink. For me, impact on metrics wasn’t the sole reason to make a decision about alcohol. Run after run, I noticed inconsistency in blood sugar levels. Some runs felt primed and energized, whereas others were cut short due to bonking (plummeting levels of energy), cramping, and fatigue. Following a run, my ability to bounce back and feel fresh for my next effort was minimized. The habits I enjoyed in running like waking up early and running fasted became increasingly difficult. I wasn’t sure what my stomach had in store for me each day. Looking back on the day before, it made sense that this could be the case. Even in small doses, alcohol consumption was a lot of simple carbs in a little bit of time, coupled with dehydration. Eliminating alcohol from my routine gave me a chance to start each run from baseline, regardless of how conditioned I felt. 

As a way to gauge how training and sleep patterns were affecting my performance, I’ve worn a Whoop or an Oura Ring consistently over the last three years to track daily scores. The basis of both devices is heart rate variability (HRV) which calculates the variation in time between heartbeats. This process is controlled by the Autonomic Nervous System and broken down further into your sympathetic and parasympathetic subdivisions which create balance in stress and recovery management. When we drink, those residual feelings of stress or anxiety following consumption can overstimulate our sympathetic system and in turn, cause a lower variation in beats. In short, drinking can lower your HRV. The below diagram displays a four-month progression in HRV between July-September 2023 where I chose to eliminate alcohol during training. HRV increased and resting heart rate decreased. 

Please consider that this is how my body received alcohol. Everyone has a different tolerance to alcohol consumption and ultimately sees the effects differently. In addition, correlation is not causation. If nothing else, I would encourage you to see how it plays a role in your training, especially as you pursue your goals in running. If you’re interested in hearing more research about this topic, I recommend What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health from the Huberman Lab podcast. This episode covers a thorough breakdown of the physical and mental effects alcohol has on the body.

I choose not to consume alcohol while I plan to train and pursue running recreationally. I feel that the removal of something like alcohol is necessary to give myself the best chance to be successful and to fully enjoy the benefits of this sport. That being said, I do believe that runners can achieve their goals whilst consuming alcohol. Use running as a way to connect further with your body, and how you feel both physically and mentally. Use running as a way to achieve goals and improve daily. Most importantly, enjoy it. You get to run, you don’t have to.

Citations:

Chiara, G. D. (1997). Alcohol and Dopamine. Alcohol Health and Research World, 21(2), 108-114. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826820/

Tindal, Scott. "Can Athletes Drink Alcohol and Maintain an Effective Training Plan?" TrainingPeaks, 18 Dec. 2023, www.trainingpeaks.com/coach-blog/can-athletes-drink-alcohol-effective-training/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=coachnewsletter_activecoaches_dec17&utm_content=cta&utm_term=content2023, Accessed 18 Dec. 2023