To Remain Active Into Old Age As An Athlete, Knock Off The Booze For High Quality Training

A truly enjoyable Rosé that I bought at Johnny’s in Carrboro, the other day, that made me think of Springtime in the vegetable and fruit garden (specifically raspberry canes). Photo by FitOldDog.

“Even if you’re not experiencing the symptoms of a hangover, elite sports nutritionist, Matt Lovall, adds that “exercising the day after drinking alcohol can mean you have an all-round lower quality training session or sporting activity.” DrinkAware.Co.UK

Click image for a great video showing the course.

As I work my way into my 70s, trying to stay active into old age, I’ve noticed that my body does not handle alcohol so well, especially if I have a hard training day ahead. Two recent runs were negatively impacted by a couple of glasses of red wine the night before, which I wouldn’t have noticed 10 years ago.

Getting one’s running back on track, after interrupted training due to an injury, can be tough, and you need all the help that you can get. Alcohol doesn’t help, not me, at least. I decided to test this a few days ago, so I declined my glass of red wine for a couple of evenings, and today my hill repeats, in preparation for an upcoming 10-mile road race, were great.

I thought that it was just my imagination, but it’s not, it’s my age and my lack of imagination. OK! I’ll miss you red wine, but I’ll celebrate after the race.

If you want to remain active into old age, sometimes you have to make sacrifices. No problem, I’ll enjoy a nice cup of Sleepy Time Tea and a good book, instead.

Happy Trails.