Running and Beer

 

June 9, 2019, Dave’s account of the Chicago Beer 5K – “This was a benefit 5K run/quarter mile walk at Grant’s Park, with samples from local breweries at the finish. Heather ran the 5K and I walked the quarter mile. After finishing my walk, with a dozen or so happy comrades (wimps), I walked back along the course to watch for Heather. I saw the lead runner missing a turn, so I redirected him. A race marshall following the lead runner on a bike asked me to continue directing runners at the turn. So I spent the next 30 minutes pointing and calling, ‘Go left along the ball fields’. You never know what fun you’ll experience! I felt like I really ‘earned’ the beer.” - Dave Ketron 

Ahhh, nothing tastes better a than an ice-cold beer after a run! Running and beer seem to go hand-in-hand and there is even some evidence that avid runners tend to drink more beer than sedentary people. Plus, results from a national survey “strongly suggest that alcohol consumption and physical activity are positively correlated.” Even spectators acknowledge the running-beer connection as evidenced by the proliferation of “Beer ahead!” signs along a race course.

Brewers are cashing in on the connection between running and beer. Many breweries sponsor popular “beer runs” which provide participants a free beer at the finish. After the free beer, many runners purchase a second brew … or growler to take home. In fact, there are even beers specifically brewed for athletes like GoPlay IPA, Rec.League, and Sam Adams 26.2.

 

But does that post-run beer help you or hurt you?

Rehydration

“Some historians even think beer gave us the crucial vitamins and nutrients – not to mention a source of purified water – to keep us healthy.” - William Bostwick 1

Today we have safe and readily available sources of drinking water. And while beer does have some nutrients (the hops, yeast, and grains in beer contribute carbohydrates, a small amount of B vitamins, and potassium), it also is a diuretic – the opposite of hydration. So what role does that after-run beer play in rehydration?

One study explored the beverage hydration index (BHI) of a 4% beer, water, coffee, sports drink (Powerade), and orange juice. Researchers found that beer had the same BHI as the sports drink and nearly the same as water. In other words, a beer won’t hydrate you as well as water, but it isn’t any worse than if you drank a sports drink. Another study found that moderate beer drinking PLUS water after running is not detrimental to hydration.

Bottom line: Drink some water BEFORE enjoying your post-run beer!

Muscle Recovery

“High-mileage runners never smoke, but some have as many as three or four drinks a day. The evidence is mounting that two drinks a day may help an individual to live longer than one who drinks more or less.” - Dr. George Sheehan 2

 

The last thing you want to do after a long run or hard race is drink yourself into a stupor! Research has shown that getting drunk after exercise does not help and, in fact, hurts muscle recovery. In one study participants who drank 5 alcoholic drinks after exercise lost muscle strength while participants who drank 2 – 2 ½ or fewer drinks did not experience a loss of muscle strength. Another study of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) participants found that “a moderate beer intake does not blunt the positive effect of 10-week HIIT on body composition.”

 

Bottom line: “MODERATE BEER INTAKE” - Drink in moderation – 1 to 2 beers! 

Nutrition

Recently I read The New Rules of Marathon and Half Marathon Nutrition by Matt Fitzgerald and I learned that beer is “okay” from a dietary standpoint. Naturally, he advocates a quality diet that avoids sweets and processed foods. But he also permits and even encourages runners to have one or two glasses of beer or wine a day. 3 - Be still my heart!

But you can’t refuel your body on beer alone! Walter George, an English distance runner in the late 1800’s, once said, “My favorite diet was a glass of beer with some bread and cheese.”4  Follow Walter’s example and pair some food with your post-run beer. As mentioned earlier, beer contains carbohydrates, a small amount of B vitamins, and potassium. But it is not going to fulfill your nutritional needs so you should eat some “real” food. Most races offer bananas, granola bars, and, (if you are lucky a restaurant may be one of the race sponsors), a variety of free food. Take advantage of that free slice of pizza or veggie sub sandwich.

Bottom line: Eat some food with your beer.

Enjoy!

Enjoying a cold beer after a hard run or race should be relaxing not stupefying. So I try to avoid stouts and porters and any beer over 6% ABV (alcohol by volume). Goose Island’s So-Lo IPA is a refreshing 3% but when I want to “splurge” I go for Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA (6%). With my first sip, I can feel my muscles soften and release as I congratulate myself on a run well done!

I feel the way about beer the way some people feel about coffee or chocolate. Rarely a day goes by when I don’t enjoy a beer. It is good to know that running followed by moderate beer drinking is not detrimental to hydration, muscle recovery, nor nutrition. So go for a run, and then enjoy a beer! 

1. Bostwick, William. Brewers Tale - a History of the World according to Beer. Ww Norton & Co, 2015, pp. x–xi.

2. Sheehan, Andrew. The Essential Sheehan : A Life Time of Running Wisdom from the Legendary Dr. George Sheehan. Emmaus, Pennsylvania, Rodale Books, 2013, pp. 80–81.

3. Fitzgerald, Matt. The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition : A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body beyond “the Wall.” Boston, Ma, Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books, 2013, p. 48.

4. Will-Weber, Mark. The Quotable Runner : Great Moments of Wisdom, Inspiration, Wrongheadedness, and Humor. Halcottsville, Ny, Breakaway Books, 2001, p. 67.