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| I'll have another beer, please |
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| Endurance Sports - Triathlons |
| BY |
| Thursday, 24 December 2009 10:54 |
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 One of my favorite things to do is to relax at the end of the week with a cold beer! There is nothing like it; the smell, the taste, the relaxation and the warmth that fills my body is simply the best. I’m always bothered by those that use the “I’m in training” excuse to not throw back a cold brew. Really? Do these people really think that a beer, maybe two or three, is going to impair their training?..... Okay. For argument’s sake, let’s break it down.
Of course, if you drink too much beer, or anything else, it is going to hurt you. However, a few beers are definitely not going to damage your training in any way. In fact, I’d contend that the coffee and soda you drank earlier in the day negatively effects your training more than a beer. Beer is made from grains, water, and yeast—all of which are important to runners. Additionally, beer is both fat free and cholesterol free….do I have your attention yet? Most interesting, beer provides a 30% increase of vitamin B6 into the blood plasma. In case you haven’t heard, vitamin B6 is extremely important to endurance athletes. In fact, the Colgan Institute of Sports Nutrition in San Diego recommends taking 150mg daily to boost the oxygen-carrying powers of the blood. Further, according to Peak Performance: “A key factor for athletes is that B6 is concerned with energy production and resistance to stress. One of the ways it does this is to make iron in the diet more available - more iron, more hemoglobin and more oxygen available for the working muscles.” Beyond vitamin B6, the grains commonly used to make beer are barley and wheat (with cheaper, mass-produced beers relying on corn and rice), both of which are loaded with a variety of vitamins. These nutrients exist in the hundreds of unfiltered beers that are on the market, both on draft and in bottles. A lot of people are quick to recognize the benefits of red wine for your heart; however, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas reports that consuming moderate amounts of beer lowers one’s chances of coronary heart disease by a whopping 30-40%, compared to those who don’t drink beer at all. Believe it or not, beer contains a similar amount of antioxidants as red wine and 4-5 times as many antioxidants as white wine. Most importantly, beer has a relaxing effect on the body thereby reducing stress….. and we could all use a little less stress! For your information, an average beer contains the following:
Beyond all the expert “data”, I can tell you—from one runner to another—beer is a good thing. Whenever I drink a few beers (not in excess), I always feel GREAT during my next workout. Whether it is the B6, the antioxidants, the carbohydrates, or the alcohol…. whatever it is, I’m sold. You can bet that I’ll never be the one to turn down an ice cold beer because I’m in training; on the contrary, I’ll have another beer, please. Weekly Speed Workout 12.23.09 SWIMMING: This workout is a longer workout that takes patients and careful pacing. However, it is a great workout for both speed and endurance, which makes it one of my favorite swim workouts! Total workout = 4,000 yards
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