If I stop drinking will I become a better runner?
The idea blurted out of my mouth. Like a mad scientist intent on carrying out a new experiment. “If I stop drinking, will I become a better runner?” In my ten-year complicated quest to finish a 100-mile running race, it seemed logical to try cutting out alcohol to improve my recovery and performance. My husband, Sean, gave me a look mixed with fear, trepidation, and knowing all too well what was coming. ‘Here we go again. Another of Rebecca’s experiments.’ I’m sure he was also regretting his decision to restock the wine shelf with our favorite South African wines.
Dry January seemed just as good of a time as any to start the experiment. The dry month has carried over into February, because why not? After five weeks of not drinking, here is what I’ve noticed so far:
I am more sensitive to caffeine.
I became more sensitive to my usual caffeine dose within the first week of not drinking. I usually drink two cups of coffee in the morning, and one cup in the afternoon. Often times the third cup would be an espresso. Suddenly, in the afternoon after my usual third cup I felt really jumpy and wired. I have had to cut back my coffee intake to somewhere between 1 – 2 cups vs. the standard three. This was really upsetting – partly because I was now losing two fun drinks at once (booze and coffee), and partly because being Swedish I really enjoy coffee consumption.
From a physiology standpoint though this makes sense. Alcohol is a central nervous system suppressant. If you become a habitual drinker, this downregulation in your central nervous system becomes a constant state (Dharavath RN, 2023). With the removal of this downregulation, central nervous system activity is increased. Now you add another stimulant to the mix with caffeine and your central nervous system is on over drive.
My HRV is more variable.
I predicted that my daily HRV values would increase when I stopped drinking. An increase in HRV represents more parasympathetic activity and is generally related to an improved recovery state. This has not been the case thus far. Before stopping drinking, my HRV consistently hovered between 45 – 50 rMSSD. When I was sick or after races, it would decrease. It now feels like my HRV fluctuates more – anywhere from 30 – 56 rMSSD in the last five weeks.
The first two weeks without alcohol.
A trend down in HRV values in late January with a few random days of higher HRV.
This has been a surprising change, but of course, it’s important to consider the multiple factors that can impact HRV. I have been increasing my training load in preparation for a trail marathon in March. The winter darkness is still upon us, and I do not deal well with the darkness especially in late winter. However, my subjective metrics are still trending positively. We will see where this goes long term!
I wake up earlier (most mornings).
I love to sleep and am generally not a morning person when it comes to exercise. Previous to this experiment, I went to bed between 9:30 – 10:00pm and if I didn’t have an early morning workout or work commitment I would naturally wake up at 7am. Now, on days where an early alarm is not needed I naturally wake up between 6 – 6:30am. The exception would be if I had a really hard or long workout the day before – I still feel tired and the need to sleep more.
I also feel more ‘switched on’ in the early mornings. The mental fog has generally improved. I think the real test of this will be in the summer months, when I do almost all my workouts in the early morning hours to avoid the intensity of the afternoon heat.
I am lifting heavier in the gym.
I have been doing the same set of exercises in my weekly heavy lifting session at the gym for about two years. Barbell weighted back squat, hamstring curl, leg extension, back row, and lat pull downs. After a couple of weeks into dry January, I noticed my usual back squat weight felt quite easy. I added five pounds thinking it was just a fluke week of feeling strong. A couple weeks after that, I feel ready to add another five – ten pounds. My husband has noticed the same thing and is also upping his weight with a similar rating of perceived exertion.
One possible theory for this is that our muscle recovery while sleeping is now enhanced without our bodies having to also detox the alcohol while we sleep. Our sleep is also improved without alcohol (Colrain IM, 2014).
My niggles aren’t bothering me as much.
I have had an ongoing achy right hip for about 1.5 years now. In recent weeks, it hasn’t been talking to me as much and I feel a bit more range of motion and freedom in the joint and surrounding muscles. This could be a fluke but is something I definitely noticed. A plausible theory is that muscle recovery is enhanced without alcohol consumption.
My running performance has not changed…yet.
If someone asked me if I have become a better runner with five weeks of abstaining from alcohol, my answer would be no, not really. My easy paces are generally the same. I still get tired towards the end of long runs. I still need recovery days and weeks.
I found this irunfar interview with runner, Coree Woltering, very interesting. He said, “I thought it was going to be some big magic moment, where I’d cut out drinking for two months and magically start running better. That’s really not what happened. My first couple of months of sobriety, running really wasn’t great. It was about one year in that things really started to change, in terms of actually feeling a difference when I’m running. And then the last four or six months have just been really good. It’s just been one of those really validating things and I’m like, ‘Hey, life is really good right now, and I’m also running well.’”
Performance is complex. With a 100-mile trail race being my ultimate goal, I am not overly concerned with improving my running pace. I want improved durability, recovery, and strength. If I can achieve those things by simply not drinking alcohol, it seems like a good thing to do.
Each person is unique in making these decisions. I think another factor in this decision is my husband’s family health history. We are now firmly in middle age and trying to avoid taking chronic medication for as long as possible. If you are curious about adjusting or eliminating your alcohol intake, I would encourage you to conduct your own experiment. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t. All of life is one big experiment. Be open to finding out what works best for you and changing it as you go through various life stages.
Finally, this change has been much easier with the huge improvement in taste and choices in non-alcoholic beers. Our favorite is Athletic Brewing Company (not sponsored or affiliated with them). They have such a wide range in choices and it actually tastes like beer. I am a creature of habit and routine, and it wasn’t satisfying to replace my usual beer or wine with dinner with water. Still having a ‘fun drink’ without the alcohol has made a big life change much easier.
References:
Colrain IM, Nicholas CL, Baker FC (2014). Alcohol and the sleeping brain. Handb Clin Neurol. 125:415-31. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-62619-6.00024-0. PMID: 25307588; PMCID: PMC5821259.
Dharavath RN, Pina-Leblanc C, Tang VM, Sloan ME, Nikolova YS, et al. (2023). GABAergic signaling in alcohol use disorder and withdrawal: pathological involvement and therapeutic potential. Front. Neural Circuits 17:1218737. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1218737