Before I go on, let me say that I DID NOT end up running the Beer Mile just yet, I was close, even started to practice, but life gets in the way sometimes as they say.
Had to bail. too much going on that day and next, couldn't see myself getting this done, kinda like entering a marathon with no long runs (done that before, stupid).
Lucky for me the entry wasn't mailed in.
I did take this seriously, I mean it represented another chance at a P.B., always something to look forward to as an aging runner...just try a new distance for the first time.
Now I have done some fast miles before, including one at the track of my old High School, when a teacher friend convinced me to show up and run for his students, to show them what a 5-minute mile looked like. Steve and I met the night prior, so it was tough to get up early and do this, and rip around fast enough to hit the target...
Since I am now training for an Ironman, and I am getting in pretty decent shape, I figured I might as well prepare for my first Beer Mile and try to win the darn thing outright.
So around 10 days before the event, I decide to "practice" for this unique combination of fluid consumption and speed afoot, the only difficulty of course being where to do this, and when.
It's not exactly the early morning breakfast of champions for me, and I might get some weird stares from the passersby with my funny-looking water bottle!
You also have to be in a special mood to train for this race, as it's one thing to just "run out the door" for a 5 or 10 km run, quite another to run fast and drink and make sure no one is watching...(:
So it's 10pm and Jefferson could use another walk, so I grab a Coors Light and hide it in a plastic bag, head out the door with the lightweight racing flats, and go somewhere quiet and isolated where I can also run fairly fast and not be interrupted by a street light, pedestrians or more importantly, the police.
Careful not to shake the bottle too much either...
I find my spot, swig 1/2 the beer, race as fast as I can for what I am guessing is 60-seconds, then grab the beer I have left sitting on a park bench. Guzzle the rest of the beer, then race again around the same loop.
Impossible.
Yes, despite what the Adidas advertisements say (Impossible is Nothing), I have a very difficult time getting the beer down while huffing and puffing (plus it tastes like CRAP), and after taking off for lap #2 I can see why this will become a difficult chore.
Am I not alone?
Apparently if you look at this picture, the answer is no.
http://www.mynextrace.com/Article659.htm
Time to train smarter, harder and maybe pick another brand!
I will do this again, promise.
PD
peter@mynextrace.com
