Monday: 6m easy 8:55/pace
Tuesday: Crossfit, 9.8 interval (4 x 1.5m repeats- started at 7:30 and progressively got faster to 6:58/p)
I finally, finally, finally ran a beer mile. I’ve wanted to do this since I first heard this was a thing, like 4 years ago. Part of me thought it would be fun, drinking and running, sign me up! Part of me wanted to prove to myself that my midwestern beer drinking ways and running skills could combine and create a magical mile. It’s harder to get other people to think the same way. Most of my friends said a beer mile sounded like a terrible idea.
My favorite 800m runner Nick Symmonds – big advocate for the Beer Mile (Photo: Competitor.com)
The Beer Mile: you chug a can of beer, no shot gunning, no wide mouth (sorry Coors), no light beer. You must flip the can completely upside down over your head to prove it’s empty then you run a quarter mile and repeat four times to complete the mile. Four beers, four laps and no puking. If you puke you have to run a penalty lap.
My Crossfit gym (CFSS) hosted the Beer Mile to raise money for Cupid’s Undie Run and the Children’s Tumor Foundation. We met last Friday evening at 6:00pm and everyone stood around looking very unsure about how this was about to go down. My strategy was to drink the beer fast, run a little slower than normal to try to keep the beer down and get this done in under 10 minutes. Get it done as fast as you can before the alcohol hits and you’re running drunk and the beer comes up.
Are you guys intrigued or just disgusted? haha. Stay with me.
All the participants got their finger under the beer tab and 3, 2, 1 CHUUUUUGGG!! The first one was cold and hard to get down. I haven’t chugged beer or played drinking games in a while, but once it was down I was good to go. I flew through the first 400 meters, burping a little on the way. I’ll save you the belching details–you are running and burping the entire time. I was definitely most conservative on the first lap.
I had to get a feel for running with a full beer in my belly and I wanted to pace myself with the top guys. Crossfit: always competitive, always interesting.
On the 2nd and 3rd beer I sped up on the chugging and the running cause i have a steel stomach and figured I could handle it. From what I can tell on my Garmin, the uphill running was about a 6:30/pace and the downhill I cruised at a 5:20/pace.
laughing at my beer belly
Once the last beer and lap were under way it was just a matter of sprinting to finish and get in the best time possible!
9:57 was yelled out to me and I was ecstatic! This may be one of top proudest moments in my running life. Hey, i’m from the Midwest–this (drinking) is what we do!
About 10 steps later I sat on the curb and the alcohol hit like someone flipped on a light switch, I was drunk. It was so hilarious how fast 4 beers hit me. I talked to a few other girls and watched the rest of the bunch finish their race. We had a few pukers, but not many. I’m proud of this Crossfit crew, proud I put up a good time for my first, but certainly not my last, Beer Mile.
We all stuck around afterward, drinking beer, talking, playing with dogs. These are good people and they’re my people. We all had a great time Friday.
I also went home with a prize for first female- a growler of Atlas Brew Works IPA & a tin sign 🙂
Last Week
Monday: 10.2 interval ( 3 x 2m repeats- average pace 7:20)
Tuesday: Crossfit, 8m easy 9:29/pace
Wednesday: 13m tempo (10 @ 7:47/pace)
Thursday: 30 min shoulders/hamstrings
Friday: 6m easy 8:45p, 1m beer mile 9:57
Saturday: Crossfit, 8m easy 7:30/pace
Sunday: 16m long 7:56/pace
Total Miles: 62.4 (weekly mileage PR!)
So… would you ever try the Beer Mile?
Share a story of a proud running moment.
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