Hangovers and running
Thoughts following a post-hen do 10km race - you can, but should you?
I’m really excited to be partnering with Project Pause again this year for another retreat in the amazing Howgill Fells. Join us August 8th-11th for a long weekend of walks, runs, swims, yoga, incredible food (honestly, so delicious!) and always the nicest gang to hang out with. Use PAUSEWITHELISE50 for £50 off - only a couple of spots left!
I used to do a lot of hangover runs.
Attempting to tick off the Sunday long run regardless of how I’d spent Saturday night. Worse-for-wear parkruns and plenty of DNFs as a result. That New Year’s Day when I laced up without having actually been to bed at all. I even ran what still stands (I think?) as my 10km PB after a few too many cocktails the evening before. I missed my wave because I was prioritising coffee and had to weave amongst the charity tutus the whole way.
It was necessity, mostly. Drinking was a big part of my social life, one which it didn’t really occur to me to give up and which I therefore had to work around. When I moved to Bristol, I even joined a running club affiliated with a local brewery - sometimes those hangovers were a result of hanging out with my running friends.
I think I saw it as a point of pride too. I’d laugh about the bleary-eyed miles and pat myself on the back for not taking it - or myself - too seriously. I’m not like a regular runner, I’m a cool runner. (Mean Girls, obviously.)
Except hangovers have ruined a lot more runs than they have made. So many good intentions lost to late nights and groggy heads and poor choices. And, over the years, it’s been finding something I enjoy doing more than going on a night out that has led to my social life revolving much less around drinking these days. I still love going to the pub, but more often I’m catching up with friends over runs and walks and swims, squashed cheese sandwiches and flasks of tea.