Hello Runner,

Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!

Happy Weekend!
How are you?

I'm doing great!
Last Sunday, I set a personal best at the El Corte Inglés 10K race. I wasn't expecting a good result, because that race is always really crowded since it's free, but I managed to improve my time.
I could have run a better time if there hadn't been so many people. And weaving through the crowd is so tiring. But anyway, I was happy with the result.

This past week, I worked a lot and kept up with my training. The routine of my strength training has changed, and I’m loving it. I’m not using the machines as much, and I feel like I’m getting a lot more out of them. 

Today’s topic is alcohol, but more specifically, can running outrun alcohol? It’s a controversial topic that no one really likes to talk about, but it’s extremely important.

I don’t drink, and if I do, it’s only on very specific occasions, like weddings or birthdays, and even then, barely. But I know runners who love to have a few beers after a long run. If you don’t like to drink after a long run, I’m sure you know someone who does, too.

According to the World Health Organization, no amount of alcohol is safe for our health. However, I believe the best thing of all is to know what alcohol actually does to a runner's body, from the moment it enters your bloodstream to the next morning's workout, which is worth understanding. 

Once you know, you can make smarter choices. And smarter choices lead to better running. Simple as that.

Many runners assume that because they train hard, eat well, and maintain low body fat, alcohol’s effects are somehow neutralized. But sports nutrition research tells a very different story.

The latest evidence shows that alcohol directly interferes with many of the exact physiological systems runners depend on, such as hydration, glycogen replenishment, muscle recovery, sleep quality, cardiovascular health, and more.

After a hard run, especially long runs, intervals, marathons, and heat training, the body enters a biologically vulnerable state.
The runner is often dehydrated, glycogen-depleted, inflamed, hormonally stressed, immunologically suppressed, and in urgent need of recovery nutrients.

→ Alcohol compounds all of these stressors simultaneously.

Every alcoholic drink contains the same thing: ethanol. Beer, wine, gin, champagne, it does not matter what the packaging looks like.

Ethanol provides 7kcal per gram. 

That makes it more energy-dense than carbohydrates or protein, but less nutrient-rich than almost anything else in the diet.

Alcohol calories are often called “empty calories”.

Important context for runners

A drink at the bar with friends after a long run during marathon training can easily turn into: 
- 3 beers = ~42 g ethanol
- 2 glasses wine = ~30 g ethanol

These doses are well within the range shown to impair recovery physiology.

The dehydration effect

Alcohol suppresses the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which increases urine production, worsens dehydration, and delays restoration of fluid balance.

For endurance runners, this is particularly dangerous because long-distance running already causes fluid loss, sodium depletion, plasma volume reduction, and heat stress.

Compromises Muscle Recovery and Protein Synthesis

After a hard run, your body gets to work. Muscles broken down during the session start to rebuild. The harder you run, the more rebuilding there is to do. The run creates stress. The recovery creates the adaptation.

Alcohol cuts into that process directly. Research has found that drinking after a tough session can reduce the rate of muscle repair by up to 37% and also suppresses muscle protein synthesis! More than a third of the work your body is trying to do is slowed down. 

→ Even when protein is consumed, alcohol may blunt the normal anabolic response.

Sleep Disruption

This may be alcohol’s most underestimated impact on runners.

Alcohol can reduce REM sleep, fragment sleep later in the night, impair autonomic recovery, and reduce overnight restoration.

If you have a bad night of sleep, this will impair your running performance. 

Glycogen Replenishment

A true runner knows that running performance (even longer and more difficult runs) depends heavily on glycogen.

Alcohol interferes with glucose metabolism, liver function, and glycogen replenishment. 

Research (Burke, L. M. et al., 2003) demonstrated impaired glycogen storage when alcohol displaced carbohydrate intake after prolonged exercise.

On top of all that, alcohol disrupts several key hormonal systems, further weakens immune function, and is associated with poorer coordination.

Back to the question: Can running outrun alcohol?
Scientifically: No.

Running may reduce some overall health risks compared with sedentary individuals. But endurance training does not make alcohol harmless.

The best-supported scientific strategy for runners remains → minimize alcohol intake, especially around key training sessions and races.

Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email

Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!

Here’s to health and good runs⚡️

Ana Paula Alonso