How strict is your college team about drinking in season?

Whoa that sucks.

Our top 7 guys usually take it easy the couple weeks leading up to conference (and regionals/nationals). We'd never ask injured guys or middle distance dudes that do xc just for a base to not drink during the season.

As for track, its a more personal thing. We've had years that the dmr team (and those competing for spots) didn't drink for most of the indoor season. I can't imagine the benefit of not letting a thrower drink beer during the season.

And of course, there are always guys who choose not to drink for various reasons.

My team drinks a fair amount. We try not to the weeks leading into important meets. We are a successful mid-major D1 as well.

Our former coach didn't care, we would drink as we pleased. I ran every long run sophomore year so hungover I could barely stand up.

Then our new coach cracked down on that a little and talks about it a lot. There is no penalty but the team kind of decided no drinking during season. Once someone's season is done they will usually celebrate, regardless of how many people are still racing.

It isn't hard and fast either, I went out on my birthday even though it was right in the thick of track season, but I would definitely describe our team as "dry" in season.

I ran for a D1 team. We didn't have any sort of policy for an individual's free time. The only team rule was "show up to practice on time, well rested, focused, and ready to work." I don't think any of the distance guys were big drinkers anyway, though we all casually enjoyed beer. The big problem on our team was that a lot of guys couldn't find women outside of the women's track team, and that lead to a lot of nonsense drama. It was a real big problem before I got there, and got even worse each season that went by. I got to the point after my freshman year that I only associated with two track people on my free time.

Wow, if you honestly think not drinking somehow caused you to be a better runner, you're a complete, unsalvageable idiot.

Sure, if you binge drink EVERY night, you'll be downing tons of empty calories and be tired more often. But enjoying beers and drinks in moderation and even slight excess has no negative affect on your running. Installing some arbitrary 'zero alcohol in season' rule does nothing but fuel your [already unhealthy] pathetic obsession with your sport. You're like a bunch of girl runners who refuse to eat burgers and only eat salads and broccoli.

Having a life outside of running makes runners better. Justifying the fact that you and all your teammates are losers (no parties, no friends outside of running, etc.) and not drinking is just sad, and I PROMISE you that it hurts your running.

You're all so special! wrote:

Having a life outside of running makes runners better. Justifying the fact that you and all your teammates are losers (no parties, no friends outside of running, etc.) and not drinking is just sad, and I PROMISE you that it hurts your running.

1) I absolutely agree with the first bolded statement, at least for the vast majority of college athletes.

2) If the second bolded statement still refers to the entire concept of "a life outside of running," then I still agree with it.

OTOH if it refers more narrowly to not drinking--or if it considers (some) drinking to be a necessary part of having a life outside of running--then I disagree vehemently. Drinking (and/or spending time in bars or drinking parties) is NOT a requirement for having a great time in college, or for having a life outside of running and the team.

3) I'm a bit puzzled by this whole thread. In the USA, no one can drink below age 21, and the majority of athletes are younger than that, no? So most team members would not be drinking in any case.

...unless they, you know, were breaking the law. (

) And certainly no one would want to be on a team that had a bunch of criminals on it.

So I guess I don't see what the big deal is.

I figured there would be this sort of response. Is it that unusual for a team to not drink at all during the season? It's not like we don't have fun, we just do so without drinking.

hmmm.......... wrote:

Is it that unusual for a team to not drink at all during the season? It's not like we don't have fun, we just do so without drinking.

No, it's not really particularly unusual.

However, some people--reasons vary--feel rather uncomfortable with the suggestion that it's possible to have a good time without drinking. I suppose that for (some of) them, it's NOT possible.

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This reminds me, somehow, of a book on track and field (circa 1955) to which Chris Chataway contributed a chapter on distance training. He observed that, while smoking a few cigarettes a day (Chataway said that he smoked "up to half a dozen") might cost a runner a vital few yards in a close finish, it was probably better than being "thoroughly miserable" and losing half a lap as a result.

Yeah--or, you could just do without having smoking as a *possibility* for yourself, in which case there wouldn't be any particular misery involved. I guess I feel similarly about drinking, esp. by the underaged (too many of whom, every year, are *killed* by it).

srjt wrote:

3) I'm a bit puzzled by this whole thread. In the USA, no one can drink below age 21, and the majority of athletes are younger than that, no? So most team members would not be drinking in any case.

...unless they, you know, were breaking the law.

Whatever country you are from, I guarantee there are people drinking alcohol at an illegal age. The US is no different, although it might be more widespread given our drinking age is so old.

My coach was not a huge micro manager and the team policed it's self pretty well. We wouldn't drink close to big races or hard workouts but there was no rules that were written. If any team mates found out that someone was not being serious and drinking the night before practice or close to big races they were told to get their s**t together by our team mates but our coach left this up to us.

We were very strict about our drinking... we made sure we didn't miss a single saturday night, and put in good efforts on wednesdays too.

ohio_miler wrote:

We were very strict about our drinking... we made sure we didn't miss a single saturday night, and put in good efforts on wednesdays too.

Well played, I laughed

No drinking from late October on, though a lot of people broke that rule once their seasons ended. During track, whatever you want, but given that we wouldn't get back from meets until 1:00 a lot of the time, people probably only drank ever other weekend.

I really don't think it's worth worrying about unless you're going out and taking shots until you throw up. Even if it is detrimental, having a coach or teammates act like they're your parents and get to control what you can and can't do is just stupid.

Old Miler wrote:

The big problem on our team was that a lot of guys couldn't find women outside of the women's track team, and that lead to a lot of nonsense drama. It was a real big problem before I got there, and got even worse each season that went by.

I think you just described 90% of NCAA track teams

A former coach here, never micro-managed, didn't have to after a few supposed easy mornings became surprise workout sessions.

Seeing as I am part of a NIRCA club team and not the D1 team at my school we make sure to enjoy out alcohol, semi-annual beer miles etc. It's much more fun that way.

but for real, what most guys have said, as long as you have a life outside of running and let loose. I don't drink too much (every other week or so) during the XC season just cause I actually cared about getting rest and everything etc. I'd still go out to parties fridays and saturdays just wouldn't get hammered all the time. Like most though, once the season was over it was time to cut loose and have a lot of fun for the few weeks before finals.

A former coach here, never micro-managed, didn't have to after a few supposed easy mornings became surprise workout sessions.

As a former D2 runner (from a team where we drank regularly, although it was very looked down upon by our superegotistical coach, who tried to make sure that we were in bed by 10 on the weekends), this seems like the PERFECT solution. I drank regularly in college, to have a social life, and to let loose from the rigors of the week. I wasn't stupid about it, never before workouts or races, but i always made an effort to have a good time, in "the best years of my life". i managed this in a way that it never hurt my running, and i always ran fine. However, if i knew there was a chance of a random workout on the weekend, it would VASTLY hamper my thoughts on going or partying hard the night before, just because a cared enough about my training that i didn't want it to be miserable.

hangovers are a bitch.