Athletes and people who sprint, climb, jump or lunge are at a higher risk of a painful hamstring injury. Suddenly increasing your physical activity level is one of the most common causes of hamstring injuries. Youâll have a higher chance of injuring your hamstrings if you:
Exert yourself much more than usual
Have low flexibility and donât stretch or warm up
Ramp up your workout or training routine too quickly
Start a new sport without the right training or equipment
Try to increase your physical activity gradually. Increase how much youâre lifting, running or training over time as you build up your strength and flexibility.
Hamstring injuries are very common. But they still hurt, and it can be annoying to take a break from practice or training. Itâs frustrating to spend time away from your favorite activities, but give your body the time it needs to heal. Donât push yourself before your healthcare provider gives you the green light.
Once your pulled hamstring has recovered, you should be able to resume all your usual activities. Talk to your provider or physical therapist about stretches and exercises that can strengthen your hamstrings and increase your flexibility. This can help you move better and avoid another injury in the future.
Whether youâre racing the mile or the marathon, dozens of factors can influence how you perform on race day. One thing that almost certainly wonât help you clock a faster finish: alcohol.
To understand how drinking can affect your training and running performance, we spoke with Tamanna Singh, MD, director of Cleveland Clinicâs Sports Cardiology Center and codirector of its Womenâs Integrated Sports, Exercise, and Research (WISER) Center, RRCA-certified run coach, and marathoner.
Singh explains exactly why and when youâll want to cut out booze as you prepare for a race, so you show up on the starting line ready to run your best. Youâll also learn how alcohol affects two essential tools for recovering well and racing strong.
When Should You Cut Out Alcohol Before a Race?
According to Singh, thereâs no hard cutoff for when you need to stop drinking before a race. That said, she explains that there are specific times during your training cycle when alcohol can be especially detrimental to your performance.
âIf youâre following a 12- to 16-week training cycle for a marathon, lay off the alcohol from about weeks six to nine, or nine to 12 [respectively],â she says.
Those three to four weeks just before your taper, when youâre hitting those 18- to 20-mile long runs, are when you really want to be prioritizing your recovery, Singh explains. That includes getting high-quality sleep, adequate hydration, and ensuring good heart-rate recovery and variabilityâall things that alcohol can significantly impair.
Most runners will usually taper for about two to three weeks before their race, Singh adds, and thatâs also a time youâll want to avoid booze. âDuring that time, you really want to have a good reset for your body so it can focus on muscle repair, synthesis, and recovery,â she says. Because alcohol affects all those factors, many people wonât drink during that timeâand plenty of athletes just donât drink at all during their entire training cycle. This allows you to train hard, recover well, and show up fresh and ready to race!
How Does Alcohol Affect Your Energy?
The days leading up to your race are a key time to focus on getting enough carbohydrates, fluids, and electrolytes. Doing so helps prime your body to hit that starting line strong, explains Singh. Physiologically, having a beer during this time can interfere with your efforts to stay adequately fueled and hydrated.
âAlcohol is metabolized by the liver, and essentially the liver is the organ thatâs responsible for getting rid of all of the bodyâs toxins,â Singh says. When you drink, the liver needs to clear that alcohol first, which requires your body to use glucose. The problem is that you also need that glucose for energy to run well and hit your goal race paces.
âIf you have alcohol in your system, your liver is going to prioritize breaking down that alcohol instead of providing glucose for you to utilize for energy,â Singh says. With less glucose available to fuel your working muscles, maintaining your usual pace can feel noticeably harder.
So, instead of having a drink in the days or weeks leading up to your race and risking more fatigue than you want on your big day, wait until you cross the finish line to celebrate with a postrace beverage, Singh says.
How Does Alcohol Affect Recovery?
Booze can also wreak havoc on your sleep, which many experts consider the single most powerful tool runners have to improve their recovery.
âAlcohol impairs the ability for the bodyâs muscles to repair, synthesize, and recover while we sleep,â Singh says. âIt actually inhibits growth hormone, which is responsible for all of that muscle recovery.â
Not only does alcohol lower your sleep quality, but it can also cause insomnia for some individuals, which can mean sleep quantity suffers, too. In order to perform well day after day in training, you really need both good sleep quality and adequate sleep quantity, adds Singh, or you wonât be able to perform.
Even one night of poor sleep can affect your running the next day. In a study published in Physiology & Behavior, researchers asked 20 runners to complete a 12-minute, self-paced time trial after getting eight hours of sleep and again after getting just four hours. After the night of less shuteye, the runners covered 6 percent less distance and reported a higher rate of perceived exertion, more fatigue, and worse overall mood.
Finally, alcohol can also lower your heart rate variability (HRV). HRV reflects the balance and activity of your sympathetic (âfight or flightâ) and parasympathetic (ârest and digestâ) nervous systems as your body responds to changing demands throughout the day. A higher HRV generally indicates that those systems are well-regulated, which can signal better recovery and cardiovascular fitness, Singh explains.
All things considered, alcohol delivers a harsh double whammy to your running recovery and your overall fitness. When youâre preparing for a race, it can be a huge benefit to eliminate booze from your training plan entirely. You might just find yourself crossing the finish line a little faster and strongerâwhich will make that postrace toast with your running buddies all the sweeter.
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