Competitor Magazine’s Beat Your Best Boston Marathon Superguide Tip #5

KEEP CLEAR OF OVER-STIMULATING YOUR RESERVES OF MOTIVATION AND DETERMINATION TIP #5

By T.J. Murphy

Tip number 5—This tip suggests yes, here’s a way to prevent over-stimulation of motivation reserves, but adding a caution sign so you don’t fly off on a joy ride and end up sailing into a ditch.

Having a beer or a glass of wine at night—as in one beer or one glass of wine—is not going to kill you and might even help you store up energy for marathon day by taking the edge off. But here’s the Competitor Mag tip: Do this in the controlled safety of your home or hotel room. SAVE THE IRISH PUB FOR AFTER THE RACE. Here’s the deal—you’re under a lot of pressure, right? You have a time goal, perhaps you’re competing on some level, so the pressure is building, perhaps transmogrifying into anxiety. The pub, with all of lighthearted, devil-make-care camaraderie and spirit can be overly seductive for the internally freaking-out distance runner. One drink can lead to two, to six, to oblivion. Remember some years back when the NFL lineman, the night before the Super Bowl, ended up drunk in Tijuana? Don’t be that guy—have your drink in controlled conditions.