The Beer Mile

When my mom signed us up for the Ugly Sweater 5k #2 there was the option to also run a beer mile. I was immediately interested and got excited about the beer mile. I'm not sure what exactly it was about the race, but I think it was mostly just that it was something I had never done before and I love new challenges. Back in college the guys on the cross country team ran a beer mile at the track where they pounded a 12 oz beer before running each lap, drinking a total of 48 ounces of beer by the time they finished the race. Although I enjoyed watching the race, it didn't appeal to me and I never had an interest in running a beer mile myself. It wasn't until we were discussing the Ugly Sweater 5k that I had the desire to run one. This one was a little different and involved less beer. The course as out and back on a street and only involved drinking a total of 24 ounces of beer with the option of drinking eggnog instead. But I'll be perfectly honest here, I don't really like eggnog. I might enjoy sipping say 3-5 ounces of it once a year but nothing beyond that and especially not chugging a total of 24 ounces! How the race worked was you grabbed a cup of beer or eggnog and then headed to the start line. At the start of the race you chug your drink and then run a quarter mile out to the next table where you drink your next 6 ounces. You run out and back twice, running a total of 1 mile and drinking a total of four cups. You have to drink your cup within the chugging station, there is no drinking while running.

A picture mom took of us after the race.

After the 5k I did a longer cool down than usual of 3 miles. That ended up working out really well for me. I returned from my cool down and changed into a dry shirt under my ugly sweater, grabbed a doughnut to eat because I didn't want to drink 24 ounces of beer on an empty stomach, went to the restroom, and then it was time to head to the race start. I also made sure to drink plenty of water after the 5k. I drank two bottles of water during my cool down. I knew the race wasn't chip timed and I was curious to know what my time was so I decided to start my watch at the beginning of the race. I didn't really think that through on how it would effect me getting off the starting line. I started my watch and then started to chug. By the time I put the cup to my lips there were people already taking off running, Thomas included. I hadn't chugged anything in a few years so I was out of practice. By the time I chugged my drink and took off running there were a lot of people ahead of me. That was pretty motivating to me and I took off hauling. I didn't pass Thomas until we were nearly to the next drinking station. I ran hard enough that it took me a moment to catch my breath before I could chug the drink but by that time the chugging was starting to come back to me. Thomas and a few others who entered the station after me were done before me and off running. As I passed Thomas again I think we said something to each other but things were getting a little blurry for me by then.

Chugging our drinks at the start of the race.

Thomas getting off the starting line quickly!

 

The third chugging station was really when I got into my groove. I actually beat people out of the station who entered it ahead of me. I just had one more out with a drink station and then it was back to the finish line. I was having a blast and hadn't looked at my watch at all during the race. By the last station I just lifted my cup up and poured it down the hatch without a moment's hesitation. I hadn't been paying attention to the people around me other than Thomas so it wasn't until that last stretch toward the finish line that I realized there were only 2 guys ahead of me. One had a very sizable lead and the other was within striking distance. Here's how my brain normally functions in a race, "That guy's not that far ahead of me, I can probably catch him." Then I take off and give it my best throw down effort to pass him/her. This is how my brain functions after drinking 24 ounces of beer, "That guy's not that far ahead of me, I can probably catch him. Ahhh, f*ck it!" And then I continued on at the pace I was already running. The race was so much fun! As I neared the finish line I realized that even though they weren't using chip timing in the race, they had the finish clock going so I didn't need to start my watch after all. After I finished and started to walk away, someone came over and asked me my name because I was the first female finisher. She had my time written down at 6:29. I was pretty surprised by that because other than the first quarter mile portion of the race I hadn't pushed the pace too much, I just ran hard and had fun.

Ty enjoying his beer during the race.

 

Ty having a blast during the race!

 

 

Thomas rocked it in to the finish line and then dad and Jeremy. Jeremy drank eggnog and I can't imagine that went down very easily. Ty finished with a huge smile on his face and all the pictures that had been taken during the race were of him sporting a giant grin. It was cute to see him having so much fun! I was surprised that I didn't really seem to feel the effects of the alcohol. I wandered inside to eat another doughnut and made sure to pound another bottle of water while I was at it. Then it was time for awards. They did the 5k awards and then the beer/eggnog mile awards. When I went up to receive my award for the 5k I had an empty water bottle that I had been heading to throw away along with a cup of coffee. As I reached for the cutting board award I realized I was pretty tipsy as I was unable to juggle all my items and the race director had to take my coffee for me after I poured a decent amount of it down my arm. For winning the beer mile the award was a giant wooden beer stein she had ordered from Germany, but it was stuck in customs so for the meantime they gave me a Starbucks gift card. I felt like that was actually a better award but I haven't seen the beer stein so I'll see what I think after it arrives. After the race mom, dad, and Jeremy took the kids home with mom driving the car. I stayed with Thomas and Ty. We headed to a nearby bar that was giving away free beer to participants of the race. I drank water while they drank the free beer so I could sober up to drive them home. All in all it was such a fun race. I really enjoyed it and am already looking forward to running it again next year!

Picking up my 5k award after the beer mile.