Giving up the booze

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  • Morning folks!

    Firstly, apologies once again, I've just looked back and seen it's been an age since I posted - I haven't strayed, in fact talking of anniversaries I had my first year anniversary on 9th September.  I celebrated it by doing the Cardiff 10k 2 days earlier on 7th Sept, it was my first 10k race and having completed the Severn Bridge HM a couple of weeks previously; I was feeling up-beat.  It was a warm sunny day and there was a fantastic buzz about the place which all helped me to a time of 47:12   image   I was gobsmacked, I was hoping to get as close to 50mins as possible, I certainly didn't expect to go sub 50.

    I'm impressed with you 16 mile trot around the Wye valley EDI - was that part of your Cardiff HM training plan?  Hope you're recovering well!  My training is coming along nicely, I did a slow 10 miles on Sunday and am running with the club a couple of times a week as well - there's quite a few of us doing the Cardiff half, so we're all singing from the same sheet as it were - definitely helps.

    I like the sound of your Marathon Jugula, particularly like your Floyd quote as well - lol!  I've bitten the bullet and given myself a goal for getting through this winter, I've entered the Manchester marathon next April, I hate winter and feel this is the perfect way to keep myself motivated - it will be my first marathon and 2015 is also my 50th birthday year, just seems to all fit.

    Hope everyone else is all good - Hi to you all, Cinders, runner jonnie, BWF and sinbad, apologies if I've missed anyone.

  • Hello, well done Ric & Jugula on the birthdays. Coming back from injury i am way behind all you guys,but this week i felt i turned a corner and am heading nearer the fitness i was at pre-injury.

    Running for me is a extra bonus entirely down to being sober. Just over three years ago i could hardly walk to the off-license, What a joy to be free of that life.

    Off golfing with 20 other AA buddies today. When we sit in the clubhouse after the golf,(all with coffees,juices etc) the other golfers often look round and wonder what we are on - (we are quite a mad lot). Who says sobriety,s not fun.

    Have a great weekend all.

  • BWF nice story mate and I can relate massivly only been 3 months for me but the best months of my adult life image
  • I relapsed big style at my 3 month point; it seems fairly common.  I'm glad you're doing better than I did, Jonnie.

    I found that the problem with being sober is that I was sober, all-of-the-time.

    I really didn't like that! image

  • I know what ya mean EDI but i almost lost everything during my last binge so going back to my old ways is not an option, do u no what a councaler said to me, she said that i would relapse and i should use them to learn for next time but i saif i am not going to as i aint drinking, trust me peeps i nearly lost everything that i love and in a way i am thankful for that as it hit home how much i didnt wamt to loose them image
  • Runner Jonnie wrote (see)
    I know what ya mean EDI but i almost lost everything during my last binge so going back to my old ways is not an option, do u no what a councaler said to me, she said that i would relapse and i should use them to learn for next time but i saif i am not going to as i aint drinking, trust me peeps i nearly lost everything that i love and in a way i am thankful for that as it hit home how much i didnt wamt to loose them image

    We call this staying sober by fear, in A.A..  And I'm not saying it doesn't work for everyone, but for many fear doesn't keep them sober for ever.  I think we don't remember pain very well; that's why we run more than one marathon.  After my last I said I'd never run another marathon, but eight months later I'm training for an ultra marathon.  It's why women have more than one child, even though after their first they've said "never again".

    Alcoholism is 'cunning, baffling, powerful' they say.  And it is.

    But the fear created by remembering how bad it got may work for you, so please forgive my negativity; it's just after being around A.A. for a few years you get to see a lot of how this stuff pans out; I've a good idea of the dynamics of what's helpful and what's not.  And of course there's no need to agree with me.

  • Absaloutly mate point taken and its nice to know that i am not alone also the binges were effecting my health, colds all the time and headaches i deffo do i agrre about that we forget but this times its different, so you are doing ultra marathon? Bloody hell thats a nice big running bender image when are doing that?
  • It's not till May next year, Jonnie, it's not a particularly long ultra either (42 miles); it's the Brecon to Cardiff one.  

    I'm currently in-training to get to a point where I can begin the training (in December) and I've a 27 week program from the book Relentless Forward Progress.

    My understanding of the book is that I should be running 35 to 40 miles a week comfortably prior to then.  I think that's a fairly big shout; I built upto that to run a marathon.  I currently run about 25 to 30 miles a week comfortably(ish).

    I'll be running it with Mrs Easy who is a very good runner (far better than myself), so it should be interesting.

  • I take my hat off to you bro, are you looking forward to the training, do you train togerher you and mrs peasy (easy, peasy) my mrs isnt very good at running but she gives it a go but genetics not in her favour really
  • Lol - Runner Jonnie, loving the 'genetics' not in her favour! image

  • Nah, we rarely train together; she's just so much quicker than me.  On the rare occasion she says she'll just run at my pace, she picks it up and I end up getting a beasting.

    It's the same at races, she drops me like a piece of poo and dashes ahead.  In the smaller regional races she's often in the first five ladies back; at Parkruns (depending on who turns up) she's often in the top three females and occasionally the first lady.

    By the time I finish looking like the Ribena Man she's cooled down, stretched, and looking rather chilled.

    She makes me want to puke.

  • Evening all.  not posted on here for ages and ages.  Just thought I'd pop in and say hi and then realised that it's 2 years today since I stopped smoking image  It'll be 3 yrs next month with no drinking tooimageimage  I'd like to think that being so angelic has made me a better, fitter and faster runner but that would be lying image.  I shall have a bit of a read back but it's been so long since I posted that I'll never be able to catch up so I'll say Hello & Welcome to any new posters and a quick coo eeee to old friends x

  • Hello everyone - it's been really interesting to read the thread and the different approaches that people take on their journeys. 

    It's really good to see hope to and Sunluvva again - it's been a long time since we all posted regularly!

    Sunluvva - three years off booze and two of the ciggies is sensational - great effort! 

    Earlier this year I was in a pretty bad place - drinking was by far the worst it's ever been and I hadn't put the running shoes on for a couple of years. Now it's no booze since mid-July there hadn't been a single day without any for a long while prior to then) and I've started running again. Only up to four miles (slowly) but it's a start. I did a Parkrun a couple of weeks ago and it took half an hour - my quickest 5k was under 22 minutes so I'm a long way off! However, it's great to feel alive again.

    I hope everyone else is good - I'm enjoying the most beautiful autumn morning.

  • Hello Apps, lovely to hear from you.  I see the very occasional post from you on fb but never hear from you otherwise image  Fantastic going not drinking since July, wish I could say I stopped because of great willpower and fortitude but it was illness that made the decision for me and makes me stay of it now.   

    Still no running from me but only cos I've had a bit of relapse health wise and once I get poorly it takes me ages to get well again.  I need to move my backside soon as Hope To and I have some mega ultras planned for next year including our first 50 milers!

    It's a lovely sunny morning down our way - hope you've all got some sun to enjoy where you are today x

  • Hi apps, as SL said so lovely to see you post. Huge congrats on the park run and the stopping drinking since July.  Don't be a stranger, keep in touch either here or FB.

    As SL is saying, not content with being rubbish over short distances, we are looking to extend our complete lack of ability to 50 miles next year.  image

    As for me I picked up a drink after over 5 years sobriety.  Lost the plot completely for a while, but am somewhere in the ballpark of normal again!

    Oh, and I got into London through the ballot which made me stupidly happy.

  • Hi SL and hope to - it really is lovely to be back in touch. I have such great memories of all of the chatting and support that happens on this thread and I'm not sure why I've not posted much in so long. Having said that, I think a few years of heavy drinking and no running meant I had little positive to contribute. I'm not much into Facebook either.

    I can't believe you two are planning to run for 50 miles - I know you have both got into very long distance stuff but it's incredible. I'm still finding 3-4 miles hard enough so I don't know where the ability to do longer stuff comes from. 

    SL - whatever the resin for stopping drinking, it's an immense effort. As we all know, there are people that can't stop, event when it becomes critical health-wise. Are you still juicing and going raw? I do quite a lot of juicing, albeit intermittently, and I often think of you when I do, especially when the juice is bright green!

    hope to - I can't believe it was 5 years without a drink - where are you at now? I find it difficult knowing what I want to achieve - is it permanent abstinence? I guess I'd love to be able to have a few and then not be bothered for a few weeks but that's never happened. It'll be interesting to find out what happens if I have a drink now, after my longest spell without one in my adult life. oh, CONGRATULATIONS for getting into London. 

    I hope everyone else is doing well - it'll be good to catch up with you all soon.

  • CindersCinders ✭✭✭

    Afternoon all. Nice to see you Apps, SL and HT image

    Well done SL On the 2 years and 3 years

    We'll done HT on getting into London. I'm thinking of giving Dublin another go. 

    Congrats Apps too on the parkrun. 

    I'm plodding but have been giving kickboxing a go image

     

  • How's the kickboxing going Cinders? We'll certainly know not to mess with you, or to tease you when you start talking about Christm…no actually, I won't go there!

    I've had a cold for a couple of days so the running is taking a back seat. It's good to be back into it though.

  • Hahahaa Apps - Cinders has been posting about christm..... since July on fb image  

    I still do loads of juicing and eating raw - I've been a bit poorly lately - got laid low with the crohns after a bit of stress and eating rubbish then seem to have caught every bug under the sun. Just coming out of (I hope) a flu type bug that's knocked me for six.    Slightly peed off as I'd only just started running again after fracturing my ankle - haven't run much at all now since May.  Perfect training for an ultra  image.

    Are you still ice skating too Cinders  

    HT - you summed up our ultra running abilities perfectly - though you are further advanced in the running and cycling stakes than me.  I will catch up as soon as I can run more than a few miles without some kind of mishap.  Did I tell you I've got a new headtorch - can you imagine the damage I could cause running alone in the woods at night image

  • CindersCinders ✭✭✭

    11 weeks tomorrow I believe lol image

  • CindersCinders ✭✭✭

    Hope you both feel better soon. 

    How is the ankle now SL?

    not done much skating but have restarted skiing. Real snow too. 

  • Is it only 11 weeks Cinders? I'll have to get started with my shopping in about 10 and a 1/2 weeks - that's a scary thought!

    SL - I'm about to do a juice of carrots, apples, celery, lemon, chilli and ginger - it's much better than a Lemsip! I have a long drive today and the weather is awful so I need a boost!

  • Apparition, what machine do you use to juice with?  We bought a juicer, but it's really messy.  I think I used it once and it's now been abandoned in the back of some cupboard somewhere.

  • afternoon all.  I posted earlier but this stoopid laptop crashed just as i went to press submit image

    I've got a philips avance juicer EDI - very good and easy to clean.  What sort do you have.  I've had loads and the best value 'whole fruit' one I've used is the one from Argos Cookworks - about 30 quid last time I got one.   

    I haven't read relentless forward progress yet - is more of a training manual than someone's story.  

    BWF, I've probably had more fun stone cold sober than I ever did pi$$ed!  I'm not averse to dancing on tables, karaoking and exposing bits that should be kept covered without a single drop of alcohol.............. image

    Cinders, where is this real snow on the south coast - I need to know so I can avoid it 

    Apps, you should see Cinder's little Buttons now - all grown up and a just got another belt at Taikwondo or some other martial art sport!!!!   

    I've just had a lovely banana, mango and spinach smoothie for lunch - yummy image

    I'm feeling a bit better here - kc's been off school all week with this flu bug too so we're all a bit under the weather.  We both feel ok - ish till we get and move about then we're knackered after 5 mins!

  • Hello my fellow ex waste of spaces this big time binger whom liked to feed his ego with booze most weekends and letting family down ran bmth marathon in 3hrs 20m 50s on sunday, its amazing what you can once you give up the poisen image
  • Brilliant stuff Runner Jonnie, it is amazing what our old bods can do when we give them half a chance image 

  • Deffo sunluva, thank you plus since i knocked the booze on the head ive yet to have a cold and its nearly 4 months, i used to be ill once a month, i am always moving forward and never going back, sub 3hr marathon is the plan for next yea, the war against yourselg is the battle that must be won image
  • I'm in a slightly different boat in that it was ( and still is a bit) my hubby with the drink problem.  I used to like having a drink normally but tended to binge when I did then now and then I'd find myself drinking just so I didn't have to listen to him!  A good self telling off was enough to make myself not do that but I still used to have a glass of vino or two a night.  I only stopped when I was diagnosed with crohns disease - couldn't drink more than a couple of glasses without being totally ratfaced and ill for up to 4 days afterwards image I don't miss that at all image

    My personal battle these days is attempting not to eat fish and chips and belgium buns - they don't agree with the guts image

  • Thanks, Sunluvv; that philips advance juicer isn't cheap.  Maybe I'll get it for Chrimbo eh?  The Relentless Forward Progress is a manual covering ultras from 40 to 100 miles (I think from memory).  We're doing the 50 mile training schedule for a 42 mile ultra we've planned (our first).  It's a 27 week program, so quite long, and to start it, it asks that we're running 35 to 40 miles a week, without any problems, at least for a few weeks prior.  I'm currently doing about 30, and the training starts in December, so I should be okay.  Mrs Easy is already running about 40 miles a week, comfortably, and has been for a long time.

    @Jonnie; wow - 3hrs 20.  Fast!  Well done.

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