Sustainable Vibram fivefingers V Train Shoes cold at bay one December night in 2022, my friend Justine and I got together for some mulled wine, a hot drink as delicious as it is sentimental to me, reminding me of holiday gatherings and Christmas markets back home in the Czech Republic. As the familiar sweet smell of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and lemon filled my apartment, I declared out loud (more to myself than to Justine) that I had a 10-mile run on my training plan the next day, so I needed to take the night easy.
Prada Wheel Cassetta lace-up sneakers White rested and hydrated. Munich Mini Sand Sneakers headache, just to helplessly stare at the ceiling until falling back asleep sometime in the early morning hours, swearing to myself I would never drink again. Tale as old as time.
CMP 3T31167 Trail running Styles Olmo Trail running Styles Sapato home drunk when I was 15. My parents didn’t notice. It was the year they were splitting. Their arguments were quiet, but the consequences spoke volumes. Money had become a point of contention at one point, and I was withdrawn from after-school activities, including basketball and the majority of my dance classes. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So when a clique I had been seeing around my hometown invited me to hang out with them, I was happy for some distraction from my newly gained free time as much as the silent war at home. They were the cool kids, which meant I was cool now, too! They drank cheap boxed wine any night—school or weekend—they could pull enough money together. They came from divorced or one-parent families. No one was waiting for them to come home either. I felt understood. And so when the boxed wine made its round to me, I took a swig, and then another one. I despised the taste, but that didn’t matter; I belonged.
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Mavic Crossmax Elite SL MTB Shoes was also when I moved to the U.S. In a matter of a single flight over the Atlantic, I became underage again, entering a much stricter country that wouldn’t allow me to even go to a bar. And I had to quit smoking because the host family I moved in with wouldn’t tolerate it. With no substance to help me escape my racing mind, I had my first panic attack. One piece of advice I received was to try exercise. Willing to do anything that would help prevent another similar episode, I bought a pair of cheap workout shoes and a YMCA membership. I found my way to the treadmill zapatillas de running Styles ASICS ritmo medio talla 49 entre 60 y 100.
But old habits are hard to shake, and I eventually turned 21. Although running Styles was great, I felt no obligation to do it. So what if I skipped a day at the gym because of drinking the night away? I had fun, didn’t I? That’s what I told myself for the next nine years, while my hangovers zapatillas de running Styles Skechers competición voladoras pie normal talla 41.
So not being able to get out for a run on that sleep-deprived, heavy-headed morning after the mulled wine episode wasn’t that unusual. But this time, something shifted. Instead of my typical “so what” attitude, I grew mad. I had a goal to achieve, and therefore something needed to change. I decided to cut out alcohol for the remainder of my training. I promised myself I would celebrate with a Moscow Mule, my favorite cocktail, after I finished my birthday challenge.
I got through Christmas and New Year’s Eve sober—something that hadn’t happened since I was 14—and in January 2023 I ran my 30K. But when the time came to order that celebratory drink, I wasn’t in the mood. It was about a week later, when my legs recovered and I went out for an easy run, that I realized I was far more looking forward to putting in the morning miles than having a drink in the evening. So I decided to wait to drink until I truly felt like having one. Over a year later, that moment still hasn’t come.
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This is not to bad-mouth booze and forget the fun times I surely had. I never planned to stop drinking completely, and somewhere down the line I might start over with alcohol in a healthier way. Who knows? For now, I’m much more excited about having a clear head, mornings with no hangover, and the miles I get to put in. For the first time in a long time, I can say I feel happy and in control of my life. Cheers to that!
zapatillas de running Styles Reebok mujer pie normal maratón blancas Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics since August 2021, joining originally as a newsletter editor. When she doesn’t edit, she writes; when she doesn’t write, she reads or translates. In whatever time she has left, you can find her outside running, roller-skating, or riding to the beat of one of the many audiobooks on her TBL list.
