ryanballinger wrote:
Hi there,
my dad was coached by Lydiard anod yes he would encourage him to drink beers after his runs. He would specifically encourage him to drink dark stout beers. My mum was coached by Barry Magee (who taught a lydiard training philosophy too), and she too was told to do the same thing.
They said some of the ingredients in the beer would help replace some of the trace elements lost through your sweat in a hard training run - I recall dad walking about the brewers yeast, iron & chromium in particular, I don’t know if this is credible advice up to date with today’s perspective, just telling you what my parents did.
Dick Taylor who won the 10000m in the Christchurch 1974 commonwealth games, another lydiard athlete, would drink 2 crate bottle sized stout while standing up to his waist in the river to cool down his legs. Apparently the size of the bottle was useful for not only the nutrition in the drink but also it took approx 20mins to drink it, which was ideal time to ‘ice the legs’. Lydiard also told dad to drink lots of tea with honey on it on a regular basis.
I’m assuming that you may be the son of Paul Ballinger who ran a super 2:10:15 at the Fukuoka marathon in 1982 making him one of the fastest kiwis of all time. Kudos and big respect in an era long before the super shoes when people ran in minimalist plimsoles (Onitsuka tiger). Your dad would be approximately 68 years old now. Hope he is still doing well and fit. All blacks power.
Paul Ballinger, New Zealand
Bests:
5000 Metres 13:47.0h Auckland (NZL) 31 JAN 1976 1043
10,000 Metres 28:43.80 Auckland (NZL) 14 FEB 1976 1065
Marathon 2:10:15 Fukuoka (JPN) 05 DEC 1982 1157