Running addiction, beer passion

As is probably obvious from the title of this blog, I spend a significant proportion of my life doing two things: running and thinking about beer.

The running bit probably raises more eyebrows. Having recently shuffled past the half-century mark, most sensible people might choose a gentler hobby. I, on the other hand, have somehow convinced myself that ultra-marathons are now a perfectly reasonable way to spend my weekends.

The beer side of the equation is perhaps easier to explain. I love beer in almost every form imaginable. Not just drinking it—although I certainly enjoy that part—but also reading about it, talking about it, listening to podcasts about it, visiting breweries, brewing my own, and endlessly debating what does and doesn't qualify as "craft" beer. A discussion that, incidentally, can keep a room full of beer nerds occupied for far longer than is healthy.

In my world, these two passions go hand in hand.

How?

For starters, most of my long runs are accompanied not by music, but by beer podcasts.

Whilst others are blasting playlists through their headphones, I'm plodding through country lanes or muddy trails listening to interviews with brewers, discussions about new hop varieties, or passionate debates about the future of cask ale.

There's something strangely satisfying about running through the countryside at dawn whilst simultaneously immersing yourself in the world of craft beer. Perhaps it's because brewing and long-distance running share a surprising amount in common. Both require patience, obsession, problem-solving, occasional suffering and a willingness to spend vast amounts of time pursuing something that most people don't fully understand.

For me, it's the perfect combination.

It also helps distract me from the fact that I've still got another ten miles to run.

The Beer Token System

I've also developed what I believe is a perfectly rational reward structure.

Others may disagree.

In my head, every run earns beer tokens.

The exchange rate is simple: Three miles equals one guilt-free pint.

By this logic, a solid fifteen-mile Saturday run entitles me to five beers. A marathon opens up all sorts of exciting opportunities.

I appreciate that this approach may not receive universal endorsement, particularly from medical professionals, but fortunately I haven't asked their opinion.

Why Not a Podcast?

Over the years I've toyed with the idea of starting a podcast of my own.

The inspiration comes from some of the excellent beer podcasts I regularly listen to—Daftaboutcraft,The Hop Addition, This Week in Craft Beer, Hopposites Attract and Triple Hopped amongst others.

The concept seemed simple enough: combine running and beer into one slightly niche discussion.

The problem is that producing a good podcast requires an enormous amount of time and energy. Research, planning, recording, editing, promotion—the list goes on.

Unfortunately, both time and energy are commodities that I rarely possess in abundance.

So the idea remains firmly parked in the "perhaps one day" category.

Why a Blog?

The same logic applies to YouTube.

I enjoy watching running channels. I enjoy watching beer channels. Surely combining the two would be a natural fit?

Perhaps.

But I know myself well enough to realise I'd spend more time editing videos than actually running or drinking beer.

And where's the fun in that?

So instead, this blog became my compromise.

A place where I can combine my two favourite obsessions without the pressure of cameras, microphones or complicated production schedules.

What This Blog Is About

This isn't intended to be a training journal.

It's not a beer review site.

It's certainly not a lifestyle guide.

Instead, it's simply a record of the adventures that occur when a middle-aged Yorkshireman develops a slightly unhealthy enthusiasm for both long-distance running and good beer.

Some weeks that might mean documenting a twenty-mile trail run through terrible weather.

Other weeks it might involve a brewery visit, a new homebrew experiment, a particularly memorable pint, or a ridiculous decision to run across a county simply because there's a taproom at the end of it.

Most likely it'll be a bit of all of the above.

Will Anyone Read It?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you.

And it doesn't really matter.

This blog is as much for me as it is for anyone else. A place to log adventures, remember good beers, celebrate successful runs and occasionally laugh at the dafter decisions I've made along the way.

That said, I'd like to think there are at least a handful of fellow fools out there.

The sort of people who think nothing of setting their alarm for 4:30am to squeeze in ten miles before work.

The sort of people who regard a brewery as a perfectly valid finish line.

The sort of people who see no contradiction whatsoever in running twenty miles on a Saturday morning before spending the afternoon sampling craft beer with friends.

Actually, now I write it down, perhaps there aren't many of us after all.

But if there are, welcome aboard. Cheers