Breaking the Beer Fast

So, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, I spent the day at the US National Whitewater Center with Beth. It started with an apple, walnut & gorgonzola salad at the River's Edge Bar & Grille with Jeremy and Kyle, that was HUGE and pretty yummy.

Beth & I got in a run, which would have been way more awesome if my pesky asthma that's been non-existent lately had decided to stay non-existent. It would have also been more awesome had I not just devoured a huge salad immediately before hand. We took one of the most hilarious and wild rafting trips I've ever had at the USNWC, and, for the first time in probably 2 dozen rafting trips, I finally was catapulted from the boat, and subsequently demonstrated a yoga pose I've been struggling with for a while: full wheel. By where my feet were in the boat, my spine curved in a perfect back bend over the side of the raft, with my shoulders, head, and arms underneath the boat. Thankfully Beth realized I was probably drowning and released my feet, but I do want to thank her for the effort of keeping me in the boat. This particular trip included 5 runs (rather than the usual 4), and we surfed just about every rapid on the 2 chutes. We were smacked in the face with another boat, received nasal enemas, I fell into the matrix, Beth fell out, I fell out, Beth punched me in the jaw, and I nearly lost my shorts. It was good times for sure.

After the rafting we went back to the car for a yummy "picnic" meal. Mine was mostly prepared by Nourish- the Jambalaya salad with my home made honey mustard balsamic vinaigrette, Nourish potato salad, and Nourish marinated veggie kabobs. I grilled the veggies along with some shrimp which I added to the top of the salad. This ended up being a super delicious and extremely nutritious meal to help replenish some energy that we'd spent.

After our picnic we met up with Sean and hit the zipline. It was the first time I've finally been able to do it, and I've gotta say: way more fun than it looks! I could probably go about 10 times in a row, and thanks to my handy season pass, I can definitely do that! Finally, Beth and I rinsed off in the shower and changed into some dry comfy close, and took up our spot on the lawn near the stage as the bluegrass band began. Robin showed up when she got off of work, and I commenced to breaking the beer fast, which has been in effect for over a month.

I was terribly sad when I first arrived at the USNWC to find that the beer I'd been looking forward to trying for a month was no longer on tap. Bummer. So, my first beer what a local wheatbier that was light and tasted amazing. Beth snapped a photo of my very first sip. About halfway through this beer I had a thunderous burp, which was the first good burp I've had since before the fast. Weird, I didn't even realize I hadn't been burping!

From prior conversations with Jeremy and our friend Kathy, the overwhelming opinion was that my tolerance would be shot and I'd get shit-faced in a hurry. I decided I wasn't going to set out to "get drunk", just enjoy some beer (whether that was one or several). Kathy bet me $15 that I would get wasted off of 3 beers. Well, Kathy.... I think I owe you at least $10. I was noticeably feeling some affects about halfway through my first drink. Not quite tipsy, but certainly a bit more buzzy than I've been after half a beer in a long time!

After the wheatbier I enjoyed "Son of a Peach" which was exactly what it sounds like... a peach flavored wheatbier. It was also scrumptious. Upon going in to the restaurant a 3rd time, Sean excitedly pointed at the row of taps: behold, Hell or High Watermelon, the beer I've been fantasizing about for weeks, was back on tap! So, I grabbed a tall glass of it, and headed back down to enjoy it. It was as delicious as I hoped that it would be, the perfect summer beer. I really, really enjoyed it. The night came to an end and Jeremy picked me up. He will tell you at this point that I was drunk. I maintain that I was not. We went to Mac's for a late night meal, where I enjoyed yet another salad (3 for the day!) and another pint of Son of a Peach. I couldn't even finish it... I left about 1/3 of it on the table. Sad, but I'd definitely met my capacity for filling my stomach for the day.

It's apparent that my overall tolerance for alcohol has decreased fairly significantly. In the past year the quantity and frequency with which I drink has decreased all the way around, but my tolerance really hadn't changed. I'm totally fine with being a "lightweight" now- less money to spend, less calories to consume!