WOGOR Blogger: This is not a w-h-ine

The plane tickets are booked, and now it’s countdown to the Games in Glasgow. I’m putting a list together of all the whisky bars and pubs that Glasgow is justly famous for, and it’s a mighty one. But from now until the marathon, on 27th of July, it’s time to go dry. Or just about.

Understandably, the athlete in the house will be drinking less and less leading up to the race. His coach has decreed “time to live like a monk.” And whilst I don’t wholly agree with everything about that statement, it’s certainly time to say no more late nights at the Old Fitz (not that these are that common in a household that needs to be running by 8am in the park every weekend), and no more mid-week bottles of wine in front of the telly.

Of course, I’m not running a marathon so I could still drink cabernet on the couch. But I feel like that would be a bit mean. And without someone drinking with me it would also be too easy to polish off the bottle by myself, like eating ice cream straight out of the tub. And if I’m ever going to run a marathon myself this year I really had better get a bit of training consistency going at the times when I can (there’s nothing like a hangover for scuppering my long run plans).

So, it’s time. The last episode of Game of Thrones aired this week and it feels right to get on the wagon (I don’t know what it was about GoT but watching it without red wine was unthinkable – was it all the blood?).

A few provisos – I’m not going completely dry. We’ve a dinner party before then, and a birthday party, and I’m not sure what I’d do on a long-haul flight without booze to wash down the mainstream movies. But from now on in I’m going to join the runner in abstaining from opening a bottle during the week at home. And I’m only going to have a few glasses at a time when we’ve guests for dinner, or we go out to dinner. No shenanigans of the proper sort.

1957654_10152317589495753_4132826715119540192_oThere’ll be readers who scoff at this post (it’s only five weeks!), or sanctimoniously point to the word ‘few’ and then to government health recommendations for women. You’re all much better people for your piousness, I’m sure. I, on the other hand, am very much looking forward to a glass of the Vino Athletico 2004 Shiraz that’s waiting in the Mailroom for me now, to take with me to dinner tonight. But I’ll put the rest of the case out of sight until the other athletico can join me for a glass, too.