DRAFT Magazine

“I realized that to fully enjoy the true essence of beer,” says Doug Bertram, “I had to first get my ass kicked a bit.”

Doug (left) with the Beer Runner, post 26.2-mile ass-kicking

Doug has kicked my own ass a little bit while we occasionally trained together for our first triathlons this summer. Later we both ran the Lakefront Marathon, where this post-finish line photo was taken.

He’s also an acupuncturist — married to my other acupuncturist — who worked miracles helping me recover from a traumatic skiing injury to my knee this spring.

He’s definitely the kind of guy you’d love to talk with about life philosophy over a beer or four. Here he talks to the Beer Runner about Zen Buddhism, balancing yin and yang and drinking Lone Star and Belgian ales.

What’s an acupuncturist’s take on beer?

Look, I treat mostly spinal injury. So as long as you don’t lift heavy things and twist after drinking beer, you’re good!

A foot of snow + running + beer = a good day

What are you Beer Runner credentials?

The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in “The Miracle of Mindfulness” about washing the dishes to wash the dishes — not for the cup of tea afterward. He was suggesting the importance of a present mind. One should take pleasure in the simplicity of the mundane, and I do enjoy the conversations I have with myself on a long training run or mid-race about my breathing, my alignment, or the illusion of space and time. But my true guiding force is knowing that this process earns me heightened enjoyment of my favorite fermented beverage. You could say I enjoy washing the dishes — but I do it for the beer afterward!

How did you get into both beer and working out?

The beer came first! Then I thought, how can I make this last? I figured out that just beer made me feel kinda puffy and like the yin without the yang! Kinda like getting a hooker or something. Not yet being a runner, my yin/ yang, beer/ workout thing started with backcounrty skiing in Colorado and Fat Tire. Then it turned into canoeing in Minnesota and Minnesota Brew, or climbing in the dessert  in J-Tree and drinking Pabst. Now as a runner it’s evolved to high octane Belgian ales, which both reduces post run soreness and restocks the carbo shelves the fastest.

What’s your favorite post-run beer?

That is completely proportionate to how hard my ass gets kicked. If I lose enough fluid I need beer volume with something like a Lone Star. If I burst through most of my lunch, I might chew on a Guinness or a Terminator Stout. But just for pure sit back and enjoy the finer goodness it’s off to Cafe Hollander for a Hennepin Ale.

Do you have a favorite place to run in Wisconsin?

We have great trail running in Kettle Moraine, which I like to hit on the weekends, but for a good midweeker- you can’t beat the Beer Line Trail in my own back yard along the Milwaukee River! 6.5 miles of sweet trails that keep you coming back for more. And of course the lakefront was host to hundreds of miles for me over the summer.

What about a favorite bar or brew pub?

I have to go a bit nostalgic here and say that there is no better place on earth to sip on a frosty friend then the Union Terrace in Madison on Lake Mendota.

Any other words of wisdom you’d like to add?

Everything in moderation- Including moderation!

“There are things in life that aren’t so good for the body, but good for the soul,” says Jennifer Bertram. “Beer is one of them.”

Jen runs, does yoga and Tai Qi, drinks beer, and also happens to be my acupuncturist. Fortunately she drinks beer after she pokes me (ever so gently) with needles.

And she firmly believes that beer fits into a holistic lifestyle. Especially during winter.

“An organic homebrew or micro brew can stimulates that liver to move that blood through our bodies, and keeps are cheeks rosy!”

Read on for more about her workouts, beer preferences and Ninja tendencies.

What are you Beer Runner credentials?

I just love using my body, pushing it out beyond my shadows. It’s not a competitive thing, just a life thing. I do what my body feels like - whether that’s running a few miles or 15. Someties I feel like doing yoga and sometimes I just lay on my back in corpse pose. That’s my middle path. This works best for me.

How did you get into both beer and working out?

The Beer Ninja via elissabetha on Flickr

I grew up in a beautiful sweet city north of here with endless places to have campfires in the Point Beach State Forest. I will always hold onto the teen memories of sipping Old Milwaukee around the fire on any given night. The crazy thing is that this was also where I started trail running at the age of 10. I was deep in the study of martial arts and even owned a full ninja suit. I would put on my ninja outfit with a few other friends in the middle of the night and run like we were Jedi knights. I still tap into this endless energy whenever I am on the trail. It’s pretty cool. As for beer, it’s simply delicious. There is a beer for every moment, especially after a good sweat or a good corpse pose!

What’s your favorite post-run beer?

This depends on my expenditure. If the work out was pretty grueling I usually grab something dark like a Sprecher Bavarian or Great Dane Porter. A lighter activity usually ends with something lighter like a New Glarus Spotted Cow. I always enjoy a Lakefront Brewery Riverwest Stein or Cream City Pale Ale as well.

Do you have a favorite place to run in Wisconsin?

My Favorite place to run in Wisconsin is definitely Point Beach State Forest connecting with the north portion of the single track Ice Age Trail near Two Rivers. The most challenging and most fun trail race I ever ran was this past summer my husband I ran a half marathon up in Cable, Wisconsin, on the rollers of the Birkebeiner Trail. It kicked my butt! It was the most beautiful course I ever ran in Wisconsin.

What about a favorite bar or brew pub?

We live in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee, and I am a huge supporter of the local Stonefly Brew Pub. Nothing like a mug of their Mustache Ride Pale Ale with delicious bangers and mash.

Any other words of wisdom you’d like to add?

“Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy” — Han Solo