The perfect article for this particular forum...

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/how-coffee-can-galvanize-your-workout/?src=me&ref=general


I'm a firm believer. You just have to time your intake so as not to have to take a mid-race porta-potty stop.

I love coffee and yes I think it helps, good article. It can help the porta potty concerns, too, like you said if you just time it right.

Seth Harrison wrote:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/how-coffee-can-galvanize-your-workout/?src=me&ref=general


I'm a firm believer. You just have to time your intake so as not to have to take a mid-race porta-potty stop.

I bet it doesn't work so well for the daily caffeine consumers. There probably is some habituation, unless your daily eye opener is a 32oz Mountain Dew. I get heart palps just thinking about that much Dew.

Diego wrote:

Seth Harrison wrote:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/how-coffee-can-galvanize-your-workout/?src=me&ref=general


I'm a firm believer. You just have to time your intake so as not to have to take a mid-race porta-potty stop.

I bet it doesn't work so well for the daily caffeine consumers. There probably is some habituation, unless your daily eye opener is a 32oz Mountain Dew. I get heart palps just thinking about that much Dew.

I don't know - do you think that the effects of coffee on the muscles themselves are diminished just because you don't get the buzz anymore?

Mike MacLellan wrote:

Diego wrote:

Seth Harrison wrote:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/how-coffee-can-galvanize-your-workout/?src=me&ref=general


I'm a firm believer. You just have to time your intake so as not to have to take a mid-race porta-potty stop.

I bet it doesn't work so well for the daily caffeine consumers. There probably is some habituation, unless your daily eye opener is a 32oz Mountain Dew. I get heart palps just thinking about that much Dew.

I don't know - do you think that the effects of coffee on the muscles themselves are diminished just because you don't get the buzz anymore?

I don't. I had a spell where I was having a problem hitting pace runs until one morning I downed a diet dew about a half hour before my run. Suddenly, there was pop in my legs and the pace run was doable. And I'm a very regular caffeine (ab)user.

I think caffeine still helps even if you are used to it. It still does what it's supposed to, right?

Hmmm,.... interesting. I've read conflicting things about caffeine over the years. I very rarely ingest it because I have no desire to be addicted to anything. It doesn't sit well with me when I see someone freaking out because they don't have his/ her morning coffee. I have tried gels with caffeine, but the jury is still out on whether or not it helped me run better.

This is the money quote.

Caffeine has been proven to increase the number of fatty acids circulating in the bloodstream, which enables people to run or pedal longer (since their muscles can absorb and burn that fat for fuel and save the body’s limited stores of carbohydrates until later in the workout).

I've got a buddy who swears by taking an Excedrin before every run. Pretty packed with caffeine (65 mg per pill versus 35 mg per Gu Roctane) and anti-inflamatory and pain relief too. I've hestiated to try it because I had read somewhere that taking thinks like Advil or Asprin were a really bad idea pre-run. But is Excedrin different and OK as a pre-race boost? Anyway, caffeine is clearly a boost and one way or the other I'm getting that in pre-race.

Excedrin is acetaminophin, aspirin and caffeine together. I would skip it and just take a caffeine pill (like no doz) if you don't drink coffee or strong tea or whatever.