Caffeine/Tylenol Pre-Marathon - Experiences?

A nutritionist spoke to my running group and said that caffeine was the only legal supplement that had proven effective as a performance enhancer but only if you were caffeine free for >10 days prior.

I've gone caffeine free for 2 weeks prior to big races twice since then: the first time I ran a 2:56 at RnR San Diegio and felt great the entire time; I probably could have gone harder but I was coming off the best training block pre-marathon I've had so it is hard to say how much impact the Red Bull I drank pre-race had.

Last year at RnR I was coming off an injury and had only been running for a couple of months prior to the race, I think my longest run was 18 miles. I followed the same routine as the year before and COULD NOT slow down the first 18 miles; I would see sub 6:30 for the previous mile, think "I can't hold this, I need to back off", then see 6:35 the next split. After coming up the 163, the wheels came off and I struggled to come in.

So yes it can help but it can also push you harder than you are prepared to go.

Link to the second race, you can see how much I blew up: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/790328711

For the last few months, I've been taking a GU with 40mg of caffeine before races only (plus the very occasional workout to make sure it still agrees with me). Otherwise, I strictly avoid caffeine, and have for years. It's worked very well for me in general - I feel like a monster on race day. As others noted, you have to be really careful not to go out too fast.

The marathon I ran while taking caffeine did NOT go well, but I don't think it had anything to do with the caffeine - I was just overtrained and had a lousy day.

No experience with Tylenol and running - I've always got nagging aches and pains, and I like to be able to monitor them so that they don't turn into injuries.

I sometimes take a couple Herbalife Guarana pills, up to 4 pills, so that is 3,2 grams Guarana, which is equivalent to 128 grams of caffeine.

A couple of times I even topped it of with a red bull, but that gives me side stitches half way into the race.

What can I say, the experience is positive for me. Gets me in a good focused headspace. But im not sure if I performed better than I would have without the pills.

I've never tried Tylenol, but that's an interesting idea-- supposedly it doesn't just work on physical pain, but emotional as well. This feels a bit too close to straight up doping, IMO.

http://www.runnersworld.com/peak-performance/jan-25-tylenol-acetaminophen-improves-endurance-performance-by-blocking-pain

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/whats-tylenol-doing-to-our-minds/275101/

Someone on here in a previous thread on this subject mentioned risk of GI bleeding if you take Tylenol and get dehydrated.

Can anyone corroborate that? Any medical types weigh in?

Piano_Man87 wrote:

Someone on here in a previous thread on this subject mentioned risk of GI bleeding if you take Tylenol and get dehydrated.

Can anyone corroborate that? Any medical types weigh in?

So basically your looking at a way to cut corners or cheat and are not confident in your training.

Forget drinking or swallowing a added enhanced benefit.

Try a couple of different pre race meal/drink ideas on your long run days, you will find a formula that works.

Well, I don't think Pre ever ran a marathon, but if he did he was too much of a badass to use PEDs like caffeine and Tylenol.

My last marathon, I took 600mg of Tylenol and 2 cups of coffee (along w/ toast) about 2hrs before racetime. I also took a caffeinated Gu at around mile 14.

Was shooting for 2:34 and was on pace for that time as late as mile 23. At that point, I became really nauseous and began violently puking for the last 3 miles. Could barely remain standing, but stumbled home to 2:37. Spent the next 24 hours bedridden and puking on and off.

I mention this because I've never experienced something like this in racing before and it was the first time I tried taking Tylenol and coffee beforehand. Perhaps I over did it, but I'm now going to be very careful in using those before a race.

Both help. Caffeine more as a pick me up if you're having a sluggish day. I drink coffee daily so I'm a bit conditioned.

Tylenol has had a noticeable impact in my opinion. Never took it until the past year. Took it before a 5k and half this year and ran my fastest times in 10 years. Seemed to correct my normal late race fade as I ran evenly paced efforts in both. Training was not substantially better but I raced substantially better.

Anecdotally, I used to wonder why I tended to have good runs the morning after heavy drinking. I'd often take Tylenol those mornings to relieve hangover symptoms.

I'd add that I'm undertrained at this point, running 40-50 mpw. Nowhere near my competitive peak of fitness in my late teens so I may get more of a boost than someone who's been trained well.

Piano_Man87 wrote:

Matt Fitzgerald's book, The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition talks about taking caffeine and tylenol before a marathon for performance enhancement. But he doesn't talk about elites doing this, although I'm sure some do. He merely cites some studies that connect their use and performance enhancement, and advises using them based on that.

Can anyone here discuss their own personal experience taking caffeine and/or tylenol pre-marathon, and how you were affected by it? Was it all positive or are there any pitfalls to be aware of?

He's a fool. Stupid, ridiculous, irresponsible advice. I hope someboy sues him.

Years ago (maybe 15 years?) I read a study on caffeine that showcased the predicament athletes have in using it. Trained cyclists rode to exhaustion at a set effort level pre and post dosing with caffeine. About 85% had no improvement, while some even had negative performance. However, the remaining 15% had substantial improvement... up to 25%-50% longer time to exhaustion!

Although this particular study didn't go beyond this, other studies indicate that whether you are a regular caffeine drinker, how much you drink, and how your body reacts to caffeine are all variables.

In my case as a two cup a day coffee drinker, I can't say that caffeine improves performance that I have seen. I can say that more than two cups of coffee hinders my performance.

That't the effects of adrenaline isn't it? Using caffeine to stimulate the adrenals is a hit and miss affair.

Using tylenol to make a race hurt less is just stupidity.

Being raised in the south I have a fondness for sweet tea and typically drink it with meals. Occasionally post long run I will drink a can of Coca-Cola. I never acquired a taste for coffee and have consumed less than a teaspoon in my lifetime.

Prior to a marathon 10 weeks ago I decided to experiment with caffeine. On three long runs over 20 miles I did use regular GU and probably used Coke to replenish about that often. Seven days out I eliminated sweet tea from my diet. On race day I had 12 oz of sweet tea about an hour prior to the race. Just before the gun I had a GU Roctane and used that product with water four times out on the course.

For two weeks prior to the marathon I was having a R hamstring issue and was being aggressive with therapy, rolling and stretching. I thought it had gone away, however at mile 18 it returned. At that point I was just unable to hold pace with the group I was with and could not respond when someone ran up past me. Typically, even when having a good day, I encounter mood swings during a marathon and a situation like this would generally trigger feelings of doubt and despair. However not this time. Even though I struggled to get in I never once got down on myself or considered stepping off. I just maintained what I could and never once experienced the emotional highs or lows I have felt in previous marathons. I felt mentally alert and in control which was odd considering the physical discomfort I was experiencing.

I contribute the positive mental experience to the caffeine deplete and in-race caffeinated GU usage although I will have to try the protocol again to determine if other factors came into play.

54 yo male

10th marathon over a 26 year span

split 1:37/ 1:57 (ouch!)

Do what you have to do, just be sure to try this a few times before race day on your long runs or longer MP runs.