Some questions... Do you take them before races/workouts? Is that the only caffeine you take? How much do you take? How long before the workout/race do you take it? And what distances do you do?
Sorry for the rapid fire. Just curious and want to give some direction.
bump
People experiment with dope and sh*t all the time. This is caffeine. Just try it out.
Get some No Doz 200mg pills and try taking half of one. If you're not satisfied with the effects after 15-20 minutes, try taking the other half.
You're not going to have a real understanding of any substance unless you have actual experience with taking it. No one knows how much is going to be good for you and what the ideal dose and dosing pattern would be. Everyone is different.
I take No Doz anywhere from 1-3 days a week. I usually take half of one pill, sometimes I take a whole pill. In rare times (like driving long distances) I've taken multiple pills over the course of several hours. It is definitely effective, but it also has many disadvantages.
Daily use will lead to dependence.
In my experience, caffeine has improved my performance tremendously. Now how much of that effect was placebo and how much real, I don't know. I know Daniel Komen loved the caffeine.
Definitely try in workouts before races - it's been too much for my guts to handle while running hard, and I am a morning coffee drinker.
200mg about an hour before your race/workout is ideal. As the distance increases, you see a better result. For longer races, take the caffeine close to the start. 30 minutes out for a 1/2 marathon. 10-15 minutes before a marathon.
If you drink two cups of coffee or more a day, then you'll need about 400mg.
If you are addicted to coffee (i.e. you get a headache if you skip a day), can you avoid the no-coffee headache by taking a caffeine pill? Or is there something else in the coffee too that you need? I don't mind stopping to piss on a long run and I love the taste of coffee but I would really like to avoid drinking coffee the morning of a marathon - but not if it results in the headache...?
bump... any ideas?
Nah, pretty sure it's the withdrawal from caffeine that's causing the headaches, so long as you get your caffeine in some form you won't experience any withdrawal side effects, such as headaches, before/during your race.