I'm a college cross country and track runner. Sometimes when I haven't slept well, I'll drink coffee before a workout or race, or maybe even if I have slept well, in order to get the benefits. I notice a clear improvement when I have had coffee 1-3 hours before. I'm wondering about the morality/cheating aspect of this. Primarily due to these effects:
-caffeine is a stimulant
-caffeine makes you burn more fats earlier so that you save glycogen for later in the race
-caffeine dilates your blood vessels
I know that the level the NCAA considers cheating is about 10 cups of coffee, and I'm only talking about 1 cup, but sometimes I feel like I'm cheating myself when I drink coffee, because running for me has always been about getting PRs and improving internally. What do you guys think?