Morality of Caffeine before races/workouts

In behavior where there is no competition, i.e, what you eat (or don't eat), that is fine. But, when you put multiple players into a situation where advantages slant the potential results of the competition, it's no longer just a matter of personal opinion or preference. There are basic rules to a game. In a race, the first person to the finish line wins. In a race, you must all complete the same challenge, i.e, run a 3.1 mile distance. Then, there are more complex rules. In a race, you may not manipulate your biochemistry to allow superior physical capabilities. The first, simpler rules are easy to adhere to. You watch the finish line to see who comes across first. You make sure everyone runs the same course. But, for more complex rules, you have to put some standards. Competition has agreed upon rules. Whether moral or not, they are the conditions by which the game is played. If it's "all up to the individual" as to what is okay and what isn't whose set of rules do we play by? This is a common issue in game theory. Unless there is an authority determining the final conditions and results of the game, there is no way to actually play a competitive game. You dismiss morality and say to each his own. That's fine when each sticks to his own. But, when it becomes a matter of competition, people are not sticking to their own any more and it's no longer just about what you or I or any one individual thinks.

Sproles wrote:

violates god's principals.

Noah, Moses, Jesus, Abraham, and David?

I think you're asking a great question. I too have thought about this. No doubt coffee improves performance. But I think if it troubles you and you're asking yourself this question perhaps you should consider not drinking it. You will always run better and more relaxed when your mind is free from such doubts. If your relying on it as an advantage a sort of crutch then that is one thing, but if you are drinking it because you enjoy coffee that is another thing completely. At the same time be fair with yourself. Is one cup of coffee going to give you a world record? It was just recently shown that a chemical in dark chocolate can enhance mitochondrial activity in mice, I have always enjoyed a square or two of 90% dark chocolate. Do these effects transfer to humans. No one knows for sure. But I enjoy the chocolate and if there are benefits to it then they are welcome. But I seriously doubt it's going to be such an advantage that I'm going to smash a world record. So it's important to keep these things in context. In the end it will be hard work that will give you an advantage. And if you're wanting to be honest with yourself and know that your doing the work rather than the coffee than stop drinking it for a while and see how much you really rely on it.

Yes it is black tea, mixed 1 part water and 1 part milk w/ 2-4 tablespoons of cane sugar.

what about painkillers? stimulants? adhd meds?

cgrunner2007 wrote:

I thought coffee could have a negative effect over distance races being a diuretic and all.

Caffeine's diuretic properties are not as great as once thought. Usually if a person is hydrating reasonably well, modest caffeine use is not going to be a big deal.

I don't understand why someone would cheat themselves. I run for me, and I assume most people do too. Whether I run 15:30 or 15:15 no one out there actually cares other than me, so if I know 10 seconds of that pr magically appeared in the hour before the race because I popped some caffeine pills, why am I even bothering with that?

It's like taking a quiz for fun, but cheating on a few of the answers. What is the point?

Spikes, proper training, healthy diet - yeah, I can see how someone could make that comparison. I guess it's the "instant fitness" factor that seems unfair. You pop a pill, gain 10 seconds. You didn't work for that, you weren't born with it. It's a shortcut, just like any PED.

7/10

good job

I believe in banning meditation before races because it could help relax the runner and concentrate better during the race. Clearly there is an immoral component to it.

Well, I drink coffee daily but before I began drinking coffee I felt equally competitive at races and never thought much about it before this thread popped up. Rather than a performance enhancer, coffee is an equalizer for me because my schedule is so rough that I have a really hard time waking up in the morning, usually after 5-6 hours of sleep.

That said... I know some runners who heavily rely on caffeine as a performance enhancer. Two teammates of mine have had to drop out of big races because they took so much caffeine they had physical problems during the race. To me it's just ridiculous to use any drug for the purpose of increased performance. And clearly, in the case of my teammates, it was a performance inhibitor. It's one thing to eat complex carbs the night before a race or to take electrolyte pills during an ultra event, but to risk your health (particularly heart health) for a few measly seconds, well I'd say it's time to reevaluate your priorities.

my point of view wrote:

Spikes, proper training, healthy diet - yeah, I can see how someone could make that comparison. I guess it's the "instant fitness" factor that seems unfair. You pop a pill, gain 10 seconds. You didn't work for that, you weren't born with it. It's a shortcut, just like any PED.

how is the time benefit different than spikes? What if someone can't afford them and is racing you in crappy, heavy trainers? Were you born with your spikes on? Were we born with the healthy foods most of us on this board have easy access to while most of the world doesn't?

you guys who whine about this caffeine stuff are such buffoons.

gat dam

*~*~~*~* wrote:

how is the time benefit different than spikes? What if someone can't afford them and is racing you in crappy, heavy trainers?

That's a stupid question, spikes are part of the uniform. That's like asking whether swimcaps or baseball cleats or even baseball mitts are performance enhancing. The baseline track athlete wears spikes. I cannot remember the last time I raced anyone who wasn't wearing spikes. Maybe 15 years ago when I was stuck in the JV heats as a freshman in high school? But definitely not in the last 12 years since graduating high school. That's less than 1%, because I've definitely raced a couple hundred people over that span, probably over a thousand. Never saw anyone in my heats in trainers, that would be a sight.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

did you really just link us to livejournal? what is this 2003?

Click the link. You will understand.

Dumbest. Thread. Ever.

Agreed.

yo gabba gabba wrote:

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?

I think it's better if my balls were banging against your chin.

Dude, don't spread that Thai lady/boy loving nonsense around. Don't you have a treadmill in a nice, quiet, upscale gym to destroy?