How many people do this?
If you don't, why not? It's a legal performance enhancer.
If you do, do you have any moral quandaries about using it, even though it is a legal substance?
How many people do this?
If you don't, why not? It's a legal performance enhancer.
If you do, do you have any moral quandaries about using it, even though it is a legal substance?
Huh?
Slampig Jones wrote:
How many people do this?
If you don't, why not? It's a legal performance enhancer.
If you do, do you have any moral quandaries about using it, even though it is a legal substance?
Life must be torture for people who feel compelled to over think every single thing they do like this. I like coffee. I drink coffee nearly every morning. Therefore, I drink coffee before races.
I've never really felt the need to put any deep thought into it. I don't wake up and think "I drink coffee every morning. I have a race later this morning. Should I drink coffee this morning, too, or should I randomly not drink coffee this morning on account of my upcoming competition?"
over thinking it wrote:
Slampig Jones wrote:How many people do this?
If you don't, why not? It's a legal performance enhancer.
If you do, do you have any moral quandaries about using it, even though it is a legal substance?
Life must be torture for people who feel compelled to over think every single thing they do like this. I like coffee. I drink coffee nearly every morning. Therefore, I drink coffee before races.
I've never really felt the need to put any deep thought into it. I don't wake up and think "I drink coffee every morning. I have a race later this morning. Should I drink coffee this morning, too, or should I randomly not drink coffee this morning on account of my upcoming competition?"
So I don't normally drink coffee, but I do before races for the energy boost. It's just a topic of discussion that's come up. I'm definitely over thinking it, but that's kind of the point. Why think about anything? That's a pretty tortured existence right there.
I will unless it is a longer race (bladder and bowel concerns) or a hot day
I did my whole life, couple hours bfore the race..
cenotaph wrote:
I will unless it is a longer race (bladder and bowel concerns) or a hot day
Me, too. I save the caffeinated gus for the second half of a marathon. Does it help in the latter stages of a race? Yup. Do I worry about getting an unfair advantage? Nope.
I used coffee for long distance events and I think it helped. A couple of cups of coffee before a race is not cheating!
Yes, but mostly because it sucks getting up at 6am on a weekend. I drink so much coffee it doesn't make that much of a difference for me. Due to stomach effects and dehydration, a better strategic choice might be gells or even those no doze pills. Don't see any moral issues as half the adult population drinks the stuff every day, including lots of runners.
I've read that some of the compounds in coffee block the performance enhancing effects of caffeine, so I usually take a "Jet Alert" caffeine tablet. Also, I once threw up 9.5 miles into a race because I drank coffee too close to the race and it messed with my stomach. If you've never thrown up coffee, just imagine vomiting a bitter, black liquid.
I used to never drink coffee but now I have started using it before my races. It seems to have a very good effect. I think doctors recommend no more than 300mg before a serious physical event like a race. That's about one cup of coffee. Don't go overboard. It can increase your risk of a cardiac event, especially when coupled with dehydration. If you're in good shape then go for it.