Having Coffee before HS 800m race IS THE CAFFEINE WORTH IT?

Im old and I dont think I could possibly race an 800 without at least one cup of coffee.

Stunts your growth and shrinks your balls so....yes! It makes you faster!

Caffeine is pretty proven to have a positive physiological effect, but there are some downsides. I would try it in workouts to see if you like it. I personally like caffeine pills over coffee, which 1) lets you control the amount (some coffees can have a pretty wide range) 2) Reduces a lot of the stomach issues with coffee.

Most people i know take between 100-300 mg about 1-2 hours before, depending on personal preference - research shows that more than 5 mg / kg of body-weight is unnecessary.

I know for a fact the U of O and Michigan women get pre-race coffee. Symmonds was also an avid coffee drinker and the caffeine effect became the basis of his rungum operation. Run gum goes is like an XR release.

In order to attain the caffeine effect you must acknowledge it is all about timing. Your body cant be used to caffeine to get the full 100% effect. You will want to have at least a week to ten days without it and then drink it maybe three hours before a race. Also, caffeine is considered to have a mild diuretic effect meaning it can push a bowel and it will especially if youre not used to it and it is mixed into milk. It may also cause you to urinate more often.

You may not even need a venti. A tall or grande will probably do the trick. But also keep that time slot flexible because sometimes the basic coffees served at starbucks are scalding.

It helps you get rid of your poo quickly... plus I don’t want a headache. Coffee before racing, running, breakfast, really anything...

In college I used to take caffeine pills about 30 minutes before a race. They were 200mg each, so getting that amount from brewed coffee would have meant way too much liquid and sugar in my system as I can’t drink it black.

There was a noticeable benefit. It is a banned substance in high concentrations in the NCAA but 200mg or even 400mg will not get you anywhere close to the limit.

Grey area? Some might say, but I was a conference-level middle distance runner in D3.

+1 for pre race caffeine pills. Coffee most other days.

I always take caffeine an hour out from races. Also experience anxiety issues and the caffeine helps to get me excited and pumped up. No better feeling than having the jitters on the starting line and knowing you’re ready to go. I never consume caffeine otherwise in life so it doesn’t take to much caffeine for me to feel it.

Caffeine is a fascinating substance. Its effects vary depending on whether you are a regular coffee drinker and if you are, whether you have abstained for a few days. One of the very early studies on caffeine maybe 20 years ago was eye-opening to me. (There are lots of newer studies now.) It found that 85% had no statistically significant benefit and some of those were actually worse. However, in the 15% that did benefit, about half improved their time to exhaustion from 60 to 90 minutes! That's a stunning 50% improvement! It's no wonder that virtually all cyclists swear by coffee.

If you look at the details in caffeine studies, you'll find some studies have a wide range of responses.

What this means is that you need to test yourself and see what works. Preferably, you do the testing on hard days or time trials. You don't wait until the day of the big race to try it for the first time.

I drink 1-2 cups of coffee every day. Before a hard workout or race, I'll take a half tab of caffeine (100mg). A full tab makes me jittery. I'm not sure that it helps performance, but it helps my alertness and mental acuity while running.

From an appearance standpoint I'd lean toward caffeinated gum or mints of coffee over caffeine pills.

I wouldn’t drink it before a race if it’s something you’re not used to doing. Experiment with practice before you do that. Plus if the fitness is there, theoretically you shouldn’t “need” it from a psychological standpoint. Especially if the main reason you wanna drink it is if you’re lacking confidence pre-race.

I used to crush a redbull before HS meets. If you think you're faster then you're faster.

All caffeine does is block adenosine receptors. Just eat less adenosine and you'll get the same effect.

No!!! There's a simple fact called homeostasis which cannot be defied! Whatever drugs you take your body will just adjust to and you will need them to just be normal!!!

Guaranteed! There is no cheating nature! Yes drugs can have short term effects, but eventually there will be a downside!

With caffeine your body will quickly adjust and you will just need it to be normal like any other recreational drugs such as alcohol or pot.

Anyone who takes caffeine to make them faster we'll just adjust to it and they will need it to be the same they would have been without it. Don't look to drugs

Umm...don't most energy gels like PowerGel, Gu, ClifShot, have small amounts of caffeine now? I used to cycle quite a bit after my running days ended and would always take about 3-4 of these on a ride longer than 2.5hours...much easier than drinking coffee for me and easier on the gut in my case. I used them in my last couple of years of training in running while I lived in the mountains, mainly on a long trail run that had a lot of climbing or a day when I was just a little tired, but that's usually about it. I took them about 20minutes before I would need them to give it time to hit my system and would normally get about a 20-30minute 'lift' off of them (the caffeine plus carbs). The 800 is so anaerobic and over so quickly I'm not sure how much of a lift it would give, but like another poster said, if you do it regularly your body will just adapt to it/build tolerance. Just try to eat well, recover from workouts correctly, and train smart.

I’d do it 3-4 hours out. I’d also try not doing it at all just to show you that only you control your effort and how YOUR race plays out.

Two Words

Bang

Energy

Drink an30 mins to hour before and thank me later