RUNNING ON COFFEE

..so in sum, you're advocating for the use of stimulates to enhance performance....now that's a
newsflash! we are talking about livitra and

Are you sure you have enough room in your system to be hooked on another

anti-depressants, your plate seems mighty full already.

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Who needs Gatorade anymore ?

According to a recent article by WebMD:

It's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing
athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham,
PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in
coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning
that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes. "What caffeine
likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD.
"That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense
athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them
to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-
enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance,
studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things." In other words, consume
enough caffeine -- whether it's from coffee or another source -- and you will likely run faster,
last longer and be stronger. What's enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the
real impact comes from at least two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it'd take at least eight
glasses of cola to get the same effect, which isn't exactly conducive for running a marathon. But
the harder you exercise, the more benefit you may get from coffee. "Unfortunately, where you see
the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and
somewhat harder," says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two
decades. "If you a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better,
you're not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other
caffeinated products."

This something new for me, coffee-powered running. I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should
consider doing so.

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

I drink 1-2 cups a day. I can tell a difference when I drink a cup. Have you read the last issue of
Runner's World? They have story on caffeine.

Quoted message said:

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

I don't use caffeine (don't drink coffee or soft drinks) but there was a thread here or maybe an
article somewhere else about how caffeine improves carb digestion, iirc. Anyway, it's more than just
the mental alertness thing.

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

Here's my first experience with the evil drug:

I ran a 2:52 PR without coffee early in my running career. Then I entered another marathon 7 weeks
later, drank a strong cup of coffee prior, and ran
2:44. I was hurting from mile 15, but was able to maintain pace the whole way, and even picked it
up the last mile.

Ever since then, I use caffeine on all my long runs and races.

--Dan

<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who needs Gatorade anymore ?

According to a recent article by WebMD:

It's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing
athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham,
PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in
coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning
that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes. "What caffeine
likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD.
"That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense
athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them
to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-
enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance,
studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things." In other words, consume
enough caffeine -- whether it's from coffee or another source -- and you will likely run faster,
last longer and be stronger. What's enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the
real impact comes from at least two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it'd take at least eight
glasses of cola to get the same effect, which isn't exactly conducive for running a marathon. But
the harder you exercise, the more benefit you may get from coffee. "Unfortunately, where you see
the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and
somewhat harder," says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two
decades. "If you a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better,
you're not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other
caffeinated products."

This something new for me, coffee-powered running. I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should
consider doing so.

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

~~Pitstop

Quoted message said:

t's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing athletic
endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham, PhD, of
the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in coffee
or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning that it
could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes.

None of this is exactly a secret to competitive runners or coaches. Caffeine has two effects:

1. A stimulant effect that improves performance in 800 and 1500 events by 1-2%. The performance
improvement can be obtained by what was a legal dose even when caffeine was controlled. But it
doesn't work in events beyond about 5 minutes (i.e., 5K/10K times un unaffected, but in a 1500,
every contestent may be taking caffeine).

2. A substrate shift effect in events longer than 90 minutes that shifts energy utilization toward
fat. Unfortunately, the amount of caffeine to do this is equivalent to 10-15 cups of coffee, it
this amount violated the old rules.

Lyndon

"Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach Brooks Johnson

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

This something new for me, coffee-powered running. I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should
consider doing so.

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

I chain-drink mug after mug, all day long. That's my main (only?) means of hydration.

Thanks to coffee, I take in lots of water. Thanks to the caffeine, I pass it through in a timely
manner. 🙂

Last summer, I experimented with using coffee instead of water on a couple of 13 mile runs. It
worked well, except for being warm for the first few miles. Also, the stuff got into the plastic of
the waterbottle; I could smell and taste the residue for weeks after. You want a dedicated coffee-
only bottle.

I think caffeine promotes sweating, and support of sweating to keep cool is the reason you drink
when exercising in hot weather. You want that water to be in and out of there, quick.

UR a numbnutz, however I will lower myself to help you anyway. Running on coffee is stupid, run on
the ground outside, or on your dainty lil' treadmill.

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Who needs Gatorade anymore ?

According to a recent article by WebMD:

It's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing
athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham,
PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in
coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning
that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes. "What caffeine
likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD.
"That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense
athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them
to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-
enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance,
studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things." In other words, consume
enough caffeine -- whether it's from coffee or another source -- and you will likely run faster,
last longer and be stronger. What's enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the
real impact comes from at least two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it'd take at least eight
glasses of cola to get the same effect, which isn't exactly conducive for running a marathon. But
the harder you exercise, the more benefit you may get from coffee. "Unfortunately, where you see
the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and
somewhat harder," says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two
decades. "If you a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better,
you're not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other
caffeinated products."

This something new for me, coffee-powered running. I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should
consider doing so.

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

~~Pitstop

Quoted message said:

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

Coffee has no effect on me.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who needs Gatorade anymore ?

The problem I have is that if you don't allow your stomach enough time to empty, you may be subject
to heartburn and upset stomach. At least, I know that's what happens to me. I gotta wait at least an
hour or two after drinking any coffee before I can run, or my stomach bothers me.

Note: I JUST stopped drinking coffee and i feel great. I have not slowed down one bit, mainly
because i still take ginseng. i have always depended on running to make me less stressed
(actually, to make me not depressed). Now, i realize, it was the coffee that has made me tense
and irritable. If you are a regular coffee drinker (i have been drinking two cups a day), i
suggest giving it a break, at least on a rest day. I have felt so much better on rest days and
i still had a great run today without caffeine (although, i'm more tired now, which may
contribute to my lack of coherentness).

~Matty B~

Many gels contain caffeine. The mechanism by which it works is still a mystery.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who needs Gatorade anymore ?

According to a recent article by WebMD:

It's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing
athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham,
PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in
coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning
that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes. "What caffeine
likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD.
"That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense
athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them
to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-
enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance,
studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things." In other words, consume
enough caffeine -- whether it's from coffee or another source -- and you will likely run faster,
last longer and be stronger. What's enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the
real impact comes from at least two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it'd take at least eight
glasses of cola to get the same effect, which isn't exactly conducive for running a marathon. But
the harder you exercise, the more benefit you may get from coffee. "Unfortunately, where you see
the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and
somewhat harder," says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two
decades. "If you a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better,
you're not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other
caffeinated products."

This something new for me, coffee-powered running. I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should
consider doing so.

Anyone want to speak from experience ?

~~Pitstop

Lyndon said:

2. A substrate shift effect in events longer than 90 minutes that shifts energy utilization
toward fat. Unfortunately, the amount of caffeine to do this is equivalent to 10-15 cups of
coffee, it this amount violated the old rules.

Thanks. I had a feeling I had the substrate wrong when I posted above and should've checked.

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

"Lyndon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

2. A substrate shift effect in events longer than 90 minutes that shifts energy utilization
toward fat. Unfortunately, the amount of caffeine to

do

Quoted message said:

this is equivalent to 10-15 cups of coffee, it this amount violated the

old

Quoted message said:

rules.

Good golly, Miss Molly, that's a boatload of caffeine! I drink a fair amount of coffee (40-60 oz
over the course of a day), but even so, consuming twice that much caffeine at a single sitting and
then attempting to focus on something like a race? The mere thought of it makes my ears ring...

Dan Stumpus said:

Ever since then, I use caffeine on all my long runs and races.

Coke(sometimes Pepsi) and/or Mountian Dew are two staples on every ultra aid station table and it's
not to keep us awake. Used in moderation, meaning with water or sports drink and food, caffeine is
beneficial.

--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]

Lanceandrew said:

..so in sum, you're advocating for the use of stimulates to enhance performance....now that's a
newsflash!

The carbs in gatorbarf or any carbs turn to sugar and "stimulate" us. It's interesting where people
draw the line. There are published caffeine limits.

Quoted message said:

we are talking about livitra and

Only if you think running with an erection will make you more aerodynamic. I guess this comes under
"form." 😉

--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" [email hidden]

(Lyndon) said:

Quoted message said:

t's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing
athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham,
PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in
coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning
that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes.

None of this is exactly a secret to competitive runners or coaches. Caffeine has two effects:

1. A stimulant effect that improves performance in 800 and 1500 events by 1-2%. The performance
improvement can be obtained by what was a legal dose even when caffeine was controlled. But it
doesn't work in events beyond about 5 minutes (i.e., 5K/10K times un unaffected, but in a 1500,
every contestent may be taking caffeine).

2. A substrate shift effect in events longer than 90 minutes that shifts energy utilization toward
fat. Unfortunately, the amount of caffeine to do this is equivalent to 10-15 cups of coffee, it
this amount violated the old rules.

Lyndon

My experiance actually is similar to the above. Although I can't vouch for any type of
"perfomrance increase" due to caffeine, I do "feel" abit better during short events that are
higher intensities. The only time I used significant caffeine on a longer event, 1/2 IM, not
only did I not feel better I believe it aided in a rather severe dehydration problem. I must
have [censored] 10 times on the bike. Never gain all that fluid back and felt like [censored] towards
the end of the run... but then I always feel that way toward the end of the run.

~Matt

Quoted message said:

"Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach Brooks Johnson

"KingsXman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Note: I JUST stopped drinking coffee and i feel great. I have not slowed down one bit, mainly
because i still take ginseng. i have always depended on running to make me less stressed
(actually, to make me not depressed). Now, i realize, it was the coffee that has made me
tense and irritable. If you are a regular coffee drinker (i have been drinking two cups a
day), i suggest giving it a break, at least on a rest day. I have felt so much better on
rest days and i still had a great run today without caffeine (although, i'm more tired now,
which may contribute to my lack of coherentness).

I am a regular coffee/tea drinker, and I have had great success with "detoxing" for 5- 6 days at the
end of every month. This seems to stop the cycle of needing more and more to get the same effect,
which I think may be part of the irritablity factor (all just personal experience, of course).

cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org

Caffeine is no longer prohibited by WADA and will be OK in the Games.

"Lanceandrew" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:20040208113249.18928.00001557@mb-
m28.aol.com...

Quoted message said:

..so in sum, you're advocating for the use of stimulates to enhance performance....now that's a
newsflash! we are talking about livitra and