Before I ever drank coffee, I used to travel to races with my friend Rick who insisted on stopping and getting a cup of the stuff so he could drink it exactly an hour before the race. He claimed that the performance-enhancing properties of caffeine were well-understood and perfectly legal, and it improved his attitude and focus for the race. Not being a coffee drinker myself, I was a bit skeptical, and was never much interested in trying it. And besides, if it DID work, what did that mean? Would I be a drug cheat (according to the spirit of the rules, if not the letter) if I imbibed just to get the benefits?
About 7-8 years ago, I did start drinking coffee as part of my routine at work. After getting used to it, I tried Rick's technique of having a cup of coffee an hour before the race and was surprised to find that it seemed to work. Ever since I have felt a little bit strange about it, as though it's completely me that's doing the running and racing, it's also Starbucks.
This week, the New York Times Health Section had an article about the performance impact of caffeine on running.
It’s Time to Make a Coffee Run
As reported in the article, the amazing thing about caffeine is that a) it works across a variety of sports -- from sprints to marathons to swimming events to rowing -- and b) it's completely legal. As the Times writes,
"So even as sports stars from baseball players to cyclists to sprinters are pilloried for using performance enhancing drugs, one of the best studied performance enhancers is fine for them or anyone else to use. And it is right there in a cup of coffee or a can of soda."
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3 comments:
This is very interesting.
Last year I was slowly introduced to drinking coffee before workouts and races by my Maine teammates. I have been doing this routine and it seems to work. I have concluded that as long as coffee does not leave your stomach unsettled, it will benefit you. This might be the reason why the NCAA has a limit on caffeine intake by student-athletes.
Also, I've also heard that the benefits are even greater if you go days without caffeine and then have it before a big workout/race.
mmmm....best story ever
Dr. Jack Daniels suggested at a recent clinic that intake be 30 minutes before to make sure the crash from intake doesn't happen during competition.
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