Discussion Board

Lani,

I have recently taken up running as a something to do for fun and cardio workouts. I have also been occasionally running in 5k races. Some friends of mine recommended that I consume a GU gel, which consists of complex carbohydrates, sugar and caffeine, about 15 minutes before the race starts. They say the caffeine allows for efficient muscle performance during the race.

In my last race, I didn't have any GU gel with me. So, I drank 8 ounces of coca-cola (regular, not diet) about 15 minutes before the race started. My performance was good. But since I am a beginner and starting from a slow running base, I think it's expected that I am going to see improvement in my running time.

I admit that when I finished the race, I could sense the carbonation in the coca-cola. Not a great feeling, really.

So, what do you think?

I guess I was just wondering if the idea of consuming caffeine before a 5k could really add to ones performance. And if so, what is the best way to consume caffeine before a race? A gel, an energy drink, a cup of strong coffee?

Hey Spiral,

Am I going to advise you to take up the drinking of coffee and coke to enhance your performance? Of course not.

The sugar in the coke gave you some readily available simple carbs and the caffeine does have the effect of making fatty acids more readily available for utilization PLUS you had the nervous energy from the caffeine alone. Caffeine has been shown to boost mental clarity and athletic performance, but not to the point of make-or-break your win. Perhaps by psyhcological edge.

I'd suggest doing more research on this to see what matches your own needs. There's lot available on the web, yet you need to discriminate and sort out that which is just circulated by fitness professionals (as opposed to experts) who are repeating what they've heard elsewhere or who have a caffeine pill or product to sell

Lani

Lani,

Thanks.

I have some super-competitive friends. They try to gain every advantage they can.

Me? I'm really new at this and I would almost prefer to run a "natural" race. But I will take your advice and I will do some research.

Hi Lani,
New in this forum and just read this thread. I read your comments on spiral post.
I have started taking coffee 4 months before my routine jogging. I used to jog 2 miles daily and I found coffee better results than energy drinks.
But as you told about fatty acids, so keeping in mind my distance should I avoid coffee or keep having it?
Any advice will be appreciated.

A good book about caffeine and the troubles it can cause is Caffiene Blues by Stephen Cherniske.

I have struggled with getting off coffee. At the moment, I'm almost completely decaffeinated (still finishing up some black tea bags). My opinion is that the downsides of caffeine for me are enough to make it worth my while to avoid it.

TominTN,

I think I will do my next race caffeine free, since I always avoid caffeine generally. I'm not being paid to run, so why should I sacrifice my health for a few extra seconds of speed in a race?

By the way, how do you do those live links? I see you linked to that book. How did you do that?

Spiral, to create a link, you can simply highlight any text you'd like to link. Then, go up to the toolbar within the post you are creating and click on the box that says URL. This will surround your selected text with a url bracket with formatting.

After the first [url], put in an = sign right after the letters url and insert the link to which you would like to redirect. You can preview your work to make sure it is functional.

Lani

How many milligrammes of caffeine is in 5g of intsant coffee powder on average? Its indian instant coffee in powder (not granule) form, not that i would think it affects the caffeine content. 2 teaspoons is what I use to make coffee, so id like to know how much caffeine that makes out to be?
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felyciaa, I'm not familiar with the brand but I imagine a web search should bring up an answer to how many milligrams of caffeine in a cup!

Lani

I don`t think it is really necessary to take, especially if you are a beginner. Maybe there might be some benefit, but not much. The main thing is just to enjoy running and not make it so overly complicated.