Caffeine - help or hurt?

I don't have coffe before my runs during the week; but when I run with my running group on Saturday, I grab an americano at Starbucks beforehand. For me, because it's routine, it helps me. When I don't have it for those long runs, I always wish I had. It's a call.

I think it really depends on how hydrated you normally are.

I began working at a place in January and for the first month and a half I'd pound about 4 cups of coffee every morning, but I weened myself off of that and I don't tend to have any energy dips at work. I never drink before runs either. It just depends on who you are sometimes. When I first quit drinking caffeine it was a painful headache for 3 days until I detoxed.

Some of the greats drink coffee though. I read that Dean Karnazes drinks coffee. And he is the only "great" that I really know that much about.

I think you'll find that if you stop drinking coffee after awhile you might have those positive effects all of the time, and when you do drink coffee or cokes you'll find that the effects are much larger than what you get from coffee now.

Are you kidding?

What negative effects?

Simple choice for me. Drink tea immediately on waking and reepat as required -- or not be able to run. Or walk. Or talk. Or think, work... oh well, everything really.

However, I've found the dose to me important. Taking caffeine British-style, in black tea with milk, give a much gentler and smoother nudge to the nervous system than a jolt of espresso. I like my latte, but it can get me too wound up -- especially on an empty stomach.

When I'm racing or training I'm very careful about how much coffee I take beforehand; I want the positive effects but I don't want to send my heart rate through the roof. The exact effect you get depends on how often you use it. Having been weaned on tea, I need LOTS of it for it to have any effect :)

It's worth remembering that caffeine is a drug very similar chemically to one they use in asthma treatment; it can improve lung function. There's even been research showing that caffeine can reduce post-exercise muscle pain and soreness by up to 50% -- better than drugs like Aleve or aspirin.

On the dehydration thing: being an inquisitive sort I experimented over the course of a few days -- actually keeping track of frequency and volume of urine I produced while drinking various amounts of tea, coffee and water and checking my hydration level on a Tanita scale. Caffeine intake had no effect -- it does not make me more dehydrated. I think that myth ahs also been busted "officially" with some proper research.

i think that it is not the caffeine that dehydrates but the other stuff in things such as soda that dehydrate you. but i'm not even sure about that, but just thought i'd throw my idea out there

According to a study that I had paraphrased for me in an article on nutrition, the diuretic effects of caffeine have been exaggerated.

"Using subjects who habitually consumed a relatively low amount of caffeine, equivalent to one 6-ounce cup of brewed coffee (100 mg/day; about 1.3 mg caffeine/kg), they found no detrimental effects of caffeine on 24-hour urine volume (Armstrong, International Journal of Sports Nutrition, June 2005). By day's end, the urine losses were similar whether the person consumed no caffeine or a high dose. How did the "coffee is dehydrating" myth start? The initial studies looked at urine collection just 2 to 4 hours after caffeine-consumption (not the 24-hour picture), did not compare coffee to water, or used very high doses of caffeine. We now know people have similar urine volume whether they consume caffeinated (less than 3 mg caffeine/kg) or plain water. "

http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/caffeine.asp

When I'm running 100 mile ultras I'm sure I'll probably be needing some coffee after about 15 hours of running, if not before.

Mind you, I'm biased - it turns out I'm at home in Seattle. I never leave the house without a tumbler, regardless of where I'm going or what I'm doing. I've found output is about thesame whther it's coffee or water - my primary liquids of choice.
I would agree that longer runs than a marthon would definitely require some caffeine intake. What's better than something warm and tasty on an early cold morning?
Just a newbie's addicted 2 cents.

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people" Bill Bowerman

jeez u guys does everbody just drink coffee? Sorry, but, anyone know anything about soda before u run? Diet or otherwise? Other then it dehydrates u. Iv heard that, but, any caffeine cramps or anything?

I drink coffee before runs. Sad to say but on loooong runs of say 15 or more miles, I will actually dilute one water bottle on the fuel belt with a little coffee to keep going...or use a caffienated gel.
Lately though I ahve been thinking about cutting back on caffiene and using it only for a Boost when I need it. But thats going to be hard to do!!!