Let me start this thread by giving some background. I would consider myself a runner. I have been running since I can remember. I run a minimum of 2 miles a day. I even ran on my wedding day, and during my honeymoon. I love running, it is what I do. I never miss an issue of Runner's World magazine.

Recently, my husband has started to run with me and found he really enjoys it (I'm guessing it must be the view ). I have run 5/10k and half-marathons before, but my husband has never. I am his "trainer" and I advise him on pretty much everything he does, running and health wise, as I am the primary cook in my household (not because I have to be, I really enjoy cooking). Recently he approached me and said he really wanted to do a marathon with me. Ok, fine. Whatever. So we started training for one. We are 11 weeks into our training and he is starting to really shape up; he no longer runs behind me, but he runs beside of me, which really makes me feel good.

Recently we started cross training. We cycle 5 miles each weekend, and as summer rolls in we will start swimming. He does not know it but we are training for the August 23rd Jackson Country Triathalon here in MO. I feel very confident in our abilities, but his health concerns me. He is not superfit, but he is healthy. Has a nice pulse, and our physician cleared him for the race just fine. I strictly control what we eat/drink in our household. Neither of us smoke/drink/do drugs. We both do not eat fast food, unless it is a treat, and rarely eat out. We also do not eat candy (I do not like candy oocly, and he also dislikes most candies) and we do not drink any form of soda or carbinated drinks (again, do not like them). We are not vegetarians, but our diet only contains between 5 to 10% animal protein by measurement in any given week, usually closer to the 5% side of things, but never less than 5% total. We are in excellent health. We do not consume caffeine...

In this month's Runner's World (May 2009) there is an article that struck me a bit (Fridge Wisdom, page 46). It is an article about recent scientific study evidence showing than consuming certain controlled amounts of caffeine produces good effects, quote "caffeine boosts leg and brain power." The article has captions like "Run longer, think faster." and "increase sprint speed", and "recover more quickly" which points to various researches and columns about said benefits of caffeine.

I have never been a fan of caffeine, for various reasons. Health is a big one, the whole "is a drug thing" gets me too. I also never needed it. I scoff at the idea that people 'need' coffee to 'start their day'. To me that idea is absurd, and I really do not understand how their bodies can be in such shape (as such a craving is outside of my realm of experience).

ANYWAY: NOW I am seeing all of this research about how caffeine is good for me and I have to get it in my body to perform, etc etc. I have always been against the suppliment industry, simply because I do not believe their products work as advertised. I do not think people need fancy drugs to perform or lose weight, etc. My husband went from 268 down to a nice 210 easily enough, at 6'1.5" that is decently fit I would say. I'm not trying to knock down a decent industry, but it does seem like the advertising machine is really going to town. The recent documentary Bigger Faster Stronger comes to mind on the issue of supplement making... I wonder if this caffeine hype is similar.

Should we take up caffeine as part of our diet/training regimen? Are the benefits really so noticeable? Does anyone else have any caffeine experiences to relate? My husband feels that the research on caffeine is dubious, and I tend to agree but I am willing to consider it valid for now. I mean, there is a reason we do not drink cow's milk... I am wondering if caffeine is similar. Like, "Sure! There are loads of health benefits....because we want to sell more..."

Thanks for the suggestions!
Love,Mimi

EDIT: Protip: Mimi sometimes plays Lusternia while on a treadmill...

That article stating that caffeine gives you a 'boost' is total nonsense. Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant, true, which gives the illusion of thinking clearer, but in reality your thoughts are no more clear than they would be without the caffeine.

The definition of a 'stimulant' is one that promotes a state of arousal, that being a synonym for wakefulness. There is no proven effect on cognition (except maybe a degrading one, as you are awake and alert yet sleep deprived in most cases).

In the long term, caffeine will end up doing more harm than good. It has been clinically proven to induce sleep cycle disruptions and also carries a very high risk of dependence to maintain a state of wakefulness. So in short, the hype is 'we want to sell more drugs'. I strongly recommend looking at their sources for these so-called studies: Look at who funds them, who they're sponsored by, and if they're willing to share the raw data.

Look up caffeine on pubmed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) or ask about it in the academic medical community and you will hear a resounding 'it sucks'.

Wow thanks Tervic! I'm glad my paid off! I feel much better now, and it no longer feels like I am missing out on some big cultural thing by not drinking soda and coffee!

skepticism?

Yeah, I would stay away from the caffeine, even though I think Tervics info is a little outdated (I have heard of studies that suggest that a small amount of caffeine in the morning improves brain performance throughout the day). For running, I can't imagine it would do you good. For a short burst of energy, maybe. For recovery afterwards, maybe. For a long run, I think you'd burn through the extra energy quickly and get drained sooner, and I don't think consuming a drug just for performance is ever a good idea.


I only drink a cup of coffee to stay awake at work at 8 after sleeping ~6 hours, but I've been mixing decaf in lately because I noticed it was having less and less of an effect and I dont want to need it to function like some people I know do

While your overall message is sound, I think your interjecting a lot of your own bias. You may want to rethink nonsense and do some research. Caffeine is regarded as an ergogenic aide (performance enhancing). I'll help you out. And maybe Simimi!











I could see someone going with the "it's not clear route," but it's not a black and white issue.

Wow, you're a health freak.

I have a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Physiology, and I'm a first year medical student. It's kinda what I do.

I think Narsrim's info looks a little more sound, but I'd still stay away. You want to run the marathon for the pleasure of running, and I don't think you'd enjoy it as much if you made yourself consume caffeine that you didn't want.

Edit: Plus, caffeine's effects on sleep are notable, neither of my parents can sleep well if they have caffeine in the afternoon. I don't notice much difference because I don't sleep great anyways, but sleep is better then caffeine for athletics

Exactly.

If you want to do the absolute best possible, caffeine may be in your arsenal of options. If you want to run-for-fun, I see no point. However Simimi lead me to believe that performance was a concern, and I think it's relatively well established that for a marathon, caffeine may boost performance.

I mean Simimi (your post wasn't even there when I was writing that, you ninja you).

And yes, Simimi is also a health freak from the sound of it! Yay for health freaks.

And as general advice, don't consult forums for health information. I'd honestly trust your magazine over someone giving you their wikipedia wisdom. I cited enough information that you should be able to feasibly look up some articles and read through them yourself (I'm not a huge fan of posting abstracts to prove a point because it's simply bad policy).

I recommend Medline Plus. It's oriented towards health care providers and patients alike.

And she had such a clear answer from Tervic, but now it's back to square one, lol.

My advice is against caffeine because from the sound of it you just don't need it.

Personally, I gave up on drinking coffee regularly (except some occasional cup when I'm sleep deprived or sth) because I find the effects it has on me a little alarming. When I was drinking it much, I had more disturbed sleep and I was feeling worse overall.

Na,

Simimi should log onto Medline Plus and look up the information for herself. She's a step ahead if nothing else! And she also can use this for all sorts of things related to her and her husband's health - not just caffeine. I'd say she got what she asked for and a whole lot more.

I also don't think you should recommend for or against something based upon how you react to caffeine. There is a huge variance in reaction to it, and just because you don't tolerate it well doesn't mean someone else won't. One of the beauties of pharmacology is human variation.

If I (theoretically) hated bananas and got sick every time I ate one, how silly would it sound if I suddenly started suggesting bananas are bad for you?

I -am- a health nut, this is true. I can't really say that I am any better than anyone else, I feel like hell if I do not get my morning run in. I know my husband has started complaining to me about feeling 'lethargic' during his day if he skips a morning run, or decides to be lazy over the weekend. I can say that I am addicted to running, because my mood is directly related to "if I get my fix" or not.

See, I have been doing some research since I read this article on caffeine and like Narsrim said, it doesn't seem to be so black and white. I am not saying I want an edge for the win, I am just wondering if a small amount is beneficial to our overall health (kind of like how people would use flaxseed oil).

EDIT: Thanks Nars, I really appreciate the help! I'll do just that, thanks again everyone for the nice help you have given me!

Using myself as an example, I would try it and see what happened. Caffeine is generally not going to kill you (and before anyone starts on tangents, I note it is also 'legal'). If you notice it helping, great! If not, you now know the answer.

I eat a banana every day, I'll have you know! Sometimes two!

What are you doing to yourself??

I have a potassium addiction.