I don't steer clear of caffiene and drink coffee in the mornings before work. I have only recently even looked at it as a possible aid before a race, but I don't train with it at all (unless you count residual leftover caffiene from the morning coffee). I haven't seen it limit me in any way, but I can't say for certain that I wouldn't be doing more with proper use of it.

I've heard it's better to only use it sparingly and possibly for races or high intensity stuff just b/c you develop resistance to it and just need to increase dosage to keep getting a similar effect....in the long run that doesn't seem like a good thing to me, so I'll just stick with using it for the morning work pep...since that's really what I need a boost to get me going for. Personal motivation is usually enough of a boost to get me through my workouts.

I started training for my first marathon back in December 2006 and gave up caffeine (unintended coincidence since I was just trying to kick the cola habit). I haven't had a soda since.

I only drink decaf coffee (which has a tiny bit of caffeine in it) sparingly. Once one of my coworkers accidentally brought me back a caffeinated cup from Starbucks after a cubicle-coffee-run...I almost had to go home sick for the day. It made me nauseated, dizzy, hot, and shaky...that's what happens when you have a cup after not having it for 3 months.

Anyway, I haven't trained with caffeine (other than what's in a Gu) since December 2006 and I would never consider going back on caffeine for any potential "training" benefits.

I train with caffeine. I have it pre workout and usually in my gels or bars as well. 2-3 weeks before my race I cut back drastically, don't use it for training and limit myself to just one cup of coffee a day. Come race day I bring it back into my system. It may be completely mental but I feel it gives me the extra push I need.

It "boosts" me into the porta potty pre race :), gives a little jump start on things, then Dr. Immodium helps everything stay in place during racing.

I work in construction management in Manhattan so I typically have 70-80 hour work weeks; coffee is mandatory. I typically have 5-6 cups a morning. I also have between 2-3 diet cola's a day on top of that. I have read more articles on caffeine intake for athletes than I can remember. It seems to me that the jury is still out on it's effects, some people say it gives them pep, I've even read several reports that it's diuretic effects are very over-hyped (I think there was something in Runner's World a month or two back that said they saw no increased urination at all in athletes after taking caffeine). Over all I think it's a personal choice, if you feel like caffeine hurts your performance, you're probably right. Me, caffeine is a trusted ally in my lifestyle so I haven't eliminated it.

I think he's alluding to what you could call "a morning constitution."

or.....just plain old "paperwork" here around the office.

I feel your pain in the 80hr/wk arena. I work in property management/rehab for multinational lenders, mainly dealing with bank owned homes/property. I've been in the office and out in the field for over 80hrs/wk since before new years.....

I'd hate to put my coworkers through me having more energy......they wouldn't make it thorugh a week.

i drink a few cups of coffee per day and race/train with gels that have caffeine and some that dont. ive never had any kind of a GI issue or had to stop to answer natures call, i also have never really felt any considerable push from the caffeinated ones. during a 30 mile run i had a red bull at mi 15ish and that certainly hit the spot, picked me up and helped me maintain my stride.

i think that people that arent regular coffee drinkers or have never had coffee/caffeine, using gels and drinks infused with the stuff will certainly give you some tummy problems. as for the question of whether it is a diuretic or not, the jury is definitely still out on that. it seems runners world, inside triathlon, triathlete, bicycling, etc. magazines each have had an article in teh past year summarizing some study that (drum roll) turned up results that show there needs to be more studies done on the issue (really ground breaking stuff!!!!)

so for now, morning coffee, a morning run afternoon bike with a double espresso clif shot seems ok to me....

In high school a few of my cross country friends and I experimented with caffeine pills to see if it would improve our performance both training and racing. I don't remember what the dose was, probably a couple hundred milligrams. I remember it seemed to work very well in practice, but it made me sweat profusely - to the point that people noticed the difference. Forget the diuretic effect, you sweat out just as much (precious hydration). I used it for one race and it seemed to be working fine for the first 2 miles of the 5k, and then I totally blew up and ran out of gas, finishing with a slower than usual time. I never tried it again. Between the dehydration and elevated heart rate I was redlined. My friends quit it too.

As a pharmacist I know that its effects are not entirely different from ephedrine. Elevated heart rate, blood pressure and accelerated metabolism. That scares me despite the lack of cases of sudden death in athletes that we've seen from ephedrine. It may not be very dangerous at all, especially in low doses. Obviously many people consume large amounts of caffeine on a daily basis and triathletes typically have hearts of steel (iron for some). However, the long term effects of caffeine as an athletic performance supplement are not known. I got into this sport to improve my health, not to destroy it down the road (or now). My instincts tell me that supplementing with high doses of caffeine for training OR racing is just not a very good idea. I don't feel that low doses pose any danger, but I do question caffeine's effectiveness in endurance sports, especially for long course events (HIM and over). There is a tradeoff between the elevated heart rate and dehydration with the improved fuel burning. Just my opinion, but I think the jury is definitely still out on this one.

The articles I've read say that it varies a lot from person to person. I know we're all looking for an edge, but I'd advise that you don't take it just to perform better. If you want to perform better, training harder, longer, or smarter have been proven to increase your performance more than caffeine.

Between working, parenting, and training I do need a little pick me up and enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning but I don't have it every day and I don't rely on it, but I don't exclude it either, ;-)

a cup of coffee in the morning and a soda at lunch or I have a nasty headache. The only times I cut it out completely is when I was pregnant. But I do feel the "upper" effect after each "dose" - whether it's real or psychosomatic at this point is irrelevant

all things in moderation. i'm a user. green tea, coffee.

I think this is a key point to consider in your comparison.

No offense intended, maybe its a stereotype but I always picture the owner working twice as much as the employees and by the sounds of it you already had a intense job.

I'd love to cut back on coffee but its such has such a strong appeal. A nap in a cup!

LMAO, you should market that to Starbucks. What a great selling point!

I agree to an extent...I think Starbucks is pretty tasty, but not to the point that makes it financially worth it over regular home drip coffee. My uncle swears by it...he even had it shipped to him overseas when he worked there for a while.
I usually only go for starbucks when I'm on the road, or REALLY need a boost...for some reason it seems to get me more wired than regular coffee. I think it has more caffeine, but have never heard any proof.