I believe that you only get the benefit of caffeine if you are not taking it on a regular basis. That way if you take it prior to/ during a race you get the maximum stimulus from it. (As your body is not used to it.) Too much of anything is bad for you the same goes for coffee- high doses of caffeine (I think) gives you heart palpitations/ dehydrates you and makes you "jittery". 1 or 2 cups within a hour of a race/ training is plenty.
Black coffee also contains a good dose of beneficial antioxidants.

[quote=mike_arellano23]I gave up consuming caffeine. I was a huge Diet Coke and coffee drinker before i started working out for the HIM. I used to drink more than a 2-liter bottle a day and 4-5 cups of coffee through the day as well. I gave up the Diet Coke completely but i will have decaffenaited coffee a few times a week. What's the deal with coffee? is it recommended not to drink or is it acceptable? i read some other forums where some triathletes drink coffee before the race! What's the deal?[/quote]

I drink coffee every M-F morning...I don't tend to need it on weekends, and I tend to use a powergel w/ caffeine immediately before races, but don't feel a substantial effect from that (see: coffee M-F).

As with most anything, as long as you're not overdoing it, a little caffeine isn't going to hurt anything. I'd say coffee (black) is a better source than diet coke, though. I bring my coffee to work in a thermos and once I'm finished with my own brew, I switch to water by around 10ish every morning, too so the dehydration isn't really a factor. If you're "off" coffee, then there's probably no need to start drinking it again since it can be somewhat addicting, but it shouldn't hinder performance as long as you're smart about it and also drink plenty of water.

My typical coffee consumption is 1-2 large sized cups in the morning and then I'll have 1 or 2 cans of diet soda in the afternoons. As I'm looking for possible ways to improve my performance this year I've decided to cut down to 1 cup of coffee in the morning and then switch to either water or ginger ale for the rest of the day during race week.

I have my first marathon of the year this Saturday and I've been on my low caffeine regimen since last Friday ( no beer either since then, which is pretty extreme for me ). I'll let you know how it goes for Stephen on a low caffeine morning!

Caffeine is a diuretic. It makes you pee. Which can make you dehydrated. Also, the effects are transitory, which means that if you’re counting on it to give you a boost during a long race, you’re probably going to be disappointed at some point in about the middle. That, added to a little mild dehydration, can marginally decrease your athletic performance. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend drinking more than a single cup of coffee on race days.

Beyond that, I’d think that as long as you don’t have the jitters, and you aren’t suffering from chronic dehydration, you probably not in too much danger from a little caffeine.

I personally hold myself to about 150mg of caffeine/day, but that’s because drinking more makes it hard for me to sleep at nights.

DannoE, your post reminded me of this article from the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05brod.html?scp=6&sq=coffee%20a...

they show evidence that coffee is less of a diuretic than most people think. Of course who knows who sponsored the study, the type of people drinking it, what else they ate/drank etc. I just figure the amount that pee most likely has more to do with the 3 liters of water I drink a day then the 2 cup'o'joe.

I remember there being a good thread last year about how much coffee we all drink, that would a be good place for anyone new to do some research.

Feedback from others can give you an idea of what to expect, but until you test it, you don't know what works for you. I never drink soda, coffee, or any other form of caffeine, so I thought I'd try a can of Red Bull before a hard workout. I did it 3 times, about a week apart, and didn't notice any difference. In fact, the drink (or the hard workout) may be the reason my stomach was upset. I don't avoid gels with caffeine, but I've never noticed they help or hurt significantly.

There's lot of other threads about this topic also if you want to read more opinions. Just search for "caffeine"

There is so much research done about good and bad effects that coffee has on the body. I think in moderation it is fine, and if it helps a bit to wake up before races and training then that is probably the only legal "drug" that we can use.
I also drink black coffee M-F 1 cup a day (16oz), on weekends i don't really need it and drink it only to socialize, again try to stick to 1 cup a day. It doesn't dehydrate me because i drink lots of water every day, and it does help me to go to bathroom ;)

If you need a caffine kick, but you are staying away from coffee, try an apple. Its a great pick me up and it cleans your teeth too!

I used to drink coffee every day, then I started having heart issues, palpations, tight chest etc etc etc. I went though all the barrage of tests including the stress test where they gradually increased the speed and incline of the treadmill and they gave up trying to get my heart to beat any faster after 56 minutes. It was a good, though expensive workout. Thoroughly drenched, but ultimately refreshed.

That same day I gave up anything that I didnt have to put in my body, including sports drinks, coffee, soda etc and went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I woke up in cold sweats at night from the withdrawals. I gradually added things back, and low and behold, as soon as I started drinking coffee, within 4 days I was experiencing the heart issues again.

No caffeine for me.

[quote=NotAsFast]I used to drink coffee every day, then I started having heart issues, palpations, tight chest etc etc etc. I went though all the barrage of tests including the stress test where they gradually increased the speed and incline of the treadmill and they gave up trying to get my heart to beat any faster after 56 minutes. It was a good, though expensive workout. Thoroughly drenched, but ultimately refreshed.

That same day I gave up anything that I didnt have to put in my body, including sports drinks, coffee, soda etc and went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I woke up in cold sweats at night from the withdrawals. I gradually added things back, and low and behold, as soon as I started drinking coffee, within 4 days I was experiencing the heart issues again.

No caffeine for me.[/quote]
Good for you at getting to the root cause and eliminating it. Plenty of people would rather deal with the issues or ask for a drug to cure it instead of changing what they do.

I drink a 14oz cup of coffee a few times a week and usually before long race.
I also like green tea for a pick me up.

Once I get going I am usually good for the day.
I don't worry about the diuretic effect since I am drinking 24 oz (2 big glasses) of skim milk and between 100 - 120oz of water a day.

I am well hydrated to say the least.