Feeling Sluggish? Maybe a Shot of Caffeine Before the Race Will Help!

Okay, so don’t throw your grounds at me if you think drinking coffee before a race is a bad idea.

I get it. You don’t want to get all hopped up on caffeine before a long race. I’m sure your heart will hate you for chugging three mugs of java right before you run ten miles.

But . . . a study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport does show that drinking down an eight ounce mug of coffee improved race times of both recreational and advanced runners in a 5K.

Study co-author Brendan O’Brien says that the key may be that caffeine alters your perception of pain and allows you to run farther and faster than when you haven’t chugged a tall latte.

I know in my house, if I get up for a long run, or any very early morning run, I save the caffeine for post-run.

If I get up early and then head to the gym to run, I have a cup of coffee prior to working out.

I have found on days when I have that cup of coffee beforehand that it does get my blood moving.

But I have also found that it does the same on those mornings when I have had a good night’s sleep.

I doubt I’ll start consuming caffeine before each run, but the study does make me feel better about the days when I do drink coffee before a run!

So what’s your routine? Coffee or no before a run? I have read about people who get up for a marathon and go into it with one bagel and one cup of coffee in their bellies. Is this you?!