RealfoodieclubGraduate109 years ago

I must admit I never really thought about this specifically. I have heard about caffeine before races and with my heart rate thought against it but usually within the hour before a run there will be a coffee or tea. It's just my habit and I do it everytime. ☕️

TerrorrunGraduate109 years ago

Never crossed my mind specifically either. Usually have a tea but normally more than an hour before a run.

jt24Graduate109 years ago

I usually drink only one or two cups of tea in the morning then the rest of the day is decaffeinated coffee. I run in the evening. Hadn't even thought of adding caffeine before a run- could help my pb's!

Anaverageman9 years ago

i drink caffeinated drinks an hour before anything.. run or otherwise...Do remember seeing somewhere they were beneficial before strength exercises.. cant remember what the evidence was on aerobic work..

RunningForBroke9 years ago

I usually finish my daily thermos of coffee about 40 minutes before a run. It's not really planned that way, it just seems to happen. I don't really notice any difference with coffee. That said, I'm not drinking double espressos, just drip coffee.

boptillyoudrop49Graduate109 years ago

If I hadn't given up caffeine years sgo, I probably would have a cup in the morning to wake myself up before a run but a glass of water does the trick for me now.

misswobbleGraduate109 years ago

I don't drink caffeinated drinks.

I do, however, drink freshly-brewed espresso on race day.

Having read that Mo does it I thought I would give it a whirl. I drink an espresso (or two) immediately before leaving the house for the race. All my races are fairly local so there's not much of a wait between drinking the espresso and the start of the race. There is often a coffee van at events these days. Espresso does make you alert. Too much of it will make your heart pound!

Mo says to hydrate well all the time, not just in the lead in to a race. I drink a lot of tea and water on a daily basis so consider myself well hydrated.

poppypugGraduate109 years ago

Tea for me , always tea .

I got some blurb with my race goody bag last week and it was tips from a guy who's done Marathons etc and he says 4 hours before his race is due to start he has porridge and a very strong coffee.

AnniemurphGraduate109 years ago

Coffee first thing in the morning, and I usually run in the morning, but I ticked 'rarely' because I have a glass of water when I get up, and then my coffee, so I have to wait until all that has percolated through before I set off for my run It's nothing to do with the caffeine, you understand!

IrishprincessGraduate109 years ago

It depends when I run. If it's morning then tea but if it's late morning then I might have a coffee before going out. If it's the afternoon or early evening then it's always water.

simonwilliamstutorGraduate109 years ago

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.

Bazza1234Graduate109 years ago

I believe that caffeine definitely increases heart rate - which makes it just a little more difficult if you are doing any kind of low HR easy running (keeping within the zone)

skysue16Graduate108 years ago

Only just seen poll - I only drink decaffeinated tea and coffee anyway. Before a run or race I would ensure I drink plenty of water, but not immediately before.

Fat_stab8 years ago

I read some where a few years ago that a strong coffee around an hour before exercising was advantageous for a couple of reasons including upping the heart beat...