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caffeine pills during races?
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Anyone use vivarin or other caffeine pills during races? I am a regular coffee drinker and my body loves caffeine. I definitely have a pre-race espresso shot but not more as I worry about GI issues. but these little 200mg caffeine tabs interest me. I actually have never taken them before so of course I'll experiment during training. but my thought at the moment is maybe to take one or two at T2, or maybe towards end of bike or in middle of run (each tab is equivalent to 1 cuppa). Any insight appreciated...
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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I used Panadol Extra at IMNZ and noticed it had caffeine in it. It didn't seem to have any negative effects that I noticed. I think it took the edge off the pain.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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Skip the pills as they may irritate your stomach. Check out Mocha Hammergel and other caffeinated gel packs. Or you can do like a buddy of mine did and dump a double espresso shot into your fuel mix for the bike!

Marty Gaal, CSCS
One Step Beyond Coaching
Triangle Open Water Swim Series | Old School Aquathon Series
Powerstroke® Freestyle Technique DVD
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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I've taken them (well, one) during a race with no problems.... like anything you have to try them in training to see whether it agress your GI system

_______________________________________________
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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I, smartly, experimented with caffeine pills for the first time during the Atlanta Marathon several years ago. It didn't give me any jolt but it gave me the shakes. I don't recommend them at all!

I drink 2 cups of coffe pre-race and coke on the run.
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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johnthesavage,

I too wondered about this subject. Especially, after reading Eddie B's book, Bicycle Road Racing. He went so far as to guarantee he could help you ride faster by employing multiple techniques, one of which was to ingest caffeine. Studying further, Carmichael, Burke, Baker, etc. it seemed the generally desired amount of caffeine to maximize performance legally was 2mg per pound of body weight. Actually, this is a conversion from approximately 4.5 mg per Kg of body weight. Be sure your not doubling up by forgetting to consider the coffee and coke you might be drinking before racing.

Definitely, experiment before you race. Everyone is different. This formula will probably not work for someone who is hypersensitve to caffeine.

A lot of maximizing performance is "waking" the body up completely to an "alert and ready" state. Waking up at least 3-5 hours before your effort is beneficial. So is eating breakfast and taking a shower. All have positive effects in this effort. Good luck.



Ben Cline


Better to aspire to Greatness and fail, than to not challenge one's self at all, and succeed.
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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Probably not quite the same thing as caffiene but for training/USCF road races, I have enjoyed good results with either Cytosport's Muscle Energy (hard to find other than online) or Champion Nutrition's Muscle Nitro! In either case, the manufacturers recommend tha the capsules be consumed 20 minutes to an hour before training or event. For some people the size of the capsules also may be prohibitive - I have to break open the capsules for my wife since she insists they are too big to swallow (imagine that will get some comments). Also, based on my experiences neither of these products are something you want to go out and purchase the day before an event and expect to be able to take full strength right off the bat. Unless you have a cast iron stomach, if you do not work your way up to the recommended dosages over a few training events, this supplement can make its presence known in ways most of us would not find favorable.

Michael

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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If I understand the effects of caffeine correctly, there are basically two effects that are beneficial for racing: 1) reduction of RPE- in essence the same level of work feels easier, and 2) glycogen sparing- the mechanism as I understand it is that ingesting caffeine releases fatty acids into the bloodstream so that your body is essentially burning fat from the first minute of the race. Normally there's some period of time where your body burns glycogen until it "turn's on" the fat burning mechanism. Caffeine circumvents this and saves your glycogen stores. My guess is that the second effect is the more significant of the two. The benefit of this is largely within the first hour or so of a race, so there's no real benefit to contiuing to take caffeine during a long race, as your body is already into fat-burning mode.

I've experimented with this in training, and other than a really big headache and buzz when I OD'ed on Vivarin once, I didn't really notice any benefit to it so I stopped using them.
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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I have used them in training and racing and I love them. I've used them in my two ironman races and they are just the right thing to lift you up at the 80-90 mile point. Make sure you try them in training before. I haven't had any issues.
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Re: caffeine pills during races? [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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Hammer Gel Expresso! Double Caffeine Tangerine Power Gels! Yeeehaaa. Love it love it love it love it.
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