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Caffeine pills as racing aid
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Has anyone used caffeine pills as part of a nutrition plan during an IM? I realize some gels have caffeine and people dring coke when they are falling apart, but I am wondering about caffeine pills as an integral part of my nutrition. I already stock Tums, salt/magnesium and advil when I race. I haven't tried it on long runs or rides yet but outside of whether my body will tolerate it, does anyone see any disadvantages or dangers?
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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I've previously commented on this to Tom...

Caffeine pills and pain killers are cheating. They are unnecessary chemical aids. Seriously, you aren't falling asleep so I don't see much reason in taking caffeine pills.

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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [puskas] [ In reply to ]
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you have caffeine available (in reasonable quantity) in races in

-coke
-powergel, or carboom gels and some others

As Puskas wrote, taking caffeine pills, pain killers, epo, growth hormon, is the same thing: doping. Pain killers will ruin your kidneys, caffeine will give you such a big diarrhea in an IM that you wish you hadn't taken any , GH could induce uncontrolled inner organ growth (and cancer), epo may induce thickness of blood, and thrombosis...

other alternatives
-good training
-smart racing
-good diet
-smart racing nutrition

that's all you need...

Fr.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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I'd watch the advil, especially with the potentential for a lot of fluid loss and dehydration!!!



KEEP ON TRI-NG
Last edited by: GatorDawg: Feb 13, 03 10:08
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [GatorDawg] [ In reply to ]
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I remember the last time I took Vivarin....studying for an exam in college. I was so wired I couldn't concentrate. I can't imagine taking something like this during a race or training for that matter. At the same time, I was having leg trouble leading up to the NYC marathon a couple of years back. I took Aleve during the race with no major side effects. It may be "cheating" but I'll take a little comfort if absolutely neccesary over unbearable pain any time. I'll definitely have an Aleve tablet mixed in with the salt pills just in case during IMCDA (I'm a shameless doper!).

Also, I downed some coke during the run at Vineman 1/2 last year. I got a slight bump from it but I'm staying away from it this year during races. It made me very thirsty and I found myself over hydrating. I love Cytomax!
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [GatorDawg] [ In reply to ]
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well david, i and my buddies have taken a few caffeine tabs in marathon distance events over the years. we used to tape them to our ski poles at the birkie, for example. if a water bottle full of coffee is legal so is a no-doze. but leaving aside ethics 101, an to answer your question....could be i am just older and wiser now, but using this in an IM is a questionable idea, i think. you do get a little boost in perceived effort, but it comes at a cost. you make poorer decisions, and the boost in PE does wear off. in a 3 hr marathon that is fine - but an IM is a damn site longer. throwing one down at like mi 13 of the marathon might not be so bad - about like hammering a few caffinated gu's.....that is why they make them. i never had any gi distress from caffeine - why would you? caffeine tab + water = coffee. but, all in all for something as long as an IM i would forgo it excepting possibly that last bit of the run. an IM is about decision making and the caffeine will hurt you there, sez my experience.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [puskas] [ In reply to ]
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Hate to be the devils advocate, but I know some people that publicly use caffeine pills during ironman races. I've tried caffeine pills once in a winter triathlon at 6000 feet elevation and had a horrible experience so have never tried them since. I found once my heart rate got up (which was very quickly) I could not bring it back down to levels of threshold...........I was basically at max heart rate for the entire race, no matter how much I cut back my effort

That being said cameron brown has said publicly that he takes caffeine pills halfway through the marathon because he finds his heart rate drops significantly during the run (hard to believe when you run 2:50's consistently)...............that being said he's also famous for his mass quantities of coke consumption so maybe the caffeine pills don't affect him so much?



That being said taking supplements you are taking your own life into your hands both in results and possible doping infraction (though I'm not sure what wtc does on these tests? Is caffeine an infraction and if so what is the level..............they offer coke on the course?)
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [canwi] [ In reply to ]
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rough guess is that knowing most IM offer coke and powergels, being positive at caffeine would not be considered an infraction as in front of the TAS this would not stand.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [Francois] [ In reply to ]
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lets get a grip, guys. coffee has 135 mg caffeine in a cup. regular strenthg vivarin has 100. coke has something like 35 in 12 oz. not sure how much gu has, but the point being if you eat a vivarin with a powerbar and water you are not taking your life into your hands. how many of you have a cup of coffee (two???) in the morning on saturday before you go ride with the fellas at warp speed? you have the equivalent of MORE THAN FOUR vivarins if you drink two on the patio as you pump up your tires.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [t-t-n] [ In reply to ]
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ooooh, sorry. make that "ALMOST THREE"....maybe i need some coffee. . . . . . .:)
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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Tried it, smartly, for the first time during the Atlanta Marathon two years ago. OY! Thay made me jittery without any real boost in energy that I get from a cup of joe. I made it through the first part of the race ok but then fell apart. Coffee yes. Caffeine pills no.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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Caffeine is the ultimate under-regulated drug. Amazing how many people will bitch about performance enhancers while sipping a gallon of coffee from Starbucks before a morning ride. Here's the answer to a question someone asked about a positive test, from a South African WADA-affiliated site:



Q. How much caffeine will cause me to return a positive result?



A. Caffeine is prohibited when used in large quantities. To obtain a urine concentration of caffeine greater than 12 micrograms per millilitre, you would need to consume approximately 3-10 cups of coffee or tea, or 9 cans of soft drink in a short period of time, and then be tested soon after consuming these products. However, these are approximations only. The concentration of caffeine in the urine will depend on the amount of caffeine in the product, your weight, bulk, metabolic rate and what you have recently eaten. Many energy drinks contain significant amounts of caffeine and should be taken with caution.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [Marlin] [ In reply to ]
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So, you would have to ingest a nearly uningestable amount in a short period of time to be "cheating". I was thinking about 1 pill every hour or so (actual amount tbd through training/experimentation). That would never get me near a positive result.

Can you give me your definition of under-regulated? Do you think it is dangerous in lower concentrations?
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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dude. 1 pill an hour?? i rescind my previous commentary. 1 pill an hour for an IM would be nuts - do not do this.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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What exactly does caffeine do to the body? The only think I know of is raise the heartrate. (For me something I decidedly do NOT want. My doc recommends no caffeine for me at all in general, not just for racing. ) I'm just curious as to what the supposed "benefits" are for racing.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [Pooks] [ In reply to ]
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I've read a study where caffiene spares glycogen use by increasing ones fat burning ability. (I can find the reference if anyone's interested.)

While I've never used caffiene pills, I have used gels, colas, coffee, and chocolate-covered espresso beans before and during races.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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I have in the past used stuff called "Up Your Gas" from GNC. It had things in it which definitely increased my heart rate. Guarana, ginsing, ephedra, and caffeine. I was faster. I did just go to Disney Marathon, placed 41 overall, and did not use anything real bad. I mixed Powergel,caffeinated, with H2o and crushed an advil into the mix. So, every 15 mins I took a shot. I am racing this weekend in Myrtle Beach and I think I am just going to use the Power gel double caff. I agree with the above posts that say train harder and smarter, do not rely on the caff or anything else. I however will use the caff in the gels etc kinda like the advantage I get from my Louis Garneau tt helmet. Psychologically I think it makes a diff. With that said, do not take one caff pill an hour, it will probably make you puke.

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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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Wrong. you could get positive.
there was a recent study (I'll try to find the link) that showed that the clearance rate is highly individual.
some people can get one strong espresso and have a value above the limit...
1 pill an hr for someone who does not get rid of it fast, may easily lead to a + result...
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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I have experimented with caffeine in the past. I've had both good and bad experiences. With the good ones it is hard to say if the caffeine worked or if it just didn't harm me.

From what I can remember, and I'll admit I'm being lazy in not looking up the specifics, caffeine does spare your glycogen stores by shunting your metabolism towards fat burning. In a long event like a marathon and an Ironman, this may be significant. The dosage of the studies that I had read indicated that 9mg/kg was the effective dose. Thus for me as a 70 kg male I was taking 6x100 mg pills. This is a lot of caffeine. I have since been told by a nutritionist that an ergogenic effect can be obtained with lower dosages than this, and apparently at dosages that would leave most people with a negative urine test (ie. below the restricted urine level), however as Francois stated clearance is likely individual.

The time I had a bad experience I took the caffeine about 1 hour before the event started. My stomach was upset, I was agitated and on the run I had bad calf cramps.

I have found no ill effects if I took the caffeine 20 minutes before race start and with a gel or part of a power bar. The research that I remember indicated that the caffeine should be taken 1-2 hours before the event or workout so I don't know if the T-20 protocol is of any use. NONE OF THE STUDIES I have read looked at continual dosing of caffeine, so I wouldn't recommend the "one pill an hour" protocol.

At least one of the ill effects of caffeine (increased water loss) does not occur while exercising. I don't know if increased heart rate occurs.

If you are planning on racing with caffeine, you should experiment with it in training.

I don't think caffeine is "an integral part of race nutrition". It is likely much more important to get your pacing, fuel and fluid replacement down pat.

I'm not trying to encourage caffeine usage as a supplement, but instead provide FYI. Use the info and caffeine as you see fit.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [Pooks] [ In reply to ]
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{What exactly does caffeine do to the body?} reply

Among other things, it will enable you to burn more fat during excericse (something to do with free fatty acids) and it will delay the time till AT allowing you to ride or run harder - longer.
That said, caffeine affects everyone differently. Experiment in training.
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Re: Caffeine pills as racing aid [davidd] [ In reply to ]
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Just to repeat myself from another thread: Caffeine pills/"stack" pills = STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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