For those of you who take caffeine during races: when do you start? How much do you take?
I ask because I am planing on taking my gels in a water bottle during my next HIM, but can´t decide on caffeinated or not.
Caffeine recommendations are really different for each person. I don’t consume more than a small cup of coffee per day and I am very sensitive to extra amounts. I don’t need much during a race. I use gels that have 30mg of caffeine. I use one during the ride, (plus other fuel,) and up to 3 gels throughout the run on a HIM…and coke if its ugly.
Try out your plan in training. See how you feel.
I second the advice of “depends on you.”
How much do you consume on a daily basis?
How much did you consume for your last 1/2, and what in what form, and how did that work out for you?
What are you hoping the caffeine will do for you?
For those of you who take caffeine during races: when do you start? How much do you take?
I ask because I am planing on taking my gels in a water bottle during my next HIM, but can´t decide on caffeinated or not.
Gels have so little caffeine in them (~50 mg or <1 cup of coffee) that the caffeine is unlikely to have a material effect.
If you aren’t taking caffeine pills (or nutrition with substantial amounts of caffeine), you haven’t read or don’t understand the research. With the exception of thyroid medication, caffeine is the most performance-enhancing approved drug in sports. Everyone is different, but I typically take 1 gram over the course of a 70.3. You need to experiment in training to find out what is optimal for you.
I really shouldn’t tell people this.
What does caffeine do for me?
I feel like I can focus more, therefore I can keep going for longer periods of time. If running long distance, I do one caffeinated gel every 4 miles. When on the bike I do one gel every 45 minutes.
But I’m not sure how much benefit I get from the caffeine versus the carbs in the gel.
You wrote: “I typically take 1 gram”
I crunched the numbers that you so cleverly understated.
That is 1000 mg. Mega! How much do you take in on an average Monday workday/training day?
I’d suggest practicing a bit with it first before using it on race day to avoid any unwanted GI issues. If you don’t drink coffee regularly, 100mg might force you to run to the can.
For those of you who take caffeine during races: when do you start? How much do you take?
I ask because I am planing on taking my gels in a water bottle during my next HIM, but can´t decide on caffeinated or not.
Gels have so little caffeine in them (~50 mg or <1 cup of coffee) that the caffeine is unlikely to have a material effect.
If you aren’t taking caffeine pills (or nutrition with substantial amounts of caffeine), you haven’t read or don’t understand the research. With the exception of thyroid medication, caffeine is the most performance-enhancing approved drug in sports. Everyone is different, but I typically take 1 gram over the course of a 70.3. You need to experiment in training to find out what is optimal for you.
I really shouldn’t tell people this. I agree with your message (and tend to keep it to myself for selfish reasons) but 1g is potentially a monster dose for someone slight of build or caffeine naive. Borderline dangerous even. I’d start at 200mg and titrate up the dose response curve flattens significantly after a while.
Totally agree. Would never make sense to start there. 200 mg is probably the right level to start experimenting from
No one has really commented on -when- they take it. I’m interested in this as well. I start with a morning coffee at around 4:30AM to get ‘things’ moving, so I guess that is my first 100mg or so of coffee (average size coffee mug made with aeropress).
In the past I’ve just used the caffeine gels on the bike, and sometimes a 5 hour energy at the start of run. Can’t say any of it has made much diff. I’m heading to IMMT in a few weeks and think I may skip the caffeine during most of the ride, just take maybe 150-200mg in the last 20km of the bike, and maybe another 150mg at the 21km mark of run…
Totally agree. Would never make sense to start there. 200 mg is probably the right level to start experimenting from
1000mg? No wonder you ran past the finishing chute at Oceanside. 
How much do you weigh?
A simple but good and well-referenced two part series:
http://www.witsup.com/caffeine-and-sports-performance/
http://www.witsup.com/caffeine-part-2-recommended-protocol-caffeine-intake-triathlon/
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About 145 lbs. But on a normal day I’ll consume 500 mg, so doubling that doesn’t do anything too crazy for me
Try abstaining for 3 days then chew some caffeine gum.
Absorption is much much faster orally than taking it in the form of a gel. Hence why if you sip your coffee and swill your mouth you feel a hit pretty quick!
Try abstaining for 3 days then chew some caffeine gum.
Absorption is much much faster orally than taking it in the form of a gel. Hence why if you sip your coffee and swill your mouth you feel a hit pretty quick!
Better yet, use a suppository!
I drink my regular morning coffee. Red Bull 45-60 min before race start. Then no more caffeine until I start hammering cola on the run.
About 145 lbs. But on a normal day I’ll consume 500 mg, so doubling that doesn’t do anything too crazy for me
Woah, 15 mg/kg, that’s pretty impressive. Just another data point in favor of the “everyone is different” hypothesis.
I’d be interested to know how that 1g is distributed over the course of the day. You’re pretty fast as I understand it, so you’re in the 4-4:15 range? Do you take 1g all at once, an hour or so before the gun? Or do you dole it out over the course of the race?
I’m doing some experimenting with myself this weekend (writing from Whistler), but I won’t get near 1000mg.
Commonly the drug regimen goes something like this: 200 mg caffeine when I roll out of bed, 200mg 30 min before swim, 200 mg first hour of bike, 200 mg second hour of bike, and, if I feel like it, final 200 mg halfway through the run. If it’s hot, I’ll take a saltstick capsule coterminously, and usually a few throughout the day when it isn’t. On a flat course, ibuprofen halfway through the bike for my neck, which no matter how much I train that specifically, is never prepared for the intensity of the race day turtle.
Interestingly, new research published last month says that habitual caffeine consumption actually doesn’t influence the performance response to acute caffeine supplementation. But this is for a 30 minute cycling TT. So who knows what that means for performance that is many multiples of that in length
Self experimentation in training is the only way you’re going to figure out what works for you.
This is my input as well. I feel like it helps me stay on task, and thus perform better.
I also second the 1 ever 4 miles on running. Most caffeinated GU have 20mg. Some have 35-40mg. In a HIM I do 40mg per gel. In longer (IM or 50M+ ultra) I start with a few no caff gels and switch to 20mg, then to 40mg after half way so that I don’t lose the effect. Maybe that is over thinking it, but it has worked really well for me. No stomach issues for me. YMMV. Good luck.
What does caffeine do for me?
I feel like I can focus more, therefore I can keep going for longer periods of time. If running long distance, I do one caffeinated gel every 4 miles. When on the bike I do one gel every 45 minutes.
But I’m not sure how much benefit I get from the caffeine versus the carbs in the gel.