CAFFEINE?
Many athletes consume caffeine before or during training and competition. By now, you know that experimentation is key. If you don’t normally drink coffee or tea, avoid it before or during competition. If you normally drink coffee or tea, sometimes avoiding it can be more of a stress because you may be addicted to it and could cause a number of symptoms before your race, including headaches, disorientation, and sluggishness from the lack of caffeine your body is used to.
If you consume and tolerate caffeine regularly, consider the amount you ingest. A single six- to eight-ounce cup of coffee, for example, may be sufficient no matter how much you’re used to. This can especially help with your morning bathroom ritual. Caffeine can also stimulate fat burning. But it can disturb blood sugar, speed stomach emptying, and increase your anxiety if you’re not used to it or take too much. It can also increase the stress hormone cortisol. For most athletes who drink coffee or tea, consuming it with food is best.

I remember my first pre-race, carbloading dinner: it was in Boston around 1981, the night before the marathon. While I usually avoid these activities, I was a speaker on a panel. I ate dinner elsewhere before the event expecting little healthy food. And that was the case: white pasta, white bread, white rolls, and some kind of sugar-laden carbohydrate drink. And for dessert, white cake with white icing. The pre-race feast was a sacred event, a ceremony of sorts that millions of endurance athletes have participated in ever since. However, I decided then to not only avoid these pre-race events but make sure the athletes I worked with didn’t participate either.

For most athletes, it’s important to consume some type of breakfast on the day of competition. After an all-night fast of not eating, liver glycogen stores are typically very low and your body needs fuel. This is another important experiment to perform during training. Many athletes find a blended shake made from real food is very effective in accomplishing this task. Your normal healthy breakfast—what your body is most used to—if containing adequate fruit and protein, is your best bet.

Here is an example of the caffeine content of some single-serving drinks. The amounts are in milligrams of caffeine, and the dose varies with how you make it, the specific product, and the exact size:

 

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  • Regular coffee: 85-300
  • Double espresso: 120
  • Decaf: 3-5
  • Black tea: 50-140
  • Green tea: 20-50
  • Real cocoa: 25-50
Note: Most herbal teas don’t contain caffeine, but some over-the-counter drugs do, in a range of 15-300 mg (read labels).

In addition to consuming small amounts of water before your event begins, some athletes feel the need to consume more carbohydrates. This can easily be taken as part of breakfast, as a healthy energy bar or shake, or as a 3 to 4 percent carbohydrate solution consumed between breakfast and your event. This drink is made by diluting the 6 to 8 percent solution with equal amounts of water; or, by combining a heaping teaspoon of a simple sugar (such as honey) in twelve ounces (360 ml) of water. This will not produce a high amount of insulin, which could impair fat burning, but will still provide carbohydrates. A small amount of salt can be added as well—just enough so the salty taste is hardly noticeable.

Here are some other hydration considerations:

 

 

 
  • Cool fluids, between about 60 and 72°F (15-22°C), empty from the stomach a bit more quickly than body-temperature fluids. But this does not mean iced drinks are best—these may stimulate stronger stomach contractions and gut discomfort.
  • The amino acid L-glutamine improves water and electrolyte absorption, and may be useful before activity. However, glutamine is broken down quickly in water, so don’t add it to your water bottle the night before. You can add it to your morning meal and pre-event drink the same morning, or use a tablet or capsule—about 500-1,000 grams should be sufficient.