Thursday, January 22, 2009

maybe i could go faster if....

this week has no sense of routine -- I'm attending a bunch of remote training sessions, scattered throughout this week and next. It's a nice change of pace, but difficult to plan my runs. Today, a scheduled 7 hour session turned into 4 hours! Yay!!

I will be doing my "Fabulous" post tomorrow after being tagged a few times, which also happens to be my 1st Blogiversary... but just like JoyRuN's post, this post is a teenie bit of a spoiler, which I'm sure will have much less of an impact than hers did! LOL

I love my coffee; the taste, the smell, mmm.  Typically my days start out with a cup of coffee, and some breakfast.  If running, I will usually wait about 30 minutes before heading out.  Today, I had my coffee, was immediately in my training class (while still in my pyjamas), and at about 11:30, had another coffee. With the class ending at about 1pm, I was able to start my run at about 1:30... 2 hours after my coffee.  

I noticed today that I had a much easier time keeping my heart rate closer to the calculated zones than in previous runs soon after coffee, (even though my pace was only a few seconds/km faster in comparison).  Duh...  I know, caffeine elevates heart rate, but I never really gave it much thought.  I'm not sure that caffeine gives me a buzz anymore, not a noticeable one anyway.  I know that if I have a cup of caffeinated coffee after 6pm though, I'll be awake for days.

So my question to you all is... if you're a coffee drinker, does running impact when you drink a coffee, or does having a coffee impact when you'll go out for a run, or don't think about it, don't care, gimme my coffee?



I will try over the next few weeks to leave more of a gap between a cup of java and a run if at all possible, and see if this has any significant impact on my HR training.

After missing about a week of kickboxing, I went back tonight... I am asking you all to avoid making me laugh for the next several days. I know it will be tough as you all are a riot, get me through my day and have me laughing all the time, but it's gonna hurt, a lot.  It will certainly help towards Amanda's challenge though :)

Have a wonderful night!

21 comments:

Lisa Slow-n-Steady said...

I usually drink coffee in the morning and I usually run in the morning. Probably about 20mins from coffee to running most of the time. If I run in the afternoon or evening, no coffee, because I only drink it in the very early morning

MCM Mama said...

I drink coffee mostly in the mornings, but if the kids have had a bad night, I'll drink it in the afternoon. I don't HR train, but I've found that caffeine can make me run faster...

Marlene said...

Gah, I need to get back to my classes!!! Try not to laugh. :)

Hmm, interesting about the caffeine. Makes sense! Let us know the results as you continue your experiment. (I don't drink coffee, so no insight here.)

Blyfinn said...

not a coffee drinker. Love the smell hate the taste.

Marci said...

I love coffee before a run, it just gets me going.

Run Mommy said...

I have never had coffee in all my 35 years..isent that weird??

KimsRunning said...

I've never had a chicken wing in all my 42 years, but coffee??? I love coffee! Little cream, no sugar and I run when I feel like it. ALTHOUGH...I've heard so many horror stories about losing control of certain bathroom type things, that I skip the coffee before a race. Did you know tomato juice has a ton more potassium than bananas???

Carly said...

I just gave up coffee but when I was drinking it seems to help give me a boost. One time I drank a Red Bull before a race. I fell sprained my ankle and still had PR. I think it was all the caffeine to be honest.

Heather said...

I don't drink coffee, but I like a Diet Dew before a run, especially if I am running after work or in the evening.

BeachRunner said...

I don't drink coffee.

Marcy said...

LMAO Joy was only playin. It wasn't really a spoiler. She just wanted to bust on G! HAHAHA

Coffee does my running some good. I guess it reduces your perceived effort and delays nervous system fatigue.

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

O, THAT request! Didn't even see it till now, Sistre. If it helps any, I was totally serious about what I said about Canada over at Kim's. Kim herself is a closet Canada hater! Really! She makes me look like Maury Teh Mountie Moose (Canadian National Mascot and Prime Minister) by comparison.

I don't know what you Canucks did to her, but she hates you guys! Her stated goal is to make each and every one of the 2,500 citizens of Canada cry.

Which is easy enough to do: Just remind them that they live in Canada!

Woo-hoo! USA USA!!!

Man, I'm obnoxious, ain't I?

But not compared to Kim!

Denise said...

I love coffee in the morning and can handle it if I run a while after I had it and not that far. If I'm doing a tough workout or a long run, I save the coffee till I get back so my stomach doesn't get upset.

Kita said...

I have been drinking a cup and heading out the door. No wonder I am starting to run so fast...NOT Really it doesn't seem to matter if I drink it or not.

joyRuN said...

I definitely need my coffee if I want my pace to be anywhere near respectable.

Have a good weekend :)

SuperDave said...

Not a coffee drinker, but I love Diet Mt. Dew which has a bunch of caffeine. I won't run unless I have had at least 6 oz. Addiction!!!!

RunToFinish said...

hmm no coffee drinking happening here... so all I have to say is happpyyyy aabstastic friday

The Happy Runner said...

I LOVE coffee. I have it in the morning and usually early afternoon but I don't run until the evening, most days.

lindsay said...

alright, i love my coffee, but i have this fear of getting the "coffee runs" during my run so i do not drink it anywhere near my run! when i run in the am i usually roll myself out of bed and stumble out the door. i would definitely never run in the morning if i had to brew some coffee or eat a mini-breakfast... then i'd have to get up even earlier! (i'm just lazy)

Shilingi-Moja said...

I don't drink coffee -- I drink tea but normally not until after I run and shower.

aron said...

i love coffee :) i didnt used to but i started drinking it before most runs and i think it helps!

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