Quitting caffeine and running (Read 920 times)

Waits for Blaine to weigh-in.

Well, if you insist...

Oh, if you're wondering about the actual process, I basically just stopped cold-turkey and suffered through the headaches & low productivity for 2-3 weeks.

That's what I recommend for people... Basically, I cut caffeine out of my diet around a decade ago, and saw some immediate improvements in my health. It's also one of the important dietary changes that I made that helped get away from cluster migraines; if I do have caffeine, there's a good chance I'll still get a migraine to this day. So I just avoid. Sleeping better, better concentration, etc were all great. I've never had a problem going, so I didn't need it as a diuretic. Drinking a gallon plus of water per day does a good enough job. My personal philosophy is that caffeine is worse for you than tobacco or alcohol. If you need some help quitting, though, then I recommend reading these basic instructions...

I drink a cup of coffee in the morning. It helps my focus. Consider this: the IOC bans certain levels of caffeine in an athlete's system. Why? Because it has been shown to enhance performance to some extent. There's a reason why some gels now contain caffeine. I don't know that eliminating it, or keeping it, will affect your running in any way at all. It might have other effects.

I think I may give it the 'ol 30 day trial. God help me (and my husband and family!). I'm going to have to psych myself up for this for sure.

Drink a lot of water, is my advice.

Consider this: the IOC bans certain levels of caffeine in an athlete's system. Why? Because it has been shown to enhance performance to some extent. There's a reason why some gels now contain caffeine.

I didn't mention this - I've found that the caffeinated gels work much better for me now that I don't use caffeine on a regular basis. I don't use any gels very often anyway, but the caffeinated ones work VERY well for me when I do use them - typically only during a race of 16 miles or more or long run longer than 20 miles.