Coffee and Dehydration: Fact or Myth?

I have to admit, I am a dedicated coffee drinker.  I'm not going to say I'm addicted to the stuff...but I'm not going to say I'm not either.  The funny thing about my coffee drinking is that it all started because one day I just decided, "I'm going to be a coffee drinker."  I had never enjoyed it before, and when I started about 4 years ago I didn't even know how to make a good pot of coffee, let alone know the difference between good and bad coffee.  But that's all changed over time, and now I can't imagine life without it.

My Coffee Stash

While I can't say I practice an incredibly healthy diet, I try to do things that I know are healthy.  My favorite snack food is Cheez-Its, and I've switched to organic cheese crackers.  My breakfast most mornings normally includes a banana and cereal and, of course, coffee.

When I first started drinking coffee I decided I wanted to make it as healthy as possible.  And from what I had read, it seemed that straight black coffee in moderation actually has health benefits, including lowering the risk of heart disease, Parkinson's and some forms of diabetes, and serving as an antioxidant.  The key here is "black coffee."  So very early on I started making it my goal to drink my coffee black all the time.  I started with adding flavored creamer, and over time slowly started using less and less, until after about a year I could enjoy my coffee black...which I still do to this day.  I mean, just in terms of pure calories, black coffee has 2 calories, but adding cream and sugar can put that number well over 100 and beyond.

But I digress.  The real reason I'm writing is not about the health benefits of coffee, but instead how it can affect your running.  For years I've been told coffee is a diuretic and will flush your system of important fluids and electrolytes due to how much it makes you pee.  And if my trips to the bathroom after drinking coffee are any indicator, I would say that assessment is spot on.  However, I was reading an article last week that took a different tone one the apparent detrimental effects of coffee on hydration.

The study (which can be found at this link), while VERY limited in scope (and funded in part by European coffee companies), studied the effects of normal coffee consumption on hydration.  Now I want to start by saying I don't 100% agree with this study, mainly because of its small sample size...but it's definitely worth a quick view.  While the study may be a bit suspect, you can't deny what they found. Here's a quick overview:

They studied 50 men over a period of 3 days, some drinking 4 mugs of coffee at regular intervals, some drinking 4 mugs of water at regular intervals.  Each man was given a standard diet to follow during the 3 day test period so their fluid and calorie intake was controlled.  The mens' urine and body weight were then tested on the fourth day for fluid levels and some other scientific nonsense I don't understand.  They were then given a 10-day "wash-out" period in which they were to live life normally and consume their normal diet.  After this, they switched roles.  If the first time they drank the coffee at regular intervals, this time they drank water, and vice-verso.  The studies showed virtually no difference in the mens' fluid levels during their coffee days and their water days. 

I think the key here is "moderate" coffee intake.  I normally try to follow this rule, especially on work days.  However, lately as a teacher I've found it difficult.  I'm at the end of what has turned into a week off school due to weather, holidays and professional development.  When I am off school I drink probably twice as much coffee than on a normal day.  My normal consumption on a school day is 1 cup in the morning with breakfast or on the way to work (depending on how many times I hit the Snooze button).  I then drink a second cup around 11:30 at the end of my planning period.  That's it.  I spend the rest of the day hydrating, preparing for my evening run.

But in my 7 days off I have spent most morning sitting around, reading, writing or watching TV, all while drinking coffee.  Before this, I had only had a Keurig single serve coffee maker at home, but I got the idea to buy a large coffee maker and coffee grinder just because I wanted them.  Now, the programmable coffee maker is a wonder of science.  I was trying to get a bit of extra sleep this morning, but I eventually woke up when I smelled the coffee brewing, and I've been drinking from that pot of coffee ever since. 

But what I'm getting at is that coffee and caffeine, in moderation, can actually be good for you.  The old idea of 8x8 oz. glasses of water a day is not a wise decision.  If all you drink is water, then you'll just pee most of it out.  You need to get different fluids in your body, and coffee can be one of those fluids.  You will retain some of the water in the coffee.  Other options are healthy juices (low in sugar) and electrolyte drinks (again, low in sugar).  The fruits and vegetables you eat throughout the day are also loaded with water so you can get your hydration from those as well.

The key is, don't just assume if you are drinking only water all day that you are getting enough fluids.  Too much water can actually be bad for you.  Find the right balance.  Still drink plenty of water, but diversify.  Coffee can be good for you in moderation.  Vegetables will hydrate you so eat your water.  Other healthy fluids can also hydrate you.  Just make sure you are sufficiently hydrated before (and after) your run.  Thanks for reading.

RACE REPORT: Indy Winter XC 5k

One thing about me as a runner is that I absolutely love racing.  I often find myself entering myself in races far too soon just because as soon as I get in a little bit of good training, I immediately want to race.  I've been like this since college, when I really started to establish myself as a fairly competitive runner.

So with that in mind, myself and my friend Neal drove up to Indianapolis yesterday to run in the first annual Indy Winter XC 5k.  We had both been looking to jump into a race, and with a severe shortage of races in Louisville during the winter (though there are a few good ones), we started looking a few weeks back and found this race in Indianapolis.  It looked like fun, but we were both a bit wary of the fact that it was a cross country race in the winter.  We knew there was no way the course could be in any kind of decent shape, especially with how harsh this winter has been.  We definitely should have been warned when we saw the event description: "We are offering Indy runners a fast, painful, gritty 5k during what is sure to be some of the worst weather possible!"

But either way, we decided to enter, as much for the cool hoodie that came with it than any strong desire to run this particular race.  As the date got closer, both the Indianapolis and the Louisville forecast got worse and worse.  I had been coming off a series of snow days, and the forecast for Saturday morning when we were planning on leaving was for heavy snow in the AM, with the worst falling between 5AM and 8AM.  With a planned departure of 6AM, we knew we were in for an exciting drive up.


I woke up at 5AM (after only managing about 3 hours of sleep), looked out the window and immediately regretted the day I was about to have.  The snow was basically falling sideways.  I got out the door as quickly as I could, and as I crossed the bridge into Indiana, I had to fight a layer of snow on the highway, which resulted in my first of many fishtails on the way. I had to pick up Neal at a Wal-Mart parking lot just across the river, and when I got there the parking lot was covered and the plows were getting ready to clear it off.  He parked his car in what he hoped was a spot (when we returned it turns out he was actually within the lines of a parking spot) and we left.  The drive up was an adventure, to say the least.  Along with the snow on the highway, I had to fight high winds, that would literally push my truck sideways into patches of snow.  I lost count of the number of times I thought I was losing control of the truck.  There was one scary moment where I started to slide sideways.  I just took my foot away from both the gas and brake and prayed I wouldn't hit anything.  Fortunately, after a short fishtail I regained control and resumed our slow trip North.  I stayed as much in the tire tracks created by cars in front of me as possible, and averaged about 50mph on the way up.

When we finally made it to Indianapolis I had hoped the roads would have begun to be treated, as the snow had finally stopped, but we were ahead of the plows and we had about 10 miles of city roads and narrow backroads that hadn't yet been touched.  We got off the highway at 8:20, about 40 minutes before race time so we knew we were cutting it VERY close, but kept our hopes up.  After a treacherous 25 minutes we finally pulled into Southeastway Park and immediately began changing into our "racing gear," which today was basically the warmest clothes we could comfortably wear while running.  For me it was running pants and two shirts, gloves and a hat.  I hoped the wind wouldn't be as bad as I was expecting.

We stepped into the indoor meeting area where registration and packet pickup were located and caught the second half of the pre-race meeting that described the course.  I picked up my number and hurriedly put it on...and Neal still had to register, which they fortunately allowed.  I ran into my friend Nick and his wife, who live in Indianapolis and had told me they were running as well.  As the crowd started to walk out into the cold and towards the starting line, I jogged to the car with my new hoodie, quickly tightened my shoes (no spikes or flats were necessary on this course) and jogged to the starting line, giving me a total of about 90 seconds of warmup.

I had held out hope that the course had been shoveled or touched, but I was disappointed to see a layer of snow up to 6 inches deep on most of the course.  So we were going to be trailblazers here, putting fresh footprints on a new layer of deep snow.  While I knew going in a fast time was out of the question, this final revelation told me that my time was going to be humorously slow compared to what I can normally run.

When the siren went off to signal the start, I basically started moving forward as comfortably as I could.  I had no idea how to run in these conditions, so I just decided to run as comfortably as possible.  I was glad I ignored Nick's pre-race comment of, "If you don't win this thing, you entire trip was a waste," because I think if I had started out with the leaders I would have had a miserable (more miserable) second half of the race.  Within 60 seconds of starting my legs felt like I had just run 1/2 mile uphill.  Digging into the snow every step and slipping and sliding around made getting into any kind of rhythm impossible, so it just became a matter of trying to move forward in any way possible.  I settled into as comfortable a pace as I could manage and slipped into about 15th place 2 minutes into the race.

Fortunately, as in just about any race, there was a huge group of people who went out way too fast for their own good, and I spend the next 1/2 mile passing the majority of the people in front of me.  I ended up in what I thought was about 4th place, with the two leaders almost out of sight already.  At what I guessed was the 1 mile mark (though there were no official markings) I had settled into a group with two other guys, and we were in 3rd-5th places.  This was about 8 minutes into the race.

Around 9 minutes I started to feel really lightheaded, and had to slow down my effort.  I figured this would cost me a few places, but it turns out the two guys I was running with did the same, so we stayed in a pack, and my head started to clear as I caught my breath and settled in.  We stayed like this for almost the rest of the race.

The course consisted of several loops, and while most of it was covered in 6 inches of snow, there were places where there was just a thin layer and you could actually try to pick up the pace a bit.  It was in these spots I tried to move ahead of my small pack, but it was pretty much a wasted effort as they had the same idea.  At around 16 minutes we went around a turn and there was an official calling out, "Just head around the turn and towards the finish!"  This really threw me off because I knew our pace was considerably slower than 7:00 per mile, meaning we should have been running at least 22 minutes for this thing...probably slower.  It turns out he meant this was our last loop.  We still had almost a mile of running left, but the loop itself would end with the final straightaway into the finish.

So as the final loop dragged on and on, we continued to stay together until we finally came around a turn that went between a group of trees, and there about 200 meters ahead was the finish line.  We all started to pick up the pace, with one guy (who just looked the part of the trail runner) really taking off and gapping us.  I looked at the other guy next to me and said, "Come on, lets go," and started to sprint and ended up putting a gap of my own on him.  I crossed the finish line in 4th place with a time of 23:24, which is considerably slower than the pace I hit on my long runs, but it felt like one of the harder efforts I've ever put into a race.

I waited at the finish patiently for Neal, who was about 40 seconds back in 7th place, and together we waited for Nick to finish a few minutes later.  After watching finishers straggle in for about 15 minutes, I started to get cold so Neal and I headed back to the truck, changed into some warm clothes, and instead of doing a cooldown, decided to head inside and wait for awards, which were scheduled to start at 10:00.

After a few minutes of waiting, we decided a cooldown was worthless anyway, so I started to grab food that was set out.  Around 10:30 they started awards, and I have to admit they had good prizes to give out.  The top overall finishers, as well as top finishers in the Masters and Grand Masters divisions got blankets.  The age group winners got travel mugs.  Despite my 4th place finish, I was given the 3rd Place overall prize, as the guy who got 3rd and pulled away from me at the end was in the Masters Division.  This confused me at first, because they did overall awards first and when I was given the 3rd place prize, I made sure to let the organizer know I finished 4th.  But they clarified, and the true 3rd placer got his Masters Division Champion blanket for his trouble.

Neal ended up winning his age group and getting a travel mug, and after hanging out a few more minutes, we were back on the road.  Our first stop was a not at all ironic meal at Cheeseburger in Paradise.  We stuffed ourselves with greasy burgers and fries, and finally began our trip back to Louisville.  Fortunately the highways had been cleared during the morning so the trip wasn't quite as bad as on the way up.  Unfortunately the wind had picked up considerably, and I felt like I was getting blown all over the interstate for 100 miles.  But we made it back safely, and when I got home I took a long shower and a well-deserved nap.  Despite my slow time and the pure danger we put ourselves in, Neal and I decided on the way back that the the trip was well worth all the trouble.  Personally, I think this would be something cool to bring to Louisville.

A Quick Note on Snow Days

So as a teacher, I have been the beneficiary of far too many days off in the month of January.  When I return to work on Monday (yes we are off Friday) I will have had 10 consecutive days off due to weekends, holidays, and snow days.  Read that again...10 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OFF.  I've hardly worked this month.  While that is both exciting and depressing, I have to admit that this 10 day stretch has led to a resurgence in my training, and with it, my motivation.

One of my favorite stories to tell from back in the prime of my running career is of one Sunday night, when I didn't have to be at work until late the next morning.  Well, this evening I had decided to continuously push off my long run throughout the day, constantly making excuses why not to run.  I had to eat lunch, had to walk the dog, had to meet my girlfriend, eat dinner, etc...  Finally, it got to be 11:00 at night, and I still hadn't run.  I was laying on the couch, starting to doze off, when my guilty voice in the back of my head spoke up and told me I had no reason to take the day off.  I had the option, right then, to either fall asleep, or get in a short run.  For whatever reason, I got out the door and, instead of a short run, I ran 13 miles through a park that was virtually pitch black.  I finished just before 1:00 AM.  Looking at my old running logs, this was about 3 weeks before injuries derailed me, but I put a note about hitting some miles in the middle of the run at 6:10-6:20.

The reason I tell this story is because I just now had a similar experience, albeit with a much shorter run.  Today was a snow day, and on snow days I can be very lazy.  I kept putting off my run all day.  I needed a small lunch, I was waiting to run with my friend.  Then he called and pushed the run back, at which point I decided on a day off and went out for pizza and beer around 8:30 PM.  Then at 10:00, I got the call that tomorrow would be another snow day...enter my cold night run.

The temperature at the start of my run: 6 degrees, with a wind chill of -4.  Start time was just after 11:30 PM.  Temperature at the end: 5 degrees, wind chill of -6.  Time at the finish was 12:15.  I ran a total of 6 miles in 41 minutes, felt great doing it, and ended up with an awesome ice beard (see image).

So the moral of the story is: well, I don't really know.  I guess you can say, it's never too late to get in a run.  But I guess we're not all lucky enough to get 10 consecutive days off work.  If I had to work tomorrow I would have been asleep 2 hours ago and my run would have been skipped.  But I can tell you I'm glad I got it in.  It's very rewarding to come very close to taking a day off, only to sneak in a run at the last minute...and a good run, at that.

My Past Week in Training

I think I'm going to start making my Monday posts a review of my week in training (I know it's Wednesday...but oh well).  I count my mileage from Monday-Sunday, so my last run of the week is normally my Sunday long run.  I've been doing this since college, influenced by my college coach who does the same thing.  So Monday is a perfect day for a training recap.  

Anyway, last week was a mixed bag for me.  The week started coming off a pretty good long run with my friend and training partner Neal.  I've been following the pattern of adding 1 mile to my Sunday run each week, which I started at 8 miles back in December.  My long run had been 11 on Sunday at a good pace.  I ended up taking Monday off work, and I went out and did an easy 6 miles at home, and my legs felt understandably tired.  I kept the pace relaxed and stretched a bit afterward.

Tuesday was my first day back at work after giving myself a long weekend and, since I had planned on doing a workout Thursday I decided to get a small amount of leg turnover Tuesday.  I did a 3 mile warmup, during which I was lightheaded and my legs hurt pretty badly.  I then did 4 miles where I threw in a 30 second pickup every 90-120 seconds.  This felt absolutely awful, but I struggled through and ended the day (after cooldown) with 8 miles so overall I was happy.

Wednesday's run was the worst of the week.  My legs still weren't recovered and I just did 5 easy on our track at school to try to recover.  Because of this I ended up taking Thursday as a planned day off to fully recovery before hopefully getting in a workout Friday.  Well that didn't happen.  We got a snow day Friday, and instead of running in what was quite a bit of free time, I took another day off...FAIL.

The roads were pretty awful still Saturday, so I ran 57 minutes on a treadmill with a loose band, so it felt something like running in sand, oddly enough.  The pace was off, so I just called it 8 miles.  But I felt pretty good so that was one benefit of the 2 days off.

Sunday was long run day, and I was due for 12 miles with Neal.  We hit the roads on the same out and back course we ran last week, going out an extra 1/2 mile.  I felt great this time and we knocked out a really good pace for the 12 miles (41:20 on the way out, 39:40 on the way back).  We hit 1:21 for the 12, or 6:45 pace.  And compared to last week, where I struggled the last 2 miles, were were comfortably pushing the pace the last 3 miles this time.  The only concern was some ache in my left shin, that still hasn't gone away.  But all in all, a good way to end the week.  so in summary:

Monday: 6 miles - 40:38
Tuesday: 8 miles (fartlek) 53:30
Wednesday: 5 miles - 35:11
Thursday: OFF
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 8 miles - 57:00
Sunday: 12 miles - 1:21:00

TOTAL: 39 miles