Still No Coffee

Yup. Gave it up. Cold turkey. I was sick of relying on lots of coffee to make it through a day. It was getting bad: 2 cups in the morning (2 mugs, so bigger than the traditional "cup") and at least another big coffee, often an americano, in the afternoon.

I was also waking up groggy every day; unable to snap into it until I had my beloved coffee. Warning, you don't want to "cuddle up" with me before my coffee haha. As the day went on, I think coffee was starting to have the opposite effect on me by making me more tired. Without that afternoon jolt, I became a zombie. Naps were often not possible, but very highly desired. So I was constantly sipping on a coffee throughout the day. Starbucks, or wherever I could get my fix, loved me (emphasis on the -ed).

The severity of this addiction hit me when my life slowed down a bit this summer--less training, less school, etc--yet my "need" for coffee was still high. So about two or three (can't remember now) weeks ago, I decided to experiment on myself to see if I'd feel better sans joe. It was worth a shot.

Day 1-3: It was hard not drinking coffee mostly because I mentally desired to drink it, not because I felt physical withdrawal symptoms like headaches. I can be mentally tough even if I smell it brewing in the house.

Day 4-to now: Then it got easy, and I quickly started feeling great--all day! No afternoon sleepiness, no zombie, no urge to nap even on my super busy days, and best of all: no groggy feeling in the morning. I suppose I'm now a delight to be around in the a.m. But I guess you'll have to get the opinions of others for that answer :)

Again, my life isn't very stressful/go-go-go right now (for once!) so I can't say hands down that NO coffee is the only reason I now feel energized all day (no caffeine = energy? sounds backwards). But nevertheless, this change is helping me; my caffeine addiction was very bad.

And all that money I spent on americanos is either being saved or going to the occasional kombucha... but not so much kombucha as of late given the kombucha-has-too-much-alcohol-and-is-off-the-shelves ordeal. I really need to start brewing that stuff.

So that's my coffee story.

D made a good point, though, once I get back to real training, I may need that coffee again :)

Diet Tweaks

I figured my tummy issues during Sunday's Xterra run were a fluke. But now not so much. My stomach ache has yet to fully disappear, even when I'm just resting. It's way different than that flu feeling, so I know it's not food poisoning or something. I attempted swim this morning and even that was no bueno. Ugh.

My first thought: it's not the food I'm eating, it's that I'm drinking too much coffee/caffeine lately--that's the only glaring difference in my diet as of late. With evening classes, that extra big mug of caffeine is a permanent fixture and my daily oz intake of joe is probably off the charts. Combine that with the stresses of exercise and life-in-general. Not that I'm "stressed out" but I am always on the go and sometimes forget to just chill out.

So... I think it's reasonable to wean myself off the coffee to see if that's the culprit, as well as keep on with more rest than normal. Nothing to lose, everything to gain with O-side on the horizon.


Stomach/GI issues are not completely new in my world. Last year I went to the doctor because I was experiencing some bad stuff during long runs. We determined that cramping, etc, would happen on the runs that were being done in the late afternoon--in other words, after eating at least a couple meals & snacks, so we figured it'd be good to try running in the a.m. It worked alright. Then offseason came.

Now that long runs are consistently back in my life, I've looked over my training log and I'm seeing a trend: cramps/issues occur more often than not when I get into double-digit miles, that's especially the case in the last couple months. I still do long runs pre-lunchtime but post-breakfast and post 1-2 cups of coffee. In training I'll allow myself to stop briefly and let the pain pass. I won't do that in a race--duh!--which is one reason why I think I had that episode at Xterra.

Also, before you ask, my breakfasts are nothing elaborate. I make a point to avoid majorly high-fiber breakfasts because I know what that can do. I also have lower-GI foods. Normally I will have some form of gluten-free carbs (either GF pancakes from TJs, brown rice tortillas, oatmeal, etc), protein (eggs or sometimes yogurt) and a little fruit.

Anyways, I'll stop rambling about gross issues, but it's something I hope to nail down sooner than later..... I just realized I'm signed up for Boise 70.3 and that starts at 2 p.m. uh oh.