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Personally, I would drink coffee before, during, and after a run if I could. I love feeling alert and awake and I often feel like I get more out of my run when I’ve had a coffee. I usually drink coffee just before I head out for a run. However, recently I started wondering whether drinking coffee before a run was the best way to go. There’s a lot to be said for caffeine and recovery. So why don’t runners consider drinking coffee after running, am I right?
In addition to coffee before a run, coffee after a workout can offer some brilliant benefits to runners. At the very least, coffee will help to hydrate and alert you after a difficult workout. Runners who plan on drinking coffee both before and after running should be careful not to take more than the recommended amount of caffeine – around 100mg to 200mg.
Whilst we know that drinking coffee after running can come with some benefits, there are also some nasty drawbacks. Furthermore, the running community also has a few things to say about coffee and running.
What Runners Say
So, we know that drinking coffee after running is generally ok. But to get a clear idea of what people prefer, I asked a group of 151 runners whether they preferred drinking coffee before, during, or after a workout, or not at all. The results are in.
| Preference | Votes |
| Before A Run | 65 (43%) |
| During A Run | 3 (2%) |
| After A Run | 53 (35.1%) |
| Never, Drinking Coffee And Running Is A Bad Idea. | 30 (19.9%) |
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t surprised to see that more than 40% of runners preferred to drink coffee before a run, as I’m in that category. I also didn’t realize that such a large number of people avoided coffee when it came to running. Possible reasons for this could be that people opt for a different form of caffeine, or just avoid it completely.
Interested in finding out more about the opinion that the running community has on caffeine? Check out this video by The Run Experience…
Great Coffee For Running
Hey, if this article has got you all fired up and in the mood for a cup of joe, check out this Death Wish coffee available on Amazon. It’s organic, fair trade, and made from dark roasted coffee beans straight from Arabica.
The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Drinking Coffee After Running
Advantages
- Good For A Pick Me Up- It’s not unusual to feel tired after running. There can be several different reasons for this ranging anywhere from it simply beginning a new exercise that your body isn’t used to yet, to over-exerting yourself and overtraining. Having plenty of rest and giving your body enough time to recover is the best way of dealing with fatigue after a run. But if you’re not fortunate enough to have the time for this, coffee is great for energizing you after a long run.
- May Help Restore Glycogen- When it comes to running, the main type of energy we use comes from our glycogen stores. If we don’t take measures to keep our glycogen levels up, then running out of glycogen can leave runners feeling pretty rough. This often happens during long-distance runs like marathons and is famously known as hitting the wall. The best way to restore glycogen after running is by eating some sugary foods that contain fast-acting carbohydrates. However, studies have also found that caffeine could also help boost a runner’s glycogen stores post-workout.
- Good For Doms- Studies that focused on resistance training found that caffeine can change our perception of muscle soreness within days following exercising. Whilst this was focused on the resistance side of exercise it’s interesting to know that drinking coffee following a run could help reduce the natural pain we get from exercise.
Disadvantages
- Exercise Is Good For Rest- One of the big benefits of running and exercise, in general, is that it’s great for helping us to relax, it improves our mood, and helps us to sleep. On the other hand, drinking too much caffeine has been associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. So it’s important to remember that drinking coffee after running is likely to counteract some of the benefits we see.
- Coffee Can Negatively Impact Your Heart- There is a lot of divided opinion as to whether or not caffeine is bad for your heart. Luckily, the general advice is that it’s fine to consume around four to five cups a day without it having a big impact on your health. However, if you are someone who is running alongside having a heart condition or something similar, it may be good practice to avoid drinking coffee after running, so that it doesn’t put too much unnecessary strain on your body.
- Stomach Problems- As a diuretic, coffee can take water from the blood and add it to the digestive system. Put simply, this can make you feel slightly sick. Furthermore, factors like salt, dehydration, and heat can cause runers to feel sick after a run. If you’re someone who generally feels nauseous after running, then coffee has the potential to make you feel a lot worse.
Coffee Before A Workout
As the most popular time for runners to consume caffeine, there’s a lot to be said for drinking coffee before a run.
As a general rule, runners who plan on drinking coffee before a run can get the biggest benefit if they drink a single cup of coffee around 45-60 minutes before a run.
Advantages
- Better Focus- There’s no denying that caffeine before a run can leave us more awake, alert, and focused. If you’re running to achieve a goal, such as a personal best, for example, then drinking caffeine can certainly help put a specific focus on achieving your goal.
- Increases Speed- Many studies have looked into whether or not coffee can help you run faster. Take this one for example. According to experts, this may be because coffee can make it easier for your body to convert fat into usable energy, which in turn helps people to run faster.
- Increases Endurance- In addition to increasing speed, coffee can also have a positive impact on overall endurance. Numerous studies have examined this. But again, the general view of drinking coffee before running is that it can help you to perform significantly better.
Disadvantages
- Jitters- If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it’s not uncommon to experience jitters. Coffee is a stimulant drug after all. Jitters typically mean that after drinking coffee you may find it hard to sit still or concentrate due to the large increase in energy that coffee brings you.
- Headaches- According to Mayo Clinic, regularly drinking coffee can easily lead to dependency. If you were to suddenly stop drinking coffee this could easily lead to some pretty nasty headaches. So unless you plan on drinking a cup of joe before every single run, it might be an idea to cut back slightly.
- It Makes You Poo- If you’re someone who enjoys a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, you’ve likely already experienced this phenomenon. Coffee can act as a laxative. So if you have a long run ahead of you, keeping this in mind will stop you from having to cut your run short.
Coffee During A Workout
I don’t know anyone who drinks coffee during a workout. So the fact that it got the lowest number of votes doesn’t surprise me. But there may still be a few advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
- Hydration- Water or sports drinks are usually the best way to go. But coffee may also help hydrate you during a run. I say that it may be because there are studies debating whether or not it may dehydrate you also.
- A Pick Me Up- If you need some additional energy whilst out running, coffee can help. If you prefer to run without coffee in your system, then carrying it with you on your run could be used as a last line of defense if you do run out of energy and need something to help you cross those final few miles home.
Disadvantages
- Body Temperature- Unless you have iced coffee, you’re likely going to become very overheated when combining your naturally risen body temperature with a piping hot cup of coffee whilst running. Overheating is something that can slow you down.
- Diuretic- I can’t stress this one enough, not only does coffee make you want to pee but it also increases your chance of feeling sick. Food and drink digestion is a difficult thing to do during a run. So adding coffee into the mix is bound to make things a lot harder.
When it comes to drinking coffee during a run, the only real benefit is that coffee can help make you feel energized. With this in mind, there are many other kinds of caffeinated supplements runners can use to help boost their performance and help them feel energized. I would recommend using these Caffeine Energy Gels. They’re available in double espresso flavour and come with a double shot of caffeine which can be absorbed quickly and easily into your body whilst running.
What Else Can Be Drank After A Workout?
Believe it or not, it’s not just coffee that can be a great thing to drink after a workout.
There are many different kinds of things runners can look to drink after running. There are so many in fact that I’ve written an entire article on them, which you can find here. In this article I experimented by researching the benefits and drinking some different kinds of beverages after my run. From all the drinks studies, chocolate milk was by far the best beverage to drink after a run due to its taste and ability to help runners feel re-energized.
