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When I was getting ready to run my first half marathon preparation was everything. I spent time learning about everything that I should eat before my half marathon. I also spent time researching the best clothing and stretches to do. However, something I didn’t think about was whether it would be a good idea to drink coffee before running my half marathon.
As a general rule, it is ok to drink coffee before a half marathon providing it is something that you have done in training. Coffee can provide lots of great benefits to half marathon runners such as feeling energetic and alert. However, if you have not drunk coffee before, using it and running a half marathon could come with some significant side effects. Examples include a fast heart rate and dehydration.
You don’t need to take my word for it. To help you decide whether or not you should be drinking coffee before a half marathon, I spoke to some other runners as well as looked into the best practices and pros and cons of drinking coffee and running a half marathon.
What Runners Think
When trying to figure out if drinking coffee and running a half marathon was a good idea, the first thing that I did was head onto an online running forum to get the opinions of other runners. 171 runners voted. The results are in.
| Choice | Votes |
| Coffee before a half marathon is a great idea | 114 (66.7%) |
| Coffee before a half marathon is a bad idea | 57 (33.3%) |
Looking at the votes above, it seems like most runners favor drinking coffee before a half marathon rather than avoiding it. Some of the runners who voted had this to say:
“I drink coffee before all of my runs, including races.
I would never recommend drinking coffee before a race if that’s not something you’ve practiced during your training.”
ashtree35
“Do what you normally do! Don’t add coffee if you typically don’t drink it before long runs and don’t skip it if you normally drink it.”
PeacefulTofu
“I always drink hot coffee before races or long runs. Gets everything moving digestively so I don’t have to poop mid run.”
Mokeydoozer
Studies Relating To Coffee For a Half Marathon
After carrying out some in-depth research, I can confirm there isn’t a lot of data out there that directly relates to drinking coffee for a half marathon (perhaps they should be).
That being said, I have come across a lot of research relating to the benefits of drinking coffee and running in general.
For example, this study looked at runners who were given caffeinated coffee and then asked to run 1500m on a treadmill. The study found that those who drank coffee were able to run the distance on the treadmill in a shorter period along with a faster burst of energy at the end of the run.
Simply put, drinking coffee before a run could significantly increase your overall performance.
Other studies also support this. For example, this study from the Human Kinetics Journal compared runners who were running a mile with a Placebo with runners who had caffeinated coffee in their systems. The study found that people who drank coffee were 1.3% faster than those who took the placebo.
There is even some evidence to suggest that your typical cup of coffee is a better option for a half marathon than other types of caffeine. The study from the international journal of sports and medicine originally set out to see if there was a safer alternative to coffee when it comes to ingesting caffeine. However, it concluded that coffee is probably one of the safer alternatives.
Interested in learning more about how coffee could help you run? Check out the video below from the guys at the Running Experience.
Best Practices For Drinking Coffee and Running a Half Marathon
Before you decide that running with coffee and your system is the best course of action for a half marathon, it’s important to remember the best practices before diving in.
- Start drinking coffee a week to 2 weeks before your race – Whilst coffee is great at enhancing running performance, it can come with some nasty side effects. Examples can include muscle tremors and frequent urination. For many people, the side effects are minor and should not put you off from drinking coffee. That being the case, I’d recommend consuming it a few weeks before running a half marathon if you are not already.
- Drink no more than 400 mg a day – Too much of a good thing can be bad for you you and there are no exceptions when it comes to coffee. According to the FDA, Drinking 1 and 4 cups of coffee a day (400mg) is the cut-off point for coffee having positive benefits.
- Wait 60 minutes after drinking coffee before running a half marathon – It can take a little while for a runner to experience the positive effects of coffee. More importantly, a common side effect of drinking coffee is that it can make you want to poo. With this being the case, It’s a lot better to take on a half marathon once you’ve fully voided your bowels rather than starting one and still needing to go to the toilet.
By the way, if you are also interested in learning about any potential benefits of drinking coffee after a run I’ve written a whole article on it which you can find here.
We touched on many of the advantages and disadvantages of drinking coffee before half marathons already. But it’s definitely worth looking at some specifics.
Pros Of Drinking Coffee Before a Half Marathon
- More Energy – Many people call it fake energy, but it definitely feels real. Drinking coffee before a half marathon can help stimulate the central nervous system and suppress appetite whilst also increasing satiety (the feeling of not being hungry). Although this doesn’t mean that your body will have more calories to burn it will certainly help the way you feel when trying to take on 13.1 miles.
- Better Focus – It can be hard to stay focused on a goal that’s as long and strenuous as a half marathon. Fortunately, coffee has been proven to increase dopamine in the brain.This is a chemical that helps with motivation and focus.
- Enhanced Mood – In addition to motivation and focus, dopamine also helps release a happy and feel-good feeling in your head. So if you’re feeling a little nervous about running a half marathon, coffee is certainly something that could help.
Cons To Drinking Coffee Before a Half Marathon
- Jitters – Coffee is known to constrict blood vessels. This in turn can lead people to feel anxious and jittery. If you’re not used to these side effects, it could make a half marathon feel significantly harder.
- Crashing – Depending on the person, the immediate effects of caffeine can wear out anywhere from 25 minutes to a couple of hours after drinking a cup of coffee. If this happens at a time when you’re still undergoing your half marathon, you may have to deal with a caffeine crash as well as complete the race. If this happens at a time you’re finding significantly challenging, such as hitting the wall, you may even need to stop running the half marathon completely. If you’d like to learn more about hitting the wall, check out this article I wrote.
- Upset Stomach – The caffeine in a cup of coffee can cause contractions in your digestive tract. This is one of the reasons that people need to go to the toilet before running a half marathon. If side effects carry on throughout your race, it can make everything feel very uncomfortable.
Caffeine Alternatives For a Half Marathon
When it comes to drinking coffee before a half marathon, the main ingredient we are after is the caffeine inside it. The good news is that if you’re not a fan of coffee, there are other ways to get hold of caffeine. Some of my favorite alternative methods include taking it as a gel or tablet. The products below are available on Amazon and are just a few examples of other ways I’ve taken caffeine before running a half marathon.
What Else Should You Drink Before a Half Marathon?
Besides coffee, there are many beverages that can be beneficial for runners when it comes to taking on a half marathon. Whilst they all come with fantastic benefits, I would say that nothing is more important than drinking water. You can learn more about why it’s important to run with water here. I’ve also written an article on the best things that you can drink after a run which you can find here.
