So, about hydration? I'm for it.
Honestly, I don't really do anything that unusual. When I have a long run, I'll put an insulated bag with a water bottle (reusable, naturally) in it and will drink when I loop back by my house. This system works well for me because I don't like to carry water with me. I haven't found anything yet that's comfortable and doesn't leak. And it's kind of nice having my water waiting for me when I loop back home.
When I'm finished running, I have a bottle of Gatorade waiting for me in the fridge. I like the yellow kind, and I buy it in powder form to mix with water, since it's much cheaper that way.
But if we're going to talk about liquids that are vital to one's well being, there's only one that truly fills my heart:
Coffee.
I have been drinking coffee since I was 11 years old - almost as long as I've been a runner. I can admit with absolutely no shame whatsoever that I am truly addicted to it. And for me, the first cup of coffee is like that first hit of heroin for an addict in withdrawl - it's not so much about feeling good as it is about avoiding feeling bad. The subsequent cups of coffee, however, are pure joy.
Do I drink coffee before going running? Um, do you expect me to be awake when I'm running? Because that's obviously not going to happen on its own. That said, if I have a long run scheduled in the morning, I limit myself to that one cup. Then I'll choose Gu with caffiene to make up the drug loss... and treat myself to a great big latte later on in the day. A pre-run cup of coffee poses no problems for me, especially since I go to the bathroom eighty million times before any run in a bit of obsessive panic. And again, the prospect of going without coffee is just not a possibility.
I love everything about coffee. The color, the texture of the beans. The sound of it brewing, and the sound of it as it pours into my cup. I recently started adding milk to my coffee, mainly as a source of calcium, and I love watching the light color swirl into the dark. I love the way it feels when I cradle a hot cup of coffee in my hands, and I think coffee ring stains are kind of beautiful. And the smell is pure heaven. I had a job in college working for a coffee shop, and when I was finished with my shift, the smell would linger in my hair and on my clothes, and I loved it. I am also a coffee snob. If you offer me Folger's, I'll drink it if I have no other choice, but I'll be silently pissed off about it.
In short, I like my coffee like I like my running: a latte.
8 comments:
Really? Does Folgers have a bad name in the US?
Now I know why my friends gave me such a look when I packed my suitcase full of the hazlenut stuff after visiting them. Mix it half and half with some good quality Italian roast - oh yeah!
I simply can't abide those sugar syrup things, and we have to pay through the nose in the UK for those 'luxury' flavoured coffees. Honestly -even though most of them are absolutely foul.
But its always nice to meet a fellow junkie.
Yeah - another coffee aficionado : )
In that book I'm "trying" to read "Performance Nutrition For Runners" homie suggests peeps take a caffeine tab (or drink coffee) before a race. Boosts endurance or something like that (I can't remember, it's good for something LOL)
As a non-coffee drinker, I've always been curious about the people who show up for a race or for the 5am spinning class with a big cup of coffee. It doesn't make you hot? I'm sure you're much more awake than I am, though!
I wish I could drink coffee, but the smell and the taste of it make me nauseous. In fact, I've never been able to drink a whole cup of coffee, not even half now that I think of it.
I lost a water bottle during the marathon last weekend, because I was careless and didn't make sure it was snapped in tightly before I dashed over to the water stop--thinking why use my own water when they had it right there for me. Oh well.
I too have worked at many coffee shops...I always found it funny that I could make coffee in the shower. The hot water would mix with the grounds that had flown up in my hair from grinding it all day.
YUM. :D
It sounds great to be able to loop around and have your water waiting for you in the driveway. Do you get bored doing laps, though? How is your trisko training going?
I'm with shelah and newsjunkie. I hate coffee, but I love things that taste like coffee smells, and I do love chocolate-covered espresso beans! What kind of coffee do you like best?
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