By now I have lasted three weeks without coffee. The original plan was for February alone, but it feels so good I intend keeping it going through March into April, and just one hour before I run the 2009 Canberra Marathon (hah! you didn't know about that change of plans, did you?) might be the next time I drink coffee.
It is a bit tough giving up coffee when you run long distances. But for me, the tiredness only lasts a couple of days. Here is my experience of what happens, I have given up a few times. The first thing is, I catch up on lost sleep! Next I have minor cold symptoms, which are actually my sinuses coming good. And soon, as the energy returns, I discover that I can run quickly at the start of races, because my energy reserves are not being compromised by the effect coffee has when it releases fats in preference to glycogen at the start of exercise. Lastly, I should find that when before a marathon or similar endurance race I do allow myself one rare cup of coffee, drinking it for its fat-releasing and therefore energy-conserving effect will be enhanced simply as a result of my not being accustomed to it.
In a word, highly recommended. In two words.
Another long distance runner
