By Abigail Larson, MS, CSCS

Coffee, glorious coffee, Coke, tasty Coke, and Oh! the delightful Red Bull; these are just a few of the ways that we caffeinate ourselves. With performance in mind or not, many athletes consume caffeinate beverages or foods on a regular basis. So what exactly are the benefits and/or detriments of caffeine? Should it be avoided or rejoiced?

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in sport and the world. Athletes often use it for ergogenic purposes but science has yet to conclusively figure out how it actually enhances endurance performance. But we know that it does; almost every study that has tested the effects of caffeine and prolonged strenuous exercise has been positive. However, caffeine has very little effect on muscular strength or events less than 1 minute in length.

Possible mechanisms for caffeine’s ability to enhance endurance performance in everyone from runners to swimmers to cyclists may be due to increased carbohydrate oxidation, or decreased rating of perceived exertion via blocking adenosine receptors (fatigue triggers). It was previously thought that caffeine enhanced fatty acid mobilization but recent studies have shown that it actually increases carbohydrate oxidation when consumed with a carbohydrate containing beverage. This is a good thing because this enhanced oxidation is a result of increased carbohydrate absorption from the intestines. The more carbohydrate available for use, the less likely you are to “bonk”. Habitual consumption of caffeine doesn’t seem to negate the ergogenic effects but can cause dependence and a certain level of tolerance.

What about GI upset? The good news is that a caffeine plus carbohydrate containing beverage causes no greater incidence of GI upset than just a carbohydrate beverage. The bad news is that GI upset with either is still significantly higher than water alone. So if your race is less than 70 minutes just drink water to avoid GI distress.

What about dehydration? There are lots of nasty rumors about caffeine being the dehydration monster but recent research has not found this to be the case. Rehydrating with caffeine containing beverages verses non-caffeine containing beverages after exercise results in no difference in urinary output or electrolyte balance; additionally this study was conducted over several days of exercise in moderate heat (23 C).

How much is enough? Most studies have used 3-10 mg/kg/ body weight of caffeine. In “real terms” this is 1 ½ - 5 cups of coffee for a 110 # person or 3 – 10 cups of coffee for a 220 # person. I don’t recommend anyone drinking 10 cups of coffee and most studies show diminishing returns beyond 200 mg of caffeine (about 2-3 cups of coffee). Caffeine consumption related to performance enhancement was generally 1-2 hours before exercise or immediately after exercise for research pertaining to rehydration. Some studies have looked into the effects of consuming caffeine containing beverages during exercise. These studies show increased rate of carbohydrate uptake and oxidation, increased time to exhaustion, and lower rating of perceived exertion. One of the main shortcomings of these particular studies is that they are conducted in a controlled environment where caffeine beverages are consumed at regular intervals throughout the exercise testing period. In real life race situations it is difficult to consume enough caffeine to have an ergogenic effect (how much defizzed Coke can you really get down at 40 k).

Caffeine is relatively safe and has no known negative performance effects when consumed at a level of 5 mg/kg/body weight or less. It can increase gastric motility, cause headache, increase blood pressure and heart rate when consumed by people who have a very low tolerance so it’s not advisable for the non-caffeine drinker to consume three cups of strong black coffee the morning of the biggest race of the year.

Personally, I love coffee. I drink it everyday. I try to cut back on my consumption a few days before I race. This makes me feel like I get a little better effect from my usual amount on race morning (non-caffeine drinkers show a greater response to the substance). If I drink too much I get “gut rot” and if I try to drink Coke during a race I usually throw-up. That’s all non-scientific data but I’ve learned what works for me and that’s something that the research can’t tell you, so experiment on yourself, just not on race morning.

Swixsport USA unveils new look to Nordic Racing website

After a highly successful first year for www.swixracing.us, Swix USA rolled out a new look for its national website this fall. During the upcoming racing season look to swixracing.us for national and international racing news, the latest product news and the focus of the site: weekly wax recommendations for all levels of racing across the country. From High School races to US Nationals, the 17 members of the highly trained Subaru-Swix Technical Team will post up-to-date recommendations for the wax of the day.

To promote this website, Swix is raffling off one pair of Force10 poles, the winner to be drawn on January 1st 2007!

Enter to win by visiting www.swixracing.us and registering to receive Swix’s email
newsletter, a great source of news from around the ski world!

"Get Your Nordic On!" Free Clinic
Houghton,MI
Michigan
Tech University 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Friday, October27th

Central Cross Country Ski Association ("CXC Skiing") is pleased to announce a free
clinic to all level skiers (juniors, masters, seniors, citizens) which will be
conducted by the whole CXC Team. See below for details and directions. Please bring
helmets, skate rollerski gear, and running shoes.

Schedule:
Friday:
4:00pm - Junior Clinic Introduction
4:10pm - Dry land drills (classic and skate)
4:40pm - Rollerski or dry land drills and games (focus on skate)
5:00pm - Master Clinic Introduction
5:10pm - Dry land drills (classic and skate)
5:40pm - Rollerski drills (focus on skating)

Directions:
Houghton, MI -- Michigan Tech SDC 1400 Townsend Dr

From South of Houghton on Hwy M-26
Take M-26 into the city of Houghton
Turn right onto Sharon Avenue (at the second stop light) Follow Sharon Avenue ~2.5
miles to the Michigan Tech SDC

From South of Houghton on Hwy US-41
Take US-41 into the city of Houghton and to the Michigan Tech campus Turn left onto
MacInnes Dr. (at the first stop light) Follow MacInnes Dr. uphill to the Michigan
Tech SDC

From North of Houghton on Hwy US-41
Take US-41 into the city of Hancock and cross the liftbridge into Houghton Follow
US-41 South to the Michigan Tech campus Turn right onto MacInnes Dr. (at the first
stop light) Follow MacInnes Dr. uphill to the Michigan Tech SDC
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The Yellowstone Ski Festival
November 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, 2006
West Yellowstone, Montana

Photo 10/23/2006

Jamie Green reports that the white stuff has covered the ground in West Yellowstone, Montana. In a few weeks, Yellowstone will kick off the national ski season with the Yellowstone Ski Festival. www.yellowstoneskifestival.com

Don't forget to register for the SuperTour races at West Yellowstone Ski Festival. The page with a link to online registration and paper registration can be found HERE!

For over 25 years, West Yellowstone, Montana has played host to cross country skiers during the month of November. There is no better place to start your ski season! It’s not too early to start making plans for the upcoming season. Look for future articles and for more information, visit www.yellowstoneskifestival.com or contact:

Jamie Greene, Yellowstone Ski Festival Coordinator
The West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 458
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-9427
info@yellowstoneskifestival.com

Start your ski season in West Yellowstone, Montana!
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The Methow Valley Cross Country Ski Camp
December 14-17, 2006 at
Sun Mountain Lodge
Winthrop, WA
Registration opens Sept 1st MVN members
Sept 15th for non-members

Visit Methow Valley Ski Club's website for more information
http://www.mvnordic.com/mvnordic/cccamp.html
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The Steamboat Nordic Camp and Festival
December 15th-17th, 2006
Held at the Lake Catamount Touring Center and
the Steamboat Ski Touring Center
Steamboat, CO

This weekend is filled with clinics and coaching for all abilities, free demo equipment and fun for all! Learn from top coaches, meet new ski friends and learn in an incredible setting! Coaching available for everyone, from beginner through advanced skiers. Whether your focus is to race or gain fitness, have fun and meet new people, we have what you are looking for! All abilities, both skate and classic techniques will be taught.

All major ski companies will be represented and offer free demo equipment. Try new equipment, test the latest waxes and get basic and technical information to get you skiing in a whole new way!

Register at Ski Haus, the Steamboat Springs Touring Center or download a registration form and send it in.
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Devil's Thumb Ranch
Tabernash, CO
Grand Nordic Ski Swap
Broad Axe Barn 6:00PM
October 28
www.devilsthumbranch.com
970.726.8231 ex. 512
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Tamarack Resort’s
Subaru Factory Team
Women’s Camp
Feb 8-11
The Subaru Factory Team’s
Kate Underwood will be leading this Women’s Camp!
Kate is one of America’s Top Racers
3rd place US National Championship 30km-2006, 5th place American Birkebeiner-2005
For more information call 208-325-1312 or email
LClausen@TamarackIdaho.com

NOTE: If you have an event you would like to have in SkiPost please send emails to weanswer@skipost.com

For more information on Subaru's technically advanced all-wheel drive vehicles check out www.subaru.com

"It's What Makes A Subaru, A Subaru."

SkiPost is a cross-country skiing informational, educational and motivational service, brought to you through a partnership with the Subaru Factory Team and the Salomon Athlete & Event Force.

The goal of SkiPost is to make the sport of cross-country skiing easier and more enjoyable for all who choose to participate. If you have questions on Cross-country Skiing see www.SkiPost.com or email us at mailto:weanswer@skipost.com

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Enjoy Winter,
Justin Easter

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