Coffee!!!!!

I don’t drink coffee. I have never been a fan of the taste. The first time I had my REAL cup of coffee was just a few weeks before Ironman Lake Placid. Yes, 25 yrs old and never had a cup of coffee. I decided to try a cup to see how it would affect my workout. I poured myself a cup before going out for my final long distance swim, bike and run. If I saw a noticeable difference in level of energy, I’d have a cup before the big race. To my surprise, I didn’t feel any more energized than usual therefore concluded that there was no benefit for me to drink coffee.

Wednesday night, however, Justin and I met up with a friend who was in town for work. We knew it would be a late night for getting our workouts in so we met up at a coffee shop for some caffeine. While there, I had two cups of coffee to once again see if I could get an energy boost and avoid the to-tired-to-workout attitude. Over an hour later and a 10 minute walk home, I was WIRED! Like shaking, heart pounding off the walls caffeine rush. I hated it. My resting heart rate is already high as it is; it’s pathetic. What feels like an “easy” workout is >160 bpm for me. When I try, like REALLY try to take things easy, I can maintain between 150-155 bpm. But when I do that, it feels EASY. When I’m trying my hardest, you best believe my heart rate is just under 200.

When we got home, we had dinner and than hoped on the bikes. I was worried that a workout would not be smart as it would increase my heart rate even more. Disregarding my worry, Jus and I kicked out a nice bike ride. I survived. Showered and in bed, my heart was still off the charts. I managed to sleep and woke up swearing that I would never ever again have more than one cup of coffee at a time. Never. That is, if I ever decide to have coffee again.

And we’re biking…