NOT EXACTLY THE SAME

A week ago I asked;

If you drank a cup of coffee in the morning, a coke at lunch and a beer in the evening, how much more water would you have to drink to replenish the water you lost?

Richard responded with;

It's an even swap; fluid ounces of water for fluid ounces of diuretic in addition to your daily recommended amount of water.

It sounded good to me, but then I thought, “How can that be if different drinks have different amounts of caffeine?” If green tea has 25 mg of caffeine and black tea has 75 mg of caffeine, [note: I’m guessing on those amounts and measurements] how can it be an “even swap”?

Then last night I was reading an article in Men’s Fitness. It stated;

Another common misconception: the idea that caffeinated beverages don’t count towards hydration. While experts agree that caffeine does act as a mild diuretic, the degree to which it does so has been exaggerated… Under normal circumstances, the average guy consumes more than enough liquid each day to stay adequately hydrated... The one big exception: It’s not entirely true for someone who trains frequently for several hours at a time.

Not sure if any of that is exciting or relevant, but I thought I’d share.

I had a 15 miler planned for today, but I did not sleep well at all. Can just reading an article on caffeine keep you awake? Anyway, sometime during the night I set my alarm ahead an hour. I ran an easy 5 this morning and will get in another 10 tonight. I know it’s not exactly the same, but sometimes you have to heed the signs around you and be flexible. Besides, I do have a 13 miler under my belt already this week.

Quote of the day;

“Us runners–we live in denial. We are presently never in the shape that we imagine we once were.

Bullshit.

It’s bullshit. It’s a fallacy. The shape we imagine we were in–those grand old days, back when 20-milers came and went: they never existed. Everything’s always had a cost; everything hurt. Back when we were running those easy 20-milers, we were wishing we were in the shape of some other time, when 25-milers came and went.

We never are in the shape that we want to be in.” - Duncan Larkin