Caffeine - Part 2

The monkey is on my back again.   I am hitting the coffee and hitting it hard - a short Peet's Lost Sumatra Roast in the morning,  a large Cafe Veloce Americano in the afternoon...  I knew I hit bottom again today when my head started to ache during a tedious business meeting because I hadn't had any coffee after lunch - I was forced to brew some dreadful industrial bulk coffee.

Prior to the New Zealand triathlon I managed to reduce my caffeine consumption to less than half a cup per day, and I was poised to enjoy a performance boost from some caffeine shots during the marathon portion of the triathlon.   But going into the Japan Ironman I face the prospect of drinking canned coffee just to maintain the status quo.

I should have checked into a coffee detox center, or some sortof Caffeine Anonymous 12-step program or support group.  I envision a group of fellow coffee addicts sitting in a circle of a folding chairs in some community center, sipping paper cups filled with whiskey, and saying "My name is Jay, I am a caffeineaholic".

So as I started packing my gear for the ironman, one of the most important items is the three  No-Doz tablets each containing 100 mg. of caffeine (the equivalent of a standard cup of coffee).   To make it through the 14 hours of swimming, cycling and running, it all comes down to caffeine consumption management.