alan tobin wrote:
> I think that it's pretty obvious that water is good for you and coke is
bad
> for you when it comes to any sort of athletic performance.
Let me start by saying that I only drink carbonated soda maybe 5 times per
year, and drinking coke before, during, or after a race would not have a
positive effect on my performance unless the alternative was to drink
nothing during a long race.
That said, many ultrarunners (even some of the good ones) swear by defizzed
coke during a race of 50 miles or longer. It seems clear that both the
sugar and the caffeine could be helpful, but one would think that there are
a variety of other alternatives that are not as acidic as coke and that coke
would upset the stomach.
In fact, few if any of the so-called energy replacement drinks sit well in
the stomach during prolonged (4+ hours) low intensity exercise, and many
people find they do better with the coke. Part of it may also be left over
from common practice 20 years ago when American ultrarunners were faster
than they are now (just like they were at the "normal" distance events).
You never hear about defiizzed 7-UP or Sprite, which should be less acidic.
- Ed Parrot
