Fast Running Blog

I don't drink alcohol or coffee, but I do enjoy drinking a diet-coke or two per day (12-ounce can size).  Is this something that might hurt my health or training?  Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated.  thanks.

Depends on what you mean and what your goals are.  My wife loves diet coke and it doesn't hold her back; she almost always gets her 5-7 miles in and enjoys it. 
I on the other hand try to avoid soda - I am not the healthiest eater, but it is one way that is easy for me to cut out some sugars, and the crap they put into the diet stuff to replace sugar isn't any better for you (in fact it seems to be linked to many things that are worse!  But I can't convince Al of that!)

Well, I've never really noticed a difference in my workouts in the past (whether I drank diet coke or not).  However, I have recently decided to get more serious about running.  Perhaps a BQ in the future if it's in me.  It's a "vice" I'm willing to give up, yet in a weird sense, it's something I really enjoy.  Hey, no beer, no coffee, no desert- at least I can still enjoy my diet coke.  Maybe my logic's a bit screwed up.  And yes, like your wife, I have been holding out on this pleasure. 

My approach to vices - if I think it could be a vice and there is no clear virtue in it, stay away from it. Something that has no clear virtue is a vice for the sole reason that it fills up the space that could have been used for the virtue. Your body might be resistant to the harmful effects of soda pop, but is it taking place of better foods and drinks that you could have put into your body to help it recover faster?

Also, some harmful foods chip away at your body's defenses in a way you do not notice until it is too late.  I see so many  runners that eat like the average American and run incredible times in college, less incredible times post-collegiately in the first 2-3 years, and when they turn 30 you say: "What? This guy  ran sub-30:00 10 K just 5 years ago?"  They are plagued by injuries.  They cannot train as hard as they used. They explain that they are slower because they are older, when in truth they are slower because the worm of improper nutrition had finally gotten to them.

I drink diet caffeinated sodas during tax season only (CPA).  I gave it up for the first time (since college) last year in the middle of the summer and it helped me to be off it.  From what I hear, the caffeine and carbonation are not good for running.  For me, the biggest benefit of dropping the soda was that I slowed down.  Instead of drinking sodas in the afternoon, I napped in the afternoon.  Instead of pulling out a soda to get one more hour of weeding or painting done, I just don't do the project unless I have the energy.  Getting adequate sleep and rest is very important when getting more serious about running.  So I would encourage you to give it up. 

Many will clain that caffeine is a performance enhancing drug. Others disagree. The rest of the stuff in the diet soda can't possibly be good for you. Like Sasha says, you could probably be drinking better stuff. My opinion is that it propably doesn't hurt to have a little soda in moderation.

I dunno- but I prefer diet pepsi ;)  But I'd drop it cold if it would make me faster.

No soda for me, and even so coke/pepsi both make me want to puke, diet or not. I would say Dr. P is my "vice" but theres an easy fix- i don't buy it.

Bill Bowerman, from what I've read of him, was big on making his own "sports" drink and testing it on his athletes. He came up with various kinds, which were loaded with vitamins and apparently they were great for running, but all were quite gross. I clearly remember a quote from him the first time he tried gatorade......"These guys are geniuses!" :)

Alright...you folks are all quite reasonable and convincing.  One further step in my training regiment.  Diet-coke will now be replaced by gatorade.  However, I will splurge once a week on date night.  Thanks for your thoughtful input.

For a while I was indulging on a Diet coke (or dr. pepper) about once/week - I used to drink them more but gave it up for Lent one year and never went back.  Anyway, there are two arguments I have heard against soda in general (beside the too much sugar in the non-diet versions).  First, it shouldn't be a replacement for water ... if you are thirsty the caffeine and fake sugar will not help that thirst.  Second, it is very acidic ... I have had friends use it to clean old coins!!

Be careful with gatorade -- it has a lot of sugar in it and all the calories that are in it will be converted to fat.  Water (spiced up with a little lemon if you need a "taste") is really the best ... or a sugar free electrolyte drink.

This said, I am a firm believer in "moderation" - so if you need a soda a couple times a week, it is probably ok!!  2 a day is not ideal.

happy training!

I used to think that diet Coke was a vice, but I have since changed my mind!  I now consider it therapeutic!!!  Much cheaper than a counselor!!!  I would describe the high I get off getting a diet Coke during a stressful day, but some of you might report me to the funny farm!!!  I quit drinking it for 7 months last year.  Can't say that I notice a huge difference.  I drink it now occassionally.  I really didn't like the dependance I had developed for it.  I try to limit it to once a week or so.

There's no proof or evidence that diet coke will improve running by not drinking it.  It really isn't the best think for your body.  But, that being said I drink two Diet Vault Zero's a day and sometimes more pop.  I drink it because I like the taste and the caffeine is good too.  I will also drink a lot of decaff too so that I don't deplete the water intake.  Sometimes I'm bad where I would rather have a diet soda after a run than water.

You could drink Gatorade G2 it only has 25 calories per 8 ounces.

Diet coke is essentially poison, like any other artificially sweetened beverage or food.  The effects of aspartame are well known and documented, just google the side effects and you will have your answer.  As for gatorade G2, it is made with Sucralose (Splenda), nothing like washing your sugar with heavy metals to eliminate the calories.  Diet coke has been used as a vice in substitute for other beverages such as coffee and tea, which have been shown to at least have some beneficial effects.  In my opinion there is no acceptable amount of artificial sweeteners and soda companies are not much better than tobacco companies.  They knowingly market an addictive product with devastating effects to the human body, worse, they market them to children!  Sounds almost familiar to tobacco ads from the 50's and 60's.

I recently read a book about body pH ("The Acid-Alkaline Diet").  Basically, it states that the body likes to have a balanced pH to function properly.  If we consume too many acidic substances (i.e. sodas, baked goods), then the body tries to restore balance by using up the mineral stores in our organs, thus making it more susceptible to disease.  To prevent this from happening, our diet should consist of more fruits and vegetables (which are alkaline in nature). 

Anyway, I don't know if I'd take this book as "Gospel Truth" ;-) but it was a good read and seemed to make sense.  Diet sodas and even coffee are very acidic to the body, but drinking them every once in awhile probably wouldn't hurt.

Then again, aspartame might not be bad at all.....beware conducting research on the Internet!

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp (http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp)

All things in moderation...

Here's my take on diet coke (and any other colas, for that matter):

1.  The acidity mentioned is in the form of phosphoric acid (look it up on the can!), not to mention carbonic acid (carbonation) and even citric acid in other soft drinks.  In our high school biology class, we once put a piece of raw meat in a beaker full of coke, and a couple days later it was completely dissolved (true story!).  Granted, our stomach lining is replentished *much* faster than that, but do you really want to be drinking something that dissolves flesh?
2.  The caffeine in colas can be just as addictive as other substances.  Don't think so?  Ask someone who drinks several cans daily to quit cold turkey and see what happens to them.  I bet they will end up with headaches, maybe other symptoms and be in a rotten mood for several days while their body flushes out all the toxins that have accumulated.

I won't say I have never drank coke or other caffeinated beverages, because I have.  But I don't drink them any more, and I think that my performance, as well as my health, has improved.  I am now at my lowest weight since my wife and I married 11 years ago, and am continuing to lose weight.  I am now running more than I ever have in my life, and my performances are continuing to improve.  I am looking to not only get a BQ this year at St. George, but dip below the 3 hour mark.  I also drink pop very sparingly, and most often either drink water or regular gatorade.  In fact, the other day I was drinking a soda made with pure cane sugar (Jones pure cane soda) and hadn't noticed that it had caffeine in it - I actually felt nauseated afterwards, and that was from only drinking about 1/3 of a bottle.  Anyways, enough said.  Everyone has their own opinion, I am not going to judge anyone else for what they do or do not drink, but am happy to provide my opinion when asked.

Like w/ most good and bad things - moderation is the key!!! 

From what I have heard, the carbonation in soda limits some of your body's processes. In particular oxygen absorption by your muscles. This definitely isn't bad if your muscles are not in need of much oxygen, but if drank before a workout, it could probably limit your performance.

Ok my take on Diet coke or any other pop is this: If I'm in a race, particularly a 5 or 10k, and I am racing for the win, I have a mental advantage if I know that I have done EVERYTHING I could to be prepared to outkick or out last my competition. If I know that I have not eaten properly, or have drunk something that could hinder my ability, it takes away from my mental toughness and I don't feel like I deserve to ask more of my body during the race. If I want to give an all out effort in a race, I feel that I have to give an all out effort in preparing for the race. (no diet coke) Take it for what it's worth. I believe that our minds have a lot to do with how well our bodies perform.

I gave up Diet Coke many years ago (along with a bunch of other things).  I still crave it and I think it is delicious, however, if I were training world class animals I would feed them nothing but the best foods I could find.  Given the fact that I have to live with my body for the rest of my life I figure I deserve the best foods too.  Diet Coke is bad for you in every way...it isn't even hydrating.  Go for a glass of water! 

The research I've seen suggests that caffeine has little or no effect in short duration type athletic events (e.g. sprinting, jumping, etc.) but can indeed increase athletic performance in endurance type events (e.g. long distance running).  Just my two cents.

Caffeine is actually on the list of USATF banned performance enhancers in the stimulants category. According to

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/caffeine.html

8 cups of coffee or less if your body is slow at getting rid of caffeine could get you busted.

My take on that - there is a reason for the rule. Banned substances follow a common theme. They enhance your performance in a race or two at the expense of your long-term health.