The Detroit Half-Marathon happened this past Sunday and I was a participant. It was a wonderful race though many of you may not think of it that way if you heard the news reports on what happened. 3 men died during the race, ages 26, 36, and 65. WOW! That is tragic for those families. Statistically speaking, 1 of 100,000 die during long road races. 3 in 20,000 is a much higher than that, a lot higher! It has been a topic of conversation here at the Cafe of LIFE all week because many people knew that I was running on Sunday. Now that I am in this “running world” I have noticed an overwhelming amount of caffeine raging through these runners. Now I do not know if caffeine or heart conditions were the cause of the deaths, I am just speculating and it is the only thing that makes much sense. A typical race looks something like this (by the way, not MY typical race, but a typical) wake up and have a cup of coffee with breakfast, then a shot of caffeine in their packets of “Goo” that energize them during the race, sometimes twice or more, as well as caffeinated jelly beans. That might be just a little too much. To add to that, many runners take Tylenol, aspirin or Motrin prior to running because to be frank with you all…it is painful to run long distances, I don’t care who you are (just for the record, I do not ever have caffeine and I do not take any over the the counter drugs or otherwise). So potentially this (and as stated before I am just speculating), combined with 30 degree temps outside, led to some tragic deaths. My prayers are with their families as they try to understand their losses.
Please remember, caffeine is a stimulant. It alters how our bodies function, how our brain processes information, decreases our immune system, leaches calcium from our bones, and the list goes on and on. The only safe amount of caffeine is none at all. Be conscious of what you are doing and look towards other alternatives of increasing energy; eating raw, nutrient-rich foods, drinking lots of water and alkalizing your body. Health is a daily choice and every decision effects every day in the future.
