caffinated discoveries

I love this show on Fox called "New Girl." In this week's episode, Nick wonders why all female runners look like old German women.

So yesterday at the gym, I tried really hard to not look like an old German woman when I was running.  (As well as being "long and lean - like sea grass." ha). I am not sure if I accomplished any of those goals.

Why? Because I felt like I was going to die.

Again. 

I don't know why it is that sometimes when I run I feel like I could throw up my entire insides.

Why is that?

(Also, why do I feel the need to share that via this post? Sorry about that).

I've written about this before - several times actually. Still, I have not made any process is figuring out how to balance my workout, what I eat, and, well whatever else would help in this situation.

The only reason I am bringing this up again is because I saw this article from Runner's World via Twitter about how caffeine is supposedly good for your workout. (Read the article here).

Here is the run down from the article, in this study, caffeine helps with speed, distance, and recovery time. It also does not really effect hydration levels (unless you drink more than 5 cups, which, if you do, you might have a serious addiction), and it doesn't really cause bone-mineral loss (especially since drinking it with milk tends to balance it off).

I've been avoiding caffeine like the plague. My reasons essentially boil down to two reasons. 1. After drinking espresso every day (almost) from October 2011 to June 2011, caffeine makes my heart feel strange. I also get really nervous/anxious, which is never a nice feeling especially for someone who is prone to those tendencies anyway. 2. Even when I do consume caffeine, it is typically completely saturated with sugar. 3. I also don't rely on "fake" energy.

It's been nice being off caffeine. Even though I still get tired, I don't really feel like I "crash" very often anymore.  But after reading that article, I am trying to rethink caffeine a little bit. (Plus, the Mocha Recovery Shake recipe they have at the bottom of the article sounds great).

In a few weeks, I am running the Emma Creek Classic 5k in Hesston. (Actually, I've lost all motivation to run recently, which does not make sense since I am still determined to beat my time from last year). So the question remains, do I try to incorporate a little caffeine into my runs and see if it helps?

If any runners read this blog, I could really use some input. What can I be doing to increase my energy level when I run that won't freak my heart out or make me consume a ton of sugar. (I do get 8 hours of sleep consistently and drink a ton of water). Also, I feel like a lot of "energy options" are for marathon runners. I am not that hardcore.  Any thoughts?