Caffeine

I should give up caffeine, it actually hurt to type this one.  More coffee than caffeine, but, I think this needs to happen.  The problem here?  I think I love coffee almost as much as I do shoes.  That and I am 100% addicted.  I get headaches when I don’t have coffee, cannot focus, and well, easily lose patience with everything… a not nice Ange comes out to play.  (and yes, I think decaf coffee is a joke) The other concern: my husband drinks about a pot a day.  However, he has several habits I no longer have… and we work well together.  I love even the smell of coffee…. I also don’t like black teas… green tea yes, herbal tea, yes.  Could I transition myself to an occasional tea drinker?  And, like a true addict I am thinking… what else can I replace that morning cup of joe with?  I enjoy that first sip, the lazy weekend morning with a cup of coffee and the dogs…. what will I do without the coffee?  Well, I am sure I can figure it out.  The dogs will still be there and want to snuggle.  But, coffee should be phased out.  As much as I deny this, I am getting older, and taking care of my body is important to me now.  Research goes all over the place on the benefits and/or dangers of caffeine, so I am not even falling back on that…. But, more I am looking at all the other things I have given up that weren’t great for my body.  And, honestly, do I need the coffee?  Maybe I am still not convinced on giving this one up yet…. this may take time, and input from all of you.  But what I will do is cut one cup a day out for the next 2 weeks, then another… until I am at ONE cup of coffee a day, and from there, transition down to occasional. And, then I realized something…. on mornings I get up early to run, I don’t drink coffee before the run.  My thinking here is, the less awake my body is when I start out on a long run, super early, the better… it cannot revolt for me having it up and moving so early.  Anyway, those days…. I have maybe one cup of coffee the entire day.  My body is awake and my energy levels are sky high all day, because I ran…. so, that could be a solution.  But, I cannot run every day, and do not want to fill the void with my running addiction…. hmm.  


Anyone out there given up coffee?  How did you do it?  Thoughts, suggestions?  Any way I can prepare my loved ones for the caffeine withdrawals?

I will post the race report from Saturday’s half marathon tomorrow… and then, finally, the last habit: Not Saying No! So stay tuned!!