If you come around here often, you know that I love my coffee and I love tips from Finds’ fave nutritionist Lauren from Nutrition Energy. Recently, Lauren tweeted to me to check out her article on caffeine in this month’s Triathlete Magazine. She also asked if I had tried TrueStart Coffee. I crossed my fingers that she was giving caffeine two thumbs up and telling me to keep up the good work.
Great news! Lauren says that well trained endurance athletes have shown benefits like decreased RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and increased time to exhaustion with about 2 cups of coffee a day. [I need to ask if 4 cups has double the benefit. Well, I don’t actually need to ask that. I’ll keep that question to myself.]
Lauren goes on to suggest having a coffee one hour or so before training or racing. She reminds us to, of course, practice a caffeine strategy along with a nutrition strategy for the race. Remember friends, nothing new on race day! Another caffeine tip is that on race day you may be amped up on adrenaline, so you typically need less caffeine to avoid “over excitement” and stomach issues. She recommends 50% of usual caffeine for race day unless you have a tried and true strategy.
The second part of the tweet asked me if I had heard of TrueStart Coffee. I had not but they contacted me to see if I wanted to try their “performance coffee.” I am not going to lie, I initially misunderstood the caffeine controlled coffee and was thinking that it was time release caffeine. Yes, reading IS fundamental. Now, I get what they mean and want to tell you about it!
TrueStart Performance Coffee is “the only coffee that guarantees the consistently high, optimum caffeine content equivalent to a sports gel (75-115mg per 2g serving).” They use a sophisticated technology during their freeze drying process. This enables them to regulate the caffeine content in their premium coffee, without “adding anything you wouldn’t want.” TrueStart contains no chemicals and no sugar. It has one ingredient – 100% natural coffee. The coffee is also 100% Colombian and high quality. Read more about their coffee standards and quality controls HERE.
They point out that the caffeine content in traditional coffee can vary widely. They say, “Your average supermarket coffee could contain as little as 2mg and as much as 200mg per serving, because caffeine is a naturally occurring part of coffee and therefore varies with each crop.” Who knew?
OK, so I know that you are wondering… it’s instant coffee, so how does it taste? It took me a few tries to get it it right. My one complaint is that there was little guidance for how much water to use per cup. The first cup I made was WAY too strong. The next one I tried I did a lot better. I added some almond milk and a smidge of agave and it was delicious. It is a nice strong coffee. I think I need even a little less than I have been using, so this 100g jar will go a long way. I am so excited to have a great instant option for when I don’t want to make a pot of coffee or when I am in a hurry. I tried the coffee before Fitfest. I felt adequately caffeinated despite having less than my usual amount of coffee. I typically do not drink coffee before running or racing but with six weeks before the marathon, I may just try it out!
You can buy TrueStart here – it’s $15 for the 100g jar. US shipping is a bit steep at $10, but for $25, this jar will last a while has been reduced to $5! And anyone who paid $10 will be credited. Whoo hoo! You can also follow TrueStart Coffee on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also follow Lauren on Twitter or check out her website for more great tips, to sign up for her newsletter and see her other articles.
Do you use caffeine in your training? Did you know caffeine content could vary so much?
PS. Don’t forget my great giveaways and the Wednesday Giveaway Round Up!