This past week of training has been really tough. My energy levels feel low and as a result I’m not feeling very motivated… It’s been quite the contrast over the past 2 weeks actually. Two weeks ago I was feeling strong, excited and I felt like my half ironman training was really coming along. This week the weather has cooled off and with it, so has my motivation.

Now this is going to sound silly… but I honestly think that getting through the past few early morning training sessions comes down to two things 1) determination and 2) Nespresso (mainly Nespresso).

My morning ritual: 5:15, the alarm goes off. 5:16, Zombie walk to the Nespresso machine. 5:17, the Nespresso machine is on. 5:18, two Lungo’s made and brought back to bed (one mine, one Dan’s). 5:19, debate going back to sleep. 5:25, we finish our drinks, we get up and go.

I recommend Nespresso for anyone who drinks coffee and has early morning commitments. It’s quick, it’s good coffee and give your sleepy eyes less than 10 minutes, you’ll be up and ready to take on the day. The worst part is getting up to grab your cup… in extreme circumstances I’ve debated putting our Nespesso machine at the bedside table even!

As you can see… I’m pretty dependent on coffee; so lets talk about the benefits coffee when training.

The benefits of coffee for ENDURANCE athletes

Understandably, endurance athletes are always in search of a boost in energy. Here’s what coffee has to offer (more specifically, caffeine):

• Improves energy levels.
• It stimulates the brain and contributes to clearer thinking and greater concentration.
• Improves various other brain functions impacting: memory, mood, vigilance and reaction times.
• Ultimately, caffeine can help mobilize fat stores which enable the body to use fat as its primary fuel source. By utilizing fat as fuel the body can spare glycogen, which is an additional fuel source for the body (stored in the muscles and liver). By delaying muscle glycogen depletion, exercise can be prolonged enabling the athlete to go harder, longer and faster before fatigue.

Other energy boosting tactics

• Lately I’ve been trying to drink a daily vegetable and herb mixture that provides a solid source of vitamin B12.
• Try to uplift your mood with bright kit on a gloomy day.
• Make sure you are taking in enough calories to feed your training regime.
• Feeling totally exhausted? Sleep in. Sometimes your body just needs the rest.

Remember to trust your training and listen to your body. Sometimes you need to push through the tough times and others, you need to recognize when your body will benefit more from resting than the workout itself.

And if all else fails, make a Nespresso!