Many runners get up early, lace up, and head out the front door. Before getting started on your miles, stop by the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of coffee for the perfect pre-run fuel. Drinking coffee before a run or race may give you the extra boost to help you feel your best. Here are the top 5 reasons why:

• • It has good nutritional value. That cup of coffee is chock full of essential minerals. While many runners are focused on their macronutrients, carbs, fats, and proteins, they tend to forget about vitamins and minerals. Getting in that cup of coffee (or two, no judgement here) will help add magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B5, and niacin. Want to add a special extra boost? Add in oat milk for an extra punch of calcium and vitamin D.
  • Makes you more alert. You may have already found coffee was helpful with those all-night study sessions in your college days. The same reasons why you needed that extra cuppa joe to help you study for your physics exam, is found to help you with your running and workouts. Caffeine clears the brain fog, sharpens your noggin, and provides a boost of energy.
  • Uses fat for fuel! Caffeine found in coffee helps to break down body fat to make fatty acids available for your body to use for fuel. Who doesn’t want an extra dose of fuel from their fat stores when heading out for an endurance run or tempo workout?!
  • Boosts your speed. Do you envy those faster running friends? Caffeine can help give you a boost of speed! Studies show that both well-trained performance and recreational athletes clocked in significantly faster 5k times after consuming their preferred rocket fuel aka coffee drink.
  • It stimulates your “movement”. Yep, that’s right. We can’t chat about coffee before a run without mentioning that it has the benefit of stimulating your digestion. Timing your coffee before a run will become an exact science. If you find that coffee sends you running to the bathroom then having your coffee 30 minutes to an hour before a run is likely a good window for you to avoid needing a port-o-potty while out for your run.

The benefits don’t end when you are done with your run. If you prefer to have your coffee after you log your miles or workout, there is research that shows benefits for post-run coffee brunch dates! Your muscles after a hard workout will have a better boost of recovery when you have a cup of coffee with your breakfast!

So tell me, what’s your favorite coffee drink? Drop me a line and I’ll share some of my favorite coffee drinks with you!