Hi,

After I became a dad, I had to reckon with a new challenge: I was tired all the damn time. All of that free space to lounge around was replaced by a background hum of stress (mostly good stress, with some existential fear mixed in).

Stress is a small price to pay, right? Publicly, I’d say “correct.” Leo and Ollie are miracles, the universe observing itself through two amazing boys.

Privately, like in a marketing email to anyone who has ever bought a gel from The Feed, I’d say WRONG. It was getting in the way of my training and coaching. Dada needs to do his hill strides or he’s going to start ranting about how Paw Patrol is an authoritarian betrayal of rule of law, undermining a functioning democracy. 

That’s where the Caffeine Superboost comes in. The trick is simple. After 15-20 minutes of training, take a caffeinated gel. My favorite option is Precision 100 CAF, which has 100 mg of caffeine and has a slight aftertaste of jet fuel to tell you it’s working. Back-up options:

• Enervit Cola (100 mg caffeine)
• Amacx Cola (75 mg caffeine)
• Gu Roctane (35 mg caffeine)

You could even go with Science in Sport Caffeine + Nootropics (200 mg caffeine). SiS Nootropics: because meth is illegal.

The theory is that the body often hits a window of lower blood glucose around 15-20 minutes. That depletion in the small glucose pool presents two opportunities. One, the carb hit will likely enhance performance via nervous system mechanisms. Two, caffeine might hit the bloodstream and the brain more readily.

If I take an extra hit of caffeine pre-run, it barely seems to hit when I’m already tired. If I take a caffeinated gel 15-20 minutes into my run or bike, I’ll often start to feel like I’m on top of the world a few miles later.

And most significantly, that energy carries over the rest of the day. I’m a better coach and a better dad. I find myself thinking “Elmo’s laugh is endearing” rather than “I wish there was a Sesame Street and Mortal Kombat mash-up.”

I think there’s a strong argument that caffeine is the best performance enhancing supplement. The Caffeine Superboost amplifies my daily dose so I don’t have to drink 6 cups of coffee to avoid having intrusive thoughts mashing up Big Bird and Thanksgiving.

- David from The Feed.