After a fabulous vacation in Mexico, I am recharged, revitalized and re-energized. I was able to run several times while on vacation. It was a treat to only pack my slim Vibrams and not a pair of bulky running shoes, but the terrain was not as Vibram friendly as I hoped. I really had only 2 choices, the sandy beach or cobblestone road.
A quick side note about running on the beach: Sara and I typically stay on the boardwalk and avoid running on the sandy beach at all costs. Our main reason is the paranoia of twisting an ankle or knee. And, it’s so much more difficult! Now with my Vibrams I can add getting sand in my barefoot shoe as a second reason to avoid sand on a run. (I can remember only once that we ran on the beach and that was after the crazy snow storm in December of 2010. The beach was frozen and the boardwalk was ice covered!)
Therefore, in Mexico, I selected the cobblestone road. By the end of my 45 minutes I was feeling the pounding on the balls of my feet more so than normal. From a running aspect, my feet were glad to be home from vacation. Plus, it was also great to catch up with Sara over a 12 mile run yesterday and 4 miles this morning.
Let’s get back to my Chia seeds that I used once before going on vacation. I have two bags of Chia seeds that I am going to incorporate into my diet. Each night, I soak one tablespoon of seeds in a pint of water. I have found if I dilute the mixture with additional water, it goes down a lot smoother. I also added one NUUN tablet to my secret potion. In the morning I slurp down half the energy juice before the run and the other half after. The NUUN definitely helped with flavor (pink lemonade).

What results should I expect? Reading articles on the Internet there are claims for weight loss, leveled blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and higher energy levels. I am two days into my Chia Test Drive and honestly don’t notice any difference. Give me a couple of weeks and perhaps I will have more to share.