Living near the ocean has it’s downsides, one being that the terrain is flat. Here is our one local hill, and yes, it’s a bridge.
Small though it is, it’s what we resort to for hill training…when we resort to that. Fortunately, the view at the top is worth it, especially at sunrise. Have a wonderful weekend of quilt-worthy activities!
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.
Spring break is drawing to a close for us. We are each flying home from opposite directions, and the one thing that has me feeling okay about our vacation ending is that we will be meeting in the morning for a long run. Here are a couple views we can look forward to:
Spring Break Ends
Julia loves that one of her stretching! 
Not many people can say they return home to the beach after vacation, so we count ourselves as very fortunate. We hope the rest of you got some good time with family and friends over Easter. And we hope wherever you are, it is starting to feel like Spring is in your step.
Hey Joo-ya, I was watching The Chew yesterday, and they were talking about Super Foods. You’ve got to see this clip:
a) It’s pretty funny, and b) it’s very informative. We need to get on the chia seed bandwagon, apparently.
Funny you should mention chia seeds, Sara. My mom just sent me 2 bags of chia seeds. She found them at her local health food store. The directions tell me to mix 1 tbsp of seeds with 9 parts water. Let them soak and eat. I am going to soak them overnight in preps for our long run tomorrow. Do you think I will have the strength and stamina of the Tarahumara? Or do you think I will just have bowel issues? Fortunately, we have amazing pit stops here at the beach! See you at 7:00. Rest well & set your alarm!
Hi Sara! I hope you enjoyed your rest day. I missed seeing you yesterday morning for our normal 5:30 run, but I did enjoy my extra hour of sleep! I had time for a walk on the beach to see the sunrise. I took this picture around 6:45 a.m. By the time we return from Spring Break, sunrise will be earlier and we should see a similar sight on our morning runs!
Speaking of spring break, have you started packing? I was just checking the weather forecast for Mexico. It looks delightful. Mid 80′s each day with a few clouds. I looked at the weather for upstate New York as well. Mid 50′s with clouds and a chance for showers. I think you might need to pack some warmer running clothes.
Are you planning on using mapmyrun.com to find routes? I imagine you will have the opportunity for some good hill workouts! Just be careful to not over do it. I don’t want you to come back with your swollen elephant knee from a meniscus tear. We are both injury free (knock on wood) and I want to keep it that way!
I did some research for races in the greater Hampton Roads area. Here are some potential races in the next couple of months:
Spouses’ Club of Fort Eustis Wounded Warrior 5k/10k – 4/28 We ran this last year. How could you forget….we were so pleased that we made it to the start (of what we thought was the 10k) with minutes to spare. Only to realize 3 miles into our run, as we rounded the corner to the finish line, we had run the 5K! And then, we thought it best to go ahead and run the 10k because 3.1 miles really doesn’t constitute a long run.Well, good news my running friend, if we sign up for both races we can save $5. Both races only cost $50!
Oceanfront Jaycess 3rd Annual Cinco de Mayo 5k - We ran the first one 2 years ago! At the time we thought we should run more 5k’s and work towards a super fast PR.
10th Annual EQUI-KIDS 5k – 5/12 We always talk about running this one. Could be a fun “trail run”.
Elizabeth River Run – 5/26 Memorial Day weekend in Portsmouth. I haven’t run this one in years! Not since it used to be in Norfolk. Not sure I want to run it this year….it breaks the rule of not leaving the Oceanfront during Memorial Day weekend.
CHKD RunWalk for the Kids – 6/16 I ran this last year with Team Hoyt. It was HOT! It is the Saturday after the last day of school. I know I will still be in town… Will you be on vaca?
Check them out and let me know your thoughts. Regardless of which race we select, I know we will be rewarded with a “quilt worthy” t-shirt!
We’ve got a huge weekend coming up with the Shamrock Sportsfest. In Virginia Beach, it’s become the start to the summer season…sort of. There are a series of races at the oceanfront, beginning with an 8k Saturday morning, followed closely by a race called the Final Mile. For the past few months, elementary school kids from all over the region have been running in P.E., and their distance has been adding up…to 25.2 miles. On Saturday, they will run the final mile of their marathon distance! W.T. Cooke is our local school, and I have a kindergartener running on Saturday. Here’s the cute shirt he’ll wear:
He’ll also get a shirt for running the race. Here’s last year’s shirt:
So yes, it won’t be long before I’ll be making my 6 year old a quilt!
