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Lately I’ve been hydrating and recovering with Nuun Water and mix1. Both are great at what they do. I love that the Nuun tablets make them completely portable. I also find that after a tough workout, mix1 definitely feeds me the nutrients I need to be refreshed sooner. Both are great for on-the-go athletes that need to throw something in the bag for a trip to the gym.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on how you see it), the other day I was out of both Nuun tablets and mix1. I was setting out for an easy paced 12 miler so I knew I needed something more than just plain water. As I scoured the kitchen, hoping to find a stray tablet, I recalled what I had read in Born To Run about the Tarahumara drinking chia frescas, a combination of chia seeds, lime juice, honey and water. It was said that this simple concoction kept these runners going for hours and hours. Last summer I tried making chia frescas on my own, but had found that the chia seeds tended to clog the spout in my water bottles. Nothing more frustrating that being 30 – 40 minutes into a run, squeezing your water bottle and getting nothing out of it. My solution? I took out the chia seeds and ended up with a citrus honey drink. By the time Fall came around, I had simplified it even further by taking out the lime. This simple honey water solution powered me to my 7 minute half marathon PR in November (1:33:14).
I’m not sure why I eventually moved away from the honey water. Maybe it was because I ran out of honey one day or because my buddy Mike was recommending Nuun. I don’t remember. Regardless, but late winter I had switched to Nuun almost exclusively.
So the other day I was setting out for a 12 miler, and with no Nuun available, I went back to my old reliable. What a pleasant “re-discovery”. A nice side effect of drinking the honey water instead of the Nuun was that I didn’t need to pack any Gu’s either. Taking a few sips of honey water every 10 – 20 minutes provided me the steady stream of simple carbohydrates I needed to maintain a consistent pace. I also found that I was needing fewer gulps per mile . I’m sure I’ll still mix in the Nuun regularly (you really can’t beat the convenience factor), but I have really enjoyed the honey water over the last four or five workouts. This past Sunday I felt refreshed and able to continue after at 15 mile marathon paced run. I’m still tinkering with the ratios, but a 5 – 10% solution seems to be working best for me.
Now if I could only get to hand out honey water at Smuttynose and New York, I’ll be all set!
Run Luau Run 
Without a doubt your on to something here.
Make it happen, and I will be your first customer!!!! :O)
Might have to try that out…
Also, I wonder how nuun tri-berry would be with honey added. ‘lytes and fuel in what should be one hella tasty drink.
Luna,
Whats the mixture: honey to water?
I’ve turned to mixing Gel and water into a small handheld container (got this idea from from the runblogger) and it worked ok for the marathon. But I would love to try the honey!
In a small bottle I’ll leave about 1/4 inch to top off with honey. In a 20 oz bottle I’ll leave about a 1/2 inch.
[…] the last year or so I’ve oscillated in my hydration between Nuun Water and my home-made Honey-Water™. Both drinks do exactly what they are meant to do, they hydrate without overwhelming you with […]
My daughter who is 9 is a cross country runner. She’s still very young, but a very accomplished runner. She averages a 7 minute mile and is very aware of the things she eats and how to prepare for her races. She is currently practicing to run her very first 5K in a couple of weeks. I was looking for something for her besides Gatorade before a race, and tried your suggestion of honey water. To mask the taste and smell, I added a part of Orange Juice and it did the trick. My daughter ran a 5 minute 40 second mile this past weekend. She said sipping the “go-go Juice” before her race gave her an immediate boost of energy and she said she felt a huge difference throughout her run. Thank you for posting your find ! Who would have thought something so simple as honey and water could make such a difference.
Holy smokes!!! 5:40!!!???!!! That is fantastic! So glad it works for her. Thank YOU for sharing her story.