This is a little recipe I researched and have cooked a couple of times to perfect.  Some background to get you in the know when you serve these to your pals.  There are 2 basic waffles in Belgium.  The waffles of Brussels and the waffles of Liege.  Those from Brussels are the ones we think of when we hear “Belgian Waffles.”  Fruit, whip cream, etc.  The waffles of Liege are a lesser known, but more commonly eaten waffle… at least in Belgium. 

I like to tell people that Liege Waffles are basically the Belgian donut.  They are hand-held, sweet, require no syrup, and are good hot or cold.  They’re more dense than their cousin from Brussels, and frankly, I like them better.  Cook them at night for an easy desert, and save the rest for breakfast as you walk out the door or when you get to the office.

The Recipe

• 4 oz. (one stick) butter
• 1/2 cup sugar2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Some raw sugar or other kind of large granulated sugar (vanilla, cinnamon, etc.)

Cooking Instructions

• Melt butter in microwave but just barely.
• Mix in sugar, then mix in eggs (seriously – if the butter is too hot the eggs will cook), then add the vanilla.  Make sure this is all mixed well.  You should use a whisk not a fork.  Forks are for eating not for cooking.
• Now, add the flour a half cup at a time.  Finally, add the baking powder.
• Plug in the waffle iron and let the batter rest.  It’s very important to give the batter time to rest. 
• Sprinkle raw sugar on the batter sitting in the bowl.
• Coat the iron with some non-stick spray for the first waffle
• Put a plop in the middle (sprinkle side down) but not enough to fill up the iron… just enough to press out to a little irregular square when you close the lid.
• Finally, sprinkle a little more raw sugar on top and close the iron.
• Cook.

Enjoy immediately or cool on a wire rack.  Don’t store in bags, etc. until they are completely cool.

I have had better look with the USB than Bluetooth. Also, if trying to redetect, sometimes it helps to unplug the USB and plug it back in if not detecting right away. Whenever you plug in your Windows XP should ballon from the system tray that Motorola XYZ Phone was found.

You’ll be able to synch with Outlook, get the photos off, carve out a custom ringtone from your favorite MP3 and much more. Oh, and now, you’ll be able to charge your phone off your computer’s USB port.

Right-click the link below, choose ‘Save As.’ Enjoy.

:this is the link=> Mobile Phone Tools

Probably the best feature of the run was that it was a relay.  Sometime I forget that teamwork is just as rewarding as a solo achievment.  In the week prior to the run, everyone was quite modest about their times and abilities.  The day of, I think most put down a personal best.  Way to go gang!

I’m sure eveyone has there favorite mile marker.  Mine was mile 19.  It was the Hooters Aid Station.  Now really, this wasn’t the best station.  The best was the one about 300 yards after, halfway up the hill.  It was the Hooters Crossdresser Spoof Station.  6 guys passing out drinks from a beatup old white Ford, with full beards, lots of orange, and balloons appropriately placed.  I smiled as I climbed. 

There’s already chatter of more runs and relays; so I might have to set off a new category.  We’ll see.

 Be sure and checkout some of the other photos:

Well, it’s my last race of the 2006 Road Season.  A hilly 50 miler just outside Waco, Texas in McGregor.  It was a good race with a decent turnout even though the State Skills Championship was the following day.  Too bad I punctured at mile 30; I was definitely going to win… yeah, right.

Waco Mission Race – McGregor Texas

Gym Alternative workouts have to fall into 2 basic categories: Weights and No Weights.  If you travel, carry a jump rope.  5 minutes of jumping rope is equal to about 30 minutes of gym cardio machine.  That said, let’s peak into these two categories.

No Weights Required

What I have in this category is mostly body weight oriented stuff.  Some you surely know, but maybe I can show you a few new ones.  I am of the philosophy that the body is a near perfect machine.  As such, you should be able to use your body to stay lean and strong.  If you’re shut in or on the road and just can’t make it to the gym, pick one or two exercises for each muscle group.  Perform the exercise to failure.  Repeat the circuit once or twice more.   Here’s the list of exercises:

• Push ups
• Hindu Push ups
• One leg squats
• Four count squat thrust
• Hindu squats
• Two point bridge
• Superman push ups
• Reverse push ups
• Plank prone
• Chinese handstands
• Ab stabilizers

Are there more?  Yes, of course there are.  I could turn you on to some goofy phone book calf raises or make up some other exercises, but what I am looking for is multi-joint or full body weight exercises.  These are exercises that should stress your muscles relatively quickly.  There’s nothing worse, in my opinion, than the thought of spending an hour working out and not in the gym.  Remember to jump some rope when you are done.  5 minutes.  Forget your rope?  Then fake it.  It works just as well.

Have Weights, Will Lift

Keep in mind that you can certainly do the stuff above.  If you have some dumbells on hand you can add a few extra exercises to your routine.  I’m going to keep things nice and efficient here and just get straight to the list:

• Squat to press
• Squat with press (yes, it is different)
• Lunge with dumbell raise
• Iron cross
• Deep pushups

Note that you need dumbells that are about 10% of your body weight.  Perfect form and posture is key.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Naturally, if you have weights, you can do biceps, triceps, and a ton of other things.  The idea here is that you are not going to the gym.  You also pay for a gym membership.  So why have a gym membership where you rent the big toys, and then buy a cheap version of the toys for your house?  Just get a jump rope and some 10% body weight dumbells for the rainy days.

To execute the plan, just choose 2 of each for total body, lower body, upper body, and core.  The order is total #1, lower #1, upper #1, core #1, total #2, lower #2, upper #2, core #2.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Wait about 30 seconds between exercises.  Perform each exercise for a minute or to failure.  Then wait about 2 – 3 minutes between the circuit.  After performing it twice,  jump rope for 5 minutes or, weather/time permitting, jog for 30 minutes.

I’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to running.  I’ve heard of this condition called shin splints, but have never suffered.  However, a number of my more active friends and colleagues report serious and limiting problems.  Recently, I had the good fortune of getting some knowledge dropped on me by one of my cycling friends.  Brandon Watling over at Richardson Bike Mart (www.bikemart.com) said he has a sure fire technique.

Brandon was on the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball team at some time and is now one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding cycling; he’s no Sheldon Brown (www.sheldonbrown.com), but really, who is?  The exercise I will describe is what their Coach made everyone do to get rid of shin splints.

The Medical

There are a ton of sites talking about shin splints.  MedicineNet.com says this:

“Shin splints are injuries to the front of the outer leg. While the exact injury is not known, shin splints seem to result from inflammation from injury to the tendon (posterior peroneal tendon) and adjacent tissues in the front of the outer leg.

Shin splints represent one member of a group of injuries called “overuse injuries.” Shin splints occur most commonly in runners or aggressive walkers.”

That website will probably be gone tomorrow, but here’s the link: http://www.medicinenet.com/shin_splints/article.htm

Overwhelmingly, the advice is to rest.  I think that’s true, but not completely.

My Thoughts

Injuries like these definitely are due to overuse.  However, they are just as much a component of under use.  I’ll explain.  There is no single perfect exercise or sport.  If you do one single activity your body will adapt.  You will be exposed to injury.  For example, if you only ride a bicycle for 2 years and never do any cut and run type activities, don’t be surprised when you sprain your ankle or snap your ACL when you finally decide to play a little pick-up 3 on 3 basketball with some old college chums.  Your “basketball leg muscles” are weak and offer no support for cutting.

I suggest that one reason shin splints might occur is because those muscles along the shin are weak AND you are doing an activity (running) which does nothing to strengthen them.  In fact you are strengthening the opposing muscles so much that the weakness is further exacerbated.   Sure, rest is a good idea.  Take 2 weeks off.  However, while you take time off from the jogging, perform the PT.

Brandon’s Exercise

I read a lot of different exercises for PT on shin splints.  The bucket lift, ankle rolls, calf raises, whatever.  Those all stink if you are an active person.  They are all lazy and require you to do nothing but sit on your arse; obviously not good for someone as active as you. 

Go to a football field (or pitch), big grassy park, whatever.  Let’s assume you are on a US football field.  Start in the end-zone.  Face backwards.  Get on your heals.  Walk backwards to the other end of the field (120 yards away).  Never let your toes or anything but your heels touch the ground.  Go as fast or slow as you like.  Down there and back to the starting line is 1 (one) repetition.  Do this 3 times.  That is the shin splint workout.  Complete this workout 3 time a week until shin splints are healed.  Then do this workout once a week to maintain strength.

Good luck and thanks Brandon.

 Can you think of some active PT for shin splints?

Before I proceed, let me say one thing about proper nutrition: ahead of supplements, vitamins, meal replacement, amino acids and all the other gimmicks, proper food intake is the first key to making real gains.  If you don’t know by now, your gains in power, strength, endurance, are not made while exercising.  The gains are made in the recovery.  If you don’t give your body the proper building blocks provided in real food, then your recovery will suffer and your gains will be marginalized.

Lastly, go do some research on your own.  Take a real interest in find what works, or just do exactly what I say.  If your clueless, but know you are not eating right, then if you do what I say, it will make an improvement.  If your are training hard but constantly tired and getting nowhere, then take a week off and get your eat on organized!

Word.

If training or competing, you should:

Everyday

• >= 25 grams of fiber
• >= 6 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 5 meal minimum; i.e. don’t try to put it all down at dinner
• Eat big meals earlier, right after you workout
• Low glycemic index foods at night so you don’t make glucose go to fat
• Drink at least 2 liters of water per day
• 80 – 100% weight in kg in grams of protein.  151 lb human weighs 68.5 kg.  They should consume 55.5 – 68.grams of protein.  The rest is wasted.  Restore glycogen/glucose with carbs.  Build muscle with protein.  Even the bulkiest body builders know that it’s all about getting those carbs back to the muscles for energy first.

All the No’s

• No liquids darker than water after 3pm (generally.  i.e. coffee/tea/soda ban)
• No diet drinks
• No yellow cheese.  Way to much fat.  It’s also a gateway food that leads to eating other fatty junk.  I have yet to see yellow cheese on something lean.
• No warm cheese.  Cheese that goes over body temp does some weird stuff.  If you are trying to slim down to be lean and fast, you should avoid almost all dairy anyway.
• No sugar substitutes.
• No or limit processed sugars.  Sometimes, an 8oz. Coke 50 miles into your 100 mile warm-up is just what the doctor ordered.

Random but Important

• Ideas of Carb Preference: Oatmeal is better than Bagel, which is better than Toast, which is better than Starving.  Make up other chains like Chicken > Beef  > Pork.
• Realize that sure, what’s available may not be perfect, but something is almost always better than nothing.  It is better to take a little more fat than you wanted than to starve.
• Think about it.  You are awake for 16 – 18 hours a day.  When training heavily, you likely need about 3500 – 4000 calories a day.  That’s 200+ calories an hour. 
• Never ever get hungry.  If you are hungry, your muscles are starving.  If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
• Always know how much you burn for a given work out and what the replacement rate is going to be.
• Learn you base metabolic rate.
• Learn how to calculate your total caloric need.
• Never, ever skip breakfast.