The car I've been waiting for: 150 MPG

I've been keeping the old Honda Civic until the next level of affordable technology comes along. And here it is:

The German made Loremo.


I knew a car like this would be possible. Leave it to German engineering to make it a reality. It is scheduled for production next year.

It looks better and is even more efficient than the Smart Car, already common in Europe and now available in the US.

There are 2 Loremo models: the LS and the more powerful GT. They look exactly alike. Both have A/C, airbags, on board navigation system, radio, and mp3 player. The GT gets around 95 mpg with a top speed of 124 mph out of it's 50 hp, 3 cylinder turbo diesel. These cars are also designed to perform well in crash tests. The LS model has significantly less horse power (20 hp) from it's 2 cylinder turbo diesel but still manages a top speed of 100 mph and gets an astonishing 150 mpg. The LS model is at $15000 Euro ($22,228) and the GT at $20,000 Euro ($29, 600). [The dollar sure is taking a beating these days!].

The Loremo is expected to compete for the Automotive X-Prize. The competition requires significant energy and emissions goals most importantly, fuel economy with at least 100 mpg or its equivalent. (The guidelines are replacing the outdated MPG with this new standard, MPGe, which takes into account energy equivalents, no matter what the energy source).

US car makers are reportedly ignoring the X-Prize competition.

The old Honda I've had for 14 yrs has served me well with nearly 200,000 miles and rarely any mechanical issues. I bought it used for $4800 in 1994 and it runs perfectly, everything works. I've never bought a new car, and likely never will .... unless a Loremo dealer comes anywhere close. I would hope to see American research and development going toward similar vehicles (but it seems America has other expensive priorities at this time).

Anyone who has spent time in Europe knows how small their cars are in comparison. In Paris, I noted how many people commuted in the city on foot and by scooter. Even the finely dressed women would drive their BMW C-1 scooters that have a roof, windshield wipers and a rain curtain.

For simple commuting, it would be great to see this culture in America, it would help the economy, the environment, the cost of living and our dependence on foreign oil.

However, for specialized tasks, like towing and off roading, there is "no replacement for displacement".. as they say. Hopefully, American engineering can make more efficient heavy duty trucks, cause I need one. My Ford Expedition sure is an improvement over the old Bronco.

Actually, I already have a 90 MPG vehicle I often drive to work. Parking is no problem and it can go just about anywhere. It's one of a kind!

H/T: Glenn, Hobbs

A study in tornado damage at Wynnewood, TN

Since I live in a log home, I've often wondered how it would fare in a direct hit by a tornado.

Here is a good study of what might happen. Wynnewood is the same style log house as mine - squared cedar logs with dovetail joints from the same era. The caretakers were in the house during the storm and survived without injury.

This was a direct hit that occured during the Feb 5, '08 tornado outbreak. Notice the mature cedar tree that was ripped away. As you can see, the roof and half of the second story were taken, but all of the first story walls remained intact. (the lower pic shows more of the house. Use the breezeway and stairs as a reference for comparison. The second story from the breezeway and left is gone)

This great loss of a piece of TN history I hope will eventually be restored. Wynnewood is in Castalian Springs and is on the register of National Historic Landmarks. It was built in 1828 and is the largest log structure in Tennessee. It stretches 142 feet in length. It was a stage coach inn on the Nashville-Knoxville Road. It is owned by the state of Tennessee and operated as a museum.

I think the old log house did ok considering neighboring houses were flattened and 8 people were killed in Castalian Springs. It kept the inhabitants safe and wasn't flattened. I assume this old cabin is like mine with concrete chinking. Not as tight as the modern synthetic permachink, but probably more structurally stout. That is what may have saved some of those walls. Of course my log house is only 3500' sq ft - not nearly as large as Wynnewood.

This tornado was the single deadliest tornado to strike Middle Tennessee in over 75 years. The National Weather Service confirmed that the 22 deaths were caused by this tornado, which was rated as an EF3. The tornado path was 51 miles long and up to 0.75 mile wide. It passed about 40 miles north of where I live.

Story here.

Eclipse

All you create
All you destroy
All that you do
All that you say.

All that you eat
And everyone you meet
All that you slight
And everyone you fight.

All that is now
All that is gone
All thats to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.

-- Pink Floyd, Eclipse
from the epic album,
Dark Side of the Moon

This photo, although not exceptionally sharp, was the best I could do with a pocket camera, a Canon SD 900. It was really great to watch this eclipse from my room with a glass ceiling, sitting by a warm fire.

World class 400 meter runner with no legs barred from Olympics

A new runner burst on the scene a few years ago. Oscar Pistorius was born without legs but was fitted with prosthetic legs to run. And holy shit, can he run ... like 46.56 in the 400 meters. Not bad for a beginning runner... with no legs.

Oscar is 22, and known as "the Blade Runner." He ran his first major race in 2004. Maybe he has been too successful. After monitoring his track performances using high-definition cameras and analyzing the information, scientists determined that Pistorius enjoyed considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs. On the strength of these findings, on 1/14/08 the IAAF ruled him ineligible for competitions conducted under its rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The IAAF amended its competition rules to ban the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device". It claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius. (right)

Watch this video of his 400 meter race in Rome. He is in the outside lane and crosses the finish in second place. Watch his acceleration in last 100 meters. It is quite remarkable. I don't know what to think. He goes from last place to second place in the last 70 meters in a tremendous burst of speed.

I seem to remember the NFL record for longest field goal (63 yds) was held soley for 28 years by Tom Dempsey who was born without toes and used an unusual prosthetic shoe on his kicking foot. (The record was tied in 1998 by Jason Elam). As a reaction, the NFL imposed a new rule: "any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe."

Oscar Pistorius claims new evidence in his case and is fighting the ban. His claim is based on a fellow sprinters performance. SA sprinter, Joseph van der Linde, is more than a second slower over 100m with an artificial leg than he had been before he lost a leg in an accident.

Pistorius has launched an appeal and is setting his sights for the 2012 London Olympics. I say let him compete. He's fast, but there are many faster guys. It's not like he's threatening Michael Johnson's world record of 43.18. But what if he does someday? If he runs any faster, it's not going to help his case!

With news like this, I'm proud I've not eaten beef in 18 yrs

America's largest beef recall in history.

NYT:
"A California meat company on Sunday issued the largest beef recall in history, 143 million pounds, some of which was used in school lunch programs, Department of Agriculture officials announced."

Reasons not to eat beef:

1. Beef products, which are loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fat. Some fats are good, but NOT beef fat. Fat from any land animal is the wrong kind of fat. By contrast, fat from fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, recognized as good for vascular health and is recommended by the American Heart Assoc.
   
2. Virtually all commercial beef has bovine growth hormone in it. Reports have found extremely high levels of estradiol, “a potent cancer-causing and gene-damaging estrogen,” in US meat products (i.e. milk, burgers). For this reason, American milk and beef are banned in Europe.
3. Genetically engineered meat will become more prevalent now that the FDA has lifted the ban on cloned meat. Long term consequences of consuming genetically engineered meat is uncertain and may pose health risks.
4. Factory farms are huge polluters. They produce a staggering amount of feces that pollutes both the water and the air. Numerous studies and governmental reports have shown higher rates of health problems among people who live near factory farms. Farmed animals produce about 130 times as much excrement as the entire human population of the United States.
   
5. Mad cow disease is already in the United States, and the U.S. government is not following World Health Organization recommendations for ensuring that it doesn’t spread. Because it takes 10 years for the disease to show up in humans, there’s no way of knowing how many Americans have already been infected.
   
6. Beef production is inefficient. It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of edible animal flesh. Growing all the crops to feed farmed animals requires massive amounts of water and land—in fact, nearly half of the water and 80 percent of the agricultural land in the United States are used to raise animals for food.
   
7. The environmental impacts include: rainforest destruction in Central and South America caused by the felling of forests in order to rear cattle for the hamburger trade or to grow soya for animal feed, and desertification from overgrazing in parts of Africa. Also, 10% of greenhouse gases come from livestock.

Personally, I don't drink cow's milk or eat cheese, but on the rare occasion I use butter, it's organic and hormone free. That's the way to go. I'm sure eating yogurt or ice cream once a month isn't going to kill me, but there are excellent substitutes. Organic soy milk, ice cream and yogurt are awesome!

Painful speed work begins again

My neighborhhood is perfect for doing speed work. No traffic, and my block is exactly 1/2 mile.

So, after a week off, I've been doing resistance work, quads, abs, hams, etc... and distance. Today, since I don't work, I got back to speed work, running half mile repeats. My times were slower than usual. I gained a pound or 2 during the week off.

I promise not to be a "runner nerd blogger" and post my daily workouts, but here was my first in a while:

• dynamic stretching, half mile warmup

• half mile in 2:44 (90% effort)
  
• 3 min rest
  

• half mile in 3:06 (5 k race speed+)
• 3 min rest
  

• half mile in 3:07 (5 k race speed+)
  
• 3 min rest
  

• half mile in 3:10 (5 k race speed+)
  
• 6 min rest
  

• quarter mile in 1:04 (90% effort)

I'll probably do some stretching and plyometrics later. I really like Tom Green's regime. I'm focused on racing in the 55m and 400m dash at the Mason Dixon Games in Louisville on 3/7 and possibly running the Tom King 5K on Sat 3/15, even though I play the opening concert in the Tennessee Guitar Festival that same night. The Tom King 5k looks like a fast course. If so, I hope to get into the teens.

I don't want to get too greedy and try 100% sprinting for at least 12-14 days. I hope to do some timed sprints with blocks and spikes after 3/1 for reference. I just need to find someone to operate the stop watch.

TN snow on the homestead

Rain changed to snow last night and gave the homestead a little dusting. Snow showers continue today 2/13/08 in Murfreesboro. Nice to see once in a while.

True to southern tradition, all area schools were closed due to this half inch snow.

Nashville Symphony recording wins three Grammys

Hey friends in LA, NY, Boston.... you think you got a market on culture? Well, the Nashville Symphony just beat out the Boston Symphony, the LA Phil, and Atlanta Symphony to win the Grammys for Best Classical Album, and Best Orchestral Performance. (The NY Phil wasn't even nominated, heh).

The Album -Tower: Made in America also won Joan Tower a third Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. story

It was also gratifying to see the great jazz pianist Herbie Hancock win Album of the Year amid all the rap crap and country you usually see winning such awards. Refreshing indeed!

Also, friend and former MTSU staffer, Bruce Nemerov from Murfreesboro won a Grammy for Best Album Notes category for the album: John Work III: Recording Black Culture.

Also of note, Barack Obama won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream - it is his second Grammy.

Grammys... no big deal. My neighbor down the street has a cut on a Grammy winning album and my office neighbor at MTSU has 10 of 'em.

On official State business - playing guitar concerts

It sure is great to have a state car and credit card when having to drive 700+ miles to play concerts. Another perk of being under the 'state umbrella'.

My guitar and lute concerts at MTSU, Austin Peay State, and Mississippi State went well. It was great to teach Dr. Michael Patilla's students in a masterclass last Friday at Mississippi State. I'm looking forward to my last concert of this stint on Tuesday night 2/12 at Martin Methodist College, deep in the heart of TN ... Pulaski.

I'm also looking forward to getting my slight leg strains healed so I can start training again and maybe run in at least 1 track meet before the indoor season is over. It feels so weird to go more than a few days without running. It was devastating to have to withdraw from 2 track meets with injuries. I was so looking forward to sprinting last Sat but had to scratch because of a right hip strain. I went to the meet anyway and watched the 55 meter dash. It would have been great fun if I was healthy, I would have stuck out like a sore thumb. I would have been the only sprinter in the entire event of 4 heats that wasn't "a brotha" ... if ya get what I mean. My last opportunity may be to run in the Mason-Dixon games in Louisville, on 3/7. I just can't wait to get 100% and get in the weight room. I'm convinced my salvation will be high rep resistance work, especially with my quads, and a lot of stretching. But first, I must force myself to rest a minimum of one week. That could be the hardest task of all.

Hook echo - Tornado Vortex Signature (TVS)

UPDATE II:
Conditions are changing rapidly, info below is no longer current!
Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio for warnings.


Hook echo of confirmed tornado near Jackson, TN. 6:50 PM, 2/5/08
(click to enlarge)



Source:
Memphis Radar
Storm Relative Velocity 1

Viewed on my GrLevel3 Weather Software program.

The tornado vortex signature is showing up beautifully on this image.

UPDATE 7:08 PM - 2/05/08:
AT 704 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND STORM
SPOTTERS WERE TRACKING A LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO.

Oh baby!

FINAL UPDATE: This was the storm that devastated Jackson, TN and Union University

UPDATED: SPC - good chance of severe weather in Mid TN: 2/5/08

UPDATED:
The Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a major severe weather outbreak today and/or tonight.

The convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center has issued this map showing a moderate/high risk for severe weather in TN on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. It appears the greatest threat for Mid TN will be after dark.

Rarely does the SPC issue a "High Risk" categorization as they have done today. AR and West TN are particularly at risk.

From the SPC, this ominous commentary:

OVERALL SYNOPTIC SETUP WILL BECOME QUITE FAVORABLE FOR AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES...INCLUDING LONG-LIVED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS

TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY BOTH WITH THE SEVERE STORMS AHEAD OF SURFACE LOW/NEAR FRONTAL ZONE AND WITH ANY WARM SECTOR DEVELOPMENT. LONG LIVED SUPERCELLS WILL HAVE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TORNADOES OVER MUCH OF THE MDT RISK AREA THRU THE EVENING HOURS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THRU TUE NIGHT AND EVOLVE MORE INTO A SQUALL LINE WITH ENHANCED WIND DAMAGE POTENTIAL. HOWEVER TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WELL AFTER DARK PARTICULARLY IN AREA WHERE HIGHER CAPES ARE AVAILABLE FROM TN SWD.

I sent this to my brother, also a lover of extreme weather. He responded, "Must be nice."

Blasting out of the blocks

Update: 2/9/08 -
Unfortunately, after last night's workout, it's my right hip this time that will keep me from racing today. Since there are other opportunities to run this season, I'd better not race today since it is slightly painful to walk. Damn, I thought I was ready. Anyway, played a few concerts on the road and they went well: Austin Peay and Mississippi State.
----------------------------------------------------

Today was a milestone. Yeah, I played a decent concert last night, but what has really got me enthused is that today, I tried out my new sprint shoes on the MTSU track. Wow. What an awesome feeling. These Adidas Demolisher 2's felt great. I did a dozen or so full speed starts. I am 100%, no pain, no muscle strain whatsoever! Today was the first day I've been 100% healthy and able to sprint full blast. The quad resistance work I had been doing has paid off. I'm really pleased with these new shoes (see below). I wear a size 7.5 training shoe (Saucony Pro Grids), size 7 racing flat (Adidas Adizero PR), but with these Demolisher 2's, I wear in a size 6.5. They are worn without socks and fit like a second skin. Very snug.

As a sprinter, I feel I may have a muscle imbalance as my hams are much stronger than my quads. I think doing speed work for distance running - running fast quarters and halves doesn't develop the quad strength and power required for sprinting. Running steep hills, resistance work and plyometrics are essential for sprinting - the 'drag racing' of competitive running. It'll be interesting to see if sprint and distance training will compliment each other. I'm inclined to think so.

I just love sprinting, it is so much less painful than those 5K races I've been running. I'm also extremely light, the past few days I've weighed under 140 lbs for the first time in possibly 30 yrs, and I feel great. Fast. A 47 yr old sprinter, how weird is that? No wait, a classical concert soloist who is also a 47 yr old sprinter ... now that's truly weird.

Looking forward to getting a few concerts out of the way and seeing what I can do in the 55 meter dash next weekend in the MT Valentine Invitational. It'll be a new beginning for me, a starting and reference point as a new masters sprinter.

On the road: Guitar and Lute Concerts

It's my concert season again. I'm kicking it off with a 'warm up' concert at MTSU on Groundhog Day - Feb. 2 at 8:00 pm in Hinton Music Hall. It's free, come on by.

As usual, I'll be playing an extreme variety of music. As my colleague Doug once mused , I 'go from Flamenco to Renaissance lute.' Yes, and a lot in between.

Since I've been so wrapped up in running and teaching, I'll be playing many of my old favorites and my usual 'out of the ordinary' stuff. For one, Elizabethan dances on the lute. I say 'out of the ordinary' because very few people have seen a lute, let alone heard one played. I was surprised that in a Music Appreciation class of 25+ students I recently played for, not one student could tell me the name of the instrument! Wow. (Pretty amazing since the lute has been depicted prolifically in paintings and sculpture throughout the ages... so much for culture).

I'll also be playing my trademark Rameau variations - Gavotte et Doubles, a French Baroque harpsichord piece that I transcribed for guitar. If you have 7 minutes, listen to this work, it's a lovely piece with a wonderful chord progression that pushes the limits of the idiomatic contrapuntal possibilities of the guitar (and the guitarist too!) . It starts slowly and picks up momentum through the 6 variations, often times sounding like 2 separate instruments playing together. In the same vein, I'll be playing a Scarlatti Sonata in that set.

I'll be starting with 'Delta' - the blues inspired piece by my colleague Roger Hudson and a Flamenco dance called a Farruca from the Spanish Gypsy tradition. Two other Spanish pieces on the program will include the Homage a Tarrega by Joaquin Turina, and the intense and mysterious Invocacion y Danza by J. Rodrigo. In addition to a few standards by Lauro (Four valses) and Barrios (Las Abejas), I'll be playing my arrangements of two pieces by Brazilian Jazz composer, Egberto Gismonti - Palhacho and Frevo.

Here is my full concert schedule.

At Austin Peay in Clarksville, TN, I'll be sharing a concert on 2/6 with the amazing Chet-style guitarist Richard Smith . . . what a privilege. It should be a great night. The only problem is that I have to drive 300 miles to play the next night at Mississippi State. Ugh!

After I get home on Friday night, as threatened, I will finally come out of a 30 year retirement as a sprinter. I am scheduled to run the 55 meter dash in the Middle Tennessee Valentine Invitational Track Meet at Murphy Center on 2/9. This is a definite go! I'll be running against some of the fastest college guys around, less than half my age. Should be a blast.

Talk about extremes ... going from the concert stage performing classical concerts to running a sprint race in a college track meet. Life is very full these days.

Well... it looks like I CAN run 5Ks

20:12

First Place in my age group. Third Prize Overall Masters Division. results

With over 1700 registered runners in the Nashville Zoo 5K Race, around 1000 running for time, I can't complain. This was a major race. I was 19th overall, with a 6:31 mile pace.

It was a very twisty slow course. Many tight turns, weaving in and out of park pavilions, running on gravel, mulch, and mud... it is totally amazing I smashed my personal record by more than 2 minutes! It looks like that speed work I'd been doing paid off. It appears my Adidas Adizero PR racing flats helped. Also, I'm exceptionally light right now at 142 lbs. And, I just love running in cold weather. For the first time in a big race, no one older than me beat me. This race is encouraging because, I only started running 5Ks seven weeks ago. I think on a good course, I'll go under 20:00. Evidence that is was a slow course was shown by the winners time, Jacob Carrigan ran only 17:44. He's usually in the 16s.

This is my fifth 5K race since Dec 1. I have increased my personal best in every race I've ever run, so... I'm still 'undefeated'. Never before had I made such a large improvement. It will be a tough act to follow.

I went out extremely fast today, 6:14 first mile. I think that is my best bet, run a fast first mile and finish with whatever I have left. 5Ks are painful races for me. But, my legs feel great and I hope to sprint soon, but that may have to wait until I get a chance to do more sprint specific training.

For winning Third Prize in the Masters overall, I got this gorgeous large coffee table size nature book: Hotspots Revisited: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions. It's filled with awesome nature photos and narrative, retails for about $65. I love it!

This may be the last 5k race I'll be able to run until March. I have a concert tour coming up and really need to focus on guitar now. This was a great way to end a string of races.

Sprint training, not what it used to be

I wanted to run a sprint race this weekend but I am not ready. My thigh flexor is a little sore and I obviously need the right type of training to prepare. So I've pulled out of the AL Masters Championships. I'm almost ready to resume distance running and start sprint training, and I don't want to get injured.

[UPDATE Sat am: I've decided to run the Nashville Zoo Run 5K today]

I just ran a 20:38 three mile tonight with no pain - 6:52 mile avg. Amazing how different the muscle groups used in distance running compared to sprinting.

When I was a sprinter in highschool and briefly in college, our training wasn't anything like sprinters do today. We'd just lift weights, static stretches, practice starts and ran combinations of distance and sprints.


Today, sprinters do core stability workouts, plyometrics, dynamic stretches, trunk exercises, stability exercises, ankling, high knee running, dorsiflexion, reactive jumps, and a variety of bounds, jumps, skips, lunges, hops....etc

Check out Tom Green's website for some of these power exercises.

Resistance work also is essential. Check out this video of sprinters, some doing resistance work dragging weights.

Ready to fly again, coming out of a 30 yr retirement as a competitive sprinter

Times have changed, but hopefully, my sprint times won't have changed much from high school. Maybe I'm dreamin', but if I can run just a step or 3 slower than I did in high school in the 55m or 60m dash, I could be nationally ranked in my age group. These short indoor sprints, are and always have been, my race. Even more so than the 100m. I've always had an explosive start and quick reaction time.

Yea, I run 5Ks but, I'll never be in an elite class of competitors at that distance. Most good athletes with discipline can train for a distance race, but sprint speed is in the genes, either you have it or you don't. We're talkin' about % of fast-twitch muscle fiber.

Grant it, there are not a helluva lot of competitors for this event in my age group (45-49). The All-American standard for my age group in the 55m dash is 7.2. As a NYS Sectional Champion, I ran 6.5 (hand timed) in high school - (that converts to a 6.74 electronic time). Last year in my age group (M45), the national rankings of 1st to 5th in the 55m dash ranged from 7.27 to 7.47. Not terribly fast. I really have no idea how fast I am now. I feel fast, am in great shape from training for 5Ks, and I'm light - around 144 lbs, exactly my high school weight. But ... I've NOT trained to run sprint races and just found about about the Alabama USATF Masters Championship indoor track meet in Decatur, AL on 1/26. ("Masters" - btw means us old guys). So . . . I am entered in the 55 meter dash in this meet.

Well, I've gone whole hog. I bought a pair of Adidas Demolisher 2 sprint shoes, borrowed a set of starting blocks from MTSU track (thanks Coach Hayes!), and have increased my stretching a lot.

I've just become aware of new tech advances in sprint spikes - the ceramic 'christmas tree' spikes (see below). These are what the elite world record holders are using now. (Michael Johnson used them in his world record setting 200m). I'd never heard of them.


After one day of working with the blocks, my upper quads were too sore to run for a day. Sprinting I know is high risk of injury but I feel I can do it. Coming out of the blocks felt great, like I was spring loaded. If only I had been practicing gun starts for a month, I would be so ready ... but this first race will just be a benchmark for further improvement.

I'll eventually go back to running those painful 5Ks. They are really good for my overall health. But, when I can, I'm going to blast out of those blocks a few times a year and run my race.

I feel fast, but we'll see what the clock says next weekend. A lot of trouble for a 7 second race, but I am as excited as a kid in a toy store. I'm gonna fly.

Healthy Sweets - Apple Crisp

Here at Bill's TN Paradise, a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet doesn't mean abstinence from tasty sweet desserts.

It's all about ingredients that makes the difference. And if you're like me, you love sweet fruity and nutty desserts.

Here's Bill's Apple Crisp - low fat, no refined sugar, low carb recipe.






Bill's Apple Crisp with dried cherries and walnuts

• Wipe a glass pie pan with canola or olive oil

• Peel, core and slice 5-6 apples, since I don't add sugar, I use sweet apples like Fuji or Gala

• Mix with a couple tbsp lemon juice and dust with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice

• Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 min

While that is baking, make the topping.

Mix approximately:

• 1/2 c. walnuts (or your favorite nut)

• 1 tbsp. whole wheat flour

• 2/3 c. rolled oats (oatmeal)

• 1/4 c. maple syrup

• (optional: add a 2 tbsp ground flax seed)

Make sure the entire topping is fully moist w/ maple syrup - I never measure anything, all amounts are approximate!

Take baking apples out of oven. Mix in a hand full of dried cherries (better than raisins, they don't burn), put topping on a little at a time. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 15-20 min or until the topping is done and crisp.

Did you know, walnuts have the highest Omega 3 essential fatty acids of any nut? Ground flax seed too is a great source. That is the 'good fat' - good for your heart. And.. use pure maple syrup, none of that Aunt Jemimah crap. The less refined the sweetener, the better. I never use chemical sweetners but sometimes, I use stevia, an herbal sweetener, it tastes great on fruit (but it doesn't work in this recipe).

After my last physical/blood work, I guess I must be doing something right. I've dropped 12 lbs and my cholesterol dropped from 223 to 150 since last year. I weighed 143 this morning, I'm feeling really light and fast. Looking forward to my next 5K race.

Running and racing shoes

After running for years in Walmart Dr. Scholl's brand gel soles... (which I do recommend as the best brand of running shoes under $27), I got some real shoes for training and running 5K races.

Training Shoes:

Saucony ProGrid Triumph 4
$120

This shoe really cushions the impact. It has a real soft heel and has made a difference in my knee fatigue.

They weigh 12.8 ounces each and have a super breathable net-like upper that really keeps the feet from getting hot. I like the aggressive tread pattern, great traction without being too wide. For a 'neutral' stride runner.



Racing Shoes:

Adidas Adizero PR
$90

I ran my first three mile trial with these today and I was amazed. I took 40 seconds of my previous days time, and the shoes undoubtedly contributed. These are the lightest running flats available. At an incredible 3.8 ounces, they weigh less than one third of my already light Saucony training shoes.

These shoes were amazingly comfortable. Like slippers, they are ready to race right out of the box. I can't help but believe that lifting a half-pound less on each foot over the course of a 5K would most definitely help race time.... and I need all the help I can get. These shoes are what you'd expect from Adidas. High tech, super comfortable light weight competition shoes but they are a bit delicate, certainly not meant for anything but track or pavement. Not suitable for trails, grass, gravel, etc... I was surprised at how good my feet felt in these shoes. After running my first time trial, I felt these shoes were not lacking in padding or comfort in any way.

I bought these shoes on line without even trying a pair on my feet. I am 100% happy and satisfied and look forward to using them in many races. These are the kind of shoes that can just make you feel fast. Fire engine red and silver!


If I get nuts enough to start sprinting again, I'll be looking to get some of these.

It doesn't feel like Sunday

... and there is only one person in this world who knows what I'm talking about.



Weather
Unseasonably warm and windy. Thunderstorms Tues.
... a welcome reprieve from the low of 9 degrees F. of last week, probably the lowest temperature in years here Middle TN

Cold weather food - Bill's vegetable stew

Bill's vegetable stew is not an exact recipe, it's different every time depending on what is in the refrigerator.

It sure makes a great and healthy meal on a cold day. I can't believe it didn't get above freezing all day here in Middle Tennessee.

Here's today's recipe:

• Destem and then finely chop one bunch of kale. (After removing the big stems, wad the kale up into a tight bunch and then chop finely).

• Put 3 cups water in a large pan, add the kale and bring to a boil

• Chop carrots, a bunch of celery, and an onion and add to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer.

• In a mortar and pestle, grind 4 cloves of garlic with a tsp or 2 of kosher salt. Add Italian spices, 6 pepper mix and add a little balsamic vinegar. Add to stew. This is the most important step of flavoring the stew.
  

• Add one can of vegetarian vegetable soup, a can of chick peas, and a chopped tomato.

• (optional - add fish or canned clams)

This stew is hardy, has low carbs, and is packed with vitamins and antioxidant vegetables. It is really a fallacy that adults need to eat a lot of carbs and protein for good health. You're better off eating more fats in the form of nuts, fish, and olive oil than carbs like bread and cereal. (You know, the good fats - like avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish - not the bad fats - like chicken, pig and cow/dairy fat). By substituting more nuts, fruits and fish for the carbs I used to eat, I've dropped 12 lbs and my total cholesterol has dropped from 223 to 150 - 73 points!

Despite the 24 F. degree temperatures, I had dinner by the pool this evening.