Valencia

August 25

We decided to take a trip to Valecia. Lara’s sister Jen was still in town and Lara had gone with her other sister Nicole, so the 6 of us (Jen, Steve, Laurie, Chelsea, Kelly) set off for an adventure on the Spanish Mediterranean Coast. Along the 5 hour drive we encountered many olive, grape and almond plantations/orchards/vineyards.

We decided after the long drive that an afternoon at the beach was in order. We began with a stroll along the boardwalk and finished with tapas at one of the oldest and most famous tapas bars in Valencia

We spent a lazy afternoon on the beach and then made our way out for a treat of Valencian Paella (seafood paella filled with lots of crustaceans and calimari/squid)

The following day we did a walking tour of Valencia after a fabulous breakfast at a local eatery.

The architecture and artwork of Valencia was amazing. Here are a few pictures of the futuristic complex of the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciences) and the walkway approaching.

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Argentinean BBQ

Saturday September 20

Dr. Fernando Naclerio invited us to his house for an Argentinean Barbeque this weekend, but after hearing that we had more than ten people at our house and with all of the other invited guests the total would reach over 20 we decided to have the festivities at our house.

It was a beautiful day with lots of laughter and unbelievable barbeque. Fernando was at the grill for at least 4 hours constantly fanning the flames and tending to the meat. He cooked several different renditions of beef, pork and sausage. I have to admit that my favorite was an Argentinean Chorizo Sausage.

Everyone brought beer and wine and we had quite the afternoon eating, drinking and swimming. ..

Special Thank You to Fernando and his family.

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Real Madrid Award

We had the honor of attending a news conference/awards ceremony this evening at the Real Madrid Stadium (Santiago Bernabéu). The UEM has a partnership with Real Madrid and we were given a behinds the scenes tour of the stadium before the start of the proceedings. The stadium seats anywhere from 80,000 – 100,000 fans depending on who you talk to and the event.

The reason for attending the event was the lab that I am working in received a research grant from Real Madrid. The grant is to monitor and prevent overtraining in professional soccer players. The picture below is of Dr. Daniel Forte – the author of the grant as well as a picture of the Rector Antonio Bañares Cañizares, (President) of UEM.

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Paella

Sunday - September 14
Had my introductory lesson in making Paella. Alfonso told me that he was going to be coming over the house to show me how to cook traditional paella. He surprised me by bringing me my own pan. We cooked side by side the grill on a gorgeous day. Our paella was spectacular if I do say so myself. I can’t wait to get back to Arizona to share this new dish for family and friends. Alfonso has promised me a couple more lessons over the next few months.

Here are some of my notes on how to make paella. Credit must go to Alfonso – he really walked me through the process step-by-step
· Add enough olive oil to just about coat the bottom of the pan
· Chop
o 1 red pepper and
o 2 green peppers (Spanish green pepper looks more like a Serrano chili)
o Cut into large pieces after removing membrane and seeds.
o Add 2 – 3 large whole cloves of garlic
· Sauté vegetables 1 – 2 minutes
· Add 1 lb of chicken thigh and ½ of a rabbit cut up. Include rabbit liver and kidneys
o Brown on both sides of the meat
· Can add saffron here
o Lightly toast saffron and immediately add chicken stock
· Add 2 liters of chicken stock
· Simmer 30 – 40 minutes.
· Add tomato sauce about half way through
o Tomato sauce is made with stewed tomatoes and cooked onion (puréed into the sauce)
o Add 2 sprigs of rosemary (if including rabbit)
· If you haven’t already added saffron - add saffron now .12 g
· Add Eggplant (about one whole eggplant) chopped into large full circular pieces about ¼ inch thick
o Can also add green beans as well as artichokes
o Note if vegetables are large add before rice, if smaller add after rice.
· Simmer 30 minutes or more adding extra chicken stock or H20
· The longer you leave the vegetables cook the better
· Let simmer about another 20 – 30 minutes
· Add medium grain (Spanish) rice about 1 handful per person (~11 for my pan)
· Leave for about 1 – 2 minutes before adding h20
· Add H2O to underside of rivet in pan
· When H2O begins to boil cook for about 15 minutes
o Probably will need to increase heat to get to a boil
· Check for flavor after 15 minutes (salt can be added if necessary)
· Take off flame and cover with towel for 5 – 10 minutes
· Enjoy!!!

Nike Human Race - Madrid

Sunday August 31 – Lara and I ventured into Madrid for the Nike Human Race 10K. We met Alfonso on the Subway and made our way to the starting line at The Parque del Retiro. Nike races took place all over the world today. I was amazed at the sheer volume of people that turned out for the race. Before the start of the race, there was a huge television screen showing the different cities as they waited for the start of the race with us. They estimate that there would be about 1 million runners all across the world. The Madrid race course traversed its way through downtown. The race began at about 8:00pm and it was a gorgeous night for a run. Did I mention that I’m not a runner and that Madrid is quite hilly? I suffered my way to the finish and enjoyed the scenery more than most as we ran by the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, and the Palacio Real.

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España the beginning

We have been in Spain for a week and are finally getting settled. My Spanish host from the Universidad Europea de Madrid UEM - European University of Madrid) Dr. Alfonso Jimenez and his wife Ana have been more than gracious. They found us a fabulous house for our stay and have helped in our transition. They have even let us borrow their car.

Driving in Spain has been a challenge. The roads are quite narrow and the terrain is quite similar to the Arizona Mountains – hilly and curvy. The only difference is the speed of driving and the constant roundabouts. We seem to be perpetually lost and headed in the wrong direction, but we eventually have found our way.

We live in The Village of Boadilla del Monte about 45 minutes from downtown Madrid. It is about 4000 sq ft., with a salt water pool and gorgeous glass enclosed veranda. The temperature here is similar to an Arizona Spring day. It is at elevation and the terrain is similar to Show Low, Arizona. Cool in the morning and ideal for a swim in the afternoon. I have to admit I have already spent many an hour reading sipping coffee in the morning and wine in the evening on the patio.

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The two undergraduate students (Chelsea Bunch and Kelly Romero) arrived here last night. They had a long journey but seemed invigorated once they made it to the house. I doubt we will see much of them today.

I have had one professional “meeting” thus far. We were invited to comida at Professor Ricardo Altimira’s home. Dr. Altimira lives in Guatarrama, Spain about an hour and a half from Boadilla. His house is a converted private chapel on a sprawling property that has a tennis court, and BMX training track. He prepared a fabulous Paella. Dr. Altimira works as a professor at IE Business School www.ie.edu/altimira as well a consultant on various fitness related ventures. It was a day filled with conversation, food and wine. We discussed everything from business plans for worksite wellness programs to occupational preparedness for Royal Mounted Police.

We also had an invitation to Alfonso’s eldest son Tomas’ 6^th birthday party. It was quite the little fiesta with face painting, cake and a piñata. It was held at Alfonso’s club in Valdemorillo. Valdemorillo is about 30 minutes from Boadilla.

Monday the students and I begin a full week intensive Spanish program at UEM. It should be an ideal kickoff for my Spanish language training as I have to say I’m a bit behind. It is an introductory course offered by the UEM Spanish Language Department for the over 300 students from abroad that will be studying at UEM this semester.

National Strength and Conditioning National Conference 2008

July 9 - 12 was The National Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The NSCA Conference is the one time each year I feel at home in my field. It is a time to gather with a group of professionals with similar interests and a sense of research passion. It is a time for me to get recharged about what I do and look to my colleagues and peers for inspiration. This year was no different. One of the highlights was listening to keynote addresses by Rulon Gardner and Mike Flint

As per the NSCA Website:

Rulon Gardner is perhaps most well known for his defeat of Alexander Karelin in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Karelin had been undefeated for thirteen years prior to his loss in the gold medal match to Gardner. Gardner continued to win the U.S. Olympic trials for his weight class and then to compete in the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he won the bronze medal and left his shoes on the mat as the traditional symbol of retirement from competitive wrestling.

Mike Flynt, Known as the “Grid Iron Grandpa,” Mike Flynt captured national attention in 2007 when he returned to Division III football for Sul Ross State in Texas playing line-backer approaching the age of 60. Flynt learned that he had 1 year of eligibility left and so enrolled in a master's program.

Additionally, I had several of my students present their research:

Meredith Hale-Griffin - THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS MEASURES OF FITNESS ON BOXING PERFORMANCE

Stephen Kelly - THE EFFECT OF WARMUP WITH WHOLE BODY VIBRATION VERSUS CYCLE ERGOMETRY

Laurie Black - THE EFFECTS OF A DIETARY METABOLIC SUPPLEMENT ON VARIOUS PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN GOLFERS

The true highlight of the conference was at the awards banquet, where my first doctoral student Dr. Matthew Rhea was awarded the NSCA 2008 Outstanding Young Investigator of the Year Award. This is the highest honor for young scholars in the area of strength and conditioning. I could not be more proud of Matt…

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