Watch It Change

It has been two weeks since we released our first application for the iPhone. We are getting some nice press and it is pretty cool to be in the App Store on iTunes. If you have an iPhone....buy it now!!! Otherwise just visit our website - http://www.watchitchange.com/ - to see a few cool videos. Look for "Dew Go Home". That one is mine.

http://www.pmptoday.com/2008/08/17/watch-it-change-turn-your-iphone-into-a-stop-motion-camera/

http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/08/15/watch.it.change.for.iphone/

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/new_iphone_app_lets_you_watch_it_change/

http://www.whatsoniphone.com/node/2180

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Training 8/25 to 8/31

Recovery/Build
Monday, 8-25: Off day.
Tuesday, 8-26: AM: Run - 1 hr very easy. PM: Run - 1:20 hrs slightly higher intensity as the AM.
Wednesday, 8-27: AM or PM: Run - WU 20 min main set - 55 min moderate.
Thursday, 8-28: WU into main set of 10x1 mile at projected half marathon pace. Easy 400 between reps.
Friday, 8-29: Birthday - off day.
Saturday, 8-30: Run - 2:30 total. WU 20 min to marathon pace. Main set is 1:50 at marathon pace. The remainder is WD easy.
Sunday, 8-31: Run - 1:30 easy-moderate.

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Hood to Coast Recap

What a trip! 4 intense days in Oregon. We did very well as a team (10th out of 1,000 teams). We actually were about an hour slower than we expected due to a missed exchange point and not everyone being in top shape, but it was a blast. I will keep this high level.

Day 1 - Thursday - Got picked up at the airport, hooked up with the team at an IHOP, then went directly to the Nike Employee Store. Deep deep discounts on all items. We have a friend who is a Nike employee and she was able to get us guest passes. Saw lots of international teams shopping there.

Next we headed to the Nike World Campus. Very cool. Each building is named after one of their athletes. We hit the Lance Armstrong building, the Michael Jordan building, the Steve Prefontaine building, the Alberto Salazar building, and ended up crashing a party at the Tiger Woods building. The party was for the international teams that Nike brought in, as well as the employee based teams. We decided if anyone asked us for credentials...we would simply smile and nod our heads as if we didn't speak English.

Ended the day with a drive to our house in Seaside located about a half mile from the finish line.

Day 2 - Friday - Got up and went for a nice short run to loosen up the legs. Left around 2pm to head to the start. Stopped for groceries along the way. Made it to the start at the top of Mt. Hood by 6:15pm, which was plenty of time before our actual 7:00pm start. Took the team picture there.

The race started right at 7pm. My first leg was at 11:15pm. I ran 4.5 miles averaging 5:45 per mile. Unfortunately our van went to the wrong exchange point and Dave D had to wait for us to figure this out and get back there before he could hand off to me. We lost 25 minutes right there. My run was rolling and in the pitch black. I passed 22 people during this leg. I quickly realized that the theme for the race would be hurry up and wait. I finished my leg and passed the baton to Al. One done...two to go.

Day 3 - Saturday - Our van had a few hours of down time at leg 16. We found the exchange point at the Fred Meyer grocery store. Everyone got in about an hours worth of sleep. I slept on the ground in the parking lot. Once we were back on duty it started to get congested at each exchange point. My next leg would be a 5 mile climb with a 0.7 mile drop. I was handed the baton at 5:20am just as dawn began to break. I worked hard over the next 5 miles....running between 6:15 and 7:00 pace. I passed 20-30 people along the way. My final 0.7 miles downhill were run at 5:15 pace. I was officially tired and exhausted...but daylight brought renewed energy to the team and we were getting stronger. As the race progressed the traffic got really bad. On average the vans were backed up for a half mile before each exchange point. We were barely able to get to the next point to pick up the runner and get the next runner going. My last leg came at 11:20am. It was a nice 4.1 mile run. Unfortunately I was over-amped up for this one and took off too hard. My first mile split was 5:10. Dumb. I paid for it around mile 3 with a 6:30 mile...but came back for my final mile in 5:35. We finished in 19hrs 46mins which put us in 10th overall and 5th in the Open Male division. Once we were back in Seaside we quickly took showers and made our way to the beach party. We had fun but I was done around 9pm. A few of us headed back and crashed.

Day 4 - Sunday - Got up early and headed for the airport. Long travel day back. Lay over in Denver was hampered by thunderstorms and the Democratic National Convention! Arrived back in Akron around 1:30am on Monday.

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Hood to Coast is here

I haven't updated this blog for some time now. I have been training hard for Hood to Coast. All signs are good to this point. I ran a 5K in 17:12 last weekend. I know I would have been under 17 if it weren't for an issue around the 2.5 mile mark. My training is going well and I feel really fit. I hope to post updates between my legs at Hood. Not sure how the cell reception will be out there. Worst cast I will recap everything once I get back.

Columbus Marathon - There will be a course change this year....for which I am very happy. The worst part of the course for me has always been between miles 16 and 20. It is a long boring stretch. The course will now go through the Ohio State campus beginning around mile 15.5. I really hope some of the students get out and cheer. I am going to try to have Chris F, a redshirt XC freshman at OSU, pace me for a few miles. My training runs have been far better this year. I am running regularly with Damon B and Nilesh S. Running with them cements my theory about running with people faster than yourself. It only makes you stronger and better. I have always subscribed this approach. My running is the strongest it has been in many years. I turn 45 next week and am looking forward to the Celebrate Westlake 5 miler as my first 45-49 age group race.

Family - Jo is finally off of her crutches. I am sure she will be sore for a few more weeks, but the worst is hopefully over. Maddie and Logan start school next Tuesday. Logan is a Senior and Maddie will be in her first year of Middle School (5th grade). Logan and I will be heading down to Ohio University in a few weeks for a campus visit. I won't tell him about the Intensity Palace (my home down there) or any of the fraternity stories just yet. Let's just get him through his first year there....then I will open up to him.

Work - We just released "Watch It Change" on the iTunes App Store. It is an application that uses the camera to make stop-motion movies on the iPhone. We have received some great reviews from the press. You can check out our website at www.watchitchange.com

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Burning River 100 / Training

Burning River 100 - Training got a little off track last week due to the Burning River 100. I was busy from the very start to the very end. Friday Jo and I sat at the registration desk taking runners photos for the webcast that I was running. Got a few hours of sleep on Friday. Rich came over to my house at 3am on Saturday for our drive to the start. Hung out and watched the start of the race at 5am. We did the timing for the event, so it was very busy and steady for the next 30 hours. Most of the timing was done remotely by me, Jo, Matt, Josh, and my mom. Thanks everyone!

Wedged in between the timing were my pacing duties for Rich. I have to say that I almost would have rather been running all day than handling the timing. Once I met Rich at Boston Store, the next 20 miles would be my time to relax and have fun. Rich looked a little beat, but still strong willed as we made our way into the hills and eventually the darkness. The course was very well marked except for a section where "hoodlums" had removed the trail markings. Five and a half hours after Boston Store I handed Rich off to Ed for the remaining 20 miles. I quickly headed to the finish line to set up my timing spot. It was great to see everyone come across the line as I had last year. There were bumps along the way with the timing, and I was a little unsociable to periods of time as I was getting things back in line. Sorry for not being more chatty!

The race ended at 11am. I quickly created the final results for the awards ceremony, hung out a bit, then headed home. It is now Thursday and my sleep pattern is finally back in order. I am glad I didn't run! Great job to everyone who ran or volunteered. It takes a huge human effort to make this event roll.

Logan - Logan was stung by a bee/wasp at practice on Tuesday morning. He had a bad allergic reaction and his face, eyes, mouth, and throat all swelled up pretty bad. He spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday in the hospital. All is fine now, but we have to keep an EpiPen on hand from this point forward.

Training - I am back on track with my training. Here is my schedule this week.

Mon 8-4: 1 hour easy

Tue 8-5: AM: 1 hour easy. PM: 14 x 1 mile repeats (missed due to Logan bee sting)

Wed 8-6: AM: 1:15hr with Damon / Nilesh

Thu 8-7: 1:30hr with 3/4 mile surges

Fri 8-8: 1 hr easy

Sat 8-9: AM: 10K race

Sun 8-10: 2hr30min with some marathon pace work

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