5 Lessons I learned at the 2014 Country Music Marathon

I guess I could call the 2014 Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN the first full marathon that almost wasn't, was almost a half and then at the last second became a full once more.

After training for 13 weeks, I had my first serious bout with IT band syndrome. I adjusted my training, changed my running style and tried to get myself of track to at least run the half marathon in Nashville. After I got there and realized that the only thing I had to do differently to run the half rather than the full was to just run the half course and the timing chip would do the rest, I realized that I could wait to decide until the cutoff point between the 2 races at mile 11. So feeling strong at that point I went left when the half marathoners went right. It took a while (5:14:15) but I finished and learned some good lessons for next time both in the race and in training.

Lesson 1) Since I have started running with a forefoot strike, my calves do a LOT more work while running and they were the first thing to start aching around mile 13 or so and then they were toast by mile 20 leading me back to my old form, while made my IT band knee pain fire up. So the lesson learned was before the next marathon, I need to focus more on calf strength.

Lesson 2) The next thing to really start bugging me was a nasty blister on the inside ball of my right foot. I think the toebox of my right shoe was just a little too loose and was sliding around on me. But instead of pulling over and dealing with it, I kept going. Lesson 2: Stop and make adjustments when needed rather than just pushing on. 

Lesson 3) I trained for the last month using my Nathan VaporWrap hydration vest and was ready to take it with me on the course. It had pockets for everything I needed from nutrition and water to my camera, phone and car keys. As I crossed the pedestrian bridge from the LP field parking lot to the starting line, I was stopped by a policeman telling me that since my pack was not see-through, I would not be allowed to take it in. There had been nothing on the RnR website about not allowing hydration packs. I had to go back to my car and 1 hour before the race re-evaluate everything I was taking with me. Luckily I had my phone armband in the car, so I could still take it, and my Hammer Nutrition shirt and shorts have very good pockets on the back for some gels and my car key. I decided to carry my flask of Hammer Gel for the whole race. So I had to leave some items behind. I was not very happy and it derailed my attitude for a little while. But I made quick adjustments and moved on. So lesson 3: Even if you are sure something is allowed on the course, it might not be. Have a backup plan for your gear.

Lesson 4 & 5) These were lessons learned during training, On my first 18 miler I was completely toast by the time I got home. My mile splits had been all over the place and I felt terrible. After consulting with some of my fellow Hammer Athletes, I realized 2 things needed to change. 1st, I had gone out way too fast and was pushing too hard too soon in my workout. I needed to start out slower and build slowly using my heart rate gauge an "Endurance Zone". Second was that although I had been fueling at every 5-6 miles, and timing-wise this seemed to be ok, my body responded better to more frequent fueling. I found that fueling every 4 miles (which for me is every 32-45 minutes) really kept my energy levels up and feeling good. So even though my calves were just sore by mile 20 and my knee hurt by mile 21, I still had plenty of gas in the tank to keep moving all the way to the finish line. Hammer Gel and Perpetuem solids were my go to fuel source. So learn by trial and error how often YOUR body needs to refuel and stick to it!

My first marathon is something I will never forget. It was so much fun, sometimes it was effortless, sometimes it was painful, but in the end crossing the finish line was so very satisfying and I can't wait to do it again.

The Past Few Weeks: The Bad, the Good and the Ugly.

The Bad
Week 6 was interesting to say the least.  Lower mileage during the week ramping up for Saturday's 18 miler. I ended up going out after lunch on Saturday. It was low 30˚s with a brisk wind. Not quite as painfully cold as the week before (no ice on my water bottle this time). I was pumped about this run (and a little nervous to be honest) so I was eager to hit the road. Unfortunately I let my excitement for the new distance get the better of me and I went out too fast. My target average pace was supposed to be 9:45. I felt great the first 4 miles averaging 8:45. Mistake. By mile 10 I was hitting 10 minute miles and by the end it was around 11:30 minute miles and I hurt. My muscles were screaming at me for a while after that one.

28 miles for the week

I consulted with my awesome (and much more experienced) sponsored Hammer athlete group for some advice. Obviously pacing was brought up. I will be managing pace next time using my heart rate monitor to see if I can even out the whole thing and stay feeling better longer.

I also started reading a new book this last week. It is "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald. After having lost a great deal of weight, my previous hard cut diet was not working for me anymore. It got rid of the bulk of my fat stores but the last 15 pounds or so are gonna be stubborn, so I wanted to get a newer sustainable plan aimed at performance and getting lean, not getting skinny. So far it's pretty good stuff. I'll do a write up later in more depth.

The Good
Week 7 went better. My first 20 miler ever was a rainy 34 degree day. But I got out there and did it. I fueled more often and kept a more even  pace throughout. I ended feeling much better than the previous week. A lot less sore and a lot happier with the whole experience.

33.5 miles for the week

Some Rest
Week 8 was a  good rest week. I ended up putting in a lot less miles, but I was a good recovery week. I missed 1 workout on Saturday.

20 miles for the week

The Ugly

Week 9 : This winter has been the worst for training for my first full marathon. The bitterly cold weather has forced me to log way too many treadmill runs. But so far Saturdays have been 'good enough' to run outside. But sadly single digits and freshly iced roads made running outside not possibly for me. Seeing as it was scheduled only for a 16 miler, I decided to suck it up and do it on the treadmill. Lets just say that I am DONE with winter. 16 miles on a treadmill is miserable. 150 minutes of going NOWHERE! ugh. But I got it done and with a 2%-3% incline the whole time, I feel pretty good about the effort. I missed 1 workout this week.

29 Miles for the week

Next week is back to a 20 miler again. With 37 miles scheduled for the week. We will see how that treats me. 10 weeks until race day.

Week 5 Recap

Week 5 of 19 is in the books. I'm already a 1/4 of the way into my first marathon training plan and things are going well. I'm in the middle of a long run mileage ramp-up. 14 miler in week 4, 16 miler this past weekend, next is 18, then 20.

The 16 miler on Saturday went well. I think it would have gone a little better had it not been for the cold. At 18°F it was a bit chillier than I like to run in, but there was no way I was gonna do 16 miles on the treadmill. So 3 layers of long sleeve shirts, 2 layers of gloves and my trusty cold gear tights, mask and a fleece headband and I was off. It was a first for me to have to break the ice off my water bottle valve to open it each time I took a drink. I averaged a 9:31 pace which is actually 14 sec/mile faster than my plan called for left me feeling good about the outing. Had a banana before the run, Perpetuum Solids about 4.5 miles in, Hammer Gel at miles 8 and 12. Also had an Endurolyte Fizz in my water bottle. Energy-wise I felt good throughout the run.

Total mileage for the week was 30.8 miles.

Hammer Balm or as I like to call it "Relief that Smells like Christmas!"

Tight and sore muscles, we all get them from time to time. The foam roller comes out and you try to work out the kinks, but sometimes you need a little extra something. Here is where you have some options, you can of course go with the standard medicated ointments, that first smell like a medicine cabinet exploded and two, feel like you have just unleashed the fires of Mount Doom on your tired legs. Enter a much better option: Hammer Balm. I got a sample tube of it back a while ago and have been using it lately. I have to say it's a great alternative. First of all, it does not hit you like a ton of bricks. It is a gentle soothing feeling rather than an intense burn second, it smells like Christmas! Hear me out, when I was a kid, we did an art project in school where we made an ornament by taking an orange and completely covering it with cloves. This was a good 30 years ago. The moment I opened the tube, I discovered that clove oil is one of the ingredients of Hammer Balm and it was Christmas, especially for my aching calves! So instead of burning out my eyes with medicine smell, you get a product made from Clove, Ginger and Arnica and Cayenne. It comes in 3 sizes, 4oz, 1.5oz and 1/3oz. The 1/3 oz has lasted a surprisingly long time since you don't need a lot of it to work and at $4.95 it's also a great size to try it out.

If you are looking for an alternative for those aches, give Hammer Balm a shot, it might be exactly what you are looking for.

Marathon Training Week 3

Part of the problem with starting training in the middle of the holidays was going to be schedule. So this past week we left town for the great white north to visit my wife's folks. Luckily they are members of a nice little fitness place called Xperience Fitness in Vadnais Heights, MN. I swapped my week 3 and 4 of my plan so that week 3 would be a recovery week ( a choice I may still regret ) so I put in 3, 6 mile runs at around a 9 min mile pace. I should have also gotten in another 5 mile run, but was not feeling great on Monday so was a workout behind for the week. But that's ok. I'm coming out of the holidays without too much extra baggage since I didn't slack off the workouts and tried to keep my eating in check to at least some degree. Also this next week begins my official sponsorship with Hammer Nutrition, so that is awesome too!

2013 A Running Year in Review

2013 has been quite a year as my first year of serious running.  I thought I would try to make some sense of it in a quick post.

• In late 2012 I had started running, then at the turn of the year, I decided to step up my running and start focusing on weight loss. I was about 230 pounds and dealing with the beginnings of some weight related health issues. I ramped up the running to 3-4 times a week @ 5k distance on the treadmill. By summer I had made it to about 175lbs. Since then I've been fluctuating from 175-185. I still have about 10-15 pounds to lose. That's for next year.
• June 1st, while visiting my folks in Phoenix, I ran 13.1 miles in a single workout for the first time. It took over 2 and a half hours, but I did it. It was a run to the top of South Mountain and back again. It was a truly inspirational moment watching the sun rise over the valley as I ran up the mountain road by myself.
• September 28th, I ran the FCC Preschool 5K for the 2nd year in a row and ran it 10 minutes faster than last year at 24m 55s. So there is my 5K PR
• October 27th, I ran my first 1/2 marathon in St Louis. The Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon was a great experience and let me set a 1:52:25 PR. 
• December 25th, as a Christmas gift from my family, I registered for the Rock 'n' Roll - Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN.
• December 28th, the last run of the year, I hit the 1134 mile mark for 2013.

The Choice is Made!

For Christmas, my family surprised me with the registration fees for the Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN on Saturday, April 26th 2014. This will be my first full marathon and I've already been warned that it's a hilly one. My Runner's World Smartcoach plan puts me at running a 3h:36m marathon. Smartcoach was only about 5 seconds/mile off on it's estimate for my 1/2, so it's at least in the ballpark. I signed up with the 3h:45m group, but I can always adjust as the dates get closer.

So it begins...again!

This past week I started a new training plan. 26 miles in 4 runs. They were all on the treadmill since we got a bunch of Snow, Ice and Rain in the last weeks. That's ok though. But I do have to say that 10 miles on the treadmill was BORING, even if I could watch Netflix at the same time.

5 miles - easy
6 miles - tempo : 8m 15s / Mile pace for 4 miles
5 miles - easy
10 miles - long :  9m 24s / Mile pace

The major difference in this plan from the last one is that it is not a half marathon plan. It is a full marathon plan! I've got 18 weeks until the marathon. There are 2 marathons in the last weekend of April of 2014 and I haven't made up my mind which one to run yet. They are the Illinois Marathon or the Nashville Rock n Roll Marathon. I'm leaning towards Nashville, but have had a bunch of folks tell me that the Illinois Marathon is a good race. Any thoughts about either of these races?

I also got notified last week that I will be a Hammer Nutrition sponsored Athlete for 2014! I've been very happy with Hammer Gel & Endurolytes. Be sure to check them out. You can also get 15% off your first order from them. Use this link below or mention my email johnny.matthews@gmail.com or customer number (218538) when you check out!

2013 - Rock n Roll St Louis - Half Marathon Recap

Well it's all over. I've taken my time writing this post for a couple of reasons. It really does signify that my first major race is in the books, I'm heading into the next couple months of maintenance work and have to make a decision about my next race.

Well it was quite a week at our house last week. Elijah, my 4th son (8) who just had his tonsils out, spent Thursday the 24th in the hospital, the same day that my mom and step-dad came into town to see the race. Some flight delays put them here just in time to grab a quick bite to eat before we headed to see Noah (14) and Ethan (13) march in the Vandalia, Illinois halloween parade. So that was fun.

Friday, my folks and I headed into St Louis to the Health and Fitness Expo held at the America's Center. I got my race packet and swag bag and we cruised the booths getting some freebies and drooling over some Garmin watches, 'The Stick', and more training gear than you can shake a stick at. I was a little disappointed at the expo as I had hoped some of the local stores that showed up there would have had some better pricing on items. I didn't feel like there was anything there I couldn't pick up on Amazon for either the same price or cheaper, and don't get me started on the 'Official Merch' prices. I about wet myself looking at those price tags. I guess I better get used to that being the way these expo's go.

Saturday night we got to bed early and got up at 4:00 Sunday morning to head into St Louis. The race packet suggested being there 90 minutes before the race. So at exactly 5:30am I stepped into the fenced off area. It was in the mid to upper 30s at that point and I was a bit chilly. I think I was one of only about 100 people milling around at that point. At around 6:00 I dropped off my gear bag and headed to find the brave souls who ventured into STL with me, my mom, step-dad and 3rd son Justin (10).  We chatted while trying to stay warm until about 6:45 when the crowd really started to thicken. I downed a couple packs of Hammer Gel and I headed to my corral.

The race started at 7:00 and my corral crossed the starting line at 7:07. What a rush. I blinked and it seemed like we were already a mile into the race. The pace was decent. I'm not used to running in a group like that, so just keeping up put my first mile was at a 9 minute mile pace. Pretty much right where I wanted to be to start. Then I kept the rest of the race under 8:45 the rest of the way. Here I am at mile 1.5 where my family saw me last before the finish line. I really felt great, like there was barely any effort for at least the first 5-6 miles. Then after that it was a little more work to keep my pace. Part of that I think is because that is where the crowd started to really thin out and I had to drive my own pace and I had passed the pacer for the 2:00:00 half marathon and so it was harder to gauge at any given moment if I was gaining or losing time of my desired pace.

The trek through St Louis really was nice. It really showed off the variety of landmarks and scenery in the downtown area. At mile 5 I took 1/2 of my nutrition bottle and then the rest at 9 miles. I had packed an extra single serve Hammer Gel which I took at mile 11 to give me a final boost through the end. I did find myself a little disappointed as I came up on mile 11.5 or so that I had not trained for the full marathon. I knew that I was only about 15 minutes out from finishing and I was not ready for this very cool experience to end.

But all good things must end eventually and so as I turned east onto Market and then on to Chestnut, the finish line approached and I gave it my all. An extra cool boost was that Chrissy had made it down in time with the rest of the crew and I saw them on my final approach. That really gave me a boost for that last tenth of a mile or so. So this pic was taken by my Mom, Step-Dad and Justin, while I was waving to my wife Chrissy, Noah, Ethan, Elijah, Isaiah, Miley and Judah.

The finish line area was well stocked with fruit, Powerbars, drinks (Gatorade, chocolate milk, water, etc), space blankets, and the coveted finisher medals. I had my finisher photo taken and left the 'secure area' to meet up with my family.

Official time was 1:52:25. I am very pleased. I had originally set out to have a sub 2 hour time, even if it was 1:59:59, but beating that by almost 8 minutes really was great.

We caught some lunch at the Hard Rock St Louis and made it back to the stage to hear our hometown favorites The Madison Letter play the finish line stage.

So Rock n Roll Marathon Series, total winner in my book. The event staff was friendly, the event was organized well, I'm hooked. I've not decided 100% to do a full or half marathon for my next event, or if I should head up to the Illinois Marathon or the Nashville Rock n Roll Marathon. They are on the same weekend in April 2014. Either way, I look forward to it.

So that's it. For now I'm focused on some weight training and maintaining some decent weekly mileage until the next training cycle starts in January.

Race Day Nutrition and Hydration

So with race day only 10 days out, I'm getting pretty excited. I've had a few training runs that have left me very encouraged, while others have left something to be desired. I'm still working on my pacing strategy in order to hit my mark. I just don't have a good feel for what 'race day adrenaline' is actually going to do for me and how long it will help sustain me at a slightly faster pace.

One thing that I am pretty well set on at this point is my fueling and hydrating plan. I've decided that since I have spent my entire training cycle wearing my Nathan Elite One Plus belt, that it will be going with me. I actually just picked up some Race Number Clips to add to it. So far in training I've been taking in water every 1 to 1.5 miles on long runs, and keeping it at less than a mouthful. I'll be adding an Endurolyte Fizz tablet from Hammer Nutrition to my 22oz water bottle (probably Mango flavored).

As far as fueling goes, I'll be using Hammer Gel. My plan is to take 1 or 2 single serving packs 15 minutes before the race. Then have 3 servings (from my 26 serving jug) in my 5oz flask. I'll take 1/2 the flask at 5 miles and the rest at 9 miles. I also plan on keeping an extra single serving pack on me in case I need a boost towards the last couple miles.

So yeah, nothing new on race day for sure. These products have done well for me over the last 20 weeks and I feel good about bringing them with me.

The Finish Line is in Sight (Sort of)

2 weeks from right now, it will be over. 20 weeks of training culminating in my first 1/2 marathon. 20 of the hardest training I've done in my life. Last week being the hardest yet with 42.8 miles and next week has 45 on the schedule. My training long run this last weekend put me within 2 minutes 30 seconds of my goal of being under 2 hours.

What is really crazy is how I'm already looking forward, past this race. This race isn't really a finish line. It's a warm up. Coming in April I have a choice of 4 races. Whether to do the Half or Full marathons at the Illinois Marathon or the Nashville Rock and Roll Marathon. I'm weighing the options of what differences there would be in training between a half and a full and if I'm ready to take that step. Also I'm looking at the couple of months between my current race and beginning of training for the next one. I'm trying to find the right balance of maintaining endurance level, but also strength training which I think could help take me to a whole new level.

Some Helpful Blender Keymappings

Blender is one of those one size fits many programs and it can really grow to fit your specific workflow. One area that is nice is the ability to add custom hotkeys. Here are a few that I have added lately that have saved me a bunch of extra clicking

To add a hotkey, go to the user preferences menu and the input tab. Go to the place in the tree menu where the hotkey needs to work, scroll to the bottom of that section and press "Add New"

Window

• Area Type Popup Menu
• wm.context_menu_enum
• Context Attribute: area.type
• Shift Cmd Spacebar

3D View -> Sculpt

• More Brush Hotkeys!
• Clay Strips
• paint.brush_select
• Sculpt Tool: Clay Strips
• Cmd C
• Crease
• paint.brush_select
• Sculpt Tool: Crease
• Alt C
• Obviously You can use this patters to add your own favorites that don't already have a hotkey.  But these were 2 that I use a lot and wanted a quick way to get to them.   

• Brush Direction Popup Menu
• wm.context_menu_enum
• Context Attribute: tool_settings.sculpt.brush.direction
• Cmd D

"Are We There Yet 5k" Race Recap

This last weekend I ran in the Greenville First Christian Church Preschool "Are We There Yet 5k".  This race holds a special place in my heart because the 2013 running was the first race I ever trained for in my life. I purchased my first pair of running shoes 5 weeks before it and jogged it at 34:55. This year was different. The 5k took place on the morning of one of my long runs, so I swapped it out with this race which I would consider a short speed workout. The race is an out and back race around a little corner of Greenville, IL.

I got there early and took a 1.25 mile warmup jog and got ready to run. I went out at a good pace and only fell off a little. Runtastic puts my miles at 7:32, 8:17 and 8:40 with my final time at 24:56. That was good enough for 3rd place, only 2m 10s minutes behind the winner. It wasn't a super competitive race, but I feel good about my run. I ran hard and hit my target time of 25 minutes.

So what can 1 year and 900 miles of training do to you? It can cut 10 minutes off a 5k.

Rock and Roll St. Louis is this month!

In 27 days I will be standing in my starting corral at the St. Louis Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I signed up for it 4 months ago and in the last 16 weeks have put in 72 workouts with a total of just under 500 miles. I have 3 more weeks of hard training and a week of taper before the actual race. I'm feeling good about my prospects in my first 1/2 marathon. I think a goal of under 2 hours is attainable. It will not be easy, but no goal worth attaining is easy.

800 Miles and counting

$49 Adidas from Kohl's, you served me well!

Today I crossed the 800 lifetime mile mark since I started running a year ago. When I stop and think about it, that is a long way. I'm on pace to cross 1000 miles for 2013 by mid-November. Just crazy.

During these miles I've used 2 pairs of shoes, the first got retired yesterday with 476 miles on them. The second pair, Saucony Guide 6s still have 100 - 200 miles left in them. But soon I'll be heading to the store for my next pair to break in before my half marathon. 

I'm interested in the Altra Instinct 1.5s, but I'm not sure about transitioning to a zero drop shoe. At $100 I need to be sure they are the right move. 

Otherwise, I'm interested in looking into other shoes like the Brooks Pure Flow 2. 

Hammer Nutrition - Hammer Gel - Tropical and Espresso Flavor

I'm most of the way through my 2nd 26 serving bottle of Hammer Gel from Hammer Nutrition. The first flavor I got was Tropical and the 2nd was Espresso. Of the 10 flavors available, these are the 2 flavors that contain caffeine and that is what I was looking for. Now the tropical has 25mg of Caffeine and the Espresso has 50mg. To put that in perspective, a 12 oz can of Mt Dew has 55mg of Caffeine and a 12oz can of Diet Coke has 45mg (12oz of Starbucks coffee has around 250mg). So a 1 oz serving of Espresso does have about the same 'kick' as a can of soda, and at 90 Calories it packs a good amount of energy. Luckily it is a much slower burn than the sugar rush you get from soda.

As far as taste goes, the tropical had a very light sweet flavor and went down very easy especially in the heat of the summer. The espresso, is a lot heavier, it kind of tastes like pure chocolate syrup. So be ready for that. It's pretty strong and a little harder on the stomach in my opinion.

During a long run I will usually have a single serving mixed up to take before my run. I'll mix 2 or 3 servings to take with me. About 5 miles into the run I'll drink 1/2 of my nutrition bottle, then at around 9-10 miles (depending on total distance) I'll drink the rest. This provides a nice steady stream of energy for me.

The 26 serving size is great. I use the 5oz nutrition bottle that came with my Nathan hydration belt and can take as much or as little as I need without having all the foil packs. And at $0.77 a serving it's about 1/2 the cost of single serving foil packs. That is certainly what initially drew me to Hammer Gel over other Gels. I also emailed the company and confirmed that I can mix up some with water and don't have to refrigerate it overnight. So I can get my stuff ready the night before a 4:45am long run.

I've tried single packs of Vanilla and Montana Huckleberry. They were very good, the Vanilla totally tasted like frosting.  One thing I do wish is that Hammer would put out a lighter flavor with the higher caffeine content of the Espresso.

One thing I keep reading is to use practice race day nutrition and hydration. So I will certainly be taking Hammer Gel with me when I run in St Louis in 50 days.

Blender: Automating the Setting and Keying of Visibility in Python

I fractured an object in Blender and wanted to swap out the whole object for the shattered one the frame before the collision that sends the shards flying, but didn't want to have to manually set visibility and renderabilty and keyframes for each of 300+ objects. So I wrote this little script to help

import bpy 

hideObjects = 1

for obj in bpy.context.selected_objects: 
    obj.hide = hideObjects 
    obj.keyframe_insert(data_path="hide") 
    obj.hide_render = hideObjects     
    obj.keyframe_insert(data_path="hide_render")



This simple script will take the selected objects and if you make 'hideObjects' equal to 1 then it will set the visibility and renderability of those objects and turn them off, then keyframe both properties on the current frame. So doing this I set the value to 0 on my unshattered object and keyed frame 1,   went to the frame where it should disappear and set the value to 1 and ran it again. I did the opposite for my shards. Worked like a charm. I hope it helps you out too!

Gear Review: IK Multimedia iKlip Stand

I received the iKlip stand (for iPad and iPad mini) from IK Multimedia for review and wanted to give you a quick run-down on it.

The first thing you will notice (after you follow the easy assembly directions) the iKlip stand is that it has a very sturdy feeling construction. The weighted base gives the overall stand a very low center of gravity which, even though it is on an arm, your iPad is not wobbling around. The slide in clip for the iPad itself is snug without being too difficult to use. I have used other iPad microphone clips that are more of a snap-in design, which make me a little nervous. But the device feels secure on this stand. The arm is comprised of a hinge joint and the clip is attached with a ball and socket joint that has an adjustable screw for tension, so you do have quite a bit of freedom in adjusting the level of the device and the angle at which you are viewing it.

in addition to the horse shoe shaped table top base, the iKlip stand also comes with a C-clamp style base that can be swapped out easily, for mounting the iKlip to the edge of a table or desk. Unfortunately you would have to remove the clip from the desk to be able to remove the rest of the stand from it. So leaving the clamp on the desk and popping the stand in and out is not an option, if you were wanting something you could easily take with you.

I've used the stand in two settings now. First I used it while I was cooking in the kitchen to watch some Netflix and the other is actually in my pedalboard rig. I run through my standard set of pedals:

Analog pedals, the iRig stomp, iKlip and Amplitube.
Sounds good to me. 

Tuner -> Overdrive -> Distortion -> Volume -> Dual Tap Delay -> Memory Man -> Hardwire Reverb

Then I go into the iRig Stomp which then feeds into my iPad which you can see in the pic is on the iKlip stand. Then back into the iRig Stomp and out to a DI box. This worked out really nicely. It brings the iPad up off the floor away from my feet and leaves it in nice usable level. Also the base of the iKlip is thin, so it fits under the back of my pedal board. Overall this is a very nice stand. The one issue I would probably raise is the price, because at $69.99 it is not cheap. But, then again it does not feel cheap. This might be a case of paying for what you get.

Crock Pot Bread

Here is a cross post from my cooking blog http://the-awesome-sauce.blogspot.com/

I saw an article on how to make crockpot bread the other day and so I decided to try it. I took pieces from a couple different articles to come up with how I was gonna make my bread. I've linked to the originals below. Here is what I did:

Ingredients:

1 pouch yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups flour

Directions:

Mix water an yeast in a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add salt, mix. Add flour 1 cup at a time until all is blended. Add a little more flour as you knead the dough or use a dough hook to knead the dough. Once you have a nice dough ball, dust it lightly with flour.

Line the crockpot with a piece of parchment paper and place the dough ball in the center, there is no need to let it rise.

Cook on high for 2 hours (or until internal temp is 190-200). Remove from crockpot and place loaf on a cookie sheet and place in oven for about 5 minutes on med-high broil setting to brown the top a little. Keep a close eye, you don't want to burn it!

Thats it. Seriously. It tastes good too. It's almost too easy!

Next time to try some seasonings, herbs, etc.


Referenced Articles

www.thekitchn.com

www.instructables.com

IK Multimedia iRig HD and iRig Stomp

I recently received both the iRig HD and iRig Stomp from IK Multimedia for review.

iRig HD

I have had the standard iRig since just after it came out and while it is a decent unit, I've always felt like it was not really usable in a live setting. The main problem is that without using the noise filter pedal in AmpliTube, that there was too much digital noise, then when you used the noise filter it dulled the guitar sound too much by rolling off the high end and making the guitar sound muddy.

This is where the iRig HD comes in and does things a lot better. For one, the iRig HD is not a bi-directional I/O device, you are not sending signal in and out the same unit. It is simply an input device. This is great because it can focus on it's one task. Converting your guitar signal. If you want audio out of your device, you can use a different interface. So in the case of iOS, you simply use your headphones out, or on Mac you could use headphones out or other external audio device if you have one.

This brings up another area where the iRig HD is very handy. It includes 3 adapters. A standard 30 pin iOS cable, a Lightning cable and a USB cable. So if you are using a Mac, iPad, iPhone or whatever, you can probably hook it up. It was nice to make this modular and not make them device specific. So you only have to get one of them for all your devices rather than getting the Mac version or the iPod version, etc.

One issue I do have with the iRig HD is that there is not a way to use it and have your iPad plugged in to power at the same time. This means that if your battery is running low, you are out of luck until you get a recharge. I'm not sure if someone makes a 30 pin splitter that would alleviate this problem, but it is a problem non the less.

For getting the most pristine signal on your devices for recording / practicing, I think the iRig HD is a great option.


iRig Stomp

AmpliTube to your pedalboard. Well you can with the iRig Stomp. The idea is simple, take the basic idea of the iRig and put it in a pedal box. Here's how it works, you have 1/4 inch in and out much like a normal effects pedal. There is a footswitch that turn the pedal on and off. When the pedal is off, signal simply passes from the inputs to the outputs. When it is on, it send the signal to a stereo 1/8th inch I/O jack. Then with the included long male to make 1/8th" cable, to your iOS device. Using AmpliTube, you set up the sounds you want, then the signal comes back in the same cable. The pedal has a volume knob for you to equalize the return signal to your dry signal. There is a 2nd 1/8th" jack that you can use with a pair of headphones,
Being a 'pedal guy' I thought the iRig Stomp was an interesting idea. What if you could bring the power of

With this setup, you turn your whole AmpliTube rig into another pedal. So why not give it a go? I play guitar at my church. I generally run into my pedalboard, then to my Crate V33-212 amp that is in a backstage closet. I gets mic'd up back there. Since AmpliTube is not just effects, but also amp simulation, I though I would try to run from my pedalboard into the iRig stomp, into my iPad, then out of the iRig Stomp into a direct box.

I was pretty surprised at the sound that I got. I did not have tons of time to tweak my sound, so I dialed up the basic crunch amp and set the volume low to simulate the base tone that I usually shoot for with my amp. Pretty clean, but with a bit of breakup. Since I had my American Special Telecaster, which does pick up nasty levels of noise in that space, I turned on the noise filter. This certainly dulls the tone a bit, but I was able to brighten it up a little with the amp EQ.

Overall it sounded pretty good. Certainly a viable option to replace the amp if the need be. It is definitely nice to have the amp knobs at arms reach instead of having to 'set it and forget it'.

If I were to use AmpliTube on the iPad for live settings, I certainly wouldn't use it for all my effects. being able to turn effects on/off with my foot or tap in tempos on certain pedals is a must for me. I could use presets, but again, switching presets is a 2 click process. I would certainly have some usability ideas for IK if they were to ever ask me. Now to be fair, IK is coming out with the iRig BlueBoard which is a BlueTooth pedalboard that will control IK programs on iOS and mac. Perhaps I get my hands on one and see how that works.

Another thing to consider from a purely logistical standpoint is using something like an iKlip. I just had my iPad on my music stand under my music. This was fine until I managed to reset my settings (I think I loaded a preset) right before we started our set. So yeah, that wasn't cool.

I need to fire up the Studio section of AmpliTube still and will be reviewing that in a follow up post soon.

Other Ideas & AmpliTube Custom Shop

Another option would be to run the output of my last pedal into the iRig HD, into my MacBook Pro. Then run AmpliTube Custom shop. Then using a 2nd D/A converter that I have run the output to the sound system. Custom Shop has a lot more options than the iOS version of AmpliTube (rightly so). There is a vast library of amps and effects that you can purchase. You can also try out individual models for 72 hours which is good, because credits will run you between $1 to $0.50 depending on how many you buy at once. Most 'normal' amounts of credits 20-80 credits, they are about $1 a piece. For reference, of the 8 delay pedal models, they range from 10 credits to 15 credits, amps run about 30 credits, speaker cabinets are 5 credits, mics are 5 credits. So using the 72 hour 'try' period is a good idea lest you drop a bunch of cash. The much better way to go would be to spend about $100 on one of the collections and get many more models for the price.

 The free core of the software does come with a modest set of models. Enough that if you were running some 'real' pedals in front of the interface, you could use it in a live setting. But again, would definitely need some external controls, because in the middle of a show, the last thing you want to have to do is mouse around the screen to change settings or presets.

In Conclusion

iRig HD and iRig Stomp are similar products that fill a slightly different space. The iRig Stomp is a great way to either use AmpliTube as another pedal on your board, or use it as an amp replacement so you can run direct. While the iRig HD gives you a cleaner way to connect your guitar into your iPad, iPod or Computer digitally without relying on the crummy D/A conversion that generally happens in the mic in jack on your device.

 I would certainly recommend either of these devices if someone were looking for a way to get a little more digital in their rig or extend some sonic options that may not otherwise be available.

On the software end, there are still drawbacks to using it live, but I think IK is aware of that and hopefully some of their hardware offerings in the future will address these issues.