Levelator is a simple application(or program for the windows folk) that does exactly what the name implies, “Levelates”. Check the dictionary it’s there. Ok, it’s not there but it should be. But anyway, it’s a no frills app that takes your audio and normalizes(evens out the volume) the audio. By simply dragging any audio file onto the icon, it takes the file and evens out all of the audio and in turn creates a new file next the the original file with the levels evened out. Did I say “even” enough times in that last sentence?

This is a must have for podcasters(also should be in the dictionary) and anyone that wants to easily “iron out” so to speak the wrinkles of your audio. Sure there are great tools and plugins within the countless audio editors to accomplish this, but if you need some normalization done quickly with no frills, this is the ticket.

Now for the best part. You can add this to your Mac or Windows gearbox(toolbox but for gear) for the ultra-mega low price of $0.00. That’s right folks. Order today and we’ll send you….there’s goes my A.D.D again.

Download “Levelator” Here

Zac was healed this past Sunday. It wasn’t in a way that many had hoped for but he is healed and has no more pain. Please pray for his family and children as they go through this difficult time and remember that every moment we have on earth is a gift. As we begin this week, focus on the fact that no matter what life throws our way, “God is still God, and God is still Good”.

As you read this, myself and Matt Price, the resident everything sound related guru, are installing and configuring the new iLive Digital mixing console that has to be up and running completely by this weekend.

So, if you get a chance, send a prayer my way because I could sure use it.

Peace out

Last Saturday, Vince Butler and I ran our first half-marathon. 13.1 miles in case you didn’t know. It was an absolutely incredible experience. It’s hard to believe that running that far at a single time without T-rex chasing you can be an incredible experience but it was. There were 10,000 other crazy people there to join us as well as onlookers all through the route. The route took us all around the city of Columbus and I got to see areas I’d never been in(and don’t plan ever seeing again). It rained for the last half of the race but it was welcomed. It was like running in air conditioning.

When I first signed up for the race, my goal was to finish without stopping at all and didn’t really care what my pace and time was. As I began to train and started to figure out what my approximate time was, I knew I was probably going to finish around 1 hour and 55 minutes.  During the race, my GPS app quit working around mile 10 because of cloud cover so I didn’t know what my time and pace was in the last 3 miles so I was expecting a finish time around my training time. When I saw the results posted online I was completely blown away.  Time: 1:43:53  Pace: 7:56 Overall Place 421(out of 10k) and 62nd in my age group(25-30). This was way better than I’d expected and what I thought I was capable of. The energy of all the other people and the overall excitement of the event must have fueled me.

My buddy Vince(Guy in the red shirt below) did a pretty good job himself finishing at 1:55:09.  Since the event, we’ve decided to go ahead and train over the summer for the full marathon that’s coming in October. I can’t even begin to imagine that distance but then again I couldn’t imagine do the half a year ago either. Wish us luck as we train and honk if you see us running though Canal, Groveport, or Picktown.

Oh, don’t mind the copyright line. For some reason, I didn’t want to pay $14.95 for each 5×7 print.

This is a must have free app if you like to run, bike, walk, hike, rollerblade, stalk, track, crawl…etc. Basically anything that you would like to know the where, how long, and how fast. There’s a biking specific version but I only have experience with this one.

Through the GPS on the iPhone, it accurately maps out your entire run using Google maps and allows you to view and edit points as well as add points of interest along the route. It also gives you pace, speed, time as well as the winning lotto numbers if you finish in a certain time. jk, but wouldn’t that be sweet? It also links to your online account(free) on mapmyrun.com which by the way is a nice website you can use if you don’t have an iPhone.

I had a hiccup with (gulp) my Wordpress app which happened to be my “app of the week” in yesterdays post. Whatever life goes on. It’s still a great app. Just user error.

A lot of people have asked me how the freaking heck I can run that far but it the truth is, it’s just as easy as starting one day with a 5 minute easy run and keeping at it. I don’t actually run as religiously as I should(note today was the first run in 1.5 weeks) but I’ve attempted to make this a lifelong hobby rather than a 1 month fling. When I first started, my wife said it probably wouldn’t last 2 months but here I am 1 year later doing the 13.1. It’s crazy to think back to a year ago when I couldn’t do 1 mile let alone a race. I plan to do a full Marathon next year and hopefully my body holds up for the training but I love a challenge. I still have no idea how I can run 2 hours nonstop with my short attention span but somehow I just enter another world when run and shut my mind down. Actually, you have to shut your mind down or your mind will tell you that you can’t do it. I told a running buddy today(Vince) that your mind is your biggest enemy. It always seems like that last mile is the hardest no matter the distance but I think it’s because your mind tells you that you’re almost finished and tries to shut your body down.

I’m definitely looking forward to doing some 5k’s after the 13.1 with another great running buddy, Dave, to give my legs a break from the long distance stuff. It’s a whole other animal.

With this weather becoming so nice, it’s a great time to give running a try. Whether to lose weight or just stay in shape, running can be a lot of fun if you can get past the first 2 months of cardio difficulty. You owe it to your body to be healthy anyway. It only gets easier the more you do it.
I’ll post updates after the race so heads up. And if you happen to be here, maybe you’ll see myself and Vince B. cross the finish line with the other 10,000 crazies.

B