I’m pleased to release to the world “I’m Going For a Run”, a video chronicling my marathon training from December 2011 to May 2012.

After 6 months of training, 441 miles run, and 70.5 hours spent running I’m excited to share it with all of you!

Credit to Flo Rida and his song “Good Feeling” that was used in the video. Click here if you can’t see the video.

The idea for this video came to me in an instant in November 2011. From that point forward I began shooting videos of me running and training for the Madison Marathon (you can read about how the race went here). It’s nice to see the video come together in real life when this movie has been playing in my head for the past 6 months.

For those of you interested in the process and how I did it all, the next part is for you.

What did you use to shoot all this footage?
I used my iPhone 4S for every shot in this video.

How did you set the phone up?
I invented my own tripod to use with my iPhone (this is one of the coolest parts of this story and makes the geek in me smile!). Early on in the shooting process, I set my phone up on a fence post. I hit record and ran away from the phone and when I turned around to run back, I didn’t see my phone because it had fallen off the post and into the snow! Panic ensued, but thankfully my phone was fine.

After that incident, I needed to find a better way to get my shots without having my phone fall over. But it had to be small enough where I could either put it in my pocket or in my hydration pack.

Enter The Lego Tripod!

The Lego Tripod "folded up"

The Lego Tripod, empty

The Lego Tripod, ready to shoot

Not only does it prevent my iPhone from falling over, but it’s small enough to go anywhere. You can see in the pictures what it looks like “folded up”, without the phone in it, and with the phone in it. The Lego Tripod worked brilliantly!

How did you record yourself?
While running during my training, I was always on the lookout for a place to shoot a video and when I’d see a shot in my mind’s eye, I would stop and set up the phone in the tripod. I set it up on mailboxes, fence posts, logs, pavement, rocks, and whatever else would allow me to get the shot I had in my mind. I would set it up, push record, and run. Then I’d pick up the phone, “fold up” the tripod, and continue on with my scheduled run.

Why that song choice?
This video was created in my mind’s eye upon hearing “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida for the first time. It’s a fun song with a good beat and it’s one of my power running songs. Plus running does give me a “good feeling” and finishing my marathon gave me a “good feeling” that I struggled to put into words.

How did you edit the clips?
All of the edits were done in iMovie, a movie editing software that comes standard on a Mac.

 If you enjoyed the video, it would mean a lot to me if you shared it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or via email.

The video is embeddable and sharable, so please share it with your own audience on your blog if you think they’d like it.

Thanks for taking some time to watch the video! I hope the video provided you a glance at marathon training and perhaps it inspired you to start running. Drop me a line, I’d love to talk and connect with you!

Keep running, friends!

To download your FREE copy of The Warrior’s Manifesto (and get regular updates), enter your email address.