The nike+ Experience

Above you'll see my latest run on the Nike+ system. What's that you ask? Nike+ is a collaborative project between Apple and Nike to synchronize music with running. Basically, if you have a pair of Nike shoes, and an iPod nano (or touch) you're set. For $39 (CDN) you can grab the Nike + iPod Spot Kit from just about anywhere iPods or Nikes are sold. In brief, it tracks your run with a sensor in your shoe. Information is sent between the iPod and the sensor to determine things like distance and calorie burn. On top of this, it gives you voice readout of your performance amid your tunes. You can program in a 'power song' when you need a boost. Once you're done your run, you can sync it with your Nike+ account where there is a smorgasbord of things to do with the information. You can track your performance over a period of time, create a workout routine, set goals, and challenge people from around the world. It really is the running experience for the 21st century. I've been using the system for about two weeks now. I'm just getting back into regular running this month -- and so far, the Nike+ system has been astounding motivation. Just thinking about being able to know how my performance is going is exciting. I've always had the problem of there being no incentive to running. Now with the Nike+ I can set goals outside of my mind -- and I can physically see how I'm doing. Not to mention, I've made a few sweet playlists to go along with my runs!

Todays run was supposed to be a light pace. However, for some reason, I felt like pushing myself. Maybe it was that extra Nike+ motivation?

Anyways, I did a 1.71km warmup. For some reason, my sensor wasn't responding to the iPod for that part. I must stress that this isn't a defect, but rather human error. The entire run with warmup lasted just under 25 minutes. After the warmup I ran a brisk 4.10km around the neighborhood. For that period, I averaged a hearty 4:10 minutes per kilometer. I'm really happy with that considering I haven't run in ages. Back before high-school I was borderline 18:59 for a 5km. Those were the glory days. So it's good to see I've still got the knack!

I've got quite a good setup going here. I have a 2nd gen. iPod Touch which I secure with a Belkin Sport Armband . Having the armband is essential for running as it is totally unnoticeable. One nice feature about the armband is that it is completely washable, and has a neat little pocket for a key. It fits right against my arm with very little bulk. Something cool with the Nike+ software on the iPod is that you can set it to view in landscape mode while on the lock screen, making it easily legible from your arm.

I'm running on a pair of Nike Air Pegasus'. They are a solid pair of shoes with a classic Nike fit. I used to spend hundreds of dollars on Pearl Izumis, and Saucony shoes when I was competing, however I found that there was never really a difference for me. I'm not a huge pronator, and these shoes are neutral, so they work really well. The sensor goes in the left shoe sole. It is sort of noticeable at first, but the lump goes away almost instantly with running. For the price I paid, these shoes are excellent for road running. I probably would recommend some more support for trails.

There are a load of settings you can tinker with on the iPod. The first thing that you MUST do is calibrate the system. After entering your gender and weight, you're going to want to run a set distance. I ran 400m -- and I made sure I ran exactly 400m to calibrate it perfectly. You can do this easily by mapping out a path on google earth, and starting your run at that path.

Once you have it calibrated, you're ready to run. You will want to enter a 'power song' for when you need the extra motivation. I chose a heavy techno song, a lot of folks like eye of the tiger.

Running is easy. When you start the workout, it must sync with the sensor first. Walking around in a circle will achieve this. During your run, you get some feedback on your progress. I've chosen the male voice, because the woman sounds really angry at me sometimes :( He basically gives you a time, distance, or calorie summary -- depending on the workout you've chosen. When you near the end of your workout, updates get more frequent, giving you that extra push for the end. It's cool!

One thing I'm not sure about with the system is stairs. I incorporate a lot of stair workouts in my runs so I can kill ALL my leg muscles at the same time. I've yet to determine whether the system correctly reads stair distance or not. I doubt it does, so I usually pause the workout for stairs.

So far, I'm pretty crazy about the Nike+ system. It actually has me running and feeling good about it! I have no complaints at all and I'd definitely recommend this to any avid runner, regardless of their skill level. Even the pros could benefit from this set-up.

If you'd like to track my progress, take a look at this link There you can find all my workouts and goals. It's really neat!