I have now tested the Nike+iPod thingamajig I bought a few weeks ago properly, and lo it is good. I needed a few runs to figure out the best way to set it up before the run since the software in the iPod has several options you can use (such as setting goals based on a running time, based on a distance to reach, which is how I like it, a number of calories to burn and so on) to make the run more stimulating.
However, the fun doesn't stop there. Once done with your run online tools are provided to help you see how you performed, making you want to try and do better next time. For free. They really hit the sweet spot with this one, Apple and Nike.
Previous runs it has measured the distance completely wrong, and I think it is because it has been lying to loosely in the shoe, shaking around and thus not been able to really measure my steps. I started to think that this calibration free sales pitch was all baloney, but now it seems to work just fine. I placed it under the sole, as you would in the Nike shoe (yes, I am too cheap to get the special shoes that go with it and use my Brooks instead), and though I do feel it under the bridge of my foot it isn't uncomfortable in any way.
So. Apparently it is almost exactly seven k from the door of my office at Waterloo to the gates of Her Majesty's prison in Brixton. Today I did that in 40 minutes, averaging 5:50 minutes per k and burning 588 calories in total. That's the basic data you get. And then there are lots of nifty details that goes to show that they really did involve runners in the design of this gadget.
You set up your workout by simply connecting the receiver to the iPod, selecting a goal to reach (I selected 5 k), and then the music you want to listen to (now playing, a playlist you have saved, shuffle or no music). As you start walking, a voice will tell you to press the center button to start the workout.
Of course you can choose between a male or a female voice. Both of them very American. Nice voice though that female one, reminds me of my time in Orlando, even made the rainy and cold evening feel a few degrees warmer. Or maybe that's because of her husky intonation...
Anyway. While you run you can always press the center button to get a status report of time spent so far, distance you covered, what is left to reach your goal and your current pace. The pace measurement deserves a special mentioning. You would expect that it simply took an average of time spent per kilometer you covered, but no. It actually samples your pace frequently so if you slow down to a walk suddenly your pace will be 12 minutes per k... Pretty cool.
You also hear the voice cutting in over the music now and then as you progress. Again, you can tell runners were involved. As my goal this evening was a distance it started counting up the kilometers as I covered them. Then a special mentioning when you reach the half way mark. As there were two kilometers left it started counting down, and when there were 400 metres left (perfect sprinting distance) it counted down in 100 metre intervals until the goal was reached. Then it started counting how much I passed my goal. Brilliant. Exactly what works for me to push me on and make me try harder. With all the food I eat, that's what i need... Working out to be able to eat more, not to get fit, as I am.
If that isn't enough to drive you on though, and you feel the fatigue hitting you hard, there is a Power Tune function. If you press and hold the center button it plays a tune you selected before as your Power Tune... No, not Eye of the Tiger (the Buffy video is cool, but the Glen version rawks), my Power Tune is Perfect by Mason vs Princess Superstar. ;)
At any time you can pause your workout by pressing... Pause. As you would expect.
When you are done running you end your workout, and when you connect the iPod to your iTunes it automatically brings up the Nike+iPod web site and uploads your latest run. In your web account are all kinds of nifty visualisations of your run, showing you for example graphically how your pace varied over the distance with "break points" where the voice has said something for every kilometer and where you pressed the center button. Cool stuff.
So. B, you wanted to know if I liked it. Yes. It is worth every penny of the 20 pounds it costs. I even recommend getting the special armstrap for an additional 20 pounds (how silly is that...) since it is incredibly comfortable, and fits the iPod (Nano) perfectly.
Skip the shoes though and put the transmitter under the sole of your old ones until it is time to replace them anyway. This thing definitely makes it even more fun to run, helps you track your progress and visualizes what you do while out running in such a way that you easily can compare one run with another, or with a friend. If you like me are a goal oriented person, it is a brilliant way to make you push yourself harder and get more out of the time spent on the road.
