• April 3rd, 2007
• Joseph Crawford
• 5:38 PM (GMT-5)
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Over the last 8 years or so I have become very lazy. I never run anymore (used to at least periodically for leisure, or when being chased heh) but recently I have wanted to get back into shape. I do not know anyone here local that I could run with, and generally running is better with someone else so you can push each other. Running seemed like a lost hope for me as I was not motivated enough to go it alone.

Along comes Nike offering what they call Nike+ shoes and a kit that you can connect to your iPod Nano. Hmm what does this do I wondered. I started digging into Google and found that it tracks how many miles you have run, at the pace you are going how long it will take to run a mile. It has more stats and after each workout will tell you how many calories you have burned. I was a bit skeptical that the calories data would be accurate but from what I read it is quite accurate.

I received my sneakers, iPod kit, and an 8GB Nano which I got on eBay for ($122). There was minor damage to the iPod that I bought, there is a small indent in the case near the screen and 2 tiny cracks in the screen. I bought the iPod anyway thinking well I will probably just drop it while running anyway. I also checked on eBay to see what the replacement case and screen would cost. The screens are around $15 + shipping and the cases around $8. I am going to repair this nano myself as from what I have read it’s not that difficult.

Anyway back to the Nike+ gear. When you first get the gear you have to calibrate the sensor that goes in the shoe. You do this by first walking a 1/4 mile as you normally would. Then you have to run a 1/4 mile as you plan to run on a daily basis. If you are not going to sprint every day, don’t do it when you calibrate the sensor. You then go into the settings, and set everything the way you want it. One question that do ask in the setting is how much you weigh. I am not sure what this has to do with anything because If you are running on a daily basis your weight is bound to drop and it will not be accurate.

I did my first run of a mile yesterday, the first half was fine it was all down hill. The second half is what killed me when coming back up the hill and the graph clearly shows that I was running WAY too fast at the start. I ran 1 mile and as you can see near then end is where I about keeled over and died. Today however I decided to break it up into chunks. Earlier today i ran 1/2 mile and a little bit ago I ran another 1/2 mile so my mile for the day is in. I might actually go out again in a bit and run another 1/2. I find that if you break it up you will want to run again during the day rather than overdoing it and then not wanting to run again.

There are a few issues that I have found with the transmitter that you put in your shoe. The first issue is the fact that it is a sealed unit so that it can be water proof. This is good and bad. Inside the transmitter is a battery that runs the device. When the battery goes dead you have to buy another sport kit (currently $29). The second is the fact that someone has already shown proof that you can create a device that will allow you to track people who are using the Nike+ transmitter up to 60 feet away. Now if you ask me 60 feet is not that far and is generally within eye shot. However could you imagine these devices that are wireless and connect to any wireless Internet connection in the area that is unsecured? Plant a few of these in trees 50 feet apart and you can track someone as they run around the block. I am not sure why anyone would want to spend that much money on making these devices even though they cost under $300 to make one. In order to cover any large area you would need at least 20 of them leaving you with a bill or approximately $6,000. If you ask me privacy is not a concern until they figure out a way to make these devices for $10-20 each.

There is a lot more you can do with the Nike+ gear such as challenge other people on-line, join groups/teams and motivate each other. I am already looking into how I can grab all of my workout data from Nike’s site and post it on this site so that people can see my goals and watch me accomplish them. It is going to take some work but I feel it is possible. I will not be releasing the code that I create to accomplish this task, at least not without the permission of Nike. The image to the left is what I will be shooting for, or something similar on my goals page. It’s a really great idea and I look forward to using the products well into the future.