[GaRebelRunner]

For the next 4 Saturdays Nike is having an expo at a local running store at 8:00am. Not being a Nike fan and also opposed to earphones I very reluctantly decided to go, but what the heck. It's free and an easy way to test out some new equipment on runs of up to 6 miles. There are shorter runs for those who want to run or walk less.<br><br>
The sensor pod for the shoe only fits Nike shoes (there is an after market version available which of course Nike Reps are quick to inform you are not as accurate as Nike nor supported by Nike). But they fixed up each runner, probably about 15-18 of us up with comparable shoes as to what we were wearing, set us up with a nano Ipod and off we went on our run(s).<br><br>
We had a choice of wearing armbands or putting the nano's in our pockets. I chose to put it in my pocket and only wear one earphone. The music was vintage rock - I have no idea what the tunes were. You can download whatever music you wish from your home PC.<br><br>
The course was along State Bridge Road for those of you who know the area. It's a 4-5 lane busy road with various apartments, businesses and subdivisions linining it. It was an out and back course with substantial inclines.<br><br>
As well as the music the ipod told you as you hit each mile, as well as your pace. If you take a water break or get stopped by lights you can pause it. It was pretty easy to change on the fly and I have no experience with ipods. Once we went past 3 miles it started saying only two miles to go, etc. Within the last 500 meters, it counted down in 100 to 200 meter increments. I'm sure there are a lot more features to it, but on first run I just chose the basic workout so I'll have to expand my horizons over the next 3 weeks. After the run you can download your ipod into your PC and it will show you all kinds of stats. I forgot to download mine before I gave it back to the Nike rep.<br><br>
It was interesting, compared to my Garmin. The Nike systems would be much more beneficial on trail runs. The battery life in the shoe sensor is valid for 1,000 hours. It will turn off automatically if it senses no movement in your shoe for 5 minutes. But you can turn it right back on if you're simply shooting the breeze with someone and standing around. The nano ipod battery will last from 18 to 24 hours depending which model you use.<br><br>
I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the run using the Nike system.

 

[crazyfrog]

oooh, ive been thinking of getting some new shoes with the nike+ thing. this makes me really want to get it now. my only concern is wearing headphones when im outside...

 

[GaRebelRunner]

I have a hard time with the headphone concept too. Until Saturday I had never worn any. I ran with only one in my left ear. I left the other plug in my pocket. It seemed I was able to hear traffic and everyone talking above the music without any problems. I think I would have heard a growling or barking dog coming up behind me. Although I couldn't figure out how to turn down the volume (My first time to run with an ipod too) until after I got back to the start of the run.

 

[merigayle]

i run with the ipod shuffle and the volume is never loud. i can hear my feet hit the ground, my gatorade slosh in my handheld and my zipper pull bouncing and hitting my zipper as i run (when wearing a zipup). That is the key to running with music.

 

[fatmantrying]

ditto.<br><br>
I have yet to do an event with an MP3 player but I've never done an Ultra, so it's probably not the same.<br><br>
The Nano + thing doesn't appeal to me only for that reason. I have the Polar cadence pod thing on my shoe and i wear the watch and it does mileage and laps, etc.... I'd get used to the Nano mileage thing and want to use it in a race...

 

[merigayle]

i have only once used my ipod in a race and it was a rural 50 miler with only 30 people running it. I used it for the last 15 miles. For my 100 miler at the end of the summer i will more than likely be using it as i do not think i will have pacers.

 

[GaRebelRunner]

In the back of my mind that concerns me somewhat if I use the nano for training runs. I guess though I could run some runs without it for practice in races.<br><br>
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting Nike reps for another demonstration run. I have a 5k race though tomorrow night at 8:00pm with temps in the mid to high 80's so I'm definitely going to be taking it easy on the training run.

 

[GaRebelRunner]

Just an update. This was my second Saturday to use the Nike expo to test their software on the nano ipod. I guess the novelty wore off. I wasn't quite so excited about it this week. On the other hand the music was terrible too.<br><br>
But the run was brutal this morning due to the humidity and the sunshine was shining with all its glory. I was drenched when I returned. They did show me how to load the run to my nikeplus account. What Nike appears to emphasize is how well you maintain your pace throughout the run. It's not as detailed as my Garmin runs when they download but do furnish very useful for a lot of runners who are not into the details that other running software may offer.

 

[fatmantrying]

Thanks for the update!

 

[diablita]

Thanks for sharing your ecperience, Bobby. My run yesterday morning was similar (minus the Nike apparatus, of course). Staying on the treadmill the last two weeks meant that that 80+ temps and high humidity for our 6 am start made it a very tough run since I hadn't acclimated. And I was drenched at the end.

 

[augie09]

I can provide a brief review from someone that has used the nike+ for 14 weeks training for my first half, and during my first half (but no headphones, just for pace/distance/time).<br><br>
During training it is great to have my own music, but any mp3 can do that. As for nike+ features, I like the mileage up date when running, I like being able to tap the center ipod button and the music mutes while a male or female voice recites my current distance/pace/time. It is fun to see all my runs automatically upload to my free nike+ account when I plug my ipod to my laptop to recharge. IT is also a lot of fun to join online challenges with other nike+ users, providing a great way to stay motivated. My DW and I have a bet for who can run more miles by october, her miles counting 2x for mine. since i am training for a Full and she is training for HM.<br><br>
The downside I do not like is the accuracy. I calibrated my exactly how ipod/nike said to, but the week before my HM i found out it was inaccurate by about 10% under. which means I hadn't been running as far as I thought and my normal pace was slower than I thought. This really got under my skin since I had spent the past month setting my sights on a HM finishing time that seemed realistic, only to find out I wasn't ready for it. I guess it needs to be calibrated every month since they say weather can affect, changes in stride, and other factors.

 

[fatmantrying]

Thanks for the review, augie.<br><br>
Just to clarify, if you don't wear the headphones you'll only get the info when you sync it with the computer, right?

 

[augie09]

if you don't wear headphones, you have to look at the screen while running to get stats. I have a wristband for this to wear during race so I can view ipod like a watch.<br><br>
But if I have accuracy issues with this in the next few months after I calibrate again, I might switch up to garmin. I dont want to be running my first marathon on in october, thinking i have 1 mile left, when really it's 3-4 miles left.

 

[merigayle]

Ack! somehow i lost my post.<br><br>
Augie- depending on where you live and run, the Garmin can be very inaccurate. I tried every trick in the book before i returned it. Once i went 4.5 miles out on a wide, paved, open path. It read 4 miles, on the way back, total 9 miles, it said i only ran 7. The thing is really big and clunky on my wrist and if it is not accurate than i did not know what the point was. I k now in my running group half the people wear them and they all get slightly different readings when we all run in a pack.

 

[augie09]

merigayle - good to know the garmin's aren't perfect. Makes it easier to just live with what i got.

 

[GaRebelRunner]

Whether using the Garmin or the Nike, it's always best to look at both as tools only, not necessarily perfections in mileage. They will both be reasonably accurate. Both have their strong points and weak points.<br><br>
I like the Garmin for my every day runs and long runs on roads because it is fairly accurate and gives me a lot more information than the Nike system. The Garmin will give me a map of the route I ran, whereas the Nike just plots points for you as a simulation of how you ran. You can load your Garmin runs onto motionbased.com free to compare against and compete against other members of motion based. I don't use it for this purpose but it is there.<br><br>
But the Nike is much better on the trails because you don't have to worry about losing the satellite plus the battery life is much longer so you can use it on a 50k or 50 mile race. Chances of using a Garmin in a 50 mile race and not have the battery die is not probable outside of very fast runners.<br><br>
And I would also find the Nike useful when I want to listen to history lectures or Spanish lessons while running in a park, such as Stone Mountain or the Silver Comet Trail where I don't have to worry quite so much about traffic. Nevertheless I would still only keep one earplug in.<br><br>
So I find both serve useful purposes. Both can help you reach running goals. But you do have to keep in mind they have their limitations and on any given course can be wrong, although GENERALLY they will be within reason. Enjoy either or both.