Nike+: The Best Running Gadget. Ever.

March 21, 2008 | in Gear | 2 Comments

Extolling the virtues of Nike+, the best running gadget. Ever.

I love the Nike+. I fricken love it. If you ask “why?”, then I’m guessing you don’t have one. Yet.

Pull up a chair and let me tell you about it.

Features

Nike+ tracks your runs as you go, giving you real-time feedback and statistics including pace, distance, time and calories burned.

Workout goal planning. You can choose a distance, time or Calorie goal for your run before you start.
Real-time feedback. Your iPod screen displays how far you’ve gone during our run, and you can choose verbal feedback that announces milestones ("half-way point”, “3 miles left”, etc) for hands-free status updates.
Amazing NikePlus.com website. Beautiful, feature-rich site that offers in-depth access to your run history, social functionality and many other tasty tidbits.
Tiny, unobtrusive components. A small piece attaches to the bottom of your iPod, and the accelerometer unit fits into Nike+ shoes or attaches to your laces (with available add-ons).
Easy set-up. Follow the few instructions, sync your iPod on iTunes and you’re ready to roll. Not much configuration to do, other than enter your weight (so Calorie consumption can be accurately calculated).
Very low price (about $30 MSRP). I was prepared to spend a lot more on the unit, and was pleasantly surprised to find it so cheap.

I really like knowing how far I’ve run. As a matter of fact, for some training programs it’s important that you run specific durations or distances. Nike+ makes this drop-dead simple.

When training for our first 10k, my wife and I resorted to running on an all weather track (the Point Loma Nazarene track—San Diego’s best-kept running secret). To count laps, we got one of those cheesey clicker counter things that doormen use in clubs. Despite Point Loma Nazarene’s breathtaking setting, running around a loop got old after a while.

The we got the Nike+. And we could go anywhere and know exactly how far we’d run.

Shoe Integration

The Nike+ was designed to fit into specific Nike+ shoes. I have never run in Nike shoes, and wasn’t ready to abandon my favorites (Asics Gel-1130) just to use the Nike+.

Luckily, Marware produces the Sportsuit+—a simple little velcro pouch that holds the Nike+ in place on any shoe. Pop the Nike+ into the pouch, fasten the strap around your laces and you’re good to go.

RunAway AnyShoe adapter apparently does the same thing, although I have not used it myself.

NikePlus.com Web Site

Time, distance and Calorie tracking per run are the core features of the Nike+, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

NikePlus.com is a beautiful site that offers an amazing number of features:

Detailed archive of all previous runs. All your runs are displayed on a timeline, which you can click to view details as well as a graphic representation of your pace through the run. Sweet.
Challenges. You can issue other NikePlus.com members challenges—most miles in a specific time period, fastest 5k, etc. This is a fun and handy way to compete against friends and family that live in other parts of the country (or world).
Personal goals. You can set up distance and frequency (i.e. “Run X times in a month") goals for yourself quickly and easily. This can be a big motivator to stay on track with your running program.
Map It. Let’s say you’re going to New York on business. You want to run, but you don’t have a route you like. Simply enter the zip code and NikePlus.com will call up a number of user-created routes on a map, with specific distances. Need to run 8 miles? No problem. You can also enter your favorite routes for others to access.
Non-traditional running events. When Nike sponsored the Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, they allowed Nike+ runners from all over the world to compete. All you needed to do was run the requisite distance and track it with your Nike+ on the day of the race, sync it and you were a legitimate participant—regardless of where you ran. How cool is that?

Drawbacks

Nothing’s perfect, and Nike+ does have a few gotchas:

Nike+ only works with the iPod Nano. This can be a pretty big issue. It might be hard to reconcile putting the money down if you’ve invested in another MP3 player. Then again, running with a hard-disk iPod (that’s not designed to handle the impact of running) or an iPhone (very pricey if you drop it) may not be the best idea, and you may consider getting a Nano for running specifically. Just a thought.
Some folks have had calibration issues. The Nike+ unit might not calculate your run accurately out of the box. Mine has always been accurate, but I know some folks that have had issues. Luckily, the Nike+ has a handy walkthrough configuration utility that makes it easy to fix.

Have I Convinced You Yet?

Yes? Awesome. Go get the Nike+, fill your iPod with Hella Sound running music, and go get ‘em!

No? Ok. If you want more testimonial, check out Inside Nike Running’s “Nike+ Converts” feature—tons of stories about people who love the thing as much as I do.

(No, I’m not affiliated with Nike. This isn’t a paid plug—I just love the thing. Seriously.)