Nike.Plus

So, after I finally figured out that my Nano was in the 2nd closet (I've been running with my big, clunky iPod Classic), I decided to get the Nike+ system. I was intrigued as to how it was going to work, given that it only costs $29, and it doesn't run based on GPS.

I took it out on a Monday, the day I don't normally run. The first calibration was for running. The minimum distance you can run to calibrate is 400 meters (1/4 mile). I decided to try my luck at half a mile. When I got to the half mile marker, Nike+ said I had gone .54, but the calibration was successful. It took me two tries to calibrate for walking, but I finally got it to take. I then ran a mile as a test and when I finished it said I had gone .99, so it was relatively accurate.

On Wednesday, I took it out for a spin on the greenway, for a 3.5 mile run. Again, fairly accurate - had me at 3.56 miles, 35:58, with a pace of 10:05. I was breathing pretty hard,so I think that's about right. I'm trying to get to the point where a 10 minute mile is pretty regular. Not quite there yet.

On Thursday, Keysha tricked me into running about 4 miles (or what we thought was 4 miles. It was supposed to be an "easy" run. What folks fail to realize is that 10:00 minute miles are not easy for me. Not yet, anyway. :lol: Nike+ felt that we had gone 4.3 miles, in 43:56, with a 10:12 pace. I'm not sure on the distance, because once you pass the 1.5 mile marker and go up to cross David Taylor Drive, you end up in the University Research Park area. There are no markers in this area, but there was a landmark designated to be the 2 mile mark. When we got there, Nike+ said we had gone 2.19 miles.

Saturday, was our 7 mile run. I was really looking forward to putting Nike+ to work. Not sure what happened, but the first thing that was "off" was that The Voice wasn't talking to me. For those of you not familiar with the system, you can set it so that a voice (either male or female) will let you know your status, if you press the "select" button on the iPod. It will tell you how long you've been running, how much distance you've covered, and what your current pace is. I pressed for status and didn't hear anything. So from that point on, I had to keep checking it visually. I also noticed the longer we ran, the more the distance was off. In the end, it registered my run as 7.5 miles in 1:19:53, or a 10:39 pace. A 11 minute pace would have put me at 1:17, and 12 minutes puts you at 1:24. I'm thinking I averaged about 11:20. I had skimmed through the directions, and recalled reading about being able to calibrate Nike+ based on your last workout, but you have to do it right after you hit "end workout" - I didn't remember that, so I wasn't able to re-calibrate.

This morning, we went for our 3 mile recovery run. I had planned on re-calibrating, and I be doggone if the freakin' iPod wasn't frozen! No one knew how to un-freeze it. I had never seen that happen before, so I had no clue. Turns out it's as simple as hitting the menu and select buttons simultaneously, and holding for about 7 - 8 seconds. Google is your friend. Oh well. Will have to re-calibrate on Tuesday!

So, week one with Nike+ has been interesting and iffy. I'm hoping it is doing better for this week. Especially since we are going to do about 12 miles on Saturday (preview run for the Thunder Road marathon that's here in December). I can't give it a full review at this point.

Anyone got $300 so I can buy one of the Garmin running watches? :|