and here i ran, thinking technology would solve my problems
I’ve been training for a year of running - the Shamrock Shuffle, the Chicago Distance Classic, the Chicago Marathon - and my trusty iPod shuffle finally crapped out on me.
It was time, I suppose, for my little guy to meet his maker after logging hundreds of miles with me and putting up with rain, sweat and snow. In fact, I’m having trouble throwing him away: there was that much of an emotional attachment. And by ‘emotional attachment,’ I mean ‘odd feelings of familiarity for a stick-of-gum sized piece of plastic.’
So I decided to move into the 21st century with its flying cars and its meals in pill form by joining the Nike+ running community. After purchasing my entry ticket in the form of an iPod Nano and the Nike+ sensor, I was jazzed. My new toys would record entire workouts for me, tracking mileage, time, pace and calories, and would automatically upload that information to the Nike site where I could see my progress graphically and compete against other runners.
it would be like a video game. And we all love video games.
There’s only one problem: the thing’s a piece of shit. Witness:
Sunday’s run, according to walkjogrun.net: 7.49 miles.
Sunday’s run time, according to Nike+: 61:03 (assuming accuracy).
Thus Sunday’s pace: 8:09 per mile.Sunday’s run, according to Nike+ and the iPod: 4.83 miles.
Thus Sunday’s pace: 12:37 per mile.
On Sunday, Nike+ underestimated my workout by 36 percent, or 2.66 miles.
Monday’s run, according to walkjogrun.net: 4.4 miles.
Monday’s run time, according to Nike+: 34:22 (again, hoping this is right).
Thus Monday’s pace: 7:48 per mile.Monday’s run, according to Nike+ and the iPod: 2.69 miles.
Thus Monday’s pace: 12:45 per mile.
On Monday, Nike+ underestimated my workout by 39 percent, or 1.71 miles.
And before you ask, yes, I calibrated the thing. I’m thinking of removing the calibration to see if it gets any more accurate.
Moral of the story: Stick to old school tech, such as digital watches and Google-Maps distance calculators, when training.
3 Comments, Comment or Ping
Adam Howitt
Hey Nick,
I am the owner of WalkJogRun so thanks for the write-up! Do you run here in Chicago? I’m running the Shamrock Shuffle, the Distance classic and the marathon this year too since I live here. I think I’ll have my WalkJogRun shirt on for the shamrock shuffle so if you see it, pop over and say hi. I run with the Nike+ too and have seen some issues with it but all of them are solved. Initially, pre-calibration the distances were fairly close when I had it in a shoe pocket (rather than embedded in my shoe). I tried calibration and it improved a little but not enough. Next I padded the shoe pocket to make sure it wasn’t bouncing around in the shoe pocket and it was dramatically better. Next I took a pair of running shoes and carved the whole under the sole to put the sensor there and it was better still. Finally a re-calibration with it secured in my shoe and the accuracy is within 1/10th of a mile over 3 miles. I ponied up for a Nike+ shoe this winter so now it’s working great. Hope some of this helps. Look for training logs in the next couple of weeks in WalkJogRun. I’m not sure what kind of reports people will want but as a runner I tend to build stuff I need and work out the details later!
Thanks
Adam
Feb 20th, 2007
D-man
I assume you were wearing Nike branded shoes while performing the activity. The Nike+ sensor works correctly ONLY if matched with the right pair of shoes. i.e. well, you know….
Feb 20th, 2007
Kelly
You are always so timely. A week or so ago I finished reading a book I thought you would really enjoy: The Perfect Thing by Steven Levy. It’s all about the ipod and even discusses the “emotional attachment” factor. It is a quick, interesting read - I think you will enjoy it so much I am including this link: http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Perfect-Thing_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ51257036 - let me know what you think.
Feb 21st, 2007
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