Okay, I have to admit that running for a shot putter is usually one or two laps at most, but now that I am trying to lose my thrower weight, I run about 2 miles (a lot for me). Let’s face it, running can be one of the most boring things in the world to do.
That may be about to change. If you have the right Nike shoes and an iPod nano, you can add a lot to your workouts. Here’s how it works. A sensor in your shoes talks to the iPod, which can play your favorite workout tunes while keeping track of your miles and pace.
When you get home, plug in the iPod and sync to iTunes or nikeplus.com. You can keep track of your workouts, but here’s the fun part. You can challenge runners all over the world to virtual races! Unfortunately, the site doesn’t seem to be up yet. It says “this section launches soon….”
On the nike site, you can also find motivation music for working out, even mixes chosen by your favorite athletes. You can listen to a recording of the athletes’ voices talking about how they feel about their music on the website. Very cool. I’m choosing Paula Radcliffe, because she runs marathons, and 2 miles feels like that to me right now.
The Nike iPod connection looks like a winner. Somebody was thinking very creatively here, and they had a good idea of what their customers wanted. The “how it works” information was clear and simple. Time to go shopping!
What does it cost? The sport kit, which includes sensors for your shoes and iPod, costs $29. Plan on spending between $85 and $110 for the shoes. The iPod nano starts at $149. You’re going to want an armband for your iPod, too, for $29 (at least you can choose from five different colors).
If I were Apple and Nike, I would try to make it a little easier to shop for all of the above, maybe by coordinating their websites a bit more. I had to hunt around a bit to find all the parts. They are probably assuming that nearly everybody already has the iPod part….
I really did like the crisp ad copy Nike and Apple are using: Tune your run. Says it all in three words.
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