If you’ve always wanted a running coach, the Nike + iPod sport kit is going to be your new favorite running training tool.
The Nike + iPod sport kit sells for $29 and contains a sensor and receiver that track all the stats of your run, allow you to set workout goals, motivate yourself with a power song, and track your progress.
A little bigger than the size of a quarter, the Nike + iPod sensor is designed to be placed in a special compartment within companion Nike + shoes. While using the specially-designed shoes is supposedly optimal, you can purchase a Nike + sensor pouch for under $10 that will allow you to attach the sensor to any pair of sneakers.
Once the sensor is in place on your shoe, you attach a receiver to your iPod and see a new menu just for runs. You can start either an open-ended workout or one based on a target distance, time or calories burned.
As you run, a voice tells you how far you’ve gone, and if you break a personal record a celebrity athlete will give you a congratulations. This feature is somewhat hokey, but I have to admit that having Lance Armstrong in my ear gives me a bit of a thrill.
Best of all, if you hit a rough patch in your run, you can trigger a pre-programmed “powersong”—mine is “Eye of the Tiger”—and get that extra motivation you need to make it up the hill.
After your runs, you can sync your iPod to iTunes and see your running stats. All of those stats are converted to fancy graphics courtesy of Nikeplus.com, and you get a handy visual summary of your running training progress. It’s pretty neat.
The only drawback to the Nike + iPod sport kit is the battery life of the sensor. I turn my sensor off after each workout, but if you don’t turn the sensor off the battery can die in under a few months. This wouldn’t be such a big deal except that it is impossible to replace the battery. If your battery dies, you’ll need to shell out another $29 for a new kit.
Overall, the upfront costs for the kit are quite expensive. If you don’t already own an iPod nano or iPod touch, then you have to shell out at least $150 to get the 8 gig nano model. Add in another $30 for a sports armband, $10 for the pouch, and that’s a $200 investment for the player, band, and sensor kit. That’s pretty steep.
But if you want to enjoy your running training more, the cost is well worth it. For tech junkies or those simply wanting a running buddy, the Nike + iPod sport kit is a great tool that’ll keep you motivated to hit the pavement.