Nike+iPod
I picked this up a few weeks ago determined to breath new life into the treadmill in the garage.. erm … I mean exclusive private health club 
I have to say that for such a simple device its fantastic. I wasn’t going to go to the expense of buying new trainers as my current ones are only a few months old and had been told just to stick it in my sock. I did initially without problem but saw a little device at Chip Clip which holds the chip at the right angle and prevents any false readings. It wasn’t really neccasery but it was only a few quid and arrived from Germany after only a day or two.
The basic premise is that you have the sensor in (or on) your trainer and the wireless receiver pops in the bottom of a nano. You select a basic, time based, distance based or calorie target and start to run. The chosen music plays and you periodically get progress announcements. I like the way that the music gently fades into the background as you are told about your progress. Another really nice touch is the Power Song. Basically you have a pre-selected tune that gets the blood pumping to carry you home and at any point a press of the centre button launches it regardless of whatever had been currently playing.
The best bit though is when you have finished an pop your iPod back on the computer your stats are synced and sent to Nike where you can view your performance. You can compare your runs to your best, set goals and challenge other users to virtual races or joint targets.
I’ve been falling behind on my targets recently as I jarred my hip (which hurts a lot) so I’ve given it a weeks rest. Its much better this week so I’ll be back to it soon. Its a shame that I’ll have to take it easy initially because an additional cool feature is that if you beat a record, say your best mile time, you get congratulated. Not by the standard voice though. So far I’ve been congratulated by Paula Radcliffe and Lance Armstrong. Uber cool! 
So who’s up for a race?
