Review of the Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Having been a loyal follower of the Nike+ system, I was anticipating the introduction of Nike's own GPS watch.

I've followed Nike+ not too long after it was introduced in 2006 and started using the system in 2007 (somewhat of a New Year's Resolution to get in shape). I started with a 2nd generation iPod Nano and the Nike+iPod Sports Kit, which consisted of a sensor that plugs into the bottom of the Nano, and a footpod transmitter that goes into a special pocket in Nike+ model shoes or into a footpod pouch that can be secured to the shoe across the laces.

I loved the feedback and encouragement of the instant feedback of the entire system, from the congratulatory message at end of a personal best workout, to the statistical feedback and trending from the Nikeplus website. In fact, my experience with system was documented in a Wired article back in June 2009. I even invested in a Nike+ wrist remote to control to control the iPod

I loved the system, but wanted something that was less "bulky", not that the iPod on an armband was bulky, but I wanted more of a minimalist experience.

That's when I bought the Nike+ SportBand. It's a simple, water-resistant wristband with a detachable display module that can plug into a USB port for syncing runs to the Nike+ website. It still requires the footpod transmitter but that's all you need. No iPod, but that also means no voice prompts during your run to notify you of intervals (which I use), and the SportBand display didn't have a backlight which is not useful during early morning runs or evening runs.

But because both the iPod Sports Kit and the SportBand both relied on the footpod, the accuracy of the runs have varied by up to 10%. The transmitter and sensor would track 10% more mileage than I had actually run. The big advantage that the SportBand had was that it also allowed integration with the Nike-branded, Polar heart rate monitor.

Nike then released an app that utilized the iPhone GPS chip to track run mileage. That was the close to the Holy Grail for me. Here was a package that had both accuracy, allowed me to listen to music, and still get the encouraging voice prompts. It also allowed me to upload the runs to the Nike+ website without needed to sync the runs via a computer. It also leveraged social media by posting run when I was about to go for a run and allowed Facebook friends to send virtual cheers to my iPhone. The big downside was having to carry the iPhone with me on my runs. While that's a convenience in some respect, it's added bulk and there's no visual feedback that I had gotten used to with the SportBand even though I got back my audio feedback that I had with my iPod Nano. I also had to keep the iPhone in a separate pouch with my fuel belt mainly because I didn't want to use an armband that could allow perspiration to reach the iPhone.

What I really wanted was a GPS watch like the Garmin Forerunner 405. The Forerunner 405 is a stylish GPS watch that looks like a normal watch and much more sleek than the blocky Garmin Forerunner 205. But at over $200 at some retailers, the Garmin was out of my reach and there was no similar feedback system like the Nike+ website.

In early April, Nike made the Nike+ SportWatch GPS available for sale on their website. It was a GPS watch, designed in conjunction with Tom Tom, intended to work with the Nike+ system. The primary distance tracking is performed by GPS with backup tracking provided by the venerable Nike+ footpod sensor in case a GPS signal is not available.

I took the SportWatch out for a 2-mile run for the first time last week. The distance tracking during the run was accurate and the watch provided the basic statistical information, such as time duration, distance, pace, calories burned, and heart rate (only with the Nike+ Polar HRM). The immediate feature I noticed and huge benefit, even though I didn't get a chance to use it during the run, was the backlight. It was a feature that was not available on the SportBand. The backlight is activated via a tap to the watch face display. The display itself is not a touchscreen, as it requires a decent tap for the backlight to activate.

The SportWatch has 2 run modes: distance by "laps", or intervals. The Laps mode will notify via a sound alert that you've reached a specific distance, i.e. every 1, 2, or 3 miles, which would replace my need for audio feedback every mile per my preference. The Interval mode allows you to set run-walk intervals with the watch letting you know when to walk and run. Strangely though, the number of minutes for either interval can only be set as a customization when the watch is plugged into a computer with the Nike+ Connect software installed, which is both Windows and Mac-compatible.

When initiating a run, it needs at minimum the Nike+ footpod transmitter. A run can be initiated without a GPS signal, but not without the footpod. Like most GPS watches, it requires the watch to be used outdoors where a GPS signal can be detected. I found that it took about a full minute before the SportWatch picked up the GPS signal.

The watch plugs into a computer via USB via a USB plug made through the watch band. On one of the ends of the band, the end cap flips down to reveal the USB tip that resembles the same USB plug on the SportBand. To sync your runs with the Nike+ website, you have to plug the watch into your computer with the previously-mentioned Nike+ Connect software installed. The software also allows you to set user preferences such as time settings, weight (for calorie tracking), preferred stats on the watch, setting of intervals, and preferred stat that shows up the largest on the watch's display.

At the end of the run, the SportWatch will let you know how well you did, if you surpassed any personal records, your pace, your total time and total duration.

All in all, it's a very capable device that gives the Garmin Forerunner 405 a run for its money. It doesn't feel as solid as the Forerunner 405, but the SportWatch is actually a tad heavier (at 2.33 ounces) than the Garmin 405 (2.11 ounces). The SportWatch is much sleeker and a tad more stylish than the Garmin (my opinion of course). Yes, the SportWatch does require a footpod as a backup to the GPS, which some see as a bit of lame fallback position, but Garmin does not have a backup if your GPS sensor loses its signal, which all GPS watches suffer from.

The biggest benefit that Nike has going for it within the deep field of GPS running watches is the Nike+ website and it's large community of users and its plethora of challenges to keep things interesting.

Nike+ Human Race 10K

Even though this event wasn't really a "race" per se, it was my first opportunity since April to run in an event with other runners. That being the case, I was really looking forward to getting out there with other runners rather than my usual running regimen of solo training runs.

The venue was about 50 miles away and was about an hour drive from the house, and with the run starting at 7:00 am, we left the house at 5:30 am. Ick.

The event was sponsored by Luke's Locker Room so they had their folks out there with the Luke's signage promptly displayed and with their tent and the event timer. A lot of the people were regulars to Luke's or attended their organized runs. The route itself was an out and back along a newly built trail. Unfortunately, it wasn't a running trail like the Katy Trail as it was concrete and some rain water and dew made the surface kinda slippery in some places.

There were about 50 people who participated. Not a huge turnout, but it was a good-sized crowd. I was actually expecting more since it was a free event and you got free swag (sack and technical t-shirt), and heaps of food afterwards.

It had gotten down to about 8 Celsius so it was running tights weather, the first day this running season that this was necessary! Personally, I love running in the cold. It must be the Canadian in me. Also I tend to generate a lot of body heat in the first mile of a run, but I knew that it would still feel cold enough for my legs to feel cold. When it gets down to about 5 Celsius I break out the gloves, the hat, and the extra long-sleeve layer.

All in all it was a nice run. I finished the 10K in under an hour (official time of 58'51") and as usual I forgot to turn off my SportBand so it kept going for a couple of minutes before I found out and stopped it....and as usual my SportBand was about 10% off again. Geeesh.

Fortunately or unfortunately, today was my normal training run day so I got my marathon training in and participated in an event as well. I was only supposed to do 4 miles today but I may cut myself some slack and run 12 instead of my regularly-scheduled 14 miles.

At the time of this post, I am in 4,487th place. As for how many total participants, I'm extrapolating that based on 549,323 miles run for this event (according to the Nike Running website) and dividing that by 6.2, there were roughly 88,000 participants. I somehow find it hard to believe that I ended up in the top 5%...but I'd be happy if I ended up in the top 50%.

Fort Worth Zoo Run - 5K

Okay, I *have* been running, just not that much. It's been reduced to a couple of times a week and 3 miles at most, but at least it's something.

So today was the first race of my season. It was a 5K event at Fort Worth Zoo. It was also about a year ago this time that I entered this very same event for my first 5K ever so this event has some meaning for me.

Today was a pretty overcast day. A good day for running but that was offset with the moisture in the air which made it a tad humid.

I recall the same time last year I was pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect. This year's course layout was the same as last year's so I had some familiarity with it and knew what to expect.

I thought I did pretty good this year. I actually felt better this year than last year but what bit me this year were all the 5K walkers and people walking with strollers that had started near the front of the corral. This caused all the other timed 5K runners to waste energy slowing down, speeding up, dodging side to side, weaving in and out. It totally screwed up my pace at the beginning. Another thing that made it difficult to get a decent pace going at the beginning is the route for the first kilometer of the 5K. The first section actually takes you through the zoo itself, which doesn't have wide laneways. This made it a bit difficult with so many people bunched up at the beginning and getting squeezed together didn't make it easy to get a steady pace going.

Once we left the zoo, we made an ascent up a small, but somewhat steep hill into a residential area that someone separated people out a bit. The residential area was pretty flat and straight which made it easier to maintain a steady pace. It was here that I felt that I was actually going at a pace that faster than normal and felt like I improved over last year.

The last third of the 5K is a downhill descent that takes you back into the zoo parking lot and to the finish line.

I finished in 29:47 (officially) which is under 30 minutes, but significantly slower than I want to be. So, there's room for improvement.

My Nikeplus sensor is AFU and only said I ran 2.4 miles so it's time to recalibrate that.

Oh yeah, I pretty much abandoned the Pose Method/midfoot running for this race. My legs just don't have the strength to maintain that consistently over a long distance. I think I may employ that during training more and "regular" running cadence during events.

A cold 2 miler

This morning it was pretty darn cold...even for Dallas!

Anyway, what was supposed to be a run with an "easy" pace, I just wanted to PUSH PUSH PUSH. I was probably going at about a 9:30 pace at the half-way point, so I wanted to see if I could do a negative split so I pushed the pace even more in the last mile.

Even though Nike+ doesn't keep track of 2 mile paces, it was by far my fastest 2 mile at 17:39.

Another milestone I'm about to hit, and that I should hit tomorrow with my 6 mile run, is that I'll have averaged over a mile a day for the entire year. I'm currently at 359.84 miles. I had just missed out on hitting my November mileage goal of 70 miles, but I only logged 69.8 miles on the Nike+ website. Arghh.

But ultimately, the Nike+ goals and the a mile a day goal are not my ultimate destination. The half-marathon two weeks from now will be the goal for this year.

The Gear

Running is like any other sport or activity. People have their preferences of particular equipment. Tennis players use specific size racquet heads and string tightness. Hockey players have their preferred sticks and skates. Baseball players favor specific brands of bats, and so on.

With runners, it mostly comes down to the shoes. Like the above examples, runners chose what works for them and what feels right. That being said, I'm not endorsing one brand over and other because one is actually better than the other, but I'm just letting everyone know what has worked for me for specific reasons, and for not-so-specific reasons.

First of all, the shoes. My very first pair of shoes made for running were the New Balance 1223's. I picked New Balance because I had always heard good things about them, and my wife liked New Balance. One day we went to the New Balance Store to pick up a pair of new shoes for her and I ended up getting a pair for myself. The salesperson recommended the 1223's because of my over-pronation and the 1223's were highly-recommended stability shoes. Having never really worn running shoes, they felt odd because I had always bought athletic shoes that were comfy, almost to the point of tight-fitting. Buying running shoes are a completely different matter since your feet tend to expand 1/2 size or more while running.

The 1223's were great until I could feel them start going away. I started getting heel pain after runs and it had been about 8 months since I had bought them, even though I didn't put a ton of mileage on them.

I decided awhile back that when the time came to buy new shoes, I would go to a running store to see what other brands and models were out there. I went to Luke's Locker Room in Fort Worth for my shoe search. I had been there a few times to buy other running accessories and their staff was always very knowledgeable when it came to providing great advice. After analyzing the tread wear on my 1223's, the salesperson had me try on a pair of the updated New Balance 1224's (the successor to my existing 1223's), a pair of ASICS Gel Kayano 14's and a pair of Mizunos (I don't remember the model).

The 1224's felt different than the 1223's. I couldn't pinpoint what the difference was, but it felt maybe a bit bulkier. I tried the Gel Kayanos and they felt pretty good. They were bulkier than the 1223's but they felt more comfortable than my New Balance ever did. The Mizunos didn't feel right at all so I took home the ASICS shoes. They've been great shoes so far and my legs have felt better on my rest days since I started wearing the ASICS.

I have no preference for clothing. It's pretty much anything that wicks moisture and anything that isn't too short. Since we're getting into the colder months, I've been wearing a long-sleeve Nike shirt which also wicks moisture, on top of a regular technical T-shirt. It hasn't felt too much warmer wearing two shirts so I'm probably going to invest in another long sleeve shirt so I'm not constantly washing my existing one.

Again since we are in the colder months, I've started wearing gloves, and sometimes wearing gloves when it isn't that cold. I'm not sure what it is, but I'd rather wear gloves than not wearing gloves when there's even a hint of cold weather. I've also started wearing a wool or synthetic wool toque/beanie/cap. Typically in the warmer months I don't wear hats or headbands or visors as I tend to expel a lot of heat through my head.

The last item I've acquired recently is a pair of running tights. I haven't had a chance to wear them yet since it hasn't dropped to a temperature where I thought I would need them. My cut-off point would be 5 degrees Celsius...any colder than that and they're going on! I'm confident that it's going to get that cold sooner or later. I have a 5K in St. Louis on Thanksgiving Day and I'm confident it's going to be cold enough to wear them during that run, but I'd like to give them a trial run before that event. More than likely I'm also going to wear them for my half marathon in December as well.

Lastly, I'm pretty much a poster boy of the Nikeplus system. I have an iPod Nano, the Nikeplus add-ons, the armband, and the Nikeplus wristband as well. I whole-heartedly endorse this system since you don't have to invest a lot of money ($60 for the wristband and an MP3 player if you want music) to get access to a lot of running stats and training tools on the Nike+ website. It's not as accurate as a Garmin or a GPS-based system, but it works for me. The combination of music and training prompts is great motivation and incentive for me.

Like I said, probably with the exception of the Nikeplus system, I'm not endorsing one brand over the other and they will work great for everyone. Each shoe brand fits differently and use slightly different materials and design so they are bound to be different for everyone. People perspire at different points and have different activity thresholds that cause them to perspire more. Some people don't mind cold...others are really sensitive to it. So go out and try out different things and see what works for you.

In the beginning...

So this is actually my 2nd attempt at blogging about running. In general, I find it difficult to commit time to blogging regularly. But I figure, committing time to running takes more time than posting.

Why run?

Firstly, I'm pretty much built for running. My frame is slight, I'm fairly lean.

Second, it doesn't require a lot of equipment. No helmets, bats, sticks, padding, skates, clips or what-not. Just a pair of shoes.

Third, why not?

I got into running because of one person -- my wife. After many years of both being couch potatoes and sedentary, she decided to get in shape. It all started with exercise. She lost weight, which made it easier to exercise, which helped her lose more weight, etc. etc. I saw all the great benefits. She was active and lively, and she looked AWESOME! :) I wanted in on part of that magic.

Then more incentive...the Nike+ iPod kit. What an awesome way to track all the stats from runs and an objective way to track progress. Me being a numbers guy, it was the perfect fit.

I realize now that the numbers are just numbers, and numbers don't always tell the whole story. They don't tell what you're feeling, how hard or easy the runs are, things that numbers can't describe.

All for now, more later.