So as per my previous post, and somewhat as per Leif’s suggestion I’ve invested in some tracking technology to help me work out my running. I purchased the Nike + iPod system, and I have to say so far I am quite impressed, the web app for one is quite slick and they appear to have a lot of interesting ways to help motivate you to push harder.

If you aren’t familiar with Nike+ it is essentially a pedometer that connects to your iPod nano / touch. It allows you to track your distance and pace, when coupled with the Nike+ website it allows you to generate graphs of your runs, calories, distance, and all manners of neat things (the graphs are quite cool looking, see below).

An example of the Nike+ graph, my first run to boot.

The first and most obvious down side is that the sensor you put in your shoe is meant to go in Nike shoes which are not the best running shoes for the avid runner. However a third party makes a small little pouch that you can attach to your laces, allowing any shoe to make use of the technology.

For my part, because I run at the gym (around a track) I like this system because it doesn’t require me to keep track of how many laps I’ve done. However, one thing that appears to be lacking is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to set a goal to hit a particular distance for a single run, which I would like. Specifically because I am trying to just hit some milestones in the near future (5km, 8km, 10km)

In any case you may now notice a happy little mohawked character on the left bar here, and he will let you know what my progress has been. I think they borrowed a page form the WII MII idea, right now my Nike+ Avatar is pumped, but I am told if I slack off, he will get less happy with me.

My first goal is to run 60 kM in the next 4 weeks, which I think its probably attainable. I had a great run today, and my knee appears to be holding up with the new shoes.

So the long and short of it is that I am well on my way to the running goal.

As for the book front, I am currently reading: The limits of Power, the End of American Exceptionalism… more on that later.

.joe out.