Nike + your opinions and a few questions

S

Summerof79

2,500+ Posts
Anyhow I am about to start back running a little more now that the kids are back in school and the Summertime fun constant going every single weekend is over. I have a pair of Nike + shoes and was thinking of buying the chip and trying it out. I normally run with my shuffle and sort of guestimate how far I go, more focusing on time duration, or going to the track for accuracy. However it would be nicer just to head out and do my thing without thinking about distance but being able to know how far I went, how fast etc.

My daughter has an older nano and I THINK it will work (will it?) with the chip. I love the small size of my shuffle and the face I can put it on my visor if I want and run without a shirt and the cord doesn't dangle all over the place the way I rig it. With the Nano I would have to use an arm band I guess.

So my question is how accurate do you find the Nike + chip to be? I would probably go test it at the track to see how close it really is to the measured distances. I figure I might just try it out and see if I like it on my kids Nano, but wanted to see if some of you had likes or dislikes relating ot the Nike + chip.

Thanks in advance
 
anybody?
frown.gif
 
I'm a pretty serious runner. I use an old Nano when i decide to listen to music on my runs (Slim long thing.) and it worked with it.

I bought a Nike + when they came out a couple of years ago. it was alright, but not the best thing out there.

Here's why: I run long runs at my easy long run pace. I run my track workouts and All Out, 2M, 5k, 10K, 15K, Half Marathon and Marathon Goal paces. I also run a tempo pace for some workouts, so it's really varied paces throughout my season. In addition, over a 20 mle run, my pace will vary from a 7:30 to a 8:30 depending on the point in the run.

Here are the issues I found with it. To use it accurately, you first need to go to a track and calibrate it correctly on a 400 meter run (one lap). It meaasures the movement of your foot/shoe/chip compared to where your iPod is. You run your lap and then click it to save your 400 meter pace.
The problem now is that your other workouts will be at different paces, so it'll never truly be accurate, because you're not running at that same 400 meter pace all the time.
(Example: I used it when i ran the Austin Marathon in 2007, and it measured out a 24.5ish mile run. Sorry, but the marathon was certified at 26.2, so that's one example. And if I remember correctly, I even re-calibrated it for my Marathon Goal Pace a few days before the race)
Other examples are for trackworkouts, where you're running varied speeds... it was pretty useless.

Pros: If you're not worried about different paces, if you're the type of runner that runs 3 - 7 miles around townlake at generally the same pace, then it's a fun little $25 gadget. The "power song" feature was cool, and the way it will tell you how far you've gone, or how far you have left (if you preset your distance), was fun. You can have Paula Radcliffe, or I think Lance's voice. (I prefered Paula speaking to me over a dude.)

Cons:
Not accurate enough for a serious workout, which to me was frustrating.
Can't recharge it. The battery in the chip died in a few months, even if I didn't use the thing. You have to buy a new chip for I think around $15.
If you ever run Hills, or trail runs on the greenbelt, your stride will be much shorter and will really make things inacurate.

I guess this came out more negative than positive.

Bottomline, if you're a serious runner, plan on varied runs, and want to log your miles, buy a Garmin. (the new 405 is pretty sweet, but $299 or so)
If you're not a serious runner, then this is a fun little gadget for the $25 you'll spend.

(mine ended up in the trash when the battery ran out and found out I couldn't get a free (or sub $10) replacement chip.

I personally use the Timex Ironman iControl ($125)with my nano, so i can switch songs and volume on my stopwatch, then throw on the Garmin if I want to track distance.

Hope this is the type of info you were looking for.
 
Nike shoes aren't comfortable with my feet, so I wouldn't consider it. If your shoes aren't comfortable, you're not going to run.

and that's all I have to say about that
 
Measured distance is within 3-5% of my GPS. Generally short.

It will work with all models of Nano. I clip mine to my shorts. You can buy any number of devices to mount the foot pod to non-Nike shoes.

I would replace mine if it broke, but it's not an essential part of my workouts.
 
thanks for the input all. I am still thinking about it because I am pretty casual in my running right now but would like a fairly close idea of how far I have gone, when I just take off from the house.

Still can't decide if giving up the convenience of my shuffle is worth it or not.
 
in general i would say it is a good tool to have. it doesnt sound like you are going to be haile gebrselassie'ing it up out there daily so for most everyone else it is pretty accurate. comparing it to the mapped town lake trails mine is always pretty spot on and all i did was add my weight in for calories burned.

it motivates you to run a bit to check your stats on the website and compare your progression. i am a bit anal so i either cut a hole into whatever shoe im using that month's sole to get a secure fit rather than using the mentioned holding devices or buying a nike running shoe (shudder). works like a charm.

overall i'd give it a B+ and worth the money, especially if you already have a nano.
 
Would it work in South America? (like Buenos Aires for example) Or is it a USA/Canada thing only right now?
 
Hell, if distance is all you care about, just click onto mapmyrun.com and plot your course.

Or get a Garmin 305 GPS for about $200. I absolutely live by mine. IMO, the Nike + is little more than a gimmick.
 
I have the Nike+ and have had it since it was introduced over 2 years ago. I find that it is fairly to very accurate. I calibrated it on a 1/4 mile track and have taken it back out there and it is pretty on.

My 1st pair of shoes that I used with it were Nikes but not Nike+ but I just put a velcro patch on it and another velcro patch on my shoes and calibrated it that way and it worked. I wear Nikes so it wasn't hard to get Nike+ as my next running shoes.

You need a Nano (not a shuffle) but I had a Nano already so it has been a pretty seamless conversion for me.
 
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