Nike+ Running: For Beginners

As promised last week, I bring to your immediate attention Nike+. For those of you that already run with Nike+ and have a pretty good feel for it, you probably wont get anything new from this post. I geared this article toward those of you that don't know what Nike+ is, and for those that have heard... but have never tried.

I'll start with what you will need to get started running with Nike+. Most of you probably already have the costliest component already, an iPod. You can use the iPod Nano or the iPod Touch. Next, you'll need a Nike+ sensor for your shoes, and a receiver for your iPod (iPod Touch Gen 2 has the receiver built-in).

You can get a pair of Nike+ shoe's which have a small compartment in the sole to put the sensor in or you can buy a holder for the sensor that straps to any other shoe's laces. That's all you need!

Once you have your gear ready, you create a free account at Nike+. Fill in your user info and browse the site to become familiar with it's interface. I actually did this before I bought all the gear, just to see what features I was going to have at my disposal.

The site has a bit of a learning curve, so it may take an hour or so to find everything that the site has to offer. You can save yourself a lot of time by going to the support section, clicking on tutorials, and watching the videos they have put together. The videos are short, informative, and very well made.

OK so... you have your gear, you set up your account, you read the manual, you checked out the tutorials, and you're ready to go!

To keep this article from turning into a bible, I will not go into all the steps you need to take such as: calibrating, selecting songs, and choosing a workout. I'll just say - it is extremely simple, and well documented (check the manual). We'll focus more on the features and what makes the system so great!

What music are you going to run to? You need tunes right... You can listen to any music you have in your library, playlist's too. You can also go to iTunes and buy Nike+ Workouts. These are actually pretty cool! I got the Lance Armstrong: Intervals Mix and use it all the time. The cool thing about this is: you run to a really cool playlist Lance chose, Lance talks to you during the workout motivating you to keep going, he also instructs you when to change up your pace, and when to take rests.

When you press the button on your iPod while you're running - your music will lower and you will hear how far you've run, what your pace is, how many calories you've burned, and depending on the workout you chose, how long you have to go! If you really get into this you can even buy a Nike+ remote watch that will control your iPod so you can keep it in your armband!

Now you're sweaty and back home. You take a shower and head to the computer to upload your first run, YaY! The iPod sync's and sends your data to Nike+. From the Nike+ site you can monitor your performances. All your runs are logged for you to check whenever you want. After you get 5-10 runs in - you will start to see yourself improving. Your lines will get straighter as you build your cardio and strength, your mileage will increase, and your times will decrease. The visual representation of these stats right in front of you is very motivating! If you're like me, you will get "the bug" and look forward to each run!

Nike+ Coach is like having your own personal trainer. You input your fitness goals, and Coach will generate a workout for you to follow. It will stagger days and workout lengths. You may have a 1.5 mile run today, and a 3.2 mile run the next.

Other nice features include Map It, which lets you use a Google Earth type system to draw a route. Map It will give you it's distance and allow to save several routes. You can see and run others users routes and they can see and run yours, unless you choose to keep them private. There are also "Teams" you can join to keep each other motivated and track each others stats. You can set challenges like: fastest mile this month or first to 50 miles... there are hundreds. Goals can also be set, met, and rewarded with medals and ribbons that are displayed on your page.

If you follow me on twitter you will notice that after I run my stats are updated on twitter for all to see. This is done by using a twitter partner called Twiike. Go to the site, create a free account, enter your Nike+ username and password, then your twitter username and password. Now, whenever you sync, data gets sent to Nike+ and to Twiike. Twiike will then automatically tweet your results. It's a good way to keep yourself motivated by letting everyone see how hard you've been working.

As you can see, I really get into this Nike+ running. I wish I had this years ago. Thinking of all those miles that could have been logged... I'm happy I found it now though. If you enjoy running or walking for fitness, this is for you!

No, I'm not a Nike employee or paid by Nike to say any of this stuff. I am a huge fan however and would like everyone to know just how great the system works so you too can stay fit and have fun.

Watch the Nike+ commercial below to see it in action :)