Nike+iPod

Today's Run:

Distance: 5k

Time: 43:11

Pace: 8:37 per km

Sentiment: A miniscule improvement, but with sore legs and Baja Fresh in my belly, I'll take it.

When I was training for the Chicago Marathon in 2003, I didn't even have an iPod. These days, I have an iPod AND the Nike+iPod chip. The Nike+ chip is designed to go inside a Nike+ shoe, and it communicates with your iPod as an advanced pedometer. I can't run in Nikes, so I'm thankful for the RunAway clip, which allows me to clip the Nike+ chip right onto my Asics (take that, Phil Knight!).

This is not any old pedometer, though. You calibrate it and plug in your weight, so it knows exactly how far you've run and how many calories you've burned (although I'm not sure it accounts for incline). You set your time, calorie, or distance goal, and a woman comes on over the top of your music to inform you of your progress (I'm trying to decide what her name should be). She also tells you when you're finished, and if you've accomplished a good run, a fitness celebrity comes on to congratulate you. Today, for example, Lance Armstrong came on to tell me I "burned a serious number of calories!" It's pretty cool.

When you plug your iPod in to your computer, it uploads your workout data to a website, where you can look at graphs of your runs, compare them to one another, and more. If you know someone else who has it, you can challenge them over the internet, or you can make friends with other users. You can even create your own avatar to put on your blog (see right!) or facebook page. I guess this is fitness in the 21st century!

The website especially seems like a useful tool. In a country where the majority of people are overweight, I can see how creating this virtual community where people can support and complete with one another would be highly beneficial. I think Lance was one of the frontrunners in developing this technology- he certainly takes the lead in marketing it.

I think Lance knows a lot about building a sense of community to provide people with the support they need. Whether with inspiring performances in a sport Americans otherwise care nothing about, or with small silicone wristbands, Lance knows how to bring people together. As difficult as it must be to reach a fitness goal without the support of others, it must be impossible to successfully battle cancer without that support. To view the manifesto of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, click here.

So, Dad, in support, I threw up after my run yesterday. : ) The good news is, I did not throw up today!