Can the computer run for me?

For my recent birthday the boy treated me to Nike Plus. I ran with it for the first time today and thought it was very cool.

I no longer have a need for a pedometer as I now have a (somewhat annoying) American lady in my ear telling me how I'm doing. Every five minutes she tells me how long I've been running for, how far I've gone and my pace. If I need that info at any other time I just press the centre button on my iPod.

I also now have a power song for the tougher parts of my run. I just have to hold down the centre button and Hey Ya kicks in. The best thing about Nike Plus though, has to be the stats that you get.

When you get back home you plug your iPod into your computer and it links you up to the Nike Plus website on which it displays a graph of your run. You can set yourself goals, plot your progress over time and challenge other runner across the globe to a "race".

Obviously you still have to put one foot in front of the other quickly but this certainly brings running into the 21st Century and as Apple products only can, it's sure to get more intuitive as time goes on. I'll tell you more once I've built up more data.

Lauz :-)

Image by Erik Holmberg

iPlaylist

This week I have been running to the beat of Kate Nash's album Made of Bricks.

It is a merry but dry-witted album in the vein of Lily Allen, Just Jack and the Arctic Monkeys and there is even a definite Bjork essence to Nash's vocals.

The melodies are so sweet that you a fooled into thinking it's a jolly album and it's not until you focus on the lyrics that you realise that Nash isn't quite as angelic as she sounds.

Made of Bricks is great for sunshine running thanks to its constant pace and light melodies.

Tough moment track: Single Foundations will get you up hills thanks to its jingly piano tune and derogatory references to the male of the species. This is particularly useful when lycra-clad dudes are speeding past you with a smug look on their faces.

Photo by trixie