Gear
Gear
Nike Upgrades SportBand, Launches NikeRunning Site
Belated news from the fast-growing world of Nike+: Nike has introduced a new SportBand, essentially a pedometer attached to "stylish" wristband that synchs run or walk information with the Nike+ web site. That site, meanwhile, has also been upgraded -- and re-branded "NikeRunning." We give the redesign a solid "B." It's pretty, and a smart step in the social network direction, but still a bit glossy and corporate.
For those keeping track, the $59 SportBand is a simpler way to go than the Nike + iPod Sport Kit which integrates the same $19 Nike+ sensor with your iPod (nano, touch, iPhone 3Gs). Having the iPod allows you to actually hear your pace and distance as you run -- and there are various other nifty music-related features as well -- but, of course, all this requires the iPod. (FYI: There are some concerns about sensor battery life. For full review, see Gadgetwise.)
The highlight of all this for us? Among the featured Nike+ "challenges " is the "Summer TV Challenge." It seems a handful of TV-junkie runners have appointed themselves representatives of the big broadcast networks and are battling it out to see which "network" can run farthest over 90 days. Forget about Nielsen ratings, this is like the good old days before cable and the Internet. ABC currently in the lead....
Gear
Hurts So Good
Spring is playing cat and mouse with us this week -- with crowds shifting between treadmill and running path with each fluctuation of thermometer -- but clearly running season is at hand. It's time, then, for my annual love affair with The Stick. I've found that if I take the time to rub this crazy rod over any troublesome leg muscle, before and after running, I can ward off the kind of early season pain and injury that has hobbled -- or halted -- my spring running in the past before it even got going.
It's really dead simple (and vaguely sex toy-like): Just a mildly flexible, dense plastic rod; but the effect is uncannily like deep tissue massage. The operative benefit is warm muscles before you hit the path in chilly weather, and, presumably quick dissipation of lactic acid immediately after.
For the record, I actually learned about The Stick from a yogi friend, so it's not exclusively a runners thing. I gather Phil Jackson, Zen meditator and superstar NBA coach, is also a big fan. You can pick one up in New York at Jack Rabbit Sports on 14th street for $19.95. Way cheaper than a weekly sports massage, though some things are certainly lost in translation.
I personally hate having the annoying voice announcing my milage ..." More comments...