I just accidentally bought Nike+ shoes. What do they do?

[OTheHugeRaveningWolef]

I went to Run and Become on Saturday for some new running shoes, tried on about eight gazillion pairs and came away with a pretty pair of Nikes. When I got them home I realised they were those fancy Nike+ ones that do something computerised with an app.

What can I do with them? I'm pretty low-tech at the moment - or at least relatively, I'm wheezing and thrashing through w4 of the C25K with the aid of a stopwatch and an iPod Shuffle right now - but this is a whole nother level of technomologificatoral complexiference.

Does anyone else use Nike+? Is it good for anything? Will it enhance my life and transform my sporting capacity? Please advise.

TIA

I use the Nike+ app on my iPod Touch (I'm not sure if you can use it with the Shuffle). You'll need to buy a sensor, which fits into your running shoes (I bought a little pouch to attach the sensor to my shoes as I don't have Nike+ ones).

The Nike app is little more than a glorified pedometer and it was fairly inaccurate when I first started using it, but after synchronising a few runs (i.e. entering afterwards how far I'd actually run rather than what the app told me I'd run) it does seem to be quite accurate now.

I only started using it after I'd finished C25k, but use it all the time now. You can either set a time or distance that you want to run for (I do 5k) and you can listen to your own music. It tells you every kilometre or so how far you've run and counts you down every 100 m for the last 400 m or so (I assume it does something similar if you do a time workout).

I find it really helpful knowing exactly how far I've run, when I've reached the halfway point, etc. - the only caveat is, like I said, that it's not particularly accurate until you've synchronised a few runs (I used MapMyRun to work out distances).

More information here - unfortunately it looks like you can't use it with an iPod Shuffle.

Thanks for the reply - I think I get it now. You've explained it sooo much better than the Nike website, which just has loads of pictures of shoes and muscly people sweating

So the little red symbol on my new shoes just means there's a special pocket for the sensor? And there's another little widget I need to buy if I want all the tracking stuff? I suspected as much...

I think I'll follow your example and see how I do getting through the C25K, then decide where I want my running to go and whether I want to computerise my feet or not

Yes, that's basically it - you just have somewhere to put the sensor in your shoes. You'll need to buy one of these if you actually want to use the app.

With all the stopping and starting you do in the first few weeks of C25k, I don't think it would be that easy to use with the plan initially. It might be more useful when you get to the dreaded 20 minute run in Wk 5/6 (can't remember exactly when it is) or when you start running for 10 minutes or more at a time, I suppose. Then again, I'm sure a stopwatch plus your own music is just as good while you're still doing the programme - I think I'd recommend getting to the end of C25k before deciding whether it's something you might want or need.