When I first got my iPod Touch, I didn’t think much of the little Nike App found in the iPod’s settings. As I recall, I believe it was on and enabled by default, but I promptly turned it off and never really thought about it again. Until recently that is… Just the other day I was at the Sports Authority in Denver looking for a new pair of running shoes to replace my worn out Asics. At the end of one of the aisle was a Nike+ display containing the Nike+ Sports Kit (Sensor and Transmitter) for $29, Sport band (Receiver wrist band plus transmitter… no iPod required) $59 and just the sensor/transmitter for $19.
Since I’m currently training for a 1/2 marathon in June, I needed some way to track my distance. Since I run mostly on trails, I really had no idea how far I was running and really didn’t want to drop several hundred bucks on a GPS. I determined that since I already had a 3rd generation iPod, I just needed the $19 transmitter (Nano users and iPod Touch 2G users must purchase the Sports Kit which includes both the transmitter and a small Receiver which you connect to the iPod). As a bonus, Sports Authority was having a promotion the week I purchased my running shoes, which means I had $25 in store credit burning a hole in my pocket. So the Nike+ system seemed an ideal purchase and thus far, I have not regretted it.
But wait, I don’t have Nike+ shoes!
It turns out the only supported method of attaching the little sensor/transmitter to the shoe is by placing it in a special compartment within the foot bed of a Nike+ Shoe. Since I don’t really care for Nike running shoes (I actually purchased another pair of Asics that day), I ended up locating a 3rd party pouch on amazon.com that attaches the transmitter directly to the laces of any shoe. 
Apparently, this is pretty popular judging by the number of Nike+ transmitter pouches on Amazon. I eventually decided to get a Velcro based pouch because I wanted to be able to transfer it between different types of shoes without the hassle of lacing it up. A minimalist could simply duct tape the transmiter to the top of their shoe but that is pretty tacky in my opinion 
Setting up Nike+ on the iPod
There really is nothing to setting up the Nike+ application as it was on the iPod when I got it so all I needed to do was to open Settings on the iPod, scroll down to “Nike + iPod”, open the settings and turn the application ON.
Then in the settings screen, configuring the options just takes a few seconds.
- PowerSong: Not sure quite yet why or what that is but I believe you can hit your power song to get through a tough stretch in your workout. Perhaps it should read “favorite song”.
- Spoken Feedback: Choose whether you want a Dude or a sulky female talking to you during your workout. For us guys, that one’s a no brainer.
- Distance: Mile or Kilometers
- Weight: Enter your weight in lbs or kg
- Lock Screen: Choose whether you want the display in portrait or landscape mode.
Linking the Sensor/Transmitter
In the settings screen, select Sensor to link it up to you iPod. You will be asked to walk around a bit with your sensor on so the iPod can pick up its transmission. The sensor is motion activated and if your not actually wearing the sensor at the time, you can just give it a shake.
Once the senor is linked, you can open the application and start your workouts. The first thing I did was to calibrate my sensor using the treadmill at the gym. 
There is also setting for a “remote” which I believe alludes to a wristband/watch remote control but I can’t find those online. I’m thinking that may have been discontinued. Too bad because it would be nice to not have to pull the iPod out in the middle of a run to get the workout data.
Calibrate the Sensor
Anyway, to calibrate the sensor, simply open the Nike+ application and initiate the calibration program. Set the calibration to match a known distance and start the program. When you hit that distance, just end the workout.
On mine, I set it for .5 miles and ran at a steady pace on a treadmill until I had gone exactly .5 miles. I’ve heard that attaching the sensor to the outside of the shoe results in a degree of inaccuracy but I found this to not be the case, it was remarkably accurate out of the box.
Begin Workout
To start your workout, choose the type of workout, for example select “basic” workout. The application will prompt for your music selection which can either be a playlist, shuffle songs or to play nothing at all.
Personally, I like to listen to Podcasts or an Audiobook to break up the monotony of a long run, so I was disappointed that I could only play from my music collection. In fact, I tried playing a podcast but as soon as I chose a workout, the native iPod player turned off, so much for multitasking native apps!. 
Once you have made your music selection, just click the big green button on the display to start your workout and to play your workout music.
While working out, you can simply push the primary iPod button to get verbal stats on your workout, such as distance, time elapsed and current pace. This works whether the iPod is locked or not which is nice bonus. However, it sure would be nice to have that Watch/wristband remote for this.
The Sensor/Transmitter
Apparently the sensor/transmitter is a precisely calibrated accelerometer which works by detecting how long your foot is in contact with the ground as you run. It really is amazing how accurate this is right out of the box but can be made more accurate with a simple calibration.
One thing I have noticed while trolling the Internet searching for information on the Nike+ system is that the sensor is not always on, which is good because it has a battery life of 1000 hours. However, it is motion activated so if you are just walking around in your running shoes, you will want to take it out. However, when the battery runs down (and it eventually will), you can also save yourself about $15 by opening up the sensor case and replacing the the little CR2032 Battery inside as shown in this Instructables. They even added a small button on the back of the sensor which you can depress with a pen tip for 3 seconds to turn it off and enter “airplane mode”. Probably a good idea to do this anyway if you don’t use it for long periods of time.
Finally
Well, it would be nice to get elevation profiles for my runs but that is only going to happen if I invest in a slightly more expensive gadget like a GPS watch but that’s not happening any time soon. I do wish however that the iPod could play podcasts and audio books while running the Nike+ app but I can live with just music during workouts, heck that’s why I got the iPod in the first place. Also, I know you can track your workout information online after syncing with iTunes but since I hardly ever sync my iPod, I can’t comment on that just yet but it does look pretty useful. I’ll have to check that out shortly. In the end, I’m pretty darn happy with the Nike+ system, especially for the price. This darn iPod gets more useful everyday! (I’ll bet you won’t see the Nike+ app for the iPad)
Paul Beckford is an IT professional based in Denver, Colorado. Over the last dozen years, Paul has worked “hands-on” in an IT Operations role deploying and supporting a multitude of technologies, such as Network Infrastructure, Windows and Linux servers, most Microsoft Back Office & Infrastructure applications, Virtual Computing, Mobile Computing and Information Security.
A thorough article. I certainly agree having some kind of method to record progress is very important. If you can SEE yourself getting fitter with the data being supplied back I think it motivates you more.