New Hottness - NIKE+ GPS Watch

I love my Garmin, well I actually think I love the information that is provided by my Garmin.  I was very intrigued by the Nike+ GPS Watch announcement today because Nike is creating a running platform that could crush Garmin and Timex in capturing the wrist real estate of a runner.

With Nike+ you get a number of options for run tracking management, you can use the iPhone App, iPod and now a GPS watch.   Having all these options in a single platform is going to be very attractive to me.   With the alliance of Nike and Apple, It is not surprising that Nike+ has taken the approach that one Nike+ device is not enough for all your running needs. I would use my Nano iPod and Nike+ foot pod while running on the treadmill inside, the iPod Shuffle and Nike+ GPS watch for running outside, and use my iPhone with Nike+ if I was in a pinch to get a run in and needed be reachable by Cell Phone.   You know that Nike is going to make the styling of the Nike+ very sleak and the intefrace for the run tracking website is going to awesome. 

Am I just looking for justification for more than $1200 worth of Nike+ and Apple gear for a simple sport called running....I will continue to love my Garmin, but the new Nike watch looks pretty sweet.

Today's Run - 7/22

After another limited sleep night I decided to run in the evening after work. It was still extremely hot and humid. I did the first 2Miles just ~15:30 and then had to walk a bit. I found my legs wanted to run but my lungs could not cut through the heat and heavy air. I was able to get 3.75 miles in just before dark. It felt really good to in another run this week in preparation for my long run on Sat. My mileage is increasing at a fairly rapid pace, so I need to be careful to not to go to far to fast.

I was able to use my Garmin Footpod to track my cadence and get another metric to track. I am completely digging the Garmin device while running. The jury is still out on the Garmin Connect Website, but overall I am very happy.

Today's Run - 7/20

I headed out this morning after a rough night with the baby boy who has colic. Feeling tired but hoping that my run would clear my head and give me energy to tackle the day, headed down a tried and true track of the Piper and Paddington Loop. The weather was not to bad this morning and I enjoyed the run. I was happy with my average pace of 8:26 and splits.

My new Garmin added excitement to get out for a run this morning, and I enjoyed seeing the different stats as I ran. I am trying to determine how to analyze and react to Heart Rate details provided. The Virtual partner is pretty neat, but I think that will take some time to dial into a pace that is challenging and realistic based upon the course. I really want to work on defining workout routines for speed workouts and repeats.

I am in the process of moving my running data from Runkeeper to Garmin Connect and it refreshed my memory of how much running I have done in the last year and the routes around the neighborhood that I created to hit target distances. I am digging the report data and seeing how things like my speed and distances increased since the beginning of the year.

Today's Run - 7/18

I could not wait another day to get out and try my new Garmin 405cx. I headed out for a quick recovery run on tired legs from yesterdays long run. I was all geared up like an elite runner with my new GPS watch, water belt and sunglasses. An afternoon run was not ideal as the temperature was in mid 90's which really slowed me down. I ran 2.80 miles in just under 25mins.

The use of the Garmin while running was pretty simple. I setup a number of data fields to cycle through during my run. The data fields show distance and time information, heart rate, avg lap time and progress against a virtual partner. The amount of information was helpful during my run, but I had it set for auto-cycle through the screens which I found a bit annoying. I changed the auto scroll off for my next run. Once I finished my run I found that syncing the device with Garmin Connect is a pretty simple process. The information in the Garmin Connect site is pretty cool. I have setup a goals to capture my weekly distances and frequency of runs. After my first run I am very impressed with entire Garmin device and Garmin Connect features and function.

New Toy

After I cleaned up from my long run this morning, I found a fedex package on the porch. I ordered a Garmin 405CX because my recent struggles with Runkeeper performance / GPS accuracy and looking for more features like the Heart Rate Monitor.

It will be interesting to see how Garmin Connect compares to the Runkeeper site. I expect there will be more detailed data and reporting built in.

I don't know if I will convert completely to Garmin because I really do like the All-In-One approach of using my iPhone. I like a number things about Runkeeper, but if the GPS is not accurate or the app does not perform it is hard to continue using it.