Geekifying my run

I’ve been for a run this morning, twice round the circuit illustrated above – which is around 3.3 miles altogether. I’m kind of in training for a 10km (6.2 mile) ‘dash’ in Leeds in June.

As those who know me well will testify, I’ve never been one to shy away from using technology for its own sake. It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I’m using Google Earth to measure my runs and Nike+ to ‘tune’ my runs. On this occasion, however, it’s actually useful and not simply frivolous…

Using the ruler tool on Google Earth is easy and, for those places (such as Hannah’s parents’ locality) where the resolution of Google Earth sucks, you can create a path in the ‘My Maps’ feature of Google Maps and import it as a .KML file.

I haven’t gone the whole hog with the Nike+ system – yet. I found some trainers in the Nike factory outlet at Royal Quays near Newcastle last week reduced from £90 to£25, which was a bit of a bargain! All I need to do now is invest in an iPod (probably a version 1 from the Apple Refurbished store) and the iPod Sports Kit. Then I’ll be able to use the Nike+ website to do the following:

• Track my time, distance, pace, and calories burned
• Receive real-time, spoken feedback that can alert me to milestones throughout my run
• See my performance history, set myself goals, and challenge other runners to a virtual race

Ah… the wonders of technology! 🙂