We gadget runners are never at a loss for really cool toys to take with us when we go running. From the Garmin 405 on the high end to the Nike+ Sport Kit and the new Adidas & Samsung partnership in the mid-range, running gadgets run the gamut from expensive and complicated to inexpensive and easy-to-use. The newest entry in this latter category is a pedometer from Ubisoft designed to work with the Nintendo DS.

The idea is straightforward enough: keep the pedometer on your person all day, let it count every step you take, then plug it into the GBA slot of your DS and let the software analyze how much blubber you’ve burned off.

Via DS Fanboy.

It’s been over a week since my last post. I haven’t been too lazy nor has life been uneventful in the world of running. To the contrary, I’ve been extremely busy. Usually I battle hills and fatigue, but this week I was in a fierce battle against my sinuses and a touch of the flu. Though my illness got a few good licks in, I do believe I’ve emerged victorious. Unfortunately, I missed the best weekend for running, as well as missing my own personal goal of reaching my 100-mile mark. It was sunny and in the 70s this past weekend and I was lying in bed with an achy body, sore throat and headaches like you couldn’t believe.

I’ve felt pretty good the past couple of days, but I won’t venture out for a run until Friday or Saturday. Because I got sick so late in my training for the Germantown Half Marathon, which is March 16th, I’ve had to alter my mental focus for that race. Before, I was really gunning to beat my St. Jude time, but now I’m going to shoot to finish. I’ve gotten up to nine miles in my training, so I’m pretty confident that I can finish without a bunch of problems, but I’m not anticipating beating any personal records.

Congrats to Derek for his awesome performances in the challenges.

Cory has been telling me a lot lately how important it is to hydrate during a race. The same message has cropped up repeatedly in a fantastic book I’m reading at the moment called “Performance Nutrition for Runners” by Matt Fitzgerald.

One of the most illuminating facts I’ve read so far is how much more important it is to drink a sports drink instead of water. This applies before exercise, during exercise (if participating in a distance greater than 10k) and always (no matter what the distance) after exercise.

I am now in the habit of drinking a sports drink before and after a run instead of drinking water. One important note to make is that, to maximize the benefits a sports drink provides after a run, it’s important to drink it within the first hour after exercise, but preferably immediately following your run.

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You know you’ve truly become obsessed with something (I prefer to think of it as dedicated!) when your wife surprises you with a special birthday cake. All I can say is that the Nike+ chip tastes just as good as it looks and I’ve got the most creative wife in the world!

Adidas and Samsung have teamed-up together to take on the mighty Nike+. The new quad-band Samsung miCoach F110 mobile phone is due for release in April as a direct competitor to the Apple/Nike+ online world of fitness and motivation.

The phone comes with a foot sensor called the “stride sensor” which attaches to the shoelace of the running shoe in exactly the same way the Nike+ sensor can be attached to the shoelace. Where the Samsung device differs however is that you also get a heart rate monitor device to strap across your chest which allows the mobile phone to measure your heart rate throughout your workout. One nice feature the F100 offers is the ability to tell the user whether they are running too fast or too slow based on the combination of the heart rate recording and a predefined training program the user selects prior to a workout.

Samsung has also promised a new feature in the near future that will automatically play music during a workout based on your running speed. Slower tracks would be played while walking for example, and faster-paced music would play during more intense workouts.

Users upload their workout data in a similar fashion to Nike+, by connecting the Samsung device to a PC (no Apple Mac support yet apparently) which then gets sent to a dedicated Web site called miCoach (pronounced “My Coach”).

More resources:

miCoach F100 review

F100 photos and miCoach screenshots

miCoach fitness portal

Business Wire is reporting that major exercise equipment manufacturers such as Life Fitness, Precor, Star Trac and Technogym are going to incorporate Nike+ into their gym equipment this summer.

Gym members will easily be able to track workouts on cardio equipment like treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and stair climbers using Nike+ technology.

“The Nike + iPod experience revolutionized running. Now we’re revolutionizing the gym cardio experience,” said Trevor Edwards, Nike’s Vice President of Global Brand and Category Management. “We’re enabling people who go to the gym an opportunity to set goals, track progress, and compete in challenges with their friends and with other members of www.nikeplus.com. It’s a groundbreaking tool for people who want to maximize their workouts.”

Imagine the following scenario:

You’ve just finished a great run, and you listened to some good music along the way. You even paused your workout midway through so you could take a few photos of the beautiful trails, and also to speak to a friend on the phone because you were using Nike+ with your iPhone. As you hear “Workout complete” in your ear as you officially close the Nike+ workout, your iPhone sends your run data immediately to the Nike+ Web site. As you walk back to the car, you check Google Maps on your iPhone, and the Nike+ kit has tracked your exact running route and mileage.

Wishful thinking, but alas, this is not currently possible.

If you connect your Nike+ device to an iPhone at the moment, you get a very disappointing incompatibility error message. But the technology is already largely available (everything bar a true GPS system within the iPhone), and the iPhone is desperately waiting for the day Nike+ becomes a compatible device. It would make perfect sense for Apple to allow Nike+ to work on their device. After all, one of Apple’s selling points with the iPhone is that it is an all-encompassing media device — why carry around multiple gadgets when everything you need is in one unit?

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Congratulations to Derek for his terrific clean sweep in the most miles, 1 mile, 3k and 5k challenges in February, well done! The March challenges are now under way and from this month forward, we have a monthly challenge open to all our readers and visitors. We’d be glad to have you run with us!

Still undecided about that pair of Nike running shoes you’ve got your eye on? Need some new dri-fit, wicking running shirts? The online Nike Store is offering a generous 30% discount on any one item, including clearance items. Use code 30PCTCA1 when checking out and be quick before the offer expires. Unfortunately, the discount does not apply to the Nike+ kit, Amp+ or NikeiD products. First-time shoppers at the Nike Store get free shipping. If free shipping does not appear in your shopping cart when you checkout (like when I tried making purchase!), call 1-800-806-6453 (5 a.m. - 10 p.m. PST, 7 days a week) and have someone take care of this for you.