One feature I would like Nike to readdress is the way Nike+ rewards runners with certificates on the Nike+ Web site.

Presently, Nike+ e-mails customized achievement awards to Nike+ members when runners reach certain mileage markers. It’s a great idea and a great way to motivate and congratulate runners of all abilities. At the moment however, certificates are only sent out when runners reach the 100, 500, and 1,000 mile milestones.

I ran my first 100 miles with Nike+ on February 6, 2007 and did not complete 500 miles until over 11 months later on January 19, 2008. That means I went almost an entire year without any extra motivation from Nike+, a long time if you are a novice or beginner runner who needs as much motivation as possible.

It would seem a smart move for Nike to maintain the user’s interest in healthy exercise and to keep them coming back to the Nike+ experience. My suggestion would be to distribute certificates every 50 miles instead of at the 100, 500 and 1,000 mile mark. I think this would reach out more to the average runner and typical Nike+ user who may only run or walk approximately 25 miles per month. Knowing that each additional milestone of 50 miles brings with it a certificate of achievement could really help motivate some people to continue running over a longer period of time.

Gasp! You mean you can cheat technology?! You can, yes, but it’s not only morally wrong, it also won’t help you to become a better runner. We weren’t sure whether to publish this article or not because we certainly don’t condone any of these tactics, but just to prove that it is possible for an insidious runner to cheat the system and to highlight potential cheating with the Nike+ system, we’re going to share these ideas with you.

1. CREATE IMAGINARY RUNS
   Can’t be bothered to run, but you want to win a challenge? Simply use the Nike Plus Edit Web site to quickly create an XML file based on your imaginary 50-mile run before work today. Add the XML file to your iPod, and then before you know it, iTunes has uploaded your mileage to your open challenge(s). Pure evil personified!
2. TRICK iTUNES
   Did your run not go so well today? Wanted to run 10 miles but only ran two? No problem! Edit your most recent run before you upload it to Nike+, and trick iTunes into publishing your pretend workout!
3. CALIBRATION
   Calibrate your Nike+ incorrectly, on purpose. Tell your iPod that you are going to calibrate over one mile, but only run half a mile. Oh how impressed your friends will be when you slash your personal bests by 40% over the space of a few days!
4. MULTIPLE IPODS
   Why use one iPod when you can have two, or even three?! Attach a sensor to each running shoe and BOOM! A 10-mile run suddenly becomes a 20-mile upload. Slightly expensive, admittedly, but people with a lot of money are probably more likely to cheat than those who do not, don’t you think?
5. WEAR NIKE+ ALL THE TIME
   This is the least serious way to cheat as technically, it does involve exercise that you are responsible for. Simply wear your Nike+ device wherever you go! Walking around the house, strolling around the mall or the grocery store, all those footsteps soon add up! But why stop the evilness there? If a friend or a relative is going out somewhere, attach your chip to their shoes and ask them to record their mileage on your behalf!

Remember, you can cheat all you want online, but when it comes down to that real race against real people, we will all know who has been telling the truth and who has not. Be warned!

AppleInsider.com has uncovered some recently filed patent documents that reveal some intriguing information about the way Apple and Nike are expanding Nike+.

The next installation of Nike+ not only looks to be coming to the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch, but it is also going to allow all types of exercise to be recorded, not just running. So all those reps, curls and circuit training you perform at the gym will soon be able to be logged and analyzed using Nike+. As well as being integrated into the NikePlus.com Web site, it appears as though there is going to be a dedicated desktop application to manage all your personal information, goals and workouts.

And yes, it also looks like a heart rate monitor will soon be available to work alongside Nike+.

One of my favorite parts of the forthcoming tools is the comprehensive training program users can build themselves. For example, a user could be advised that the best way to lose weight might be to perform a warm-up walk on a treadmill for a set period of time, then complete a set of different weight drills, before embarking on a gentle run for a certain distance. Each exercise task can then be checked off via the iPod/iPhone as the user performs each individual workout. Upon uploading this data to a computer once the athlete is back home, it’s likely that the desktop software or NikePlus.com Web site will record, rate, and congratulate the person on a successful workout.

Who needs (the cost of) a personal trainer when you’ve got this kind of technology…?

Looks like Nike has Puma to thank for being the true innovators of Nike+ as we know it today. The Puma RS Computer Shoe was (a very clunky and ugly looking running shoe) available in the 1980s featuring a built-in pedometer in the back of the shoe. The computer museum archive Web site DigiBarn has some fascinating photographs of the Puma device, including some newspaper articles on how slow it seems runners were in adopting the computerized running shoe.

The most ironic and somewhat anecdotal quote within the newspaper article is made by Nike’s David Smith:

“At Nike in Oregon, sales program manager David Smith says that his company’s market research has turned up no solid market for computerized shoes.”

Oh what might have been…

My official Nike+ running mileage has decreased this month as my soccer season is now in full swing. This gives me two less days per week to run. On top of that, I allow myself rest days after each game as part of my recovery process to avoid injury. So that leaves me a maximum of three days a week to run. In reality, I am currently running only a maximum of two times a week. Here’s how my schedule typically flows:

• Game on Sunday
• Recovery/rest on Monday
• Run on Tuesday
• Another game on Wednesday
• Recovery/rest on Thursday
• Another rest on Friday
• Run on Saturday

Although this does not sound like a lot of dedicated running, I actually believe my exercise schedule is helping rather than hindering my overall fitness level and I am already seeing benefits.

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Following on from the new Nike+ SportBand prototypes we reported last month, Nike has just revealed the official design of their new running gadget. The black and red device will be available to purchase as quickly as April 2008 for approximately $95 and will allow runners to record pace, distance and calories in exactly the same way as the original Nike+, but without the need for an iPod Nano. Running data can then be uploaded after a run via USB.

It’s not a bad idea: Say your iPod battery is dead or you simply do not have your iPod with you, the Nike+ SportBand will literally be on hand to record all your running data. The SportBand still requires communication with a Nike+ shoe sensor, so it would make sense for the SportBand to be shipped with a sensor.

Removing the iPod entirely from the equation allows Nike to tap into the running market for athletes who do not own (or wish to own) an Apple iPod Nano. Now that’s what I call covering all your bases! That said however, anyone using the Nike+ SportBand without an iPod is going to be missing out on the infamous “400 meters to go!” etc. voice motivation and celebratory congratulations from Lance Armstrong and Paula Radcliffe.

Nike+ runners in Germany have a new personal trainer. His name is Miles, and he lives on your computer desktop. We’re not sure if Miles is being tested out in the German market before a worldwide release, or if German athletes need a lot of encouragement to go running, but this 3D desktop widget seems like a lot of fun.

As well as displaying all your running goals and challenges similar to how the current batch of Nike+ desktop widgets operate, Miles also offers an interactive calendar to show which days you run most frequently, a weather forecast, and an integrated RSS reader.

I tried installing Miles myself, which is available from the German Nike+ Web site and it installed, but after a few seconds he mysteriously disappeared. Boo! Maybe a German reader/runner out there can offer some further insight? For those who are thirsty for more, check out the official Miles Movie to explain more.

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