With the release of the 3G iPhone last month, developers have been frantically producing applications for the public, so it was only a matter of time before a decent running application came along that utilizes the GPS capabilities of the iPhone. RunKeeper is an application currently in development that will allow iPhone runners to track speed, pace, running history, and also has the ability to map runs using GPS. If you are an iPhone owner you might want to hold off on any secondary GPS device until RunKeeper is released. View a video preview on the official RunKeeper Web site, or keep tabs on the latest news via the RunKeeper blog.

Keep an eye out for new Nike footwear when the 2008 Olympic games kicks off this weekend in Beijing. The Nike Flywire running shoe has been supplied to the US track and field team and weighs in at an incredibly light 96.3g per pair. An even lighter version known as the Zoom Victory Spikes weighs just 90.7g and has been specially developed for middle distance runners (800m). Hopefully the shoe will play a part in the success of the US athletes Olympic mission, but either way, the new shoes, which were inspired by the same material that suspension bridge cables/wire use, will be available to the public in the fall.

Congratulations to our challenge winners for the month of July!

• Most Miles: Once again, lasabur takes top honors with 250.08 miles. Go lasabur!
• Fastest 1 Mile: mdoug earns fastest mile honors with a time of 4′47”
• Fastest 3K: mdoug again, with a time of 9′42”
• Fastest 5K: mdoug takes the prize with a time of 16′30”
• Fastest 10K: mdoug sweeps the July “Fastest” challenges with a time of 35′23”

Congrats to both of July’s winners, and best of luck to August’s challengers. If you’re not already running with us this month, head over to the Challenges page, join in, and get running!

Last month my wife brought home a Garmin Forerunner 305 that her company wanted her to test out.  She didn’t have the time or the energy to test it herself, so she asked me if I would be their guinea pig.  I couldn’t jump in that mouse maze fast enough!  It was the perfect opportunity to perform a head-to-head comparison of the Garmin Forerunner 305 vs the Nike+ Sport Kit.

The calibration for the Garmin took about two minutes.  You have to be outside when you turn the Forerunner on so it can sync with the GPS satellites.  After I zeroed everything out and strapped on the heart monitor, I was off to the races.

The course that I ran was relatively straight and covered a distance of 1.2 miles.  When I finished the Garmin had recorded a distance of 1.27 miles and the Nike+ chip had recorded a distance of 1.19 files.

So, at the end of the run, which one was better?

Unfortunately there isn’t a definitive answer, not from this weekend warrior.  Personally, I prefer the Nike+ chip because:

• It has an easy setup
• The music
• Better online community
• Less hardware to manage
• Much cheaper

However, the Garmin Forerunner 305 does have:

• Heart rate monitor
• GPS mapping
• Lap history
• Slightly more accurate distance

I would recommend the Garmin Forerunner for the serious, hardcore athlete who models their training after a chapter in Lance Armstrong’s book.  For the everyday runner, I can’t endorse the Nike+ Sport Kit enough.  For the price, I don’t think you can beat the Nike+ experience.

Last month we interviewed Jordan Desilets, a US 3,000m Steeplechase athlete who was participating in the US Olympic Trials. Jordan took part in the 3km Steeplechase final at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon yesterday afternoon and finished in 8th place with a time of 8:38.84, missing out on a spot in the US Olympic team by just 17 seconds.

Watch the Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase Final, US Olympic Trials
NBCOlympics.com.

The top three finishers, Anthony Famiglietti (8:20.24), William Nelson (8:21.47), and Joshua McAdams (8:21.99) will all represent the United States at the Beijing Olympics which begin on August 8. We wish Jordan and the three Olympic qualifiers the best of luck for the future.

Congratulations to our challenge winners for the month of May!

• Most Miles: lasabur took simonji’s place at the top with 293.37 miles!
• Fastest 1 Mile: robottino keeps fastest mile honors with a time of 5′26”
• Fastest 3K: robottino again, with a time of 11′39”
• Fastest 5K: Jay35 takes the honors with a time of 19′17”
• Fastest 10K: Newcomer keithmichael blazes to the top with a time of 35′49”

Congrats to June’s winners, and best of luck to July’s challengers. If you’re not already running with us this month, head over to the Challenges page, join in, and get running!

The Detroit Free Press reported results on Tuesday of the 2008 Consumer Reports running shoe survey. Top of the list? The Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ series available for both men and women.

The survey, which involved testers running a total of 1,240 miles on 205 pairs of running shoes, rated shoes based on stability, cushioning, fit, weight, breathability and flexibility. Here are the official top three winners:

1. Nike Air Zoom Vomero+
2. Brooks Glycerin 6
3. Adidas Supernova Cushion 7

While I was training for the half marathon last year, I was fortunate I didn’t have to experience any extreme temperatures or humidity. The day of the race I think it got close to 70 degrees . . . in December.

This time around I’m having to experience extreme Memphis heat and humidity. It doesn’t matter if it’s 6 am, 12 noon, or 8 pm, it’s always hot and muggy. Even when I’m done with my run and get cleaned up I still can’t seem to stop sweating for at least 2 hours.

I completed a 5 mile run last week and I felt as if I’d run a marathon. Even with all the Gatorade and water that I carry with me on my runs, the hot weather is a formidable adversary.

In order to keep up with my training obligations, I’ve been reading up on how to run SAFELY through the hottest parts of the year. Here are some tips that have come in handy:

1. For long runs that are held on Sunday, preparation should begin on Saturday. Eat light and drink LOTS of water.
2. Slow down. When it’s extremely humid outside, sweat won’t evaporate as easily.
3. If you’re new to running in the heat, start in the hottest part of the day, and start slow. Take a short walk or run a few easy miles a couple of times a week for the first few weeks. “Spending all your time in air-conditioning and then expecting to run well outdoors in the heat is not going to cut it,” says William Roberts, M.D., former president of the American College of Sports Medicine and the medical director of the Twin Cities Marathon.
4. Wear socks made of synthetic fibers that wick moisture away from your skin to help prevent blisters and athlete’s foot.
5. Drink adequate fluids 30 - 45 minutes before you exercise and then a cupful every 10 - 15 minutes while exercising. After exercising, drink more fluid than you think you need. Sport replacement drinks are superior to water, especially if you’re running longer distances and times (over 60 - 90 minutes). The electrolytes and carbohydrates in sport drinks will help speed your recovery from the stress of fluid loss and your long distance run. Sport replacement drinks also taste great, encouraging you to drink more than you otherwise might.
6. Dress lightly and wear light-colored clothes. Avoid cotton t-shirts, which will become soaked, heavy, and prevent evaporation, which is how your body cools itself.

A great trick I have employed to keep me focused during my runs is to repeat several buzz words over and over. The idea came from Jeff Galloway’s running bible, ‘Galloway’s Book on Running’. Galloway calls the motivational technique “magic words” because of the positive psychological effect this technique holds. The simple process involves picking three words that will inspire you during a run and then repeating the words over and over in your head during different parts of a run or race. For example, Jeff likes to use the words “relax“, “power“, and “glide“.

Perhaps you’re feeling the heat or the intensity of a difficult run and your brain is trying to convince you to stop completely and quit the race. Saying “relax” repeatedly at this moment in time will push away any negativity in your brain and help you to slow down and relax. Likewise, if you need to pick up the pace during a run and motivate your mind and body to push forward, saying “power” to yourself over and over can help keep you focused and confident.

The words aren’t magic themselves. They come alive and make better connections as you associate each word with experiences in which you overcame specific problems. The more experiences, the more magic.
Jeff Galloway

The same strategy can be applied to any word you choose, not just Jeff’s words. I have used the words “speed” and “gazelle” for example to help me psychologically through some difficult runs. If you’ve never tried this technique before, give it a try the next time you run and come back and share any powerful words you think might help readers of this blog.

Listening to music via your iPod when you run is more than just multitasking or an opportunity to listen to music you simply enjoy. There’s actually a science behind how music can motivate and inspire a runner to greater achievement.

Recent research has shown that although music does not reduce the perception of effort during high intensity runs, it does improve the experience of the run. So while listening to music will not necessarily make a run any easier, it’s likely that the overall experience will be pleasurable, and may even trick the mind into believing that your body is not as fatigued as it really is.

Costas Karageorghis, a sports psychologist at Brunel University and head of the Music in Sport Research Group, has been investigating the influence of music on exercise performance for almost 20 years. He is so convinced of the positive effects of music while running that he has helped mastermind Run to the Beat. This unique, half marathon race will take place in London on October 5 which aims to be the first race of its kind that will play carefully selected music at 16 points along the event’s 13-mile route in order to motivate and inspire runners.

“Our research has shown that lively, upbeat music stimulates the part of the brain associated with locomotion - the motor cortex,” says Costas Karageorghis. “It also needs to have a strong rhythm and, ideally, should have some association with physical activity, either through the lyrics or by association.”

Simply listening to fast music on its own however won’t magically make you become a fast runner. To really benefit, runners should listen to music with a tempo similar to the pace at which they intend to run, so that a runner’s stride can be synchronized with the rhythm of the music. A perfect example of this was when two-time 10km Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie, from Ethiopia, reputedly listened to the song Scatman by Scatman John when Gerbselassie broke the world indoor 2km record 1998. This song has around 135 beats per minute.

So next time you’re preparing your playlist in iTunes before you go out on a run, make sure your music is carefully selected. Good tunes with the right bpm might not only make your run more enjoyable, but may even shave a few extra seconds off your personal best.

More information:
Run to the Beat race site
Tune in, work out (The Guardian newspaper)