Karen writes: Nike tale

I have had Nike+ sport-bands for a few years, and when I got my first one back in 2011 I thought they were the most wonderful toys. Unfortunately time showed that they didn't tend to last long and weren't always that accurate as they relied on a 'footpod' counting steps. At that time however they were a relatively cheap tool for keeping a rough track of distance, uploaded your run results to the Nike website so you had a way of comparing past running activity and they were good motivation. Last year though I got a Nike GPS watch, what a wonderful thing.  I had been thinking about upgrading to GPS and it took a friend to finally get that happening. Now I wonder what life was like before I got it and could watch the km tick away, check my pace and know what was onscreen was pretty close to reality. Anyway, almost a year later, the thing seemed to just be worn out, the pins holding the strap on were rusted, and a little flap covering the USB connection pretty much disintegrated.  It was getting steamed up under the face on long runs so I took it back to the shop before it died completely, just before the warranty ran out. They sent it away with some shaking of heads.

I admit to being in a bit of a tiz when I walked out of the shop.  I didn't want to mess up the nice little graphs built up over several years on the Nike+ website, I was getting near to 4000km and there was also the thing with Kate, we have a bit of a...not so much a competition... more of a, perhaps challenge is the word. In our non-competition we surreptitiously monitor online what each other has been doing ("oh no, Kate is 4.7 km AHEAD of me this week") and I really didn't want to fall too far behind.  So I looked up the Nike ap for the smartphone and downloaded it.  Wow, it worked!   The trouble was though that I take my phone as my emergency backup, and the GPS ap churned through my battery, after a 4 hour run I got home just as the phone switched itself off.  I eventually figured that the screen stayed lit the whole time so I could slow the battery use a bit by turning that off. But anyway, battery apart, I could keep uploading my run records while I was without my precious watch.

Now the ap has some other features, like it can incorporate your music into your workout.  I'm not much into running with music, but you can also set it to tell you at for example at 1km intervals how you are doing. This takes a bit of getting used to though as this voice out of nowhere congratulating you for getting half way through your run and I've have had some startled looks from the occasional walker I've passed.  There are also what are meant to be motivational thoughts when you finish your run. I had to laugh the other day, a disembodied voice belonging to someone who must be famous somewhere told me how well I had done, and that it was time to get out the hyperbaric chamber? Say what?

Anyway, my Nike watch was replaced by the very kind people at Rebel sport.  Of course I think they should have replaced it, you expect something like that to last for more than a year and I had already worn the cost of the sport bands that had died over the years. I was however relieved that I didn't have to argue the case. I'm now wearing a sweatband under my watch, and will keep a closer eye on this watch in the hopes that it might have a longer survival time, I might also use my 'ap' for some short runs. The whole experience did give me pause to reflect that things have come quite a long way in even the few short years me and Kate have been serious(ish) about this. 5 years ago a GPS was a pretty flash thing, wouldn't have even thought about having one, and the average cellphone certainly wouldn't have been able to cover quite so easily.