Well, the iPod has finally done something that befits it’s name-sake – the foot. This has been in the news for a while, but I can certainly see how something like this can be a boon to those who want to be able to make distance based physical education courses a reality with some manner of authentic assessment. The iPod is pretty much ubiquitous and with the dock connector, we can see that it’s able to perform a range of “magic” functions.
I’ve only started to run outdoors this summer, and while I enjoy it, I’m still a treadmill runner (sorry David) and I don’t really like having things in my ears when I run and I have the ability to have three songs in my head when I’m running – my pace/cruise song, my “kick my own ass song” and my “burn baby burn song”, this in addition to being on a treadmill most of the time to give me real time feedback as to what I’m doing makes me think that this isn’t really for me, but for the great outdoors, this would be great.
Right now, you need to have one of those fancy Ironman watches, an iPod and some way to put all this information together – a fitness blog and the Google based pedometer. But now the Nike system simplifies much of that process. I’m sure there is a way to spoof it, but as with any other activity, the social element of seeing what millions of other crazies… I mean runners… are doing is certainly a great motivation.
As for me, I’ve just finished this route in 45 min, and I’m going to try to run the Goofy Half Marathon in 2008.
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