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Macrumors Nike+ March Challenges

ziwi

ziwi

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2004
1,087
0
Right back where I started...
OK - In the interest of continuing the tradition started by LikeTom and facilitated by Dr. Q, I have transcribed the names from the Feb rumble into a new challenge for March. I only put in the names who have had miles logged so if you want in please PM me with your nike+ name.

That is the basic distance challenge.

I also created 2 other challenges to potentially give some new folks a shot
the 29 and under distance and the 30 and over distance. Let me know if you want in on those and tell me which one.

I have also set up a 5K open challenge, 10K open challenge and mile challenge.

This one is NEW - I call it the MacRumors March Madness Goldilocks Challenge - This is an interesting challenge - to win it you can not be the best or the worst. Each week an elimination is made from the top and the bottom of the contenders until all that is left is the 'just right' runner for the month. Hey, it gives someone else a chance ;)

If you want to join just let me know and I will add you. Do not be intimidated by some runners - if the age categories for the distance work out perhaps - it can be spread to the other groups.

I have enjoyed participating and hopefully continuing this tradition keeps you motivated or motivates you to start.

If you want to join - hop on in.

Thanks.

P.S. Any help 'stickying' this for March would be great.
 
Great - you are invited to the 30+ rumble.

Keep 'em coming....;)

If you want to be in the age based challenges 29 and under or 30 and over I will need to add you so post here or PM me.

Any newcomers are also welcome.
 
Thanks for taking the lead and creating some challenges.. : )

I'd love an invite to the 29 and under challenge..

You should also create a heavyweight challenge hah
 
PM sent.
Put me down for every challenge you got!
Plus i'm in the over 30 group.
Thanks,
desmonator.
 
OK - I think I am up to date on everyone but Vader - once I get the info I will add him. The mile apparently wasn't set - it is now. Let me know if I missed someone.

Anyone else want in just let me know.


Goldielocks will work like this - each week I will terminate the challenge and then for the following week/ round only those in the middle will be invited to continue so I will take the average of the group and remove those way to high or way to low - the final week/round will be allowed to finish and win a trophy - this will reward those who just tend to run the average amount for the entire group...just something different...

Anymore for the age based challenges? (gives us old folks a chance ;) ) Let me know the group you are in.
 
Received and accepted no fewer than 6 - six - different challenges.

Now, if I could just get myself in shape not to embarrass myself too much... :eek:

Hopefully I will get better as the spring progresses... ;)
 
ziwi said:
OK - I think I am up to date on everyone but Vader - once I get the info I will add him. The mile apparently wasn't set - it is now. Let me know if I missed someone.

Anyone else want in just let me know.


Goldielocks will work like this - each week I will terminate the challenge and then for the following week/ round only those in the middle will be invited to continue so I will take the average of the group and remove those way to high or way to low - the final week/round will be allowed to finish and win a trophy - this will reward those who just tend to run the average amount for the entire group...just something different...

Anymore for the age based challenges? (gives us old folks a chance ;) ) Let me know the group you are in.
Click to expand...
Sorry about that, its david(this is a dot)kersten(this is the "at" sign)gmail(another dot)com
 
My Nike+ kit gets a big thumbs down today..

Set up a 7.5k run. Started my run, get to around 3.75k and am expecting the "half way point" comment, but get nothing. I'm at 5k and get the "half way point" comment. I'm going 'ok, that's odd, but whatever I'll just end at 7.5k". However, my Nike+ crapped out again at 6.2k, so I gave up and finished the 7.5k with no music. How boring :(
 
Can I go in the over 30s even though I'm only 27? I feel over 30 when it comes to running. ;)
 
i just wanted to say that i had my first track meet of the season today. it was at Florida State. i ran the 800m. i didn't run my best, but for my first race, i was pleased: 2:00.55. i wanted under 2, but still not bad for my first race so far.

anyways, so i didn't get to run much with my nano, so not many miles for the challenges though.
 
A Tale of Two Sensors

It was the fastest of runs; it was the slowest of runs.
(All depending on which nike-made accelerometer you ask, of course.)

So two days ago (saturday), I change to a new pair of running shoes, and lace my nike+ sensor up. I also decide, that just for fun, I'll use my old nike "speed and distance monitor" to compare accuracy. So with one watch, one ipod, and two sensors, off I go. And the result is... both are way underestimating. A 6.25 mile run becomes 5.8 or 6.0, depending on which sensor you believe.

So Sunday, I go to the track to recalibrate them both. Surprisingly, it goes pretty well. The older "SDM" sensor thought 400m was 382, and I corrected it, and it was accurate thereafter. The nike+ sensor can't be adjusted to the meter, so I just did a 400m and assumed it was ok. Then I ran 3 laps - one fast, one slow, and one normal, and both sensors were within .01 of the right distance after each individual lap, and in total. So far so good.

Then I run home, about 2.5 miles. About a half mile from home, the SDM shuts itself off. Turns back on a few minutes later. The nike+, meanwhile, is reporting the distance as over 2.75.

Today, monday, I gave them both one more try. Result? Comic inaccuracy. The SDM was accurate (as it always has been) until about 3 miles in when it started shutting itself off every few minutes. And the nike+ added .35 miles to a 4.4 mile run.

So end result is that my old, reliable sensor (which unfortunately can't send data to nike+) is dead. Or might as well be.

And my new, totally unreliable nike+ sensor is, well, totally unreliable. Uncalibrated it grossly underestimated. Calibrated it grossly over estimates. And when I was going up a big hill today and the SDM said my pace was down to ~10 min/mile (which is about right on a hill like this), the nike+ said my pace was near 7 minutes per mile. :eek:

I doubt anyone took the time to read all this, but I just needed to vent. My old sensor used to be perfect and now shuts itself off. And the one that can send data to nike+ is so inaccurate that I can literally do better guessing my pace.

:rolleyes:
 
quick question - for those who find the nike+ fairly (within 5% maybe?) accurate, do you use nike+ shoes?

I'm thinking that the fact that it's at an angle when laced to the top of the shoe may be problematic, given that it's supposed to lie flat inside the shoe.
 
I use New Balance and Asics and a sensor wallet from Marware. It has been noted that the sensor should be tight on the laces because movement of the sensor on its own could cause an issue.

From my limited experimentation I have noticed that when I run a treadmill the time on one of the devices is wrong - either the treadmill is slow or the nano is fast...figure about a 10 second lag to start the treadmill and then when I ma done my run the iPod is actually ahead of the treadmill - still don't know which the culpret is, but I believe the other day I saw the nano go from 58 to 00 in one click.

Distance wise I can only compare the treadmill distance to the nano distance...I have noted that the nano seems to lag a little on the treadmill, but by running toward the front of the treadmill keeps it almost perfect.

The analysis of this leads me to believe that the length of stride has something to do with how the senso is representing distance. Short strides (when running in the front of a treadmill) seem to keep it on and longer strides seem to make it lose distance. The problem with calibration is that the stride you calibrate it with is not always the stride you run with. During a run you may be faster or slower and your stride may be different - it would seem to me that a calibration is the based only on the time and style of when you calibrated.

In the end - I do not know if the nike+ is spot on, probably not, but I am guessing it is somewhat close. Maybe low on some days and maybe high on others, but perhaps in the end it is just right when you take the average of the overages and underages. I do not use it as a scientific way to measure my runs to the tee - for me it is more of a recorder and motivational tool and when before I was doing nothing - now the sensor's best guess is better than I new what I was doing before.

That's my spin.

P.S. I do not lace the wallet at the top - I lace it at the bottom toward the toe the last 2 laces before the toe. Perhaps that is an issue as well.
 
rickvanr said:
Wow :eek: Congratulations

This weekend I ran 7.5k which is my longest run ever.. hah Of course my sensor **** before it could record it. Gotta give Apple a call.
Click to expand...
Thanks, and congratulations on your own record. I'm sorry about the sensor. If my sensor had failed during this run I don't know what I'd have done! :eek:

I'll probably regret this tomorrow, though. When I got back I quaffed some orange juice, milk and water, then I just lay in a sofa for 10 minutes before I forced myself to get a shower and after that I just lay in my bed for one and a half hour coughing and feeling uncomfortable in general.
 
gekko513 said:
I just ran 34.3km which is my longest run ever...

*collapses*
Click to expand...

wow, congratulations! you already have more than 50% of the mileage that you had all of last month! :eek:

ziwi, you certainly have better results with the sensor than I do. Today it was off by over 12%, and that's about typical for me. It's laughable - I can estimate my pace with (considerably) greater accuracy.

You're certainly right that it "loses" distance as your stride lengthens, and gains distance as it shortens. that's why it thinks that my 10 min/mile pace uphill (very short strides) is more like 7, and why it thinks that sub-6 minute pace downhill (very long strides) is mid-6's.

The question is why. This is not a pedometer - it's an accelerometer, i.e. it measures distance by recording the acceleration of your foot and then integrating to get pace. This is the same technology that nike has been using (with dead-on accuracy) for years, but it's just not working for me at this point.

oh, and I lace my sensor as far down on the shoe as it can go, so if it is a positioning issue, there's not going to be anything more I can do about it (I'm not buying nike+ shoes!).
 
Thanks QCassidy. :) Yes, it has been a good month for me so far.

I should probably mention that I have Nike+ shoes and that the sensor seems to be very consistent, but I can notice inaccuracies of up to around 3% when I change running styles.
 
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