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ipod and jogging?

T

triton

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 15, 2003
172
0
Hi,

I was just wondering how reliable the ipod mini is while jogging? I know the armband must work pretty nicely, but my question is how long can it last since it has moving parts? I heard flash players were the best for working out, however I would love to buy an ipod mini. I just want to make sure I don't break the little thing while running my normal 4 mile run. I've never owned a mp3 player, so I'm not quite sure how much wear and tear the hard drive would take considering it's being bounced up and down for 30 mins. :eek:
 
To be honest, the ipod will skip after some time of being bounced up and down. This happens when reading from the hard drive. The best solution that I've found for this problem is to carry the ipod in your hand as you're jogging. By doing this, you will give it less jolts, which will reduce the skipping time. Just let your hands move normally while jogging, and you should be fine using this method.

Using something with solid state memory is a good idea, if you wish to be totally safe with the ipod. You can get some fairly cheap MP3 players that make better for running.
 
Thank you for that information. I want the ipod, and will still end up getting one sometime. ;)
 
Be warned, I've heard of solid-state MP3 players getting jarred just like hard drive based MP3 players.

I've been running with my 10GB iPod for a year now. No problems whatsoever, and I don't ever remember it skipping. I usually carry it in my hand, or it's in my pocket (more often, it's in my hand). If you carry it, your hand and arm act as a shock absorber.

The iPod mini with the arm band would be a great running companion. If you think about it, your upper arm doesn't move that much while you run, and when it does, it's not a sudden hard-drive jarring movement.
 
sethypoo said:
The iPod mini with the arm band would be a great running companion. If you think about it, your upper arm doesn't move that much while you run, and when it does, it's not a sudden hard-drive jarring movement.
Click to expand...
Unless you happen to be running in a game of football or rugby :D
 
So your saying that buying a moving parts mp3 player might be just as prone to damaging as a flash (non moving parts) mp3 player? I don't have a whole lot of money, so I want to make sure that buying an ipod mini will be a worthwhile investment if I'm running three days a week :)
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much. I read on some forum (I think it was MacRumors but can't be sure) of a guy that ran 6-10 miles at least 3 times a week for over a year, and never had any problems. Besides, just spend the $60 bucks on the AppleCare and then you don't need to worry about it and when the battery dies you can get that replaced too.
 
iPods also have 32MB of solid state memory, which songs are stored onto from the hdd. So it's not like it's reading from the hdd all the time, only when you change songs.
 
garybooberry said:
I've trained for and run 5 marathons with my iPod - no problems. I use a waist pack and make sure it's tightly secured.

No problems.
Click to expand...

what kind of headphones do you use while you are running? i can't find a good pair.


also, do you know of any websites, or magazines i could start reading for some marathon training info...i'm only 19, but the only "race" i've done is a 10k.
 
I was talking to a friend here at work, and they told me that songs on a flash player actually degrade over time. So it looks like both have their advantages and disadvantages . Now I'm leaning more towards the ipod with the apple care. :D
 
I run for several hours at a time and play basketball while wearing my iPod.....with no skipping.....ever. (2G & 3G iPods)
 
ipod and jogging problem

I have a 40GB ipod and find that it frequently stops playing music as I jog along the beach at marina del rey. The hard disk seems to get "lost" as it tries to do a read after about 15 or 20 minutes, then the ipod just stops playing until I stop and push the play button a few times on the face of the machine. Somehow using the remote control on the earphones cable (pressing the play/pause or next track/previous track buttons on the remote) doesn't seem to do the job, so I have to stop running, get the ipod out of the waist belt jogging "compartment" and fiddling around with the ipod to restore music. Usually once the music stops I can't be bothered doing this and go for about 10 minutes without running and sometimes the ipod "rights itself" and the music just comes on spontaneously. I have almost all the 40GB drive full of music. This performance was very disappointing. Could it be the drive's large size that makes it more susceptible to this problem? Or the fullness of the drive? I run at a somewhat slowish, shuffling pace so I really don't think it is getting unduly "bumped" or "vibrated" by the jogging. Any ideas about how to alleviate the problem? I'm loathe to buy yet another machine after having spent quite big on the rollicking 40GB unit...
 
Check apple forums

Just to see the vast amount of people with your same issues, I suggest a trip over to the apple boards. ( I linked a couple recent discussions. I was invovled in a few of the topics that were several hundred posts long early on in the ipod's release)

I personally run 6 miles about 4 times a week. I originally had my ipod(10gig 1st gen) in an armband from Marware. It would lock up as soon as the buffer was used up. I have switched to holding the ipod in my hand, and I have had far less problems (only locked up twice in the last 6 months). But I know a lot of people don't want to carry something while they run.

There is apparently a waist pack that someone developed for running with an ipod that they guarantee, but it looked massive, and I don't recall the manufacturer.

I would say the safe bet is to get a cheapo flash player to complement the ipod, but price may not allow that.

http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?50@84.UsXLamrVkKT.5@.68911c95

http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?50@84.UsXLamrVkKT.5@.688fd353
 
TDT said:
To be honest, the ipod will skip after some time of being bounced up and down. This happens when reading from the hard drive. The best solution that I've found for this problem is to carry the ipod in your hand as you're jogging. By doing this, you will give it less jolts, which will reduce the skipping time. Just let your hands move normally while jogging, and you should be fine using this method.

Using something with solid state memory is a good idea, if you wish to be totally safe with the ipod. You can get some fairly cheap MP3 players that make better for running.
Click to expand...

Not so fast my friend... I and/or my girlfriend have taken the mini over 60 minutes 4-5 times per week since late February and it has never skipped. And we use the armband.

Granted, I'm not churning out Bannister-esque times or running on talus slope but I feel this thing has definitely passed the no-skip test.
 
geez don't hold the ipod in your hand! what happens if you trip!?? either you or the ipod will get smashed up quite badly!
 
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