Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Official MacRumors Nike+ June 2008 Challenges
- Thread starter ziwi
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
OK - So now that I have had my sport band for a few weeks and never saw a real test on the 'duplication' of miles - I figured I would try it to see.
There are essentially 3 ways to cheat:
1. Change one's calibration
2. Modify the XML files
and now
3. Run with the Sportband and iPod simultaneously.
The test was simple - strap on the sport band and sensor on my right side, and on my left the sensor and the iPod, I went for a mile jog. Stopped and checked - miles appeared on both even though it said with the band that it would not work with too many sensors around. Now you could essentially double your miles and keep the time the same. You runners out there would never do this - but when you see something on a board and you scratch your head about it it is probably one of the 3 above cases.
I personally do not see the point of cheating when one is doing any sport. Especially for an electronic trophy.
Why do I care? Well these things are meant to be fun and challenging for everyone. If there is going to be something like this, then why have them at all. Making 25K miles in a year because there are padded miles in not an accomplishment in my eyes. Death before dishonor! 😀 I know people will do what they want, but I would encourage avoiding this as it does not help in one's development. Get out there and run some 5K's and 10K's and maybe even a marathon with real folks and enjoy the competition.
There are essentially 3 ways to cheat:
1. Change one's calibration
2. Modify the XML files
and now
3. Run with the Sportband and iPod simultaneously.
The test was simple - strap on the sport band and sensor on my right side, and on my left the sensor and the iPod, I went for a mile jog. Stopped and checked - miles appeared on both even though it said with the band that it would not work with too many sensors around. Now you could essentially double your miles and keep the time the same. You runners out there would never do this - but when you see something on a board and you scratch your head about it it is probably one of the 3 above cases.
I personally do not see the point of cheating when one is doing any sport. Especially for an electronic trophy.
Why do I care? Well these things are meant to be fun and challenging for everyone. If there is going to be something like this, then why have them at all. Making 25K miles in a year because there are padded miles in not an accomplishment in my eyes. Death before dishonor! 😀 I know people will do what they want, but I would encourage avoiding this as it does not help in one's development. Get out there and run some 5K's and 10K's and maybe even a marathon with real folks and enjoy the competition.
QCassidy352
macrumors G5
I fully agree with you about the pointlessness of cheating in something like this, but I don't see how the sportband changes much. Couldn't you just have 2 nanos and do the same thing?
Besides, if you want to cheat, modifying the xml files is by far the easiest, and you could literally make up any numbers you wanted.
I have only seen the same page one story that you did. It's intriguing, but I can't imagine wanting to run with my iphone. Even my nano was annoying to run with (before I got my sportband)!
juanster
macrumors 68020
i guess, but you see, i runw ith my phone in my pocket as well, so i run with nano and iphone, so if i could cut the nano off it d help a bit..
twoodcc
macrumors P6
yes, that would be better for you. and just think about how many people are going to have an iphone now
twoodcc
macrumors P6
mine is 'Unbreakable' by Bon Jovi. it has to have the best lyrics for a power song - i can't imagine anything better
yeah, i really hope so also. i don't see why not?
twoodcc
macrumors P6
ok, just to prove that something is wrong with my sportsband, i walked with both my nano and the sports band at the same time, and this is what i found:
both were uncalibrated.
when the nano said 0.25 miles, the sb said 0.21
when the sb said 0.25 miles, the nano said 0.34
EDIT: after calibrating the sb:
when the nano said 0.25 miles, the sb said 0.17
when the sb said 0.25 miles, the sb said 0.36
both were uncalibrated.
when the nano said 0.25 miles, the sb said 0.21
when the sb said 0.25 miles, the nano said 0.34
EDIT: after calibrating the sb:
when the nano said 0.25 miles, the sb said 0.17
when the sb said 0.25 miles, the sb said 0.36
juanster
macrumors 68020
yeah ive been having some problem recently too, when i run with a friend of mine that also has the kit, the only thing that is the same is the time, distance and pace are always completely different even tho we run side by side... i d expect a little bit of a difference but sometimes we get 1/2 kms differences and stuff.. just not right, even after a side by side same pace calibration it's different...
twoodcc
macrumors P6
yeah, and the screen on my sb is messed up a little also, and i don't think i did anything to it.
well, at least i got a sensor out of it
QCassidy352
macrumors G5
Oh, well yeah, then that would be good. Why do you run with your phone though?
Cool, I'll check those songs out. When I had a nano, mine was "everytime we touch" by Cascada. it's a fast, pounding techno song - enough said.
How about because it's nike, and they haven't done anything right since they launched nike+?
Sorry to hear that. I've been having a lot of problems with mine as well. After a few miles it seems to start reading very erratically. My pace will jump from sub-seven to 7:20s, to as high as 9:30 for no reason. It's frustrating, but I don't know how much it is really effecting my data.
twoodcc
macrumors P6
thanks. i just think i got a dud. it's never been anywhere close to accurate running or walking. and now the display is messed up, and i've got less than 40 miles on it.
QCassidy352
macrumors G5
Mine continues to work well for several miles before giving wildly erratic pace readings. Today it severely underestimated the distance of my run because it was faster than usual, but that's par for the course I guess.
Went to a running specialty store today and got told that the shoes I've been running in were too restrictive, so I got some that are lighter, more cushioned, and better suited to my foot movement. I also got similar trail running shoes for my new trail adventures! 😀
So there was never a July challenges thread, was there?
ddollar
macrumors member
Well i have been upping my distance recently used to run roughly 3miles a day at a 7:20 pace i am now running my runs to 6miles a day at the same pace around it anyway. Hopefully i can keep upping my pace and at participate in a the NYC marathon considering i started in april that might be to soon but i want to run at least a half marathon in October
QCassidy352
macrumors G5
hey congratulations, that's great progress! I warn you - a marathon is an entirely different ballgame from anything you've ever done before. If you're serious about running one then start doing one long run per week and increase the distance until you're doing 20+ miles. That's where the fun starts. 😉
rickvanr
macrumors 68040
Does anyone have an issue with your iPod says "workout complete" when you're not complete. Then you try and start it again, and it says please connect the receiver, but you never unplugged it? It usually chokes around 2-3k initially, and then almost constantly afterwards.
I'm having this problem daily. I suspect it's due to the humidity.
Anyways, does the Sportband have to physically connect to anything? I'm thinking maybe grabbing one of those. If it's susceptible to the same problems I'll probably just bite the bullet and get something like a Forerunner® 405, but for ~ $350 I'd rather not have to.
Thanks 🙂
I'm having this problem daily. I suspect it's due to the humidity.
Anyways, does the Sportband have to physically connect to anything? I'm thinking maybe grabbing one of those. If it's susceptible to the same problems I'll probably just bite the bullet and get something like a Forerunner® 405, but for ~ $350 I'd rather not have to.
Thanks 🙂
twoodcc
macrumors P6
well, maybe they are making better sportsbands now. hopefully yours will last.
nice on the shoes.
yeah, i never saw a july thread
Congrats, and keep up the good work!
it seems like maybe sweat or something got in your ipod? i don't know, i might have had that problem before, or something similar. usually i just unplug the receiver, then plug it back in, and it works
nbs2
macrumors 68030
I was out running last week with my "I refuse to spend money" rig, it ripped, and my sensor fell off of my shoe. Anyway, everything kept going like nothing had happened. The reciever had no signal, but the music kept playing and there was no announcement. The only indication was that I when I grew concerned that I was running the slowest and longest final 100 meters of my life, and get the report that my current pace was 0'0". I looked and saw the sensor was gone. I hadn't gone very far, turned around and went back to get the sensor. I was lucky, as I walk back to work after my run and wouldn't have noticed the problem until the next day.
I guess I'm just wondering if anybody knows if that was normal. I thought that the system would tell me that the workout was paused or to connect a sensor or something. I suppose I'm just upset because instead of the best pace I was on pace for thanks to perfect running weather, I ended up with a 58' mile pace that threw everything off.
I guess I'm just wondering if anybody knows if that was normal. I thought that the system would tell me that the workout was paused or to connect a sensor or something. I suppose I'm just upset because instead of the best pace I was on pace for thanks to perfect running weather, I ended up with a 58' mile pace that threw everything off.
ddollar
macrumors member
Thanks I am very pleased with my progress from running a mile once or twice a week tops to running the way i am now makes me feel really good. I really didnt think i would like it as much as i do when i started. Right now when i finish my runs i feel fine a min or so later so i think if i push myself i could do close to a half marathon. Do any of you no a site where i can find marathons or just races in general that i can sign up for? It seems you need to sign up to participate in most of these and i have no clue where to sign up.
QCassidy352
macrumors G5
not sure what you mean by "physically connect to anything." The sportband is just a rubber watch band with a small detachable screen that houses all the mechanical aspects of the sportband. The screen has a usb connector, like a memory stick, so you just plug it in to a port on your mac and that's it.
I wanted the Forerunner 405 too, but two things dissuaded me. First, it's still pretty big. Way smaller than the 205 or 305, but substantially larger than a normal watch. Second, apparently there are issues with its accuracy. People at Garmin's forums have reported the 405 under-reporting compared to 205s and 305s. It's a GPS and over $300... it better be dead-on accurate if I'm going to buy it.
That's what I thought too, but I've never lost my sensor during a run, so I don't know for sure. I do remember an article from when nike+ came out talking about this problem, and the writer seemed to think the nano would tell you it lost the connection.
you could try this site for starters:
http://www.usatf.org/calendars/search/
put in your criteria and see what's out there!
twoodcc
macrumors P6
well, you are lucky that you found your sensor. within the first 6 months of having nike+, i was doing the same as you, i just stuck the sensor between my shoe strings - and it somehow flew out while i was running. i finally realized it after a while, and when i went back, i could not find it.
nbs2
macrumors 68030
Yeah, I do feel like I've gotten pretty lucky with this thing. The first time I intended to use it, I tucked it in my shoelaces and it fell out before I got the one block to my carpool to work (fitness center with shower means I run when I get to work). I got lucky that my wife was willing to scour the path for a little device.
My current rig is a the sensor tucked into the cut off corner of a plastic bag, then wrapped with scotch tape both ways. Then one large piece is placed around and sealed to itself with a small overhang. The length wraps around the laces and the overhang is sealed to the sensor. The tape broke on the lost run. But, I wised up and now I have a second piece of scotch tape making the backing double think.
I might buy a "real" holder, but I have to reach a milestone goal of losing 12 or 17 more pounds first.