Tag: nike

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I Just Had to Stop at Mile 11 and take a photo!

This photo captures a big milestone. One that I once thought was unreachable.

I’ve been running consistently now for a couple of years. When I started out, I used the Nike+ Running (now called NRC) app. If you use the app yourself, you may have noticed it has a number of “Run Levels” that you move through as you accumulate mileage.

The highest run level was “Black”. You had to run 3,106 miles to reach Black level.

Who is crazy enough to run that much I often thought. Never did I ever consider ME reaching that many miles on my feet.

As I started to run more, I purchased a GPS watch and moved on to other apps to track my runs (Garmin Connect), but I hold on to NRC out of nostalgia and for friendly competition on the Leaderboard.

Just the other day, before I set out for my first ever 17 mile run, I noticed something on the NRC app — I was so freaking close to Black level. Whaaaaa!? It sneaked up on me.

Two thoughts circled my head during that run, 1) will I even make it to 17 miles, and 2) at mile 11 I will have reached Black level!

At mile 11 we stopped and took the photo above.

Oh, and NRC has added a new level now. It’s called “Volt” and you need to run 9,320 miles to reach it. *sigh*

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My Running Apps

There’s so many good apps out there for running these days, and every runner has their favorite. These are the apps I use on an almost daily basis.

Garmin Connect

If I’m running, my Garmin Forerunner watch is recording it. Garmin Connect is the app that my watch syncs with to upload my run data. You can use Connect on your phone, or the slightly more featured web version.

Connect gives me the most details about my run, and various reports to help me track progress over the month, year, and so on. It also tracks my steps, weight, and sleep patterns.

The social networking side of Garmin Connect seems to be a bit of an after-thought though, which is the why I sync my runs with a couple of other applications.

Strava

I’m quite new to Strava, but I love it. It has, by far, the best social networking features. It’s easy to follow friends on there and comment on their activities.

I like how Strava will group runners together who ran with you, on your feed. It also analyses your route and lets you know if you’ve ran it faster or slower than before.

While Garmin has an implementation of Segments, it feels like Strava has done a better job of this and is probably one of the Strava’s greatest strengths. You are able to see how you compare to the rest of the Strava universe on certain sections of your routes – for example – I was able to tell I was the only Strava user to have attempted those hills in Boone this year!

Nike+ Run Club

My first love. The Nike+ Run App was the first app I used when I began running. I have a lot of connections on there so I don’t want to give it up just yet.

Nike have a great online running community as well, and their app developers provide the best and fastest support in my experience.

They also have cool sharing options complete with stickers, to post your runs to Nike itself, or facebook, Instagram, etc.

So, I have my Garmin Connect app automatically sync my runs to both Nike+ and Strava and everything seems to work seamlessly together without issue.

 

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What gear do I need to start running?

The beauty of running is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started. There is however, one area you shouldn’t skimp on, and that is shoes. Everything else mentioned here is optional.

Shoes

I’m not saying you can’t get a good deal on shoes, but until you know what you’re doing I highly recommend you visit a good local running store to get your first pair fitted. They will examine how you run and find you a pair of shoes that suit your running style.

When I first started running, I know this. I ran in an old pair of Asics Gels that I picked up in Rack Room Shoes. Got a deal, sure, but my knees suffered for it. It was because of that experience I decided to visit a specialized running store. I’m a neutral runner, and my first pair of fitted shoes were Brooks Launch. They cost around $100.

Another mistake people make is not changing their shoes frequently enough. The support in the shoe will start to break down and leave you prone to injury. It is recommended that you change your shoes every 350-500 miles.

I stuck with Brooks for my second pair, picking up the latest Launch model, Launch 3. Such a good shoe.

Again, I was glad to have them fitted because I had to actually buy a size bigger in this updated model. If I had simply ordered online I may have run into trouble.

Today, my current shoes (approaching end of life now) are Hoka One One Clifton 3‘s. These cost a little more (but so worth it). Around $130-140 at most running stores.

When you start out running for the first time, your shoes will last you for a long time. It should go without saying — make sure you wear a good pair of running/technical socks.

I’m running 100+ miles per month now so I’m having to change shoes every 3-4 months.

GPS Watch

I use a Garmin Forerunner 230. I used to use my phone (+ Nike Running Club app) to track my runs, but it annoyed me to have to carry it on my arm. I liked the idea of using a GPS watch instead so that I could leave my phone at home sometimes. The watch also allows me to track my heart rate when I wear the chest strap.

The Forerunner 235 model comes with a built in wrist heart rate monitor, but I opted for the separate strap monitor as the Forerunner 230 has much better battery life. I only train with heart rate monitor periodically to check if my VO2 Max has improved (more on that another time).

Phone

Yes, I still bring my phone on most runs — particularly the longer ones. I’ve been known to call my wife to come get me if I’m beat. She’s good to me like that. Plus, I like to take a photo or two to post my run stats to Instagram.

Belt

I usually wear a hydration belt (without the bottles), to carry my phone, car/house key, identification, gel packs, etc. I still struggle to find the perfect hydration solution for me. I hated the water slushing about on my waist as I ran, which is why I never carry the bottles.

Hydration Pack

With the weather starting to heat up quick, I did recently buy a hydration backpack from Camden Gear. I’ve been on a couple of runs with it, and I don’t particularly like running with it either, but it’s been the best solution so far. With the summer heat in North Carolina it may actually be a necessity on the longer runs.

Visibility

Most of my weekday runs are in the dark, and on the road. It’s important to be as visible as possible for the incoming traffic. I wear a bright led flashing light attached to my belt. It’s the bare-minimum I think, and I know there’s much room for improvement here.

Missed Anything?

Have I missed any gear you could not run without?