The Pacekeeper

The internet brings us another way to strengthen our commitment to running.

Dailymile.com offers runners ways to track their training (either manually or by syncing up devices like the Nike+). You can log how far and fast you ran and store your routes so others can see where you ran. My least favorite feature is the “How did you feel” and “How did it go” parts of the log. Call me insensitive, but I think that these can lead to the same over-sharing we see sometimes on Facebook and Twitter — and I guess I just don’t care that much.

That being said, there are a number of other useful features on this site. When you register you enter your ZIP code, so Daily Mile connect with running communities and locate events. For motivation, you can also look to some of the challenges that other runners post. There are also ongoing forums, where runners can pose questions and take part in discussions.

For more information or to register, check out the dailymile’s website.

Nike is scheduled to release a new version of their Sportsband watch tomorrow. According to gadgetreview.com:

This is the second iteration of the device and includes a new ‘white’ background that makes the screen even easier to read, a water tight body and a bunch of new colors, such as pink/gray, yellow/gray and red/gray.

The Nike+ Sportsband works in tandem with the Nike+ sensor and tracks calories burned, speed, distance and pace.

At an expected price of $59, this is a low-cost and less-bulky alternative to running with an ipod. Not to mention, it will give you all the stats and feedback a treadmill would without the humdrum feeling of running in place for an hour.  You can read the entire article and press release from Nike here.

I was probably the only eighth-grader to ask for a pedometer at Christmas.

But, though I may have looked insane to my neighbors, pacing back and forth at the mouth of my driveway in order to measure my strides and calibrate the device, now I know I’m not crazy. Thanks to this article in the July issue of Wired I’ve learned my desire for feedback on the length and time of each of my runs is quite normal, and the Nike+ has tapped into this collective desire to build a legion of runners more than 1.2 million strong.

The article explores the Nike+, not only in terms of how it works, but in how this little device has derived popularity from the way feedback motivates us. What seems to be at play, according to the article, is what’s known as the Hawthorne effect, defined by Wikipedia as:

…is a form of reactivity whereby subjects improve an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they are being studied,^[1][2] not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.

This phenomenon, as the article points out, has been noted throughout other studies.

A 2001 study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that personalized feedback increased the effectiveness of everything from smoking-cessation programs to interventions for problem drinkers to exercise programs.

In other words: simply hearing how we’re performing on a task can inspire us to perform better. Nike+ taps into this facet of the human psyche with its comprehensive — and instantaneous! — feedback. You can record how far and fast you’ve run, tracking your improvement over time, and with new features you can also take advantage of training plans, virtual coaching, online communities and more.

Want to really add a sense of urgency to your training? You can download this widget from Adidas that will give you a countdown to your next race. I’m hoping this clock will inject the same pulsing adrenaline into my training as Jack Bauer feels when dismantling a bomb. For now, click on the image below to create your own widget. Once I become a little more wordpress savvy, I hope to include this as one of my widgets on the site.

Regardless of the blurred details of his personal life, Michael Jackson undoubtedly left a legacy of music worthy of our flocking to the dance floor and car sing-alongs. But how does his music stack-up when it comes to running and working out?

There is a science to selecting a soundtrack that’s right for your workout, according to Dr. Costas Karageorghis, an associate professor of sport psychology at Brunel University in England, who has studied the effects of music on physical performance for 20 years, who was interviewed for this January 2008 NYT article.

One of the most important elements, Dr. Karageorghis found, is a song’s tempo, which should be between 120 and 140 beats-per-minute, or B.P.M. That pace coincides with the range of most commercial dance music, and many rock songs are near that range, which leads people to develop “an aesthetic appreciation for that tempo,” he said. It also roughly corresponds to the average person’s heart rate during a routine workout — say, 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer by a person who is more casual exerciser than fitness warrior.

In the same article, Richard Petty, the founder of Power Music, a company that has produces workout compilations says he produces remixes which has BMP adjusted to his clients’ experience level and type of music.

For a stroll walker going at a pace of around 3 miles an hour, a remixed track has a count of 115 to 118 B.P.M.; for a power walker going 4.5 m.p.h., the count is 137 to 139 B.P.M., while the B.P.M. for a runner elevates to 147 to 160.

So how sweat-inducing are Jackson’s tunes?  Here’s the breakdown of my favorite MJ hits and their BPM count (calculated with the help of a free trial from www.beatunes.com):

• Bad…………………………………………..70 BPM
• Thriller………………………………………70 BPM
• PYT…………………………………………..85 BPM
• Smooth Criminal………………………….95  BPM
• You Rock My World……………………….95 BPM
• I Want You Back…………………………..98 BPM
• Man in the Mirror……………………….100 BPM
• Rock with You…………………………….115 BPM
• Black or White…………………………….115 BPM
• Billie Jean………………………………….117 BPM
• Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough…………119 BPM
• Beat It……………………………………….139 BPM

By the aforementioned standards, it looks like you might opt to use my MJ playlist for warm-ups and cool-downs, unless, of course, mentally moonwalking gets you pumped as you tackle that last mile. I certainly don’t plan on removing Billie Jean or Want You Back from my usual running mix anytime soon.

The ubiquity of podcasts has certainly not bypassed running enthusiasts. Here are some podcasts to try for free when you tire of your traditional training playlist.

Podrunner: This site offers downloadable work-out mixes by DJ Steve Boyett ranging from 130 to 180 beats per minute. There are currently about 72 different mixes available on iTunes. Before testing this podcast I had my doubts about my tolerance for the throbbing techno/trance music in Boyett’s podcasts. But, I guess the rhythm got me a little bit. Despite my skepticism, I found myself keeping pace with each song through the end of my work-out. And, as an added bonus, because the podcast worked as one continuous track, I didn’t have to break stride to fumble with my ipod anytime an anomalous sleepy song made its way into my shuffle.

Podrunner Intervals: This podcast turns training plans by renowned coach and writer Jenny Hadfield into high energy workout mixes that are differentiated for beginning, intermediate and more experienced runners. A chime indicates when the runner should accelerate and decelerate. Not only do I look at this as a fantastic free find (Hadfield’s training plans are $24.95 on her site), but an alternative to fartlek runs, which always have me more concerned with checking my watch than focusing on my speed and stride.

Robert Ullrey’s Couch to 5k Plan: Though the first weeks of this mix may be two slow for intermediate and advanced runners, it’s a perfect starting point for rookies. With specific workouts that integrate running and walking intervals, Robert Ullrey coaxes new runners off the couch and into their first race in 9 weeks.

You can subscribe to any of these podcasts on iTunes.