The iPod is probably the best thing to happen to runners since spandex. But now Apple has gone and teamed with Nike to create a system that has runners drooling (including myself). An iPod that gets info from my shoe? I can listen to music AND see how far I've gone and at what pace? And I can program my never-fail, pump-me-up-now song to play at the hardest part of my workout? Where have you been all my life?
Of course, there are drawbacks. The major one is that the kit is specifically, and only, for Nike shoes. I don't run in Nikes. I have one model of shoe that I've run in since high school. Asking me to change shoes is like asking me to change genders. As seductive as this offer is, I don't think I'm ready for that kind of sacrifice.
But now I'm in a quandary (hey, remember that game, "The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary"? No?). Sometime soon, my first-generation iPod will stop functioning. Then I will replace it. But with what? I was considering a shuffle, which is ideally set up (and priced) for running. Then I thought maybe a nano, which is what works with the Nike system. Most recently, I was convinced that Oregon Scientific's sport MP3 player was exactly what I wanted.
And now there is this. Maybe my iPod will last until iPod teams with asics. Until then, I will have to be content to lust mightily for what every runner wants.
