Et tu iPhone?

On August 24, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

What my iPhone looked like when it was alive

My frustrations with the iPhone as a tool for tracking activities using GPS were further aggravated yesterday when I finished my run but could not shut off my tracking app. The process of unlocking the iPhone was difficult enough with the glare of the sun obscuring my view but when I finally got to the application it appeared to have stopped on its own. It turned out that it didn’t stop and later, when I went to relaunch the app, I saw that it had continued to run and so any hopes of getting an accurate accounting of my race speed and distance were gone forever. Happily the race used timing chips because my backup, the Garmin 50, was over counting distance by about 5%.

We’re on vacation this week and we decided to go for a hike at Cold Spring Harbor. It’s a great trail, very rugged with lots of elevation. I turned on my iPhone, switched to AllSport GPS and selected “Hike” but the GPS would not acquire. I pushed the power button on the iPhone and did a soft shut down hoping that after rebooting it would do a better job with GPS. When I hit the power button to restart nothing happened. I tried holding it down for different lengths of time but that resulted in nothing but the same blank screen. No power. We headed home after the hike (which was fun) but I had my mind a little too much on my iPhone problem. I went online to see if this was a known problem (it is) but the remedy they suggested, holding down both the Power and Home buttons, did not restore the unit. I plugged it into wall power, connected it to my iMac, tried to restart in every combination, but nothing is bringing this iPhone back to life.

A call into my company’s IT service desk has started an investigation but I don’t hold out too much hope that I’ll have a working device this week while on vacation. My wife will probably be happy because I tend to check business email two or three hundred times a day (an exaggeration but just barely). If that was my only use I could easily work around it but I’ve come to depend on my iPhone for so much more now. I’ll recalibrate the Garmin for my runs this week and table the GPS apps until this is resolved. We are thinking about looking for trail shoes for my wife a little later today and although I love my NB 460’s, yesterday’s experience is making me think I also need a new, higher end pair for long runs. While we’re out I may take a look at pricing on the Garmin 405’s although everything I’m reading about them makes me worry that I won’t get much more accuracy than on the iPhone. Maybe I should take a break from technology for a day. It certainly hasn’t helped much lately.

Luddite technologist rant

On August 12, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I am feeling very grumpy about technology today and I felt I needed to do something so I deactivated a Facebook account I’d created some months back. Nothing personal about Facebook, as a technology it’s been fine and if I’m ever reincarnated as a 19 year old female, alcoholic, exhibitionist, college student I’ll reconsider joining. But like I said, I’m grumpy. I never check the site or contribute to it. At least once a week I received invites from people (many of whom I actually like) but finally decided that accepting them was disingenuous because I’ll never check the site. I have an Emerging Runner Fan page that (ironically) I can no longer access. I wonder what will happen with that. Thanks to everyone who fanned it. Sorry to disappoint!

The reason I’m grumpy about technology is that it often doesn’t work like it should. I’m not talking about technology that we depend upon daily like elevators and traffic lights, I’m talking about running technologies. Especially those that run on my iPhone. I love my iPhone. It’s much more fun than my Blackberry that I gave up with some real misgivings. But when compared to the Blackberry as a business tool it’s not very fun at all. Okay, I’ll accept that as long as it still does the job. It’s annoying to switch from Verizon to AT&T, I liken it to taking a step back in time to the mid 1990’s when getting a usable signal on your phone was an unexpected surprise. I’ve put some GPS apps on the iPhone to help track my running metrics and so far I am not impressed. MotionX GPS, that I paid for ($2.99), has great features (lots of data elements captured: photo utility, interactive maps, iPod integration, etc.) but I’m at about 50% in terms of successful outcome when using it. The other apps I’ve tried, iMapMyRun and RunKeeper Free, have less capabilities (they’re both free) but clever enough. I just bought AllSportsGPS (the company gave me a promo code for a comp version but I managed to screw that up (technology!). I’ll see how it works. For $10 I’m expecting a lot.

The performance of these GPS utilities is often undermined by the inherent inaccuracy of public GPS. Despite its potential for getting to an inch of your location it misses greatly and often. If you have to remap on Google Earth every time you use these apps what’s the point? I’ll try the AllSport app on Friday and see how it performs. So many other running technologies have disappointed. AG tried to use the Qstarz on a 6 mile run recently and it failed to capture any data. What’s annoying about that is there’s no way to tell with that unit if it’s working or not. The original running technology that I used, the Nike+ Sportband, failed so often that I needed to replace it three times before I returned it and bought my Garmin 50.

In truth the Garmin 50 has been a great technology and I won’t disparage it although it does consume batteries and each time they are replaced calibration gets out of whack. Running technologies don’t all run on batteries either and I’ll give due credit to Nike, Adidas and other clothing makers who have perfected the art of sweat wicking technology. But for today I’m just a bit grumpy.

The great experiment

On July 31, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

One reason I enjoy running is that the sport allows me to indulge my interest in technology. From my first few months using the Nike+ Sportsband to my switch to the Garmin 50 I have tracked my performance and progress and studied the results. Technology isn’t limited to sports watches, I started a site within emergingrunner.com called Runner’s Tech Review to provide feedback on every type of fitness technology I use. To be sure, some of this technology is battery powered but much of it isn’t. Sports drinks, running shoes and energy bars are all technologies in their own right.

I’ve just replaced my Blackberry with an iPhone and I’m learning to deal with it. In many ways it’s a step down from its replacement but it offers some capabilities to runners that the Blackberry cannot match. For one thing I can finally look at comments posted on my Runner’s World Loop blog without being tethered to a PC. I thought I would have better tools for mobile posting using Safari but Blogger doesn’t really work right. There may be issues with Flash or Java. I can post simply by sending an email to a special address so I’ve found a good solution for that. The big exciting technology opportunity is leveraging the GPS capability of the iPhone. I mentioned MotionX yesterday and put it to the test walking a few places in the city. The system had a difficult time acquiring a signal but that could be related to the many tall buildings in mid town NYC. Today I will try a run with the iPhone using MotionX to track my speed, distance, elevation and route. I’m hoping that it works better than the Qstarz Sports Recorder.

To hedge my bets, I’ll have my trusty Garmin as backup and it will be interesting to compare results between the two. The only concern I have is the weather. Storms are expected and I don’t want to soak the iPhone.

Quirks of the Garmin

On February 25, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I’m back to the work week routine and despite the residual fatigue that comes from rising at 4:00 AM I’ve settled back in to my running program. Although I am pleased with the Garmin 50 I’ve experienced some frustration with its operation, mostly due to its complex interface and its too simple instruction manual.

There are four buttons on the watch that do different things based upon the mode: time, training, intervals, etc. It is not obvious to the user which sequence of buttons need to be pushed to start an action, check a performance metric or calibrate the unit. The manual doesn’t cover much of what the watch can do so I’m left frustrated knowing I’m not getting everything I can from the watch. In some cases the frustration comes from inconsistancies with the interface. For example, when in training mode, the usual default screen displays 0000:00:00 meaning “hit start and run.” It then records distance, speed, cadence and pulse rate and will display any of those metrics by toggling with one button. That’s great except when that display doesn’t show up when you switch to training mode.

This morning I got going on the treadmill, brought the speed to my normal starting pace, switched the Garmin to “Train” and was annoyed to see that it did not give me my expected start display. So as I’m running at about a 6.5 mi/hr pace I’m jabbing at the watch in hopes of correcting this so I can record my run. Eventually I noticed a different display that seemed to be capturing distance so I left it alone and in the end it allowed me to save the run. The aggrevating part was that I ran at least .3 miles while this all played out and consequently none of that data was captured.

I’ll see exactly what it did capture once the run is uploaded to Garmin Connect. I’m sure I’ll eventually learn every aspect of the watch through trial and error but I’m puzzled by the lack of operational documentation. I wonder how many Garmin users give up on the features simply because the thing’s so darn complicated.

Those are the breaks

On February 1, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

The freezing cold temperatures had given way to a much more bearable 32 degrees this morning and I had hoped to resume running with my 9 year old son today. The snow and bone chilling cold had forced him to take a hiatus for the last three weekends and he had mentioned that he really wanted to run. Unfortunately the poor guy had an accident while cleaning up the dishes yesterday when a plate fell on his big toe. This required a trip to the emergency pediatrician’s office last night and no activity of any kind prescribed for the next five days. So much for us running together this weekend.

I headed out alone this morning and didn’t check the temperature before I left. I quickly regretted all my layers when I realized that it was almost twice as warm as Saturday’s 18 degrees. Instead of hating the wind I began wishing for more of it. Today’s run was less taxing than Saturday’s and I ran about 4 miles. I still felt a bit sluggish and my pace reflected it; 12/sec per mile slower than yesterday.

When I tried to sync my Sportband with the Nike+ site I got the same “No runs to upload” message that I got the day before. Fortunately the device still records events accurately so I can manually capture the data and input it into MapMyRun. There is a way to manually create an XML message with the run data that can be uploaded to the Nike+ site. I’m debating whether I want to take the trouble do something that won’t reflect the real time performance of my workout. After all, that’s whole the point of the Nike+ system.

I should be frustrated and angry that the Sportband has failed me in so many ways but I’m taking a glass-half-full perspective. Now I’ll get to buy and play with a new technology that will give me even more features than my Sportband. Despite the fact that I’ve had the Sportband (make that three Sportbands) over the last five months and have recorded hundreds of runs, I will get my entire investment back and this will help fund my new purchase. I only wish I could make my son’s toe problem go away so easily.

Rage against the machines

On January 16, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

I got a note from a reader who asked me about my experience with the Brookstone Heart Rate Ring. She had a similar issue and wanted to understand my specific problems with the unit. My experience with this device was similar to my experience with the HRM on my elliptical machine: inaccurate and inconsistent readings. It makes me wonder if any HRMs on the market are capable of performing their simple but important task of accurately reporting a pulse rate in real time. I have been frustrated lately by an astonishing number of technology failures running the gamut of high and low tech. A few examples are shade pulls so over engineered that breaking the cord requires a home visit by a company service rep. Other technology frustrations include my long term search for a programmable switch for my outside house lights that doesn’t fail within eight months of installation and flush mounted clothing hooks that require the use of specialized Allen wrenches when a simple screw would do.

Bringing this back to running, I’ve found that my frustration with the technologies that quantify performance comes as a result of a need to measure progress. I’ve had the experience where I failed to trigger the start of a run on my Sportband (it requires about 1,000 lbs. of pressure to activate the button) only to discover the problem ten minutes into my run. My irrational response to this is that I wasted my time. If that part of my run wasn’t recorded then it didn’t happen. So the key issue is I subconsciously value the metrics of running more than the workout itself. When the technology fails to capture the experience or records it incorrectly, irrational or not, it diminishes the way I value the effort.

In defense of the treadmill

On January 15, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

The temperature this morning was in the low teens with winds making it far colder. It was also snowing which surprised me a little since I’ve always thought it couldn’t snow when the temperature dropped much below freezing. Adding to this was the 4:00 AM darkness creating the most inhospitable running environment that can be found in suburban NY. There was no question that I would run on the treadmill as the darkness alone is enough to keep me inside on weekday mornings. Also, I like the treadmill for reasons I’ll address further into this post.

As a re-engaged runner I am interested in what more experienced runners think and what they do. I’m always curious to hear real runner’s opinions about treadmills because I’ve found them to be a divisive subject. There are those who just hate them and won’t use them unless every alternative is exhausted. I know a person who runs in every kind of weather and who won’t even wear a hat or long pants unless the temperature drops below 10 degrees. A couple of friends that are well established runners avoid the treadmill because they think the motion of the tread throws off their technique. I respect them very much and I’ve learned greatly from them both but I don’t agree with that perspective.

The treadmill makes great sense to me because it’s a practical and enabling technology. It lets me run when nature doesn’t cooperate. Perhaps more importantly, the treadmill gives me full control of my environment in terms of conditions, speed and effort. I often think about the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” where Keir Dullea runs within a space station as it revolves. This morning I realized that I would run out of time before hitting my minimum distance for my weekday run. I had about five minutes left and saw that I was about 3/10ths of a mile short of my goal. With reckless abandon I pushed the speed control to 7.8 mph which is close to a 7:30/mi pace. I ended up covering much more distance than originally planned. I know it’s not the same as the street or track but that doesn’t mean it’s worse. One established runner I know tells me she finds the treadmill workout harder than the street. I know it’s not ideal and will always prefer the view of the neighborhood, the athletic field or (I’m guessing) the trail to the static view of my backyard viewed through the guestroom window. But at 4:00 AM with snow and a freezing wind-chill I’m still running.

Nike+ Sportband, the definition of insanity

On January 10, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Albert Einstein supposedly said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If that’s true then I am truly insane because I continue to use my Nike+ Sportband hoping that its display, like its two predecessors, won’t corrode and fade away. I realize that I have been complaining a lot lately in my posts – runners with bad safety judgment, elliptical machine issues and again the Sportband – but I question why so many fitness technologies just don’t work.

I am a technologist and those who know me will agree that I am passionate about the ways technology can benefit society. I say this to demonstrate that I am neither a Luddite nor “purist” when it comes to workout science. However, between my Sportband troubles, continuing problems with our elliptical machine’s HRM and an earlier disappointing experience with Brookstone’s Heart Rate Ring I am zero for 3 in terms of consumer satisfaction. Why bring a product to market that just doesn’t work?

I applaud Nike for having developed a very affordable system that accurately tracks running metrics using an RFID sensor along with a lightweight watch that captures the information in real time. What bothers me is that Nike, an $18 billion company founded on the development of an innovative running shoe, seems to have given up on this idea because their original design was poorly engineered. If the problem is that the water seal of the display is flawed why not fix that and reintroduce the product? While there is an iPod based solution it’s an irrelevant choice for those who don’t have or want an iPod.

Yet, through this, as my current Sportband continues to degrade and fade, I hold out hope that the next one I get when I swap it out at Dick’s will work better. That is if they still have them. Otherwise I will ask for a refund and consider my next technology decision: Should I apply my refund to the purchase of a Garmin Forerunner 50 with Heart Rate Monitor and Foot Pod or go all out and get the Garmin Forerunner 405 Black GPS Enabled Sports Watch/ HRM for three times the price but with everything a running techno-geek would ever want?

It all comes down to my earlier point. What if I bought the 405 and it doesn’t work? Then I’ll have nothing to aspire to. Maybe that will be the time to buy a stopwatch.