Nike+

My running has slowly but surely been getting back on track, thanks largely in part to our good friends at Nike. I have been using a little gadget from their Nike+ line which attaches to my iPod and tracks my workouts.

So thanks to this teeny little attachment on my iPod and another teeny little sensor attached to my shoe, I am able to track my distance, time, and calories burned. I can even set goals on the iPod before I start a workout; for example, lately I've been setting a distance when I start, and as I run, a voice comes on periodically and tells me how far I've gone and how far I have left.

On the Nike+ site, I can track all of my workouts, set goals, get challenges, and even sync with Mapquest to plan a route.

And the best part of all is that whenever a new personal best - for example, a new best MPM - a sports figure comes on in my headphones and tells me that I've just reached a new personal record.

Hooray for motivation!