When Nike and Apple released Nike+, their joint creation for runners and walkers, last year, it immediately caught my eye. Owners of iPods could turn their trendy players into running buddies that can actually do more than just keep the pace up.

If you haven’t heard about Nike+ yet, here’s the elevator pitch: place a tiny sensor into the sole of your specially designed shoe, while the small receiver attached to the iPod picks up data from the sensor and shows the metrics.

A perfect thing, I thought. There was only one problem … two actually. You need Apple’s iPod and special Nike shoes. Did that come as a surprise? Well, not really. Shoes and iPods are what keeps these two companies afloat, so I guess one of the main things on their minds is how to sell more of both, plus some extra other stuff (which probably makes more profits than shoes and iPods do). Hence the name: Nike+.

I know it’s a bit of a nerdy thing, but I always want to know how long my runs are. And this product seemed like a good solution.

True, the whole thing is almost childishly simple as all it shows is the distance covered (and enough other data that can be calculated once you know how fast something is moving), but I figured that 99% of the time I know where I am running. Also totting around a bulky GPS watch, or just a GPS receiver and fiddling with the reception or something similarly distracting is still out of the question.

But how does Nike+ work? Since it is relatively cheap (about 32€ in Sweden), I figured it cannot be a GPS receiver. So really the only other option is accelerometer. And that’s exactly what it is.

Why would I have to get a special pair of shoes? Sensing brand and model of shoes is not what accelerometers are sensitive to; they can’t be smart enough to figure I’m wearing Mizunos. Or can they? And from here on the solution was straightforward: I sew velcro on my shoe, glued the other part on the accelerometer and voíla, I modded my first pair of shoes. That was easy and clean. And accuracy? I would say it’s pretty accurate. On my test ride a 1490 m long loop was read as 1420 m. That’ll do.

If you’re a nerd runner and have an iPod, this is a pretty cute mod. It’s as simple as it gets, just make sure that the sensor is in as horizontal pos as possible and oriented length-wise, in relation to the shoe, that is. If you hate either Nike or Apple, or both, and have a degree in electrical engineering, well drop me a note and we’ll make our own thing.

Happy modding … and running.

Mladen