Wired: The Nike Experiment

Posted By elissa on Jul 7, 2009 | 1 comment

A while back, Lisa wrote a post on finding the motivation to work out, which she aptly subtitled, “getting going when you don’t really feel like it“.  Truth is, it’s often a struggle… there’s a certain amount of trial and error involved in getting energized, and finding ways to make your good intentions stick over the long term. Nonetheless, whatever gets you going, it surely helps to be part of a community of like-minded folks, and to have tools at your disposal to track your progress.

I think that’s why running appeals to so many people: it’s not hard to find others who share your interest; not to mention there are some pretty cool tools available, as this article in Wired, on the Nike+ program/site, makes clear. 

On June 6, 2008, Veronica Noone attached a small sensor to her running shoes and headed out the door. She pressed start on her iPod and began keeping track of every step she took. It wasn’t a long run—just 1.67 miles in 18 minutes and 36 seconds, but it was the start of something very big for her.

Since that day, she’s run 95 more times, logging 283.8 miles in about 48 hours on the road. She’s burned 28,672 calories. And her weight, which topped 225 pounds when she was pregnant, has settled in at about 145.

Nike collaborated with Apple to develop a sensor/iPod app that can collect data on users’ running sessions.  The data can then be uploaded to NikePlus.com and used to track progress, etc.  Yeah, it’s a bit gimmicky, I suppose, but – as a way to help motivate runners – it works.

If a runner wants to run 5 miles, they enter that distance and press start. During the run, voice prompts let the runner know how fast they’re moving, how far they’ve gone, and how much farther they need to go. At the end of the run, the user presses stop and the data is saved on the iPod. The next time they sync their iPod, the workout data is automatically uploaded to NikePlus.com, which adds the current information to the history of all their runs.

…But that simple, dual-variable tracking can lead to novel insights, especially once you have so many people feeding in data: The most popular day for running is Sunday, and most Nike+ users tend to work out in the evening. After the holidays, there’s a huge increase in the number of goals that runners set; this past January, they set 312 percent more goals than the month before.

There’s something even deeper. Nike has discovered that there’s a magic number for a Nike+ user: five. If someone uploads only a couple of runs to the site, they might just be trying it out. But once they hit five runs, they’re massively more likely to keep running and uploading data. At five runs, they’ve gotten hooked on what their data tells them about themselves.

Now, I’m not a runner anymore, beyond the relatively short sprint-interval sessions I do on my “hardio” (hard cardio) days.  But I owe my workout discipline to running – it was a great way for a nerdy non-athlete like me to break the ice. After all, it was easy enough to do: just put one foot in front of the other. And – once I had the habit of making the time for exercise (as well as a taste of success) – it was a foundation I was able to build on. 

So, if you’re struggling with finding the motivation to maintain a basic exercise program (and don’t have any physical limitations that make jogging/running off limits), the Nike+ site might have what you need to make a start – and make it stick.