Week five after the London Marathon and still sore, I decided to **gently** return to my running. (Read last year's blogs) As this is the time my body is weakest and likely to pick up injuries. However a knock at the door and the postman delivered my package from Adidas!!! Get In ;-) So having used the phone app for so long! Just how would the bundle differ and more importany Improve my running??
Within my pack i received the Pacer, Heart Rate strap and speed cell(foot pod) The heart rate strap is self explanitory the speed cell either sits inside your adidas shoe (which I do not own a pair) or firmly attaches in a cradle which you thread your shoe laces through. Looking at it the material isn't flimsy and I feel confident with every impact and stride I take, will remain attached to my shoe. The only downside I found here is that I do own more than one pair of shoes regualarly rotate each pair so I can see have to plan my runs and swapping the cradle from one shoe to the next will be an extra job for me! My only solution will be to hunt down and buy another cradle so at least then I can leave my cradle's attatced and just swap the speed cell over.
The speed cell is a nice shade of green and an oblong shape. Probably not much bigger than fifty pence. I've never run with. Foot sensor before but I have seen earlier Garmin and Polar versions which to be honest look huge! This speed cell is virtually weightless and doubt it will be of any hindrance at all.
The pacer is another titchy piece of kit. The biggest part is probably the belt clip. A switch with three modes. Off, free run or your miCoach setting runs to which you synced with your profile on the adidas website which stores your next fifteen scheduled runs or ten scheduled runs and five favourite runs. I don't think I'll be bothering with the second option here. The other buttons of interest are the start/pause/sync button. Volume button and a repeat button and that is basically it?
Firstly I needed to pair the three units together and get my website scheduled runs onto the unit. Which really is a bit like pairing a blutooth device on your phone. Placing a USB adapter that plugs into your computer to receive data from the speed cell. Then downloading adidas manager software the installation was straight forward. My speed cell was in range and voila synced already..... Sweet I thought to myself, no hassle!
Now where is my pacer... Problem.... How do I charge this unit? Right I need a USB to 3.5m Jack lead.... Which is *not* in the box Arrrrgh! This lead is missing and so is another 3.5 to 3.5 jack lead to enable me to listen to my music whilst I run. Considering this prize arrived by post from Germany! How am I going to get new ones? Especialliy as it was now nine o clock at night my first port of call was eBay! I easily ordered the jack to jack lead but opening a second tab with a google search aparently an iPod shuffle lead will suffice in charging my unit so that was ordered too. I did however email adidas support who really were top notch and within three days had sent me my new leads. Result! .... Considering may eBay order arrived after adidas's order too. Which reminds me to leave negative feedback for such slow delivery and from a UK shop too?!
Placing the pacer on charge with my new adidas lead, took two hours, if that? Opening the adidas manager software, again pressed sync and my next fifteen scheduled runs were now on my pacer. I then pressed a sync button on my pacer and a lot quicker than waiting for my Garmin to pick up a GPS signal my speed cell and Heart rate monitor symbols were flashing green meaning everthing is good to go and satisfaction knowing I'm getting there.
The next problem was just where do I position my pacer on my runs. Adidas advise the pacer be placed forward facing? So has to be near my music source. The pacer can work without music which is less hassle but me! I do train to music (never race) but my training does consist of the latest playlist which now means I'm starting to look like a T1000 cyborg with my gadgets and wires hanging off my body.
Now my android phone app consists of phone, sports armband and earphones. Now with the pacer .... my phone pumping out my latest tunes sits in the same sports armband. The pacer clips onto the armband above my bicep. The 15cm 3.5m jack to jack lead (shorter the better) is now plugged into my phone which then connects to one side of my pacer with my earphones are now plugged into the other side. Which is now awkward to start my music, place my phone back into the sports armband, then to wrap it securely around my arm and hopully not pull out one of the other leads. If I didn't want to run to music and just listen to the pacers running instructions, there's no trickyness at all! To run with music where I have positioned my phone and pacer, now that will be awkward :-/
On my first run turning on the unit I'm politley greated by my female trainer who as I scroll through my training schedule informs me of each session. I chose. Progressive run and set off. My tunes on my playlist were great then as I hit 0.99 of a mile I was told my heart rate, stride count, current pace, zone time distance and as you notice the time then as i crossed the imaginary mile marker. Superb I thought. Loads more information and stats to absorb :-) having run the required ten minutes the music cuts out to be told speed up to green zone. I do just that... Maintain green zone. Excellent!! Then music cuts out again... One quarter complete says the voice... Er hang on where's my encouragement from Jessica??.... Iater I was told speed up to yellow zone, typical on the hilliest part of my run. Speed up to yellow zone.... I'm thinking give me a chance.... Speed up to yellow zone. Maaaan I'm running up a hill and... I can't? - But this is the encouragment i need to improve my running
However I completed my run. Sadly without any encouragment from Jessica Ennis on the paced bundle itself unlike the phone app. I paused the system and while I got my breath back switched off the unit to be told my final running stats. I got home and connected my pacer to my computer where my data was uploaded to miCoach, Twitter and facebook and saw even though I felt I was struggling, I still achieved 91% for staying in my running zones, which was not perfect but encouraging.
The phone app is great as wherever i am my time, distance and score is uploaded immediately and it has Jessica to encourage me. The bundle itslelf needs you to be patient to get your percentage score the next time you conect it to a computer but your strenghts and weakness's within that run can be seen as you comapre you stride count, to heart rate ans see which zone you're currently in and getting that idea of underrstaning your body and "controlling" your own pace. E.G not to push too hard to early and blow out rather than hold back and progess i suppose hrough the gears until you reach you maximum output!
Within my pack i received the Pacer, Heart Rate strap and speed cell(foot pod) The heart rate strap is self explanitory the speed cell either sits inside your adidas shoe (which I do not own a pair) or firmly attaches in a cradle which you thread your shoe laces through. Looking at it the material isn't flimsy and I feel confident with every impact and stride I take, will remain attached to my shoe. The only downside I found here is that I do own more than one pair of shoes regualarly rotate each pair so I can see have to plan my runs and swapping the cradle from one shoe to the next will be an extra job for me! My only solution will be to hunt down and buy another cradle so at least then I can leave my cradle's attatced and just swap the speed cell over.
The speed cell is a nice shade of green and an oblong shape. Probably not much bigger than fifty pence. I've never run with. Foot sensor before but I have seen earlier Garmin and Polar versions which to be honest look huge! This speed cell is virtually weightless and doubt it will be of any hindrance at all.
The pacer is another titchy piece of kit. The biggest part is probably the belt clip. A switch with three modes. Off, free run or your miCoach setting runs to which you synced with your profile on the adidas website which stores your next fifteen scheduled runs or ten scheduled runs and five favourite runs. I don't think I'll be bothering with the second option here. The other buttons of interest are the start/pause/sync button. Volume button and a repeat button and that is basically it?
Firstly I needed to pair the three units together and get my website scheduled runs onto the unit. Which really is a bit like pairing a blutooth device on your phone. Placing a USB adapter that plugs into your computer to receive data from the speed cell. Then downloading adidas manager software the installation was straight forward. My speed cell was in range and voila synced already..... Sweet I thought to myself, no hassle!
Now where is my pacer... Problem.... How do I charge this unit? Right I need a USB to 3.5m Jack lead.... Which is *not* in the box Arrrrgh! This lead is missing and so is another 3.5 to 3.5 jack lead to enable me to listen to my music whilst I run. Considering this prize arrived by post from Germany! How am I going to get new ones? Especialliy as it was now nine o clock at night my first port of call was eBay! I easily ordered the jack to jack lead but opening a second tab with a google search aparently an iPod shuffle lead will suffice in charging my unit so that was ordered too. I did however email adidas support who really were top notch and within three days had sent me my new leads. Result! .... Considering may eBay order arrived after adidas's order too. Which reminds me to leave negative feedback for such slow delivery and from a UK shop too?!
Placing the pacer on charge with my new adidas lead, took two hours, if that? Opening the adidas manager software, again pressed sync and my next fifteen scheduled runs were now on my pacer. I then pressed a sync button on my pacer and a lot quicker than waiting for my Garmin to pick up a GPS signal my speed cell and Heart rate monitor symbols were flashing green meaning everthing is good to go and satisfaction knowing I'm getting there.
The next problem was just where do I position my pacer on my runs. Adidas advise the pacer be placed forward facing? So has to be near my music source. The pacer can work without music which is less hassle but me! I do train to music (never race) but my training does consist of the latest playlist which now means I'm starting to look like a T1000 cyborg with my gadgets and wires hanging off my body.
Now my android phone app consists of phone, sports armband and earphones. Now with the pacer .... my phone pumping out my latest tunes sits in the same sports armband. The pacer clips onto the armband above my bicep. The 15cm 3.5m jack to jack lead (shorter the better) is now plugged into my phone which then connects to one side of my pacer with my earphones are now plugged into the other side. Which is now awkward to start my music, place my phone back into the sports armband, then to wrap it securely around my arm and hopully not pull out one of the other leads. If I didn't want to run to music and just listen to the pacers running instructions, there's no trickyness at all! To run with music where I have positioned my phone and pacer, now that will be awkward :-/
On my first run turning on the unit I'm politley greated by my female trainer who as I scroll through my training schedule informs me of each session. I chose. Progressive run and set off. My tunes on my playlist were great then as I hit 0.99 of a mile I was told my heart rate, stride count, current pace, zone time distance and as you notice the time then as i crossed the imaginary mile marker. Superb I thought. Loads more information and stats to absorb :-) having run the required ten minutes the music cuts out to be told speed up to green zone. I do just that... Maintain green zone. Excellent!! Then music cuts out again... One quarter complete says the voice... Er hang on where's my encouragement from Jessica??.... Iater I was told speed up to yellow zone, typical on the hilliest part of my run. Speed up to yellow zone.... I'm thinking give me a chance.... Speed up to yellow zone. Maaaan I'm running up a hill and... I can't? - But this is the encouragment i need to improve my running
However I completed my run. Sadly without any encouragment from Jessica Ennis on the paced bundle itself unlike the phone app. I paused the system and while I got my breath back switched off the unit to be told my final running stats. I got home and connected my pacer to my computer where my data was uploaded to miCoach, Twitter and facebook and saw even though I felt I was struggling, I still achieved 91% for staying in my running zones, which was not perfect but encouraging.
The phone app is great as wherever i am my time, distance and score is uploaded immediately and it has Jessica to encourage me. The bundle itslelf needs you to be patient to get your percentage score the next time you conect it to a computer but your strenghts and weakness's within that run can be seen as you comapre you stride count, to heart rate ans see which zone you're currently in and getting that idea of underrstaning your body and "controlling" your own pace. E.G not to push too hard to early and blow out rather than hold back and progess i suppose hrough the gears until you reach you maximum output!
