jogging

Track your workouts

RunKeeper Free is a no-cost but still full-featured version of RunKeeper Pro, a fitness app that helps runners (and even hikers and cyclists and the like) track the speed, pace, distance, and location of their workouts. The app has a streamlined, two-button interface--Stop/Start and Pause--and a large display that shows time elapsed, current speed, pace per mile (or kilometer), distance traveled, and GPS strength. What makes RunKeeper Free so useful--and motivating--is its ability to track the history of your runs, showing a quick list of the date, start time, duration, and distance covered for all your runs, and even … Read more

RunKeeper + iPhone: Better than Nike + iPod?

Can I gush? RunKeeper is the coolest freakin' iPhone application ever. OK, maybe not for everyone, but it's definitely the coolest for runners, hikers, bikers, and anyone else interesting in tracking their outdoor activities.

Let me explain. This summer the running bug bit me hard, and I'm now running farther and faster than in years past. Consequently, I've grown interested in determining my pace, distance, total run time, and so on.

My first thought was to get Apple's Nike + iPod, which is reasonable at $29--but incompatible with my iPhone 3G. Plus, I didn't want to … Read more

Find nearby exercise routes with WalkJogRun

When you're traveling, it's easy to come up with excuses not to exercise, like, "There's nowhere to run near this hotel." The new WalkJogRun Routes app leverages your iPhone's geolocation skills to find routes near you.

How? By tapping WalkJogRun.net's repository of 350,000-plus user-created routes. Just run the app, wait a few seconds for it to hone in on your location, then choose a distance (1 mile, 2 miles, all distances, etc.) to see the routes in your neck of the woods.

The subsequent list tells you the name, length, and … Read more

Grab an iPod Shuffle for $29 shipped

As an semiregular jogger, I'm gonna make a bold statement: The iPod Shuffle is the single best MP3 player for runners. I'll explain why in a minute, but for now, here's the deal: Apple has refurbished iPod Shuffles for $29 shipped.

That's for the 1GB silver model only. A blue one will run you $39, which has been the price on these refurbs for as long as I can remember.

The Shuffle comes with earphones, a dock, and everything else you'd find in a brand-new model--including Apple's one-year warranty. (The only thing you don'… Read more

Exercise like it's 1984

The original Adidas "Micropacer" was a bit ahead of its time when it came out in 1984. Back then, few could have predicted that running shoes would eventually be home to GPS devices, iPod transmitters, and their own MP3 players as they are in 2008.

But today the 24-year-old line can hold its own as the fitness/apparel/technology trend shows little sign of abatement. The Micropacers have a device built into a special tongue that includes a pedometer, range finder, and stop watch, Uncrate says.

Pictured here is the "Venice Carnival Edition" from the line'… Read more

Skull music for joggers

Why should skull music be enjoyed only under water? We don't think so either.

Just as aquatic products send soundwaves directly through the cranium for swimmers, Thanko Japan's "Vonia" headband gives runners a similar experience while on terra firma. (It's supposedly waterproof too but doesn't look like it was meant for swimming, especially with a Shuffle tucked in the side.)

The "bone conduction" device works like its seagoing counterparts, tickling the auditory nerves with melodious vibrations. That, according to Newlaunches, means you can blast your tunes without blowing out your eardrums and … Read more