Trying (and failing) to match Renuka via Nike+ (or why the app is driving me crazy)

4. You can track and beat your personal bests
Nike+ has been keeping track of my personal bests (PBs). In training for the Nike We Run SG 10K, I’ve increased the run distance gradually over the last two weeks, setting the app to beat the previous longest run whenever I felt I wanted to run a little farther.

There was one day when I decided to go for a speed workout as I was curious to see how fast I could run 5km. With the app, I recorded my fastest 1km time of 5:37 and 32:10 for 5km. So now those PBs are sitting there as a challenge to do better over the next few months.

Click on the image for a larger version.

5. You can share your runs
For me, the most addictive part of Nike+ is that I can share my runs with my Facebook friends, and my friends can share theirs back with me. (And drive me crazy at the same time.)

I discovered one nifty aspect of sharing via Facebook — every time I shared that I was out on a run, I would hear a canned cheer when one of my friends clicked ‘like’ or left a comment. I run on my own most of the time and so find it encouraging to hear that little cheer via my headphones.

Of course, what your Facebook friends will actually write in the comments section is quite another matter. On one of my earlier runs with Nike+, I discovered after the run that the Wife had written:

“Please buy some milk, eggs and carrots on the way back. Hahaha.”