Nike+GPS Review

Ok, I just want to get something out of the way real quick. I didn't run 7.13 miles in 13.33 as the screenshot would suggest. That's impossible. It was 110 in Phoenix (the hottest Sep. 20 in history!) the day I tested the app, so I sat in my car and drove to the closest drive-thru coffee shop. Yeah, it was cheating, but I got the same results out of the app that I would otherwise, I just didn't have to bake my skin in the process.

As you'd expect, Nike+GPS is a GPS based running app (powered by MotionX GPS) that brings Nike+ to those who don't choose to have Nike+ shoes with the $20 sensors. There really isn't a whole lot that sets Nike+GPS apart from the competition other than the fact that it has an established, thriving community to motivate you to train. While other apps give you goals for the day, or claim to have the magic formula to train you for a marathon, the Nike+ community lets you set goals and challenges with your friends, who are indeed your best source of motivation.

The app itself is fairly utilitarian, ditching most of the bells and whistles that other apps have and instead strives for simplicity. When you start a run, you just set up what music you want to listen to, as well as your powersong (when times get tough), and then whether you are running indoors or outdoors, and then go. As you complete more and more races, you can check out your history screen so you can stack your current tun with your previous ones. Once you decide you want to run again, you can either start a normal run, or challenge yourself with a "Challenge Me" run. The "Challenge Me" runs let you choose to go further, longer, or faster than your previous run, or you can choose to take on your own personal best.

To me, the best thing about the app is that it does indeed track indoor runs. Running outdoors is great and all because you get to see your route mapped for you at the end (and you get some fresh/semi polluted air), but indoor running is almost a necessity in the Phoenix summer (which goes to Halloween). The indoor running workout requires you to have your iPhone on you because the app uses accelerometer movement, as well as your height, to calculate how far you've actually gone.

As far as running goes, an app will only motivate you so much. It takes a community to really get you going, and that's where the Nike+GPS app thrives. The Nike+ community is far and away the most widely used digital running community out there.