The Mallorys Online

Well I just finished my tenth run with my Nike+ gear. Today I finished my first non-stop 2.5 mile run at an average pace of 10′08″, which is much better than my first run of 1.35 miles @ 10′57″ pace! My best mile so far is a measly 9′15″ so I have a long way to go before I can even think 5k. Here is a shot of my runs by distance.

Jennifer and I are also excited to get granite counters installed this weekend! We decided on tropical brown, which just happens to be what our friends have in their new house! There are so many variations of granite that it’s hard to show you a sample, but picture this with more black. I said I would post shots of the carpet so I’ll just wait until the granite is in and post them both at the same time.Â

I decided that it’s time to get into shape. Being the geek that I am, I find my motivation in gadgets. I already have an iPod Nano so when I discovered the Nike Sport Kit I had to have it! I went out today and got the Sport Kit along with a pair of Nike Air Max 180 running shoes.

The shoes are part of the Nike+ line that has a built in compartment for the Sport Kit sensor. The setup was amazingly simple. I simply took the insole out of the shoe and slipped the sensor into the built-in compartment. The only hiccup happened when I plugged the receiver into my Nano. A message popped up stating the attachment doesn’t work my version of the iPod. I docked the Nano and found that there was a software update. A few minutes later and the Nano worked seamlessly with the receiver.

I went on my first run today and let’s just say I’ve fallen off my high school 1-mile time. I loaded my Nano up with some inspirational music, stretched, and I was off and running! The Sport Kit gives you verbal updates over the music when you push the center button. The music and verbal status updates are great, but the most amazing part of the Sport Kit is Nike’s online site. When you dock the Nano after a workout it automatically sends the information to the Nike site. Here is a snapshot of my last run:

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No laughing at my time, I’m easing back into exercise! On the site you can set goals, see previous runs, look at personal bests and compete against others. Hopefully all of this gadgetry keeps me motivated to hit the pavement consistently.

I’m not a hardcore runner so I can’t claim to know what to look for in a running shoe. I can say that the Air Max 180 is very comfortable and didn’t have any “hot spots.” In my opinion, for $110 they’d better be the best shoes!

I don’t know how people do it. How in the world could you constantly travel around the country on business? There are so many things bad about it:

• You’re without your family;
• Hotel rooms are very sterile and depressing;
• Can’t just go to the fridge and grab a Diet Coke;

I could go on and on about how lame business travel is. Maybe I’ll snap some pics with my phone and post them tomorrow. It is very beautiful here in Columbus and the hotel where I’m staying is nice, but it’s just not home.

Update: Here is a shot of the hotel I’m staying at. It’s owned by Nationwide and the hotel and grounds are immaculate.