Review /// Nike+ Sportswatch and LunarGlide+ 4

Every now and then, we get the opportunity to review cool gadgets and toys that raise the bar in technology and design, and there are few greater brands that consistently do this than Nike. Most of the team here at Concrete Playground are more Socialites of the Night as opposed to Slaves of the Paves, so we invited Dan Dale, who is in training for his debut New York Marathon this November, to review the new Nike+ Sportswatch and LunarGlide+ 4, for the serious and not so serious fitness freaks out there.

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Nike+ Sportswatch powered by Tom Tom

I'm on my quest to finish my first marathon and to take down my sister in the process, it’s important that I find a competitive edge. With my new Nike+ Sportswatch powered by Tom Tom, I’m one step closer, and hopefully two steps in front (or more), when I’m crossing that finish line in the New York City marathon in November.

Its cool, it looks stylish and most importantly is super easy to use from the moment you charge it up, down to customising your settings and downloading the app.

I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks now and my old polar watch and Map My Run has all been made redundant. Its all about simplicity and efficiency for me, and I find this new watch ticks these boxes for me. This is ideal to stimulate motivation and progressively enhance your performance.

For the beginner:

Its great for the beginner as you can easily track time, distance and importantly calories burnt. Looks great and adds credibility.

For the slightly more serious:

If you are slightly more serious, like me and you want to crack the daunting three hour marathon, then pace per kilometre becomes your friend, as I need to do 4 minutes 26 seconds per km. If you want to take training to the next level then I suggest you also purchase a polar heart rate strap so you can monitor the intensity of your workouts.

The GPS itself is brilliant. Powered by Tom Tom, who are also responsible for Apple's iOS 6 map software, I didn’t need to calibrate this and all my runs have all been accurate so far. The best thing about it is that I also do plenty of trail running in the bush and over hills, and now I’m able to accurately measure this.

I had an opportunity in the weekend to gauge where my sister’s fitness levels are at. She got a super fancy, super expensive Garmin Sportwatch that does everything for her, but like most high-tech gadgets, she only uses about 10% of the functionality. We ran around hills, trying to make the steep inclines look easy in the process and after over an hour and a half of running, we both had 13.8 and 13.84km respectively. Unbelievable!

Product Features:

• GPS by Tom Tom
• Tap Display
• Direct connect into USB portal to upload information and recharge battery
• Run Date, tracks distance, pace, time, calories burnt, and BPM (with Compatible Heart rate monitor)
• Water-resistant

Positives:

• Super easy to use, sync to your computer and track results/mileage
• Has all the information required at your finger tips
• Cheap comparatively to other GPS watches
• Can’t emphasise how easy it us to use,

Negatives:

• Battery Life isn’t great, but standard for these GPS watches
• Have to buy a rate (Polar wearlink) separate. My old polar straps didn’t sync so I’m going to have to buy a new one
• Cheesy quotes

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Nike LunarGlide+ 4

I’ve always been a loyal Asics shoe running fan, maybe it is because my P.E. teachers always wore them. They are a great brand and a very good running shoe however, already I’ve only clocked up around 80 km in my new Nike Lunarglide+ shoes and they have proved to be exceedingly comfortable. I seem to have more of a spring in my steep and I’m trying to work out if this is the performance of the shoe or I am just in damn fine form. Either way its working and I’m getting more personal bests.

Other features include:

• Very light shoe at 281 grams (15% lighter than Lunar Glide+ 3)
• Flywire technology. Sounds serious and it is. Essentially means there is some kick ass design elements that allows the shoe to mould to the runners foot.
• A built in heel clip to assist in protecting against overpronation
• Highlighters. Because you feel and look fitter in highlighted colours.

The LunarGlide+ 4 is now available in New Zealand (hitting stores this week). Contact Nike Britomart (09 5506453) to arrange a look and try them on, after all, if you have read this review, they are getting the Concrete Playground stamp of approval.

Lastly, linking your shoe alongside the watch, and using Nikeplus.com, it provides the ultimate fitness partnership. I can also track distance and calories covered in other sporting disciplines, whether its indoor soccer or a game of tennis which I find all very interesting. Overall, the technology raises the bar (and is also available on Android). Well done Nike.